Lucy Byram is Ready for T100 London and Gunning For the Day’s Fastest Bike Split on Her BMC TimeMachine 01

Photos: Kevin Mackinnon

Rising British T100 star Lucy Byram is going all in for London. Currently ranked 12th in the world (third on the bike), the Team BMC athlete will be taking advantage of the technical bike course in hopes of bettering her fitth place finish last year.

Slowtwitch: How have you tailored your training to T100? 

Lucy Byram: To race the best at T100 you definitely need to be fast! Since last year I have been working on some more speed work, especially on the run. Since a lot of short course athletes are now moving over to the T100 distance, the level of competition has been rising all the time. 

Have you done any specific prep for London? 

This year before T100 London I have been up in Font Romeu on an altitude training camp. I have only done an altitude camp once before, but it seemed to work quite well for me last time.  With London being a “local” race for me this year, I thought it would be nice to target this one and go into the race in the best shape possible.

Are you concerned about the water quality? And how would you feel about a no-swim race? 

I know there have been concerns about the water quality in the docks where the swim is being held. I think as an athlete you should always be prepared for changes at the last minute. I’m not sure what the format would be if there was no swim (start on the bike or a duathlon), but not being the strongest swimmer, it wouldn’t be a disadvantage to me if the swim was cancelled!  Saying that, I would always want it to be a triathlon because that’s what we all train for day in day out. 

What did you learn racing T100 last year that will help you this time?

Last year in London I had a great race. The bike has quite a few dead turns and fast corners, as well as lots of speed bumps to contend with. The more technical the course, the more it suits me. 

You just missed out on the fastest bike split last year in London, is that something you’re aiming to do this time?

Getting the fastest bike split at a T100 is something that I would love to achieve this year. I have had quite a few top bike splits, but not the fastest yet.  If I do manage to get the fastest bike split this year, I think it would only be worth it if I was able to back it up with a solid run, too. This is something we have been trying to work on this year.

How does it feel racing on home soil? Is London one of your favourite courses?

I am very excited to race on home soil again. It’s not very often you get the opportunity to race so close to home and feel so at ease being somewhere. This year I have about 20 family members and friends coming to watch which will be such a nice experience. It definitely makes you push harder knowing they have made the effort to come and watch.  

I would say London would be one of my favourite courses, just because of the atmosphere, especially on the run. The UK crowds are normally some of the best when it comes to cheering the athletes on.

Lucy Byram’s BMC SpeedMachine 01

Byram rides the CADEX Aero Disc and the CADEX Aero 4-Spoke, which feature …

… Hookless rims.

Byram rides a 54-tooth, 1X chainring, 165 mm cranks and uses Speedplay Aero pedals. The Roto InSpider meter provides power data.

Attached to the BMC base bar is Wattshop Anemoi MK2 aero bars.

There’s lots of hydration options including the Wattshop Anemoi BTA Mount, BMC Speedmachine integrated frame hydration system and EZ Hydro-Gains behind the seat water bottle cages.

There’s a Syncros Belcarra V 1.0 saddle to round things out.

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