Paralympic Champions – Dave Ellis & Luke Pollard
September 2nd 2024, Paris on the Pont Alexander III, Dave Ellis and his guide Luke Pollard cross the line, Paralympic Champions! Turn the clock back… in Rio 2016, Dave’s category PTVI wasn’t included in the games. Four years on (plus one for the Pandemic), so five years, Ellis and Pollard so dominant in the sport over the years suffered a heart breaking mechanical during the bike in Tokyo 2020 and were unable to finish. Roll on to Paris 2024 and finally after winning everything there was to win, they finally got their Paralympic Gold!
Now, just days out from the World Triathlon Para Championships, in Torremolinos-Andalucia, Spain, where the duo will go for their 7th World title, we caught up with the winning the pair to find out more about Paris, their successful partnership over the years, how PTVI racing works, and what’s next.
So Paralympic Champion – how does that sound? Has it sunk in yet?
DE: I don’t think it’s really sunk in just yet, still got some season to go!
LP: What a day! Still don’t think it has fully set in although the season still in play so maybe it’ll fully hit after the last race.
What does it mean to get the Gold?
DE: Means a lot to have the end product after years and years of hard work.
LP: I’ve been in triathlon for a while but specifically every decision I’ve made for the last 5 years has been made with this goal in mind. I know Dave has been waiting for this for much longer than me, so to finally cross that line with him and achieve it is pretty magic.
You came off the bike with a few of the other competitors? What were your thoughts at that point in T2?
DE: I was pretty confident at this point, I’ve been running well this season so was up for the battle!
LP: We had good control of the race on the bike. I knew that if Dave was in contention going onto the run, he could do it. I’ve saw Dave do some impressive run sessions going into Paris so I had faith in his abilities.
During the run, how much communication is happening between the two of you? What are you saying to each other?
DE: I’m not saying much, I’m listening to Luke giving splits to where the others are.
LP: I usually give Dave a split for the first km and let him know where some of our competitors are. Obviously, I’m also giving guiding information like where corners are and making sure Dave can run confidently.
At what point did you know or think you’d done it?
DE: As we got deeper into the run I started to believe we could do it
LP: Although we knew the gap was there, we never take anything for granted. Alex showed in the Olympics that it’s never a done deal. By the time we hit the carpet it was a good feeling.
What was the course in Paris like and how was the atmosphere?
DE: The course was pretty cool riding on the champs Elysee, something we will never get to do again. The crowd were spectacular, never had so much support for paratriathlon!
LP: Incredible! Some parts of the course were like a wall of noise, so much so that I don’t think Dave could fully hear me! To be in the battle with the French athletes all the way only added to the noise level.
There was a lot of change and uncertainty with the race start (day/time etc). In the end all Paratriathlon events on the same day – how did you manage this uncertainty and stay focused on the race?
DE: We always knew there was a possibility the dates could change. So, we tried not to get too stressed and focus on performance. Glad it ended up being a triathlon!
LP: We’ve had a very unpredictable few years in paratriathlon, several races have undergone last minute changes. Duathlon, shortened distances, aquathlon, cancellations, you name it we’ve probably had to deal with it. So, when there was a chance of the race moving around, we dealt with it well.
With you all racing almost at the same time, were you aware during your race, how well all the British Paratriathletes were doing? Perhaps keeping track of how Claire* was going too? Or is it just focus on your own race to get the job done? (*Claire Cashmore is Dave’s partner and ended up finishing second in PTS5)
DE: The courses didn’t cross and because of timings we didn’t catch Claire. Although we followed the later stages of Claire’s race on a TV after our race
LP: To be honest I didn’t have a clue nor was I really trying to, I was pretty much tunnelled vision in on our race. They had a tv in the athlete area so we could follow Claire and the rest of the team after we’d finished.
How did you celebrate the win? (or is that on hold till the end of the season J - maybe both)
DE: Had a few drinks after the race with friends and family who were over supporting our race
LP: We had a mega week in Paris… errmm enough said?
(ED: Love the difference in answers! Ha ha)
You’ve gone pretty much straight back into racing after Paris? How has that been?
DE: Good to get back into a routine after a week of in Paris after the race, especially with big races coming up
LP: Apart from the weather shift it’s been good! It’s quite motivating now a big goal has been realised and we can hopefully finish the season on a high.
Many athletes after the highs of a big win, then struggle for the rest of the year. How have you managed the emotional and physical high from winning with the ‘post Olympic depression’ if it hit? And being able to get back up for the rest of the season?
DE: I still want to do well in the last few races so haven’t really felt any post Paralympic blues
LP: ‘Post games blues’ I think is different for everyone. The way I view it is I’m extremely lucky to be able to work with some fantastic people every day and everyone has given us so much support through the games. When I started triathlon 13 years ago, I would have never said I would be doing this so I’m enjoying every moment.
You are such a team, you have trained together and been partners for so long – do you think that has been one of the keys to your dominance and success? Or what has been some of the factors in making you the athletes you are?
DE: I believe performance is a product of years of the work you put into the sport. I’ve been lucky to be guided by some great guides over the years.
LP: I think working together nearly every day has definitely played a part in confidence in racing together. Although, it has made us both up our game, I was racing conti cup level and just started racing pro 70.3 when I first started working with Dave. I’m so much better than I was then because Dave has pushed me on day after day, and I’d like to think in some ways I’ve helped him too.
Do you get nervous before races or laid back? Are you the same, or do you deal with race morning in different ways?
DE: Normally quite relaxed going into races but definitely a bit more nervous for Paris... We don’t get many opportunities for a Paralympic games
LP: We’ve both been racing so long now that I’m definitely not as nervous as I used to be. I remember our first WPS together in Montreal 2019. I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous. It’s a bit different now.
What’s next? Goals? Races? You’ve achieved everything in the sport?
DE: Next goal is to win worlds for a 7th time
LP: I think focus on Worlds this year and then have a reflection on the Paris cycle as a whole and where we go from here.
LA2028?
LP: It’s Dave’s call, I can’t do it without him!
DE: If I’m still competitive, I love to defend the title... Long time to go yet though
We then asked Dave to explain a little more about the equipment specifically to Paratriathlon and the PTVI category and how the communication works.
Swim:
- We use a tether that we both wear around our thighs
- We use recces to make sure we are both confident on the course and what lines etc we are going to take. I’ll give Dave a tap on his back when its time to turn around the buoy.
Bike:
- We use a custom tandem that was made in France, we have been using Parcours wheels on the tandem since 2019. For Paris we used a chrono front and rear set up but use a disc wheel for other races.
- We set the bike up specifically for Paris, we did testing with Dov from Parcours, to get the wheel set up perfect for the course conditions on race day.
- Riding the tandem is great fun, when it’s up to speed and you have good flow, I don’t think there are many bike experiences that beat it. I’ll give Dave a shout for corners and when I’m wanting to turn the bike in. Dismounting is actually a lot simpler than it looks, with good communication and knowing what each other is doing it’s a skill people pick up quickly.
- Shimano 11sp di2, 1x 56t chain ring with a GRX rear derailleur. We changed to a grx so we had more gear ratio range for training and a clutch for racing on the cobbles in Paris.
- At the test event recce I filmed a lap from a chest mounted camera. I must have watched about a thousand laps on sped up footage over the past 12 months (good way to pass time on the turbo), it was in my brain so much that I knew that course as much as our training routes in Loughborough.
Run:
- It’s a lot easier to communicate on the run, there is no special trick, I just give Dave relevant race information and sometimes some encouragement.
- I can’t push or pull Dave around the course, on some technical bits of the course there are ‘VI free leading’ zones. This allows the guide to help the athlete navigate the course safely.
From all the team at Parcours, we wish Dave and Luke the very best this weekend at the World Triathlon Para Championships. We are proud to be a small part in their success over the years, and we hope much more to come.
