About Us
Thank you for your interest in the Thames Turbo Triathlon Club (TTTC) based in Hampton, Middlesex. Formed in 1983 with nearly 500 members we are one of the oldest and largest triathlon clubs in the UK. We have a wide variety of members ranging from novices, who are just starting in triathlon, up to athletes competing at the Ironman World Championships in Kona. We also have a thriving Junior section and actively encourage participation in triathlon.
We pride ourselves on our competitive history and can count three World Champions and other elite athletes amongst our alumni: Stuart Hayes, Spencer Smith, Richard Stannard, James Lock and Tim Don have all been Turbos on their way to the top!
As well as our busy training and racing schedule, the club is also very sociable with gatherings such as monthly social evenings, summer barbecues, an annual awards party and a Christmas event. Members receive additional benefits such as money-off vouchers for club race kit and discounts with selected sports retailers. The Members Forum area of the club’s website also provides Members with valuable training/racing information and tips, and is a useful and lively interactive networking forum.
Thames Turbo Triathlon Club is a member of the British Triathlon Federation and new and existing club members are encouraged to join their relevant Home Nation Association to take advantage of the benefits that membership offers.
Meet The Turbos
We’re a very friendly bunch with variety of backgrounds, experience and achievements. Within the club there are beginners, working towards their first events and those old campaigners racing hard throughout the field. Whatever your goals your fellow club mates, along with the coaches are there to support you. We are also keen to support members in ‘moving up distances’ or just going faster in their chosen distance. We are particularly proud of the diversity amongst our membership including a good mix of female and male members of all ages.
Our Buddies
If you’re new to the club we’ll offer to introduce you to a Thames Turbo Buddy. Our buddies are experienced club members who are there to answer any questions you may have, such as: What are the sessions like? What equipment do I need? What races should I enter? They are there to help you navigate the club and be a sounding board on all things triathlon.
Social Media & Bulletin Board
We have an active internal bulletin board where all important announcements are made. We also have a private Facebook group for members. Below is a list of public and private social media that the club uses.
- Club Twitter: @ThamesTurbo
- Junior Twitter: @ThamesTurboJuni
- Race Director: @ttracedirector
- Club Instagram: thames_turbo
Our Coaches
We have a team of dedicated and experienced coaches. Many of whom are trained to BTF Level 1 or 2.
Ralph Hydes Head Coach
Ralph’s Philosophy
“Throughout my athletic and triathlon career which has spanned 31 years I have trained with some of the best athletes in the world and had the privilege of being trained by some of the top coaches in the UK. I have learnt from my years training and learning from these coaches to develop my own training philosophy. I have now been coaching for 17 years and helped train 20 individuals to international age group selection, 2 World champions and several top 20 placings. I have also helped countless athletes achieve Ironman goals or goals of achieving in whatever discipline or event they are undertaking. My philosophy is about developing each individual athlete working upon their skills and developing their weaknesses. Understanding what sessions will work for certain people and identifying what needs to be done are obvious key aspects to helping individuals develop. My training is hard but at the same time measured so not to overtrain. Often it is necessary to hold back a keen athlete in order to achieve the gains. Some of my training is slightly unorthodox but given to the right people at the right time will make huge leaps in their development. The training I set out is periodised so that the training achieves the goal at the right time. If this is for an individual then this can be two times in a season for example to gain selection for the age group team and then to peak again for the World Championships. In a club environment the sessions are mapped out so that the focus covers the main racing period of the summer months being June, July and August. This will mean that the club members are making their goals providing they are coming to all the sessions by the race season. “
For more information about our coaching team visit here
Our Juniors & Youths
Our Juniors & Youths squads are a very important part of our club. With regular training and mentor ship from our coaches they have competed in triathlons at all levels. If you would like to join the juniors, please click on link below.
The Committee
We have quite a few members in our committee, all which fulfill important roles within the club. The key roles, from an members point of view, are Club Chairperson Aileen Robinson, Club Captain - Sarah Jackson, Seniors Membership Secretary Richard Chanley (membership@thamesturbo.co.uk) and Junior Membership Secretary Kate Brooke.