Hashtag Road to Platinum... (the other part to professional triathlon)

As I stood in yet another line, in yet another lounge, in yet another airport, perspiration pouring down my face, and my anger and frustration rising with every tick of the airport clock, I questioned whether it was all worth it.

The road to platinum I mean.

I had just missed my connection from London to Madrid and I was now being lied to by airline staff about which flights operated.... Despite my having flown on the exact flights in question only the previous week. Tell me they're full - fine. Don't say the flight doesn't and hasn't ever existed!
No matter what onlookers will tell you, the road to platinum is paved with hard work, frustration, and exhaustion. Just as the other, less thought about side to the supposedly "glamorous" world of professional sport isn't exactly glamorous.

Rewind

It was just over two months prior to my frequent flyer anniversary date. I was at our training base in Spain and logged on to my frequent flyer account for a routine check. I knew I'd comfortably retain my gold status but until that day, that warm summer's day in Spain, I had never thought of the “#roadtoplatinum” as possible. With a small hint of potential, I set about routing, calculating and re-routing and re-calculating my remaining race travel for June/July and August. I could really do this. I could feel the black card in my hands, I could smell the envelope in which it would arrive. It was decided. I was going for it.

But no matter what anyone thinks, whilst this is a story that ends well, it was not an easy path I chose to take on that fateful Spanish summer's day in June. Just as travelling as a professional triathlete is not as simple, carefree and joyful as the beautiful, scenic photos you’ll see posted on Instagram. This is the other side, the side that doesn’t make for happy photo moments.

Being a cost conscious triathlete, I naturally limited myself to Oneworld airlines that did not charge for bike handling. Thus, Iberia (the Spanish home airline) was out. Thankfully, British Airways are more welcoming of the notion of traveling with bikes, and thus, it was decided that every race would need to be arrived at via London Heathrow: Cheaper AND maximal status credit earning potential AND reasonable connections to most European destinations (when things run on time!). Strategy number one applied. Although easier said than done. In ten weeks, I have transferred between Heathrow’s Terminal 3 and Terminal 5 eight times!

Many might think that I chose an affluent path to take in chasing platinum status, and in my choice of airlines. Quite the contrary. Travelling for triathlon races requires more strategic thinking than it appears on the surface to outsiders. So much more

Stage one: the booking process

Sometimes it is actually cheaper at the end of the day to pay slightly more for a higher class of travel or for what is perceived as a premium airline. If bikes travel free as a result, then it may actually be the cheaper option at the end of the day. Some airlines will charge north of $100 per bike, per flight. I ask you, what is the point in paying $100 less for a return ticket on a cheap airline to then be charged multiples of that at the airport for bike handling? Then, we need to look at the aircraft size for certain legs for certain airlines. If there is a choice between a little “propeller job” and a B737, then the B737 is clearly the smarter choice – more space for bikes in the hold - even if it comes at a small price premium. What’s the real price of the trip if the bike doesn’t even arrive for the race and you can’t race?! These are things that we triathletes have to take into consideration every time we travel.

To arrive at the best possible outcome, this job is not as simple as heading to Skyscanner, finding the cheapest ticket and clicking “confirm”. Connection times at stopover airports must also be considered (less than an hour and your bike probably won’t make the connection). My journey through Heathrow, (whilst exhausting when things didn’t go to plan), at least enabled me to fly on an airline that does not charge for bicycles, that has decent connection times (sometimes too long), and flies aircraft of a large enough size to all my required destinations around Europe. They also have a flawless system in place when bikes don’t arrive: frequency of flights means your bike will have sufficient options for eventually getting to you more quickly and are more likely to arrive before the race.

Are you exhausted? Well you’re not even at the airport yet!

Stage two: Check in

Arriving at the check in desk, already sweating from dragging a bike through the terminal (for me, sometimes two bikes!), what potential issue do you sweat even more on first? Is it the weight of your bike when you weigh it at the counter? Or even better, whether the airline will accept your bike at all. At least once, this year and last (when I faulted and chose an inferior option of airline and one with which I had no status), I was told at check in that my bike may not be accepted and if not, then I would not be able to board either. Thirty minutes of arguments later, I succeeded this year but last year was left in an airport terminal for 12 hours and carrying a 500 euro bill for a change of flights (despite it not being my fault at all). With airline status, these debacles become (largely) redundant and can, in itself, entirely justify my journey to platinum.

I choose to be a professional athlete. I choose the lifestyle it entails. And I love it. TRAVELLING as a triathlete IS tough. BEING a triathlete is amazing. I am thankful every day for this opportunity but when I’m dragging a bike bag (or two) through an airport, arguing with airline staff and simultaneously missing a connection, it is still tiring. So when you see me flashing my platinum status card in the next twelve months, know that there was a clear motivation behind choosing that path. It was a clearly thought out, strategic plan requiring plenty of hard work. The motivation wasn’t simply the feel of the black card between my fingers, nor the lure of the First Class Lounge over the Business Lounge. On the contrary. Platinum can help minimise (nothing of course can fully eradicate) the everyday stresses of travel. It means I can arrive at airports later, I can travel with a significantly higher baggage allowance (of particular economic benefit when you have two bikes), my bike (is meant to) have priority for making flights, and I have the luxury of fast tracking queues and lines at airports. This all minimises external stresses arising from travel that could impact what I am actually there to do: race. PLUS, at the bottom line, it saves tangible dollars.

Maybe there is a little George Clooney from “Up in the Air” in myself. I may squeal like a little child when the envelope arrives in the mail. I may stare at the black card for a full minute, marveling that after six years of gold status, I finally made the step up. I may have become slightly obsessed with my “#roadtoplatinum” so much so that my training squad were the ones that arrived at the “#roadtoplatinum” Insta/Twitter tag for me. BUT, beyond that does lie a very deliberate plan to make travelling as a triathlete easier and cheaper. For those wasting their time, energy and money on what they don’t realise are complete false economies, do not think of my “#roadtoplatinum” as one of affluence. With some smart thinking and planning, you too could make life a little easier (and cheaper) for yourselves at airports. And for those outside of our sport, do not be misguided. We may smile in our Instagram photos but that’s because we love what we do, not because it’s easy.