The new world triathlon champion believes the input she\u2019s had from double-Olympic gold medallist Alistair has played a leading hand in getting her to the top of the swim, bike, run world <\/p>
When Beth Potter<\/a> first moved to Leeds to give triathlon a shot in 2017, the gulf in cycling experience between herself and Alistair Brownlee<\/a> could hardly have been greater.<\/strong><\/p>\n The year before the decorated Yorkshireman had become the first triathlete to win a second Olympic gold medal and was known as one of the best bikers in triathlon.<\/p>\n Scarcely a day went by when he wouldn\u2019t be out on two wheels, up hill and down dale whatever the conditions. In contrast, Potter, having switched focus from elite running, had hardly pedalled a bike at all.<\/p>\n Roll on seven years and the pair are training together on a daily basis, Potter says she is \u201crunning less but running better than ever before\u201d with the volume of cycling in her programme helping to develop her aerobic engine to compete with the world\u2019s best triathletes.<\/p>\n \u201cAlistair said I needed to be more efficient at running off the bike, and that\u2019s not from doing more running, but more swimming and biking,\u201d Potter said. \u201cI\u2019ve really knuckled down with that. I ride with cyclists all the time now and do a couple of sessions a week that are pretty hard and quite race-like, in groups, and sitting on wheels. It\u2019s organised chaos. That sort of stuff really helps.\u201d<\/p>\n Potter not only became world champion with her win in Pontevedra<\/strong><\/a> on Sunday, but following victory in August\u2019s Olympic test event<\/strong><\/a>, she also met British Triathlon\u2019s criteria \u2013 the toughest in the world \u2013 to clinch qualification for the team in Paris next year.<\/p>\n It means she will head to next year\u2019s Games as reigning world champion and one of the favourites. \u201cI think that it sets a good marker,\u201d she added.\u00a0 \u201cAlistair said something like: \u2018Go to Pontevedra. Win Pontevedra. Win the world championship and then have everyone scared for next year.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cIt was \u2018do this, this and this, and show them that you\u2019re serious for next year.\u2019 Easier said than done, but I said: \u2018Okay, I\u2019ll try and do that!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Potter achieved it in style, winning her fourth World Triathlon Championship Series race of the season in north-west Spain with an assured performance to take the tape ahead of British team-mate Kate Waugh<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nOrganised chaos\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n