UPDATE RE IRONMAN TRAINING SEE BELOW.......UPDATE RE IRONMAN TRAINING SEE BELOW.......
The wind is a howlin'
The rain is a pourin'
Triathletes are thinking Warm Weather Trainin'
(W.B.Yeats)
Following on from the success of previous years, arrangements have been made for a return to Hotel Beau Soleil in Cesanatico - a coastal town in Northern Italy. Swim beneath the sun. Run beneath the shade of a forest. Cycle the hills and valleys of Northern Italy. All in the company of happy triathletes! If you need any more incentive check out the Piranha photo gallery.
The proposed dates are Saturday April 28th to Saturday May 5th. There is a bank holiday on the 7th so we'll have two full days to recover before returning to the real world. Here's the deal. You book your own flight (detailed below) the club arranges the rest and you settle your bill with the hotel on departure. See below for further cost estimates...
The hotel is beside the beach, and caters specifically for Triathletes. It has an outdoor heated, clean, 25m laned pool to which we have all day access. The price covers half board - continental breakfast (fruit, cereal, bread etc.) and a four course evening meal with a choice of 3 or 4 dishes. 
For those new to the club the warm weather training week is organised by Piranha each year at this time. Three training sessions per day are undertaken and supervised by qualified and experienced coaches. It's a great way to bring up your fitness away from the distractions of every day life and immerse yourself in training. Though there will be a run, swim and cycle session planned for each day there is no obligation to train at every session. The training week is designed to cater for all levels from complete beginners to the more experienced athlete. It will be up to the individual to opt out of a session and there will be no pressure placed on anyone to do more than they think they are able. A breakdown of last years training schedule will be published here in due course. 
Accommodation
Half board accommodation is 52 per person sharing per day for a room with a balcony and 48 for a room without from April 28th to May 1st and 44 and 40 respectively for May 2nd to May 5th. Therefore the cost of a weeks accommodation per person sharing in a room with a balcony will be E 352. There is a 15% supplement for a single room. There is no full board accommodation available this year but I am told there is a great restaurant at the nearby beach for lunch.
I have provisionally booked accommodation for 30 people. The choice of room i.e double single, with balcony or without will obviously depend on personal preference but I will need to know well in advance to confirm with the hotel. Please also include in your budget a sum to cover the coaching cost. Was roughly E60 pp last year but obviously will depend on the number of coaches and athletes travelling.
Flights
Aer Lingus will be getting us there and the flight is detailed below.
AER LINGUS EI416
Departing Dublin
16:20 Sat 28 Apr 2007
Arriving Bologna
20:00 Sat 28 Apr 2007
AER LINGUS EI417
Departing Bologna
20:40 Sat 05 May 2007
Arriving Dublin
22:30 Sat 05 May 2007
Transfer to the hotel will be by bus and will cost 20 per person and will be arranged by the club for the above flight only. There is a regular train service from Bologna to Cesanatico. If you wish to make alternate arrangements please let me know of alternate plans well in advance.
It is your responsibility to Book And Pay for your own Flight so BOOK EARLY.
These flights can be booked at www.aerlingus.com. There will be additional charges for those who wish to bring their own bikes and at the moment the price quoted on aerlingus.com is 30 euros each way. Your bike is your responsibility if you choose to bring your own. Please check the detail regarding pre booking luggage with the airline as there may be a limit on the number of bikes they will carry and specific instructions on how to package the bike.
Your bike is solely your Responsibility.
BIKE HIRE
Bikes are available to hire at the hotel. They are good quality road bikes and cost 70 per week. For bike hire I need to know your exact frame size and pedal type required.
How to Book
I need a 50 deposit by Feb 7th to confirm your interest; this is non-refundable as it will be going directly to the hotel. Cheques should be made out to 'Piranha Triathlon Club' and can be mailed to Sinead McBreen, 26 Charleville Avenue, North Strand, Dublin 3. This sum will be deducted from your bill by the hotel on your departure.
Supporters
Partners, sisters, brothers, friends, grannies, mothers. All are welcome to accompany the weary triathlete (or weary coach for that matter!) The more the merrier. Triathletes do party as hard as they train (as evidenced above). A few "supporters" travelled last year and added to the craic so don't be shy. If you like to travel but don't like to train put your name down anyway.
IRONMEN AND IRONMAIDENS
I've sourced a coach with ironman experience who is interested in coming over to Italy in order to look after those with Ironman plans. I can't confirm his attendance until I know how many of you are planning on going to Italy.
Please post a comment below if you are planning on traveling to Italy are doing IM and would like your training plan monitored by an IM coach.
P.S: If there are any queries, questions or quibbles post up here as a comment please and you'll get a quick response.
PiranhaTri
http://www.piranhatri.com/article.php/20070112094259500