Duathlon Bayernmeister!

After last weeks events in Budapest, things went from bad to worse when the International Duathlon of Casablanca scheduled for next week was cancelled....Lianne did her best to calm me down and in the end we decided to head to Munich and check out Germany for the first time. Lianne learned German at school and we both wanted to check out the country so it worked well.

I wasn´t hopeful of finding any races in Munich but my brother (Thanks Beany!) found a race called the Schneider Weisse MagicMan Duathlon which is the Bayern Duathlon Championship and I was just pumped to try out the Cannondale Slice for the first time. The race has been going for 14 years and past winners include Norman Stadler. The course is a flat 5km run/hilly 34k bike and another flat 5K run to finish.

Anyway, the race was very scenic and after a fast first run I had a solid lead. I was caught and passed by a strong bike rider half way through the bike and he proceeded to put a 1 minute gap into me in the last 16km. I have been in career best running form so I was confident I could catch him and eventually at 4km the pass was made and I was able to enjoy my first victory of the trip and the title of Bayernmeister!

Huge thanks to the organisers (Run-Bike Kelheim) of this beautiful race...especially Race Director, Toni, for being so accomodating and finally, to Cedric Hasenfratz and Cannondale Switzerland. I am glad I have finally thrown a leg over the saddle of this awesome machine and look forward to many more victories on the Slice!

Regards
Radar

Unbelievable

Well today I will keep it brief because there isn't much I can really say to explain my disapointment.

In point form:

Hamstring was 100%- in the first run I led the lead group of 7 into transition in 31.09 and there were 2 guys- Yakovlev and Dereere- 15 sec up ahead. Perfect start and put alot of pressure on some guys and many favourites cracked under the tempo

We quickly caught the 2 front runners and 5 guys (4 Spaniards) caught us from behind in the first 2 laps of the 8 lap bike

The legs were good on the bike and I was staying in top 3 riders so all moves were covered

Then....A f---ing PUNCTURE....I instinctively went to the wheel swap but forgot I was in running platforms and broke the strap for the platforms.

I changed wheels and tried to ride but had too much risk of injury or crashing with no strap on a toe clip pedal....no choice but to walk away DNF. No World Ranking Points and No Prize Money

When the financial costs of chasing the dream and pulling my family half way round the world are considered, it is really hard to cop this outcome. I fly back to Zurich tomorrow and Lianne and I will work out what is next. A little holiday and some relaxing in Munich will be the tonic to work out our plans.

Well it is always good to finish on a positive note. The reality is, when I can be fully focussed on running 100k a week and riding 300-400k I believe I can be the best Duathlete in the World........the two times I have been fit enough for such a result I have crashed (Belgium 2007) and punctured (today). Hopefully, the World Championships this year will be 3rd time lucky and I can get the result I am after.

Regards

Radar

In Budapest for European World Series

I arrived in beautiful Budapest last night for the European leg of the World Duathlon Series. Have spent today checking out the place and super impressed by the food and architecture. We had 8km ride from our Hotel to the race site and the Baroque style Parliament building along the river Danube was particularly imposing.

The race tomorrow looks very biased towards the fastest runners, as the bike is particularly flat and non technical.

Cheers
Radar

Bilbao Race Video and a great Quote

We were very lucky to have Leys Geddes (the partner of James's Mum, Karen) at the race in Bilbao. Like at Gernika, he has compiled a nice little package from race day.

Thanks a heap Leys!

The video is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at6tIvF8vug

The great quote regarding Duathlon is below:

The late Primo Nebiolo, former President of the International Athletic Federation (IAAF) and prominent IOC Executive Board member 10 years ago wrote, “Duathletes are the first cousins to our athletes - there is no confrontation, but rather continuity. Jumping onto the saddle after running ten kilometers and then running again after 40km on two wheels is a demonstration of the integrity and strength of muscles and will power of these champions. Running and cycling are both beautiful and venerable sports.”

Amen
Radar

No start at Zofingen

Unfortunately, my hamstring is no where near 100% and as such I cannot start Intervall Duathlon Zofingen tomorrow. I will instead race in a team and do the bike leg with a local runner. While disappointing, the reality is that the hamstring needs more time and the risk of further damage is too great.

The European Championships in 7 days is a 50/50 proposition and I will do a fitness test on Thursday morning before making a final decision.

Running Regards
Radar

Cannondale Sponsorship Deal Signed

Gday all,

I am pleased to announce that I have signed a 2 year sponsorship deal with Cannondale Switzerland to ride the Cannondale Slice in Long Distance and non-drafting Duathlon events. An announcement will be up shortly on the main page.

Basically, it is an integral part of my transition to non drafting and long distance racing and ensures I am using the best possible racing equipment. I thank Cedric Hasenfratz and the Cannondale Swiss Team and am looking forward to a mutually successful relationship.

In Switzerland, we will spend most of our time in Basel, home to the Hasenfratz family and the Wildcats Triathlon Team www.wildcats.ch. However, we are currently in Zofingen, home of the World Long Distance Duathlon Championships (held every September), and also home to the biggest Short Distance race in Switzerland- Zofingen Intervall Duathlon. We are staying here with the family of race organiser, Lukas Baumann and been looked after really well.

The Swiss countryside is like a utopia for running and cycling with rolling hills, clean fresh air and green countryside filled with big arse cows. It has been the perfect place to get some mind therapy as at the moment it looks unlikely I will be able to race this Sunday due to a hamstring strain. I am due for more treatment over the next few days and have a final fitness test on Saturday morning.

Regards
Radar

Big Result....Big Problems...Bilbao Duathlon

Well the satisfaction of a very good result at yesterday´s Bilbao International Duathlon has been dimmed by a Gd 1 Hamstring Strain sustained in a sprint finish for 3rd place. We head to Switzerland today and I will seek treatment but racing this weekend in Switzerland and training for the European Championships will be restricted.

Yesterday´s race was very high quality again with all the best Spanish, Frenchman Laurent Galinier and Nico Capoferri plus Aussies, James Attard and I. The first run was extremely quick as we did a circuit of the river and Guggenheim Museum, the French are both running very well and I was at maximum speed maintaining contact as the rest of the field splintered behind us. The run course though was absolutely spectacular and a te race organisers did a fantastic job accessing the globally iconic location for the race.

The bike was basically 10k climbing a mountain, then 10k descending back to transition and from the outset, Capoferri (a former bike pro with Cofidis) set an incredibly high tempo which I was unable to follow. The two Frenchies continued to build an unassailable lead and are both very very strong climbers- simply too strong for me on the day. At the summit of the climb I had 20 seconds on a large chase group of athletes so chose to wait for the group and get a rest on the descent to prepare for the final run.

After a poor transition, I exited in 7th place but immediatelty felt very strong and by 1km was into 4th place with James and former World Junior Champion, Santamaria (ESP) on my tail and only 5* Spanish Champ, Javier Garcia ahead. The final 1km was a dogfight and eventually I won the battle for 3rd. In the end, all 4 of us crossed the line within 2 seconds. http://www.triatloi.org/clasificaciones2009/bilbao_archivos/MASCULINA.pdf
Unfortunately, half way down the final straight I felt a mild twinge in my hamstring which I thought was a cramp. This morning it appears more serious and now it is a case of trying to best manage the situation. Hopefully I can jump on the bike tomorrow and keep the heart ticking over while the leg recovers....fingers crossed

Regards
Radar

More Hard Yards

Thankfully, now the training backs off for 3 races in the next 3 weeks. We start this week with the Bilbao Duathlon and then off to Swiss for the Intervall Duathlon Zofingen and then the European Championships in Budapest

Last week training was very hard and looked like this:
Monday Easy 1hr Run, Bike 2 hours steady over hills
Tuesday Steady 1 hour Run, Bike 90 minutes
Wednesday Easy 75 min run, Bike 2.5 hours
Thursday 30 min WU, 10 * 500m reps, 25 min CD
Friday Bike 3 hours, Run 1 hour
Saturday Run 90 min (building pace), Spin 50 minutes 110rpm bike
Sunday Bike 3.5 hours hills, Run 40 minutes
We have been training alot with local pro triathlete and Spanish #2 Mikel Elgozabel who is a weapon on the bike and we have been teaching him the benefits of mid ride coffees!

The body has absorbed the work well and now sharpening should see some very fast running in perfect time for the big races ahead

Cheers
Radar