|
Team Valdora Race Reports
Leo Paz
Nov 25, 2007
Last Sunday (11/25/2007) I raced the most important 1\2 IM race in
Brazil. I became 9 elite and I'm very happy with VALDORA. The bike
are amazing, every body was looking and I can listen people
commenting how beautiful it's.
But let's speak about important things, haha, it's fast, very fast
and the comfortable are amazing. I rode 90km in 39.15km/h (25.47mph)
in a very wind day and with a flat tire. I improved my best time in
the same curse by 1 minute with these problems. When I start to run,
I had no pains and ran the first km in 3min30seg (5min36seg per
mile) and had to go down to my real
pace. I did the 5th best race of the day, it was very easy to run.
In the end I improved my best time in this half ironman course by 2
minutes on a very windy and hot day (and with a flat tire). Thanks
for VALDORA; it's the best bike I have ever ridden.
AWESOME
2007 Kona IM World
Championship
Andy Pele
I finished IM Kona in 10:02:43, 337th place
overall, and 38th (of 244) in my age group. Attached is my race
report. No trouble with the Valdora, very comfortable in fact no low
back stiffness and legs not even heavy for the run. I will send a
link to photos taken by ASI when they let me know they are
available. My season is over, thanks for helping make it a good one.
andy
Ironman Kona Race Report
My body felt really
good until about mile fourteen of the run: few stomach issues,
little heat stress, mostly supple muscles. The tight lower back I
expected after five hours spent in a relatively uninterrupted aero
position never materialized. My feet were squish-squishing in my
shoes because I was soaking myself every opportunity I got. After
finding a port-a-potty, the first ten miles of the course, mostly
along Alii Drive, were great. Shade and spectators were plentiful,
hills gentle, ocean views near enough to tempt you with another
swim. But then came the short but steep climb up Palani Rd to the
Queen K Highway. This is where I was first tempted to walk. But I
wanted to avoid walking this ironman. I believed I could and so I
pushed on. The cheering crowd began to dwindle behind me, as did the
shade. How could I avoid envy as Chris McCormack came running toward
me just a mile and a half away from his victory?
My body temperature
began to rise until I could feel the blood pounding in the back of
my neck. Pride needed to give way to prudence. I thought that if I
didn’t start walking through aid stations to allow my body to absorb
more fluids and take more time to cool itself, then I would end up
in much worse shape. It turned out to be a wise decision. I had
always imagined stifling heat rising from the pavement and the bleak
black lava, waves of it in the distance creating those mirages of
water in the road. But this year must have been less forbidding.
What I hadn’t imagined was the heat I would feel just from the
intensity of the sun beating down on me unhindered. From mile 15
onward I struggled with it, telling myself that feeling bad would
give way to feeling better. “Good is coming,” I chanted inwardly.
And it did. For example, I started to pass people again at a point
in the race many consider being one of the toughest: the climb up
out of the Natural Energy Lab. My spirits soared a bit because I was
beyond the turnaround at mile eighteen. I was no longer running away
from the finish, but toward it. I ignored the fact that it was still
eight miles away and tried not to think of the intervening climbs.
This is where I saw Christian Waterstraat running down toward the
turnaround. How did I get ahead of him I wondered? Later he told me
that his run had turned into a “tour de port-a- potty.”
At every aid station
it was ice down the tri tank, sponges and water over the head, water
in the face and down the throat, more ice, more sponges. As the
water evaporated off me I’d be cool for about 400 meters. Then the
heat would rise again and I’d start scanning the horizon for the
next aid station. I doubt that this anticipation made me run any
faster. By this time I was taking in so much fluids that side
stitches became a problem. I knew they’d go away, but I would have
to slow down, because I’m not willful enough to ignore them. For the
most part, my muscles were still behaving themselves, as were my
knees and ankles. One hamstring threatened to cramp and reminded me
not to stride out too far. My feet and toes were getting sore. At
the end of the race I would peel off my shoes to find five blisters
on my toes, horrendously similar to the ones I got running without
socks at the Whirlpool Steelhead half-ironman. The socks didn’t help
much because they were soaked throughout the run. I rallied for a
mile or two after mile twenty to stick with another forty year old
who passed me, but as in Coeur d’Alene, the last three miles were
awful. I need to learn how to conquer this ironman marathon. One
thing that might have helped was a hat to store ice on my head,
rather than a visor. I also want to design a jersey with “ice
pockets” so that I can keep the precious ice next to my skin between
aid stations.
I can’t believe how
bad I felt when I compare it to how great I felt on the bike. For
the first two and half hours, 240 watts seemed like a comfortable
effort. I kept limiting myself so I wouldn’t average more than 240.
That would be a smart move too because by the end of the 112 miles I
was working hard not to let the average for the ride drop below 230
watts. The wind became a factor from about twenty miles before Hawi
to twenty miles after. At times I adopted a modified aero position
with one elbow resting on the armrest and the other hand near the
brakes. I wanted to be stable when the gusts hit from the side so
that I wouldn’t swerve into other riders. The climb to Hawi was
difficult as well. It’s not very steep, but it’s long and deceptive.
Your eyes tell you that you aren’t really climbing but your
speedometer and legs tell the truth. I only averaged about fifteen
mph here for about six miles. But after the turnaround my bicycle
became the speed weapon I longed for- six miles at an average pace
near 35 mph.
I didn’t think much
about the stream of people I was passing so I was pretty surprised
to see that I had moved up 526 spots during the ride. And I didn’t
even bother to count the people who passed me. I encouraged one
rider as I passed her and when I brought my gaze back to the road in
front of me found my wheels bumping straight over a discarded water
bottle. That was a close one. I did witness some drafting during the
ride. I would yell out as I passed them, “I hope you wheel suckers
are having a good ride!!” No comment from the guilty. I’m not always
a nice guy I guess. This time I heckled happily to humiliate. At
Powerman Ohio, on the other hand, I derided drafting offenders
angrily because instead of passing them, they were passing me. I
used to doubt that doping was prevalent in age groupers. But if
they’re willing to cheat by drafting at championship races, what’s
to stop them from doping. They probably have a greater chance of
getting caught drafting and yet they still do it. These thoughts
came afterwards though. I didn’t waste energy on negative emotions
like anger and disappointment until my race was over, or nearly
over.
I got to see Nicole
and my mom near the start of the bike ride, which was very cool. I
waved to them knowing that the next 100 miles would not harbor the
cheers of loved ones. I had written several race numbers on the back
of my hand before the race started. One was Laurent Jalabert who I
just wanted to recognize as he flew by me. The others were people I
had just met and wanted to encourage if I ever saw them during the
race. Jesse Du Bey was one. He was the only person from Full
Throttle Endurance to come to Kona. I was chasing him on the run at
Halfmax but failed to catch him. I talked to him a little after the
race and met his recent bride. He seemed like a really nice guy.
Keish Doi shared my age group and he had run past me at about mile
nineteen at IM Coeur d’Alene to finish 3rd. After passing
him on the bike I kept listening for his footsteps at Kona but it
wasn’t his day. Hawaii was his 9th ironman race this
year… INCREDIBLE! I almost thanked him for doing Ironman Wisconsin
just 4 weeks ago so I could beat him at Hawaii, by just over a
minute.
Thankfully I felt
fresh and ready to ride after exiting the water behind more than
half the competitors. All 2.4 miles of the swim felt crowded to me,
more so than any other race I’ve done. But I didn’t get kicked hard
or mauled. Even the start wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
The waters were smooth and the swimmers must have been too, because
I swallowed very little salt water. Instead of lifting my head to
sight, I raised it looking for unoccupied waters. The serene beauty
of the sea life I gazed at during practice swims was replaced during
the race by views of bubbles and large languishing hairy feet (the
coach from Life Sport Coaching said we should look for large males
who don’t kick much to draft off in the swim.) Twice those feet led
me to the inside of the buoys so I should be more careful and sight
more. Two years ago I did the same thing at Ironman Wisconsin and
was so naïve and afraid to “cheat” that I swam back to the buoy and
around it. Those other swimmers must have thought I was crazy.
Nearing the beach I reminded myself not to try to stand until I saw
the sand so that I wouldn’t end up with a sea urchin spine in my
foot. My watch said about 1:10 and I was pleased with that since I
swam that same time in Idaho while wearing a wetsuit.
I worked hard all year to improve my swim. However, I don’t
think the payoff was worth the effort. Next year I’m devoting
more time to the bike and run: 1:15 swim, 5 hour bike, and 3:15
run, 9:30 here I come.
IM
Florida 2007
Terry Kerrigan
The bike was great at IM Florida! 8:52 and a 4:40 bike split
23.9mph.
Terry
IM Florida 2007
Joe Company
IM Florida race report
For the past 6 years, I have trained with the
hopes of going 1/5/3. Be on the bike at one hour, less than five
hours for the bike and close to three hours for the run. My
training times indicated that those times were within reach, but
after doing 8 of these things, I knew I had to ignore the clock and
race on feel. I also knew that I couldn’t let my emotions be
dictated by the clock. I previous races, when I had a
slower-than-expected split, it negatively affected my mental state.
As part of my Florida prep, I worked on not clinging to
expectations; I wanted to race hard, execute my plan, and accept
what the race had to offer. So, with that attitude, I awoke on
Saturday, November 3rd for my 9th Ironman.
Race morning went pretty smoothly. I got up
around 3:30, downed about 1200 calories and sat around until 5 am.
Set up went smoothly – I got my calories put on my bike, my computer
calibrated, my special needs bags dropped off, and my transition
bags organized. Joe Chambers helped a lot – he got into the
transition area, found a pump, helped pump up my tires, and helped
get my transition bags organized. It kind of made me wonder how I
did these things by myself the other times…
By 6:30, I had my wetsuit on and was heading
for the ocean. Unlike last year, we had calm winds and calm water.
I’m not sure of the water temperature, but everyone was allowed to
wear wetsuits (pros can’t wear wetsuits if the water temperature is
above 72o). I was able to do a nice warm-up and
re-established my “peace with the water.” There was a rather large
pro field (over 100 males and females), so drafting was going to be
easier than in past years. I lined up on the right side of the
group for a few of reasons 1. I breathe to the right 2. I drift to
the left and 3. There was a right-to-left current.
SWIM.
My goal in the swim was to:
1. Be aggressive at the start, but stay
relaxed
2. Find a nice group and draft the whole way
3. Enjoy the swim
Anyway, we started at 6:30, and I was
immediately immersed in a tight-packed group of swimmers. After
about 5 minutes, the pack thinned and I found a nice pair of feet to
hang on to. My group ended up having three folks in it, and we were
trailing a larger group by about 30 seconds by the halfway point. I
was pretty encouraged when the clock read 28:xx at halfway and
thought that I may finally get a sub-1 hour swim. But it was not to
be. My group of three became a group of two, and we didn’t catch
the larger group just ahead of us. I exited the water with the clock
reading 1:00:xx. The good news was that the swim felt incredibly
easy and I managed to not spike my HR during the halfway swim
turn-around run on the beach!
T1. Wetsuit stripped, grab T1 bag, run
to tent, helmet on, run to bike… but, no Valdora! The folks in
transition are notified which athletes are coming out of the T1 tent
and get their bikes off of the racks. I couldn’t find my bike and
the lady holding my bike didn’t see me looking for it. I don’t
think it took too long to get my bike from her (10 seconds?), but
for a moment, I was wondering if somebody else had ridden off on my
bike.
BIKE.
My plan on the bike was to:
1. Let my HR settle at the beginning
2. Maintain but NOT EXCEED my goal watts and
HR
3. Follow my nutrition plan
4. Have fun and enjoy the ride.
I used my computer to give me 15 minute
intervals. During the interval, my computer showed me my HR,
cadence, current watts, and average watts. At the end of the
interval, I could see my average speed. My goal for each interval
was to keep my HR and power under control. Splitting the ride up
into 15 minute segments gave me a way to break up the monotony of
the flat ride and give me a chance to eat, drink, and stretch.
It only took about 10 minutes for my HR to
settle into the proper range. After that, I just kept pumping out
interval after interval. FYI: HR cap was 150; average watt cap
was 260. I ended up averaging 253 watts; 140 HR; 86 cadence;
and 22.8mph average for a 4:54 bike split.
This was one of the only ironman races where I
actually was in a pack that worked together (legally). We had a
group of 4 guys. Another guy and I took turns setting tempo. I’d
sit at the front for a while, when I sat up, he came around and set
the pace and I’d go to the back. Keep in mind- this was totally
legal; we kept 10m between us when riding. I can understand the
benefits pros got when the draft zone was only 7m. I don’t think
there was much of a draft effect, but the pacing effect was
beneficial.
Our group stayed together until mile 50 where
I had to slow down to get my special needs bag. Normally, they have
it ready to go, but this time, there were enough athletes around,
they didn’t have it ready. I had to completely stop. I spent the
next 15 minutes catching back up to my group. Around mile 60, a
train of age groupers passed us. It was as if they weren’t aware of
drafting rules. Now, getting passed is fine, but, according to the
rules, when passed, you need to drop back to the 10m zone. So, as
you can imagine, each time an age grouper in this train passed me, I
had to slow down and drop back. No big deal really. We were in two
different races.
We do this little 3.5-mile out-and-back around
mile 70. The last 3 times I have done this race, when I turn around
and head back down the road, I see a few bikers (maybe 50 total).
This year, when I made the turn-around, I was faced with HUNDREDS of
bikers. I was amazed at how fast these folks were riding.
Unfortunately, many of them were in packs, but never-the-less,
people were really fit and strong on the bike this year.
One really cool thing about the bike this year
was that Joe rented a scooter. The first time I saw him was around
mile 70, at the out-and-back part. From mile 70 through the end, he
would leap-frog me; each time he passed me he would say something
either encouraging or stupid (mostly stupid). It was really nice
having him out there.
Miles 80-100 were relatively solo. I biked
away from the guys in my group and had open road ahead. I kind of
expected the age-group train to catch me, but they never did. I
reeled in a couple of guys spit out the back of the earlier age
group train, but mostly kept the watts and HR under control. I knew
I had biked within my limits because my last few intervals were
still in the 250-270 range and the HR was hovering around 140.
T2. I got off of the bike with the
race clock reading 5:57!!! Sub-6 off the bike was a goal I had for
a while. Strangely, my overall placing at this point in the race
was lower than in any other IM Florida I had previously done. That
says something about the caliber of athletes at this year’s race.
It was really stacked.
I made a decision to change clothes for the
run. I also made a decision to tie my shoes (rather than use
elastic laces). Before I left for Florida, I asked Amy, “How long
does it really take to tie shoes? 30 seconds? 40 seconds? No big
deal in the scheme of things, right?” Well, that is true, but I
would have liked those 40 seconds back at the end of the race…
My T2 time was rather pitiful due to the
clothes changing, shoe-tying, and pit-stop. Still in the scheme of
things, no big deal, but the minute or two I wasted could have been…
RUN.
My goals for the run were to:
1. Run the first 3 miles relaxed and settle in
2. Find my pace (speed and breathing) and hold
3. Don’t stop, don’t walk
4. Have fun and enjoy the marathon
So I left T2 feeling OK, not great, not
horrible, but OK. My first mile was 7:04, then 6:58 then 6:59. I
enjoyed this pace; it felt comfortable, my HR was OK, my breathing
was OK. I took in calories at each aid station and they were going
down OK. Things seemed to be … OK!
Mile 4 was 7:10. From experience, I know it
is unlikely that one speeds up in an IM marathon. Rather, we just
hope the fade isn’t too severe.
Mile 5 was 7:20, mile 6 was 7:10 (maybe mile 5
was long?). Mile 7 was 7:17, mile 8 was 7:30, uh-oh. I still felt
very comfortable. My legs were OK, breathing was OK, HR was OK.
Still, I had faded from 6:5x to 7:3x in just 8 miles. I still was
on pace for a sub 3:15 marathon, which would give me a 9:15. That
was encouraging.
I was still taking in good calories at each
aid station and they were staying down. No GI issues, no nausea.
By mile 13, I had faded to 7:5x miles and I knew it wasn’t going to
get any faster. I still thought that I had a chance of holding pace
and going sub 3:20 for the marathon. BUT, each mile got slower. I
felt like I was running the same pace, but my watch told a different
story. 8:00 turned into 8:30’s which bottomed out at a lowly 8:45
mile.
Around mile 21, I had to stop for a minute
because I honestly thought I was going to pass out. I did a little
bend-over stretch, and then started running again. This was the
only time I stopped.
About this time, Joe yelled to me that I could
still go under 9:30. I was somewhere between mile 22 and 23, so I
couldn’t get an accurate idea of the pace I needed to go; all I knew
was that I couldn’t slow down any more. By mile 23, I saw that I
had just under 26 minutes to cover the last 3.2 miles. On any other
run, 3.2 miles in 26 minutes would be a joke, but today, it seemed
like a pretty tough task.
I continued trying to run as hard as I could; I
felt like I was sprinting. Relative to the folks around me, I
practically was. My watch told a different story though: 8:11,
8:08. When I reached the final stretch, I saw the clock. It read:
9:30:1x. I ended up crossing in 9:30:34. Oh Well. It really is no
big deal. It was kind of funny how important going sub 9:30 seemed
at the end of that race. The day before I was hoping for sub 9:00.
Oh, how the perspective changes…
I was very content at the finish of this
race. I enjoyed almost every moment of the race and treasured this
last tour of the IM Florida course. I didn’t achieve the time I was
hoping for, but I executed my goals. I picked myself up after
Canada and went after it again. For this, I was proud. Was I fit
enough to go sub-9? Probably. Will I ever go sub-9? I don’t
really care.
I totally enjoyed the process of getting to
where I am. IM has given me 6 years of passion, motivation,
frustration, insight, and humility. I received more than I expected
from IM racing. I have high standards and expectations. These
often set one up for disappointment, and I have had my fair share of
self-inflicted disappointment. Really, though, I had a great time
and had some good times. I leave IM racing (for now) with only a
twinge of regret that I never had my breakout race. But then again,
I knew it may never happen.
And with that, I conclude my final IM race
report.
Singapore 70.3
2007
Sherry Coons
Singapore 70.3 It was a great
event especially for a first year event. I would definitely go back.
Very hot and humid!! The swim was like a washing machine with less than
desirable water quality. The bike however was flat, technical and fast.
4 laps around the Central Business district taking in all the sights of
Sing. Very cool!!! Then off for the 2 lap run in the very very hot and
very
very very humid weather. Everyone melted on the run. Lot of IVs. We
finished the race on this very cool floating platform in the marina with
a huge grandstand behind it. Great spectator event! My race went fairly
well considering I have Ironman legs and had just done a 120 mile ride
and 22 mile run the week before. I won my age group by over 27 minutes
and ended up 4th
amateur overall (back about 7 minutes from 1st place) Not bad for a 43
year old chicky??? I guess I still can hang with the youngsters :-) I
rode a 2:30 on the bike so I was pleased I have a little speed :-) I am
attaching the link to the photos taken at the race. My bib # was 153.
Sept 2007
Nate Smith
A couple weeks ago I finished 1st in the 25-29 Age Group and 3rd Amateur
Overall at the 2007 Mountaineer 1/2 Ironman Triathlon in Morgantown, WV
Fastest Amateur Bike Split and fastest in my Age Group.
Thanks,
Nate Smith
Team Missouri
Sept. 24 2007
Andy Pele
I placed 3rd overall at Kirksville's NEMO
Triathlon Sept. 9th with a time of 1:32:31. Ted Zderic placed 2nd
(1:29:22). Also 2 weekends ago was the Halfmax national chamionship race
(Saturday) at Innsbrook resort and club national championships (Sunday).
I won my age group (40-44) at Halfmax so I'm now the National long
course champion for that division and qualified for world championships
in Holland next summer. My time was 4:22:28 and I was 13th overall. Ted
was 8th overall with a time of 4:16:04. He was 2nd in his age group
(35-39) so he also qualified for long course worlds. Joe Company was
17th overall in 4:29:39. Ted and I raced on Sunday too. He won the
Octomax in 1:14:12 and I placed 5th in the Quartermax in 2:08:57.
Powerman Ohio 2007
Andy Pele
Just placed 3rd 40-44 age group at Powerman Ohio,
national championships for long course duathlon and qualified for Team
USA for world champs in Richmond VA but I don't think I'll compete
there. I missed the deadline to sign up and can't really afford the 300
dollars right now. I think I'll sign up for Team USA in long course
triathlon in Holland 2008. I've still got a few days to decide on that.
My time at Powerman was 2:40.
2007 IM Canada / Whirlpool Steelhead
Joe Company
I have raced a couple of times this last
month:
Whirlpool Steelhead - 9th overall in 4:20. It was sort of a practice
for IM Canada so I didn't go all out - in hindsight, I should have
hammered it. My race report is here:
https://gojoeco.com/blog/930569E5-59D8-415B-87C0-81480C9A2BBF.html
IM Canada - 22nd pro, 57th overall in 9:58. I had a rough day and was
pretty disappointed with my performance. My race report is here:
https://gojoeco.com/blog/172BEE54-6B2B-4C62-8529-02D4073B36FB.html
| DERMOT GALEA MAKES
IT SEVEN |
|
Birkirkara St. Joseph’s international triathlete Dermot Galea crossed the
finish line after racing for 2 hours 4 minutes
and 46 seconds in the Choosemalta.com National
Triathlon Championships to mark his seventh
title as the undisputed triathlon champion of
Malta. Dermot has set gargantuan tasks for
himself this year and he is taking them all head
on. A victory in the local middle distance
triathlon in May, a fantastic time in Ironman
Switzerland in June, crowning himself Malta
champion in October, and a go at grabbing the
best Maltese time in an Ironman in Australia
this November, is certainly a tall order.
Furthermore, he is in charge of the National
Triathlon Team and his Club’s Triathlon Section.
Australia should be the icing on the cake for
our great triathlete, who should then have his
sights on the mother of them all – Hawaii.
Now that the season has come to an end,
Birkirkara St. Joseph hails its triathletes. The
Club had another memorable year both
participating and organising, thanks mainly to
the contribution of our members. A special
mention goes to another protagonist during this
year - Keith Galea who gave his champion brother
a good run for his money. Beating Dermot in a
triathlon (or anywhere else) is no mean feat.
His final race may have been disappointing
vis-à-vis the result, but it was an example of
what we all believe in – endurance, perseverance
and getting there at all cost. Had he decided to
give up, he would have made us look small.
Finishing the race against all odds proved what
himself and the Club believe in – one hundred
per cent commitment. Keith had an excellent
season winning our Club’s triathlon series and
open water swimming series.
A constant improvement was registered by the
rest. Luke Bonnici slashed his finishing times
by virtually every race, gaining valuable
experience in the process. William Brydon and
Mario Bugeja had a great time preparing for and
during their Ironman endeavours. Chris Iwanik
relentlessly strived hard to place himself high
in his category and George Vella also valiantly
managed to sustain his form. Our female members
were also a feather in the Club’s hat.
Experienced Michelle Wood was very consistent,
while newcomers Johanna Calleja, who finished
brilliantly her first Olympic Distance
triathlon, and Yanica Chetcuti, took the sport
to their heart.
All this would have been impossible without the
assistance of our sponsors and we cannot thank
them enough. Red Bull for their continuous
support of the Club’s Triathlon Series, Nextweb
for hosting this attractive website, the
Ministry of Finance for the assistance through
the Good Causes Fund, Mr Edward Vella of the
Qawra Palace Hotel for providing the Club with
its equipment storage, the Kunsill Malta
ghall-Isport (Malta Sports Council) to mention a
few, without whose help triathlon within our
Club could have hardly survived.
A word of heartfelt congratulations goes to all
the Council Members of the Malta Triathlon
Association. The Choosemalta.com National
Triathlon Championships proved that the award
the Association achieved during the last
presentation night of the Sports Writers
Association was no flash in the pan. The
Association and Birkirkara St. Joseph linked up
throughout the whole year in the organisation of
more than 24 sports events, and the result could
not have been better – the winner was Triathlon.
(Photo courtesy of Mr. Oswald Spiteri)
|
Today I
send you a few pics from yesterdays OD Bavarian
Championships. I am very happy with my 11th overall place.
That shows I am on the right way for Ironman Zürich in Two
weeks! The PHX is awesome!
All the Best from Germany! Christian
I raced in Pennsylvania
last weekend. I think it was the toughest half-iron course
(or any distance for that matter) that I’ve done or seen.
Virtually no flats…just constant up and down on some fairly
steep terrain. It was brutal. And the run was no joke
either…mostly hard-packed trail with some good climbs and
some stiff head wind in some spots. I came in 3rd
overall – 4:55! That was over 20’ off my CA 70.3 time. It
was tough, but a good race nonetheless. - Ryan
I had a very blessed day at USAT Nationals in Portland. My goal was
top 16 in my age group so that I could qualify for Team USA and
compete at Worlds in Germany. Very tough, hilly course but beautiful
weather and a beautiful venue. It was 44 degrees outside as we
drove to the lake. Most of the race it was in the 50s-60s -
perfect. A beautiful mist/steam was rising from the lake right up
until the race started.
Had the 18th fastest swim in my group which was a little
disappointing - 24 min. something, 9th fastest bike going
1:06:something on a difficult two loop course - passed a number in
my age group on the bike. My Valdora PHX is just an amazing
machine!
Had the 5th fastest run...to finish 8th in my age group. Hammer's
nutritional products once again provided me with awesome fuel. No
energy drops at all and felt strong the entire race - especially the
last mile of the run which was uphill. I passed the 8th place guy in
my age group going up that last hill and held off another one who
was charging at me at the end. Went 2:16 and on that course, it
really was the best race/effort of my life. Thank you God!!!
Thanks again to Valdora, Hammer and Tribe for your great support!
Now, on to Hamburg Germany for the World Championship race Sept. 2.
Lincoln
Hammer / Valdora / Tribe - Wow...at 50 yrs. old I just did my
fastest Olympic distance tri ever at the Deuces Wild Tri in Show
Low, AZ. PR in the swim and bike. 8th overall fastest bike split
out of 212 on my Valdora PHX averaging 23mph on a hilly, challenging
course.
I won my age group and finished 7th Overall. Used HEED, Hammergel,
Race Caps Supremes, Mito Caps, Anti-fatigue Caps, E-Caps and, for
the first time, Race Day Boost. Man, that stuff is amazing. I felt
strong as an ox the entire race. Every race I believe more deeply
in Hammer and it's and products. Nationals is in 4 weeks and I'll
be there with all my Hammer nutrition, my very fast PHX and great
people like you guys pulling for me! Thank you so very much for
your help, encouragement and sponsorship. I would NOT be where I am
today without it.
Lincoln
I raced the Tempe Sprint yesterday along with 464 others. Biggest
sprint I've even been in. The Olympic had about the same number.
Swim was OK but it wasn't a 400 as was advertised. My 8:07 would be
really slow for a 500. (7th over all.)
I felt like I was flying on the bike. My Valdora PHX with Zipps is
16.2 lbs. Averaged over 24mph and had the 2nd fastest bike split in
the race.
On the 5K every mile got faster - probably something like 7:15,
6:45, 6:15. At the (out and back) 5K turn-around I saw Jon
Williamson, Paul Bakerman and Scott Moomaw all about 20-30 yds.
behind me all running hard. Great. I've got 3 of the fastest guys
in the state in my age group trying to chase me down. Oh boy....not
wanting to look back over my shoulder, I picked it up trying to hold
them all off, which, by God's grace, I did. 7th overall and won my
age group.
The 6 guys who beat me were between 10 and 29 years younger than
me.
My PHX is the
sweetest bike I have ever owned and using Hammer's HEED, ATPs and
Hammergels, I was ready to go.
So, good race and really good speed work for my next two which are
both Olympic distance - Deuces Wild Tri in Show Low, AZ then, USAT
Age Group Nationals in Portland. Doing one, 3-4 hour zone 1 / 2
heart rate ride, and, one 50 mile ride all on the Lake Pleasant
hills with a 40K TT thrown in the middle, has taken me to a whole
new place with my cycling. Great equipment (thanks Kevin and Peter)
helps a ton also!
Results are up at
www.tri-a-run.com
Thanks so much for all the help that Hammer, Tribe and Valdora have
been to me. I appreciate you all immensely.
Linc
|
Ironman Switzerland 2007
Published June 27, 2007
|
| THE RACE OF MY
LIFE………. I AM AN IRONMAN......Dermot Galea |
At last the big day came and passed I must say
very successfully. I finished Ironman
Switzerland 60th overall out of 2000 starters
with a great time, at my level, that of 9hrs
35mins!!
READ MORE!
|
May 28,
2007
Read about it in the NEWS!
More NEWS!
1st
Long Distance win on home ground
Maltese Champ- Dermot
Galea
Middle Distance
Triathlon (1.9k swim – 90k bike – 21.1k run)
The race started of
at 7am. It was a calm morning but it looked already that it was going
to be a very hot day for this time of the year. With the horn I set a
good pace covering the opening 1.9k swim in 29mins 15sec. I felt very
strong and comfortable on the swim, and built an advantage of 3mins on
the guys after me. I had a quick transition which took around 45sec
since I put on a cycling top full of gels and food to take on the bike
course. I set off on the Valdora PHX for the tough bike course
consisting of 6.5 laps on the Birzebbugia circuit. I started steady and
took the first two laps fairly moderate, although my heart rate was
saying much different. After the 3rd I settled into a good
tempo and manage to enter transition with a 9mins advantage on second
place. My average wattage on the course was of 279W. Having an Ergomo
on my bike really helped me gauge well my effort and managed to reach
the second transition with a lot left in the tank. Again, I changed my
top for the running section, put on socks and set off for the half
marathon. By this time temperatures went up to 27 degrees. The sun was
really hot, and I was quite concerned since I don’t usually perform at
my best in the heat. We had 4 laps but plenty of feeding stations and
water stations.
My parents and my brother really
helped my today since they were giving me drinks, coke and food all the
way through the race. At this point I knew that I needed a good run to
win the race, since the two guys behind me are fast runners. I started
the first lap at a solid pace. Not too fast since I didn’t want to blow
up early. I was keeping a constant lap time of 20 – 21mins per lap and
rather than losing I was gaining time on my opposition. At the end I
managed a total time of 4hrs 28mins 39sec, with a half marathon time of
1hr 24mins 04sec.
I am really happy with my time
especially after so many lonely long sessions in these last weeks. Now
I have 4 more weeks of training for Ironman Switzerland, and till now
things are looking good. We shall see how things go. Now I have two
days of rest which will help in preparation for my final exams at
university which will start…..oopppss …. Tomorrow. Off to study….
Yours in Sport
Dermot
Shakespeare’s MaxTrax Duathlon April 21, 2007
Read About it in the NEWS!
The
V-Train Sweeps Top 3
Ted Zderic, Joe Company and Andy Pele, the
top three finishers at this year’s duathlon, rode Valdora’s PHX frame.
They also posted three of the four fastest bike splits of the race,
riding at an average pace near 23 mph for 15 miles on a slightly rolling
course with a slight breeze.
It was beautiful weather for the racers, a
great day to kick off their multisport season. Nearly 250 lined up for
the 2 events, a short course duathlon with 1.5 mile runs on either end
of a 7.5 mile bike and a longer course with a 15 mile bike ride
sandwiched between 2.5 mile runs. All the Valdora riders competed in the
long course.
The previous week’s running event, the Jay
Dix Challenge to Cure 10K, as well as last year’s racing season had set
the stage for many strategical events of the race. Andy Pele knew he
could push harder than he did last year and that he was too cautious
then. Rodney Atkinson, who had finished 2nd to Andy at the
Challenge to Cure, did not want to get beat again by him. Joe Company,
who had let Rodney and Andy get too far ahead at the 10K, was determined
not to make the same mistake again. He also seemed set on keeping Ted
within striking distance on the runs.
The first run was fast and painfully led
by Jamie Moreno at a 5:09 pace. Ted Zderic followed close behind and
then came Joe Company, who did not let Rodney Atkinson or Andy Pele stay
ahead of him for very long. Rodney led Andy out of T1 and continued to
lead him through the first lap of the bike course. Andy thought to
himself that he needed to destroy Rodney’s morale and trash his legs so
that Rodney wouldn’t catch him on the second run, so he attacked
repeatedly throughout the second bike lap, even after he stopped hearing
him. By the time Andy finished the bike course, he had managed to put 37
seconds between him and Rodney but was still 44 seconds back from Joe
Company, who had ridden the fastest bike split and closed to within five
seconds of Ted.
As we all approached the turnaround, I
could see that the little “farm team” that Valdora had sponsored and
that Joe Company had brought together was in a position to take the top
three spots in the race. And from that moment I felt a lot of pressure
not to let Rodney beat me. Had he been riding Valdora, it may have been
a different story. Ted held off Joe for the win, I settled in for 3rd
place after realizing that Rodney wouldn’t catch me, and we all
celebrated in the warmth of the sun and camaraderie afterwards.
And Rodney got another conciliatory hug
from me.
Second win of the season!
New PB on Coast Road Racing Course!
Read about it in the NEWS!
Warm weather, a light breeze and a new
club kit were the main themes of last Sunday’s National Points Series
race. This was the second race held this season by the Malta Triathlon
Association. I had a very good start in the opening 1500m swimming
section with a total time of 20mins 45sec. I was followed closely by my
brother Keith in second. Out of transition I had a quick change and
after being joined by my brother we motored the bike segment to a total
time split of 1hr 02mins 18sec! Not too bad but I did expect much better
being both of us helping each other. Coming into transition I had a
small accident which did cost a few seconds. I fell off the bike while
dismounting … what a way to finish the bike section!! But it didn’t
affect me mentally. I caught Keith just out of transition and I pulled
away covering the 10km run in 37mins 42sec. Total time for the race was
a frustrating 2hrs 00mins 45sec which although was my best time on the
course by 20sec, yet it was 45sec short of the 2hrs barrier which keeps
alluding me!
On the whole I am happy with my
performance. My training is going according to plan, and with being
really busy this week with the training week organized by the MTA (I was
coaching), I cannot say I had the best preparation. Training for
Ironman Switzerland is now at its peak. This week I start the last good
push of training. Hours are starting to rise, and so is the level of
tiredness, but its expected. I have just finished off my thesis today,
but will have to start studying more for my final exams at university.
Not the best of things studying for exams and being in the last phase of
training for Ironman.
My next race is a local Middle Distance
Triathlon on the Birzebbugia Circuit. It’s the same distance of a Half
Ironman so should be good preparation in theory for Ironman
Switzerland. I say in theory because I am a bit concerned that I will
fry myself so I took the hard decision to take it as a dress rehearsal
and control myself with my Heart rate monitor. So for once I will race
controlled and will not race other triathletes. It will be a good gauge
and a learning experience before Ironman Switzerland, so if I have to do
any big mistakes with nutrition or pacing at least I will do them before
the big event.
Submitted by: Dermot Galea, Maltese
National Triathlon Champion
|
HOME
