2010 Redux: Hell of a Year

Every so often I haul out a jacket and find a boarding pass stub. Abu Dhabi to Chicago. Knoxville to San Diego. The ever-hilarious Las Vegas to San Diego, where seatmates ask “how’d you do, I still have a quarter left.” “Sounds like you did better than me!”

But for all the travel this year, just one trip to the wind tunnel (with Felt and Terenzo Bozzone as he was fitting to the new DA). Remarkable. Of course, I have two tunnel trips already lined up for ’11. God bless the fan….never get tired of it.

The year started with lots of new events. Abu Dhabi, Rev3 Knoxville. Ironman St. George, my new favorite most beautiful course, and stuff I didn’t get to, like the TriStar races. Love seeing the balance of events out there.

Of course there were the standby Ironman and ITU events. I found myself up many nights in hotels, the night before covering a race, watching WCS races on the Internet. I sure hope I get to one or two WCS events in 11, as I miss these races; it’s where the Maccas and Raelerts came from, but also where the Whitfields and Snowsills reside with authority. 

While the expected dominance of the Ferraris in Gomez and Brownlee were expected, I’d say my race of the year in short-course came out of Stuart Hayes (above), who rode away from the pack and stayed clear to win at Kitzbuhel in August. Awesome.

A trip to Eurobike with my boss John Duke was remarkable. We had just one German meal (I had a nice plate of spaetzle), because our hotel was on the far north end of Lake Constance (meaning a significant drive to/from the Eurobike venue). As such, I ate most meals of wonderful local fare at….. McDonalds. The only draw to the golden arches was that it was the closest place with a wireless connection. So after we ate, Duke went back to crash, and I wrote and filed gear stories for the LAVA website at McDonalds… up till 2 a.m. most nights.

I love driving in Europe. And I love driving there with a Garmin’s Nuvi. Driving rental cars 105mph, the auditorial direction telling me to turn on Dresdnerstrasse, with Duke yelling at me in the passenger seat “DON’T DIE ME!!!!”

The week before Eurobike I was on my own for a trip to Italy with Giro. One of my all-time fave trips. (Shit, any time I go to Italy and eat pasta carbonara it’s a favorite trip). Riding flow tracks with Hans Rey, doing shit on a mountain bike in the Italian Alps that were past my skill level, doing a nosedive into an air pit off a quarter pipe (see the below vid). Great new shoes from Giro, and fun as hell testing them by climbing the Stelvio. Taking that one to the grave.

I’d have to say the close to the year was one of the most memorable in my career. Kona was remarkable, as ever. Macca versus Andi was Ironwar II, I don’t care who you ask. So good to see Macca take a second title, reiterating that he’s one of the greatest champions in this sport, period.

I got to watch him race short-course, make the transition, suffer, take his lumps, learn his lessons and make it to the top.  I think these two images of mine below speak for themselves. (And man, I felt terrible documenting Chris’ rough time that day in 2004…but he was cool with it.) His time came. …twice now.

Macca, 2004, 0 Ironman World Titles

Macca, 2010, 2 Ironman World Titles

It was great to be there with my wife Donna racing, of course. But to capture the moment when the women’s pro field gasped when hearing that Chrissie Wellington wasn’t going to make the Kona start was remarkable; it was like a sonic boom. So too was Mirinda’s solid win. All year, she was a beast. My fave moment was at Oceanside 70.3, waiting to take splits, as the O'side Police ran the speed gun on her. "Wow, that little lady's runnin' real fast, huh?"

Caught Speeding

The chaser came with Chrissie’s utterly stunning display at Ironman Arizona.  Every time Chrissie races, I know I’m privy to a front-row seat to an amazing display, and her comeback from being sick was f’ing awesome.

To say she goes “fast” just doesn’t cut it. Max Longree had to gather himself to re-pass Chrissie early in the run and hold her off the rest of the marathon, lest he become part of the many pro men who were “chicked.” He crossed, looked over his shoulder and said “amazing… that girl is just amazing.”

Watching her race was fantastic… as always, a front-row seat to history.

But the best part of that race was getting to see Jordan Rapp throw open the throttle again. The last time I’d seen him race, he was dragging a huge group around at Abu Dhabi Tri. After Abu, Jordan was left fighting for his life roadside after a collision with a vehicle. After a hard spate of rehab, I saw Jordan at Rev3 Knoxville, and couldn’t believe the knot in his collarbone, or the scars that were healing. He’ll always bear those scars, but he’s really put the event behind him pretty damn well. Well enough to score a sweet fourth-place finish. To see him tearing up as he came up on his wife Jill before crossing, was like witnessing a personal moment I shouldn’t have been privy too. I can’t wait to see him get after it again in ’11. Plus it’s sweet having him contributing to our mag. The dude knows shit…. Not many of those people around.

A look into a private moment for Jordan.

 Finally, the year kicked off with the launch of what was just an idea a year ago. I left Triathlete magazine to help Dave House start a new title called TRI up in the L.A. basin (though he was nice enough to let me work from home). Just two weeks later, John Duke, who left Triathlete just after me, was walking with me in the parking lot at the Y to masters and said “you jumped too early.” I asked “what are you talking about” to which he replied “I can’t talk to you about it now, but let’s have coffee in a week or so.”

That coffee laid out what John had up his sleeve: a magazine very much in the same vein as what I was going to do with TRI. He offered me a place on his ship. I’d worked with him for 10 years and was grateful he thought of me to be part of his new project. With Duke at the helm, and with the WTC as owners backing it, I knew I would be fighting a tough battle trying to produce a title against that. So I joined him, as well as many others, who I generally considered the crème de la crème of our former employers, and collected some great freelance writers that we believed in and had strong relationships with (though we considered firing Ben Greenfield for his boxershort-and-tie rendition of the Village People's YMCA at the Ironman 70.3 Phuket after-party). So great working with Duke, Brad, Susan and Erica, Heather, Laura and Lisa, Wattie and Kayla again, with a few other talented new faces on board; we're having a blast making the mag we always wanted to see. The results speak for themselves.... we're a proud lot, and hope you like this new offering to the market.

What do we close the year with? Lance announcing his first tri DNS at the Rotorua Tri (via Twitter no less, not sure why he refuses a relationship with the endemic tri media, but I digress), leaving me feeling terrible for the poor race organizers, who probably poured a ton into that race. At least they have good national heroes in Bevan Docherty and Bryan Rhodes, and a possible showing by Peter Clode, who will make that title a hard-fought one.

Oh yes, gear? I’ll get into it on our website, but my top five for 2011 were the Trek Speed Concept (No. 1 by a long shot, for so many reasons), the Garmin Edge 800 (touchscreen!) The Timex Global Trainer (finally stepped up with true GPS, without needing an arm transmitter), Zipp Firecrest carbon clinchers (aero aside, the design just makes for easy-to-install tires) and Giro, entering the bike footwear realm with brilliant road kicks. I can foresee a tri shoe in the works…soon.

Looking into 2011, I’m sure there will be as many amazing elements as came stock with 2010. Already planning coverage for LAVA that will continue to make it all look as awesome as it truly is. If you want a sneak peek and our next issue, visit the blog of our photographer Donald Miralle, who joined me on my last boondoggle. (You'll find a shot of me at the Mercedes Benz Berlin museum, chillin' by my wings-up ride with the ice cream paint job.) If you call three days in icy Germany a boondoggle. It’s a piece I’m proud of, and proud to have Don’s work accompanying. A hint: It involves this guy, who put the entire men's 70.3 field in his rear view mirror in 2010.

I’m stoked my wife will be around a fair bit more. She just joined an old friend in Siri Lindley and will be training with Siri’s group in Santa Monica and Borrego Springs, so I’m checking Amtrak train schedules to L.A. Gonna be a fun year for her, with new teammates and new sponsors. I hope to update this space a bit more, but LAVA is taking much of my time, and Donna taking the rest of it. And training too….I hope to actually race at Oceanside 70.3 instead of just sitting on the back of a moto taking pics. Lucky I don’t forget to feed the cats at night!

Abu Dhabi International Tri Press Conference: New Season, New Opportunities

Change is here. Saturday marks the debut of the inaugural Abu Dhabi International Triathlon, and by all accounts, a new event, in a new venue, with new distances is being very, very well received.

Absent is the pre-race stress, the uptight, the cards-close-to-vest aspect. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s March and Kona isn’t until October. Maybe it’s the nice, warm temps and the hospitality that this first-year event is putting forth for the 800-plus athletes taking part in Saturday’s long-distance and short distance races. Thursday morning at the hotel restaurant resembled a class reunion as athletes from across the globe re-united after a winter off.

“This is the way for me—to be relaxed,” said Hawaii Ironman third-place finisher Virginia Berasategui of Spain. “I like it that way—things like Lava Java, things like that that help me enjoy the race."Great Britain’s Philip Graves echoed the sentiment: “It’s been grim at home—it was negative 6 (Celcius) when I left for here,” he said. “To get here, it’s the first time we’re all seeing people again. It’s great to come here and hang out.”

Of course, with a $115,000 pro prize purse on the line (including a cool $50,000 going to the mens and womens race winner) we can be sure that demeanor will change Saturday. It’s what drew arguable the finest, deepest pro field outside the Hawaii Ironman to Abu Dhabi. “Baring a few ex and current world champions, it’s the toughest field of the year, no question,” said South African Raynard Tissink.

Certainly, it’s great to see new investors in our sport, and the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority is to thank. With German Faris Al Sultan as a catalyst (as someone who has spent tons of time training in the area) as well as the success of a recent success of a race that Richard Ussher won here, the tourism authority’s Faisal al Sheikh (above) has taken the sport into an arena that is accustomed to hosting Formula I racing, horse racing and cricket on a much larger scale.

“We’ve always created an initiated diversive, exclusive events in Abu Dhabi, and triathlon is a mass event that can be seen worldwide. We believe in this kind of sport,” said al Sheikh. “We firmly believe that triathlon, set against the backdrop of Abu Dhabi, will be a wonderful platform to showcase our city to the world.”

For Al Sultan’s part, he’s enjoying seeing a world-class collection of athletes on what is, in effect, his second home. “It was 11 years ago when I first came here to train and race,” he said. “It was my dream to have a world-class race in the emirate of Abu Dhabi."

The athletes have been nothing short of impressed.

“It’s certainly a great place to race,” said Team Trek/K-Swiss Aussie Joe Gambles. “I’ve never been to this part of the world, and it’s amazing to see the area, and see all the best athletes here. They’ve done a great job pulling this together as a first-year race.”

What’s the race going to be like? Being the desert we can expect to see lots of sand, and it’s fairly flat on the bike and run. But what we do have that is going to shake things up is a long two-lap 200k bike, preceded by a two-lap, 3k swim, and followed by a short 20k (two-lap) run. This is certainly a cyclist’s race, and it has some licking their chops.

“I’ve been waiting for a race like this my whole career, with a short run—I can’t be more excited,” said bike specialist Bjorn Andersson of Sweden. “Between me and Philip Graves, I think we’ll have a strong group at the front of the bike, and for those of us that aren’t very good runners, we need to build a gap on the bike.”

For starters, the swim will likely be under a light fog layer. This morning, a layer of cool fog blanketed the city. By 9:30 a.m. it had burned off, exposing a fairly harsh sun and temps in the upper 80s F. That should be good news for early starters on the bike, who may take advantage of the cool temps to nail in a solid gap to open the 200k bike.

It’s that long 200k bike, followed by short 20k run, that has everyone suggesting “what-if’s.” What if Phil Graves and Bjorn Andersson strike out to an unassailable lead on the bike and make it a two-man battle to survive the runners over the 20k run? What if the runners like Eneko Llanos is keeping things close? What if the short swim puts poorer swimmers like Yvonne Van Vlerken and Heather Jackson to the front of the bike in front of the likes of Sam McGlone and Julie Dibens? Or what if Tereza Macel’s heat training with TeamTBB in Thailand turns into her ace-in-the-hole?

Yes, there will be one constant: heat. “You won’t have an advantage by riding the course; your advantage comes from training in the heat, and that can be anywhere you can get it.”

Said Tissink: “I expect a lot of walking, and maybe some tears out there.”

Considering that many athletes here are coming out of their winters, one of those guys who did some heat acclimatization was Spaniard Eneko Llanos, and he’ll likely be one of those who aims to stake his claim on the run. The question is, there be enough real estate to reel in any potential runaway riders?

“It’s great to have a race this big, this early in the season,” Llanos said. “It’s a new format for everyone, and for me, I don’t know what to expect. There’s a lot of strong cyclists and maybe the run is not long enough. But it won’t change my race. I’ll ride my pace, stay as close as I can to them.”

Who’s gonna win? Check in tomorrow for a look at why all the oddsmakers with the various online publications are wrong, and every one should be “PK” (Well, that’s my bet anyway.)

Scot Fraser Cartmell of the Trek/K-Swiss Tri Team does some late checks over his Trek TTX on Thursday.




















The swim venue for Saturday's race has been foggy and cool in the morning, as athletes test the waters at the foot of the opulent Emirates Palace (in right background).








Great Britain's Leanda Cave prepares for a Thursday dip at the Emirates Palace Hotel beach.

King for a Day: Epic Tri in Ireland to Kick Off in August

This one ain't a gear piece (will get back to that quickly, there's a few new things that are reaaaaally interesting to me, one in particular). And it's kinda long. So settle in...

Anytime a triathlon takes place on a course that people remind that “legend says…” then you know it’ll be an epic. Right?

“Legend says” that Madame Pele, the Hawaiian Goddess of Fire, is responsible for the heat and winds come one October weekend along the Kohala Coast. Anger her and you’re fate goes to the mumuku winds.

“Legend says” that Lanzarote local Cesar Manrique wanted to attune himself to the raw natural beauty of the rugged volcanic terra of the island. To plot a route for visitors to enjoy the raw beauty, he walked the island—naked. (Anyone who has been through Timanfaya knows how frickin hot and blistering that island is.)

And of course, the birth of the first Ironman in 1978 on the legend of a bar bet, is, well, legendary.

What is it about the upstart, the intrepid spirit of doing what has never been done before? Particularly, what draws us to it? For Commander Collins to come up with a challenge that not only went from a bet to seeing fruition is impressive. It turned Ironman into a sporting juggernaut. Same with ultramarathons. I guess it’s the sheer ridiculousness of it all that pulls us to this stuff like a magnet.

But there are ways of turning it up a notch.

Put the distance events in ardent locales, like with an epic swim at Alcatraz, or a bike at 70.3 Monaco or the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon that leaves you wondering halfway through if you’ll make it through without crashing. Then you really have something.

Put it in a locale that challenges our doubts, at the same time allowing you to take in with wonderment what you’re experiencing (as you do when you flip over and absorb the Golden Gate, Alcatraz Island and The City during the Alcatraz swim, or enjoy the simplicity of a farmer hauling in olives from trees while traversing towns at Monaco—as you’re suffering up a hill.)

There’s a new event on the horizon that I think promises to be that sort of epic event, called Eireman. For anyone who has a sense of adventure can agree that a triathlon in Ireland could be one of those unforgettable experiences. A race director is putting on an Ironman on August 23rd, and we’re hoping to be there to see if this really is a legend in the making.

Why, you ask? Well, envision biking and running over that rugged, untapped escarpment… a bit of misty rain in your face, maybe a bit of crosswind. What comes to mind for me is the Kohala Coast, at a much lower temperature, and with a lot more grass over

Race organizer Eoin Ryan says that while the area is called the Sunshine Coast, because it’s Ireland, there’s a good likeihood for rain. But hell, who said triathlon can only be held in 73 and sunny conditions? Why has Kona, or courses like Lanzarote, or Monaco, or Alcatraz, or become legendary events? It’s because of the heat, or the topography, or in this case, the possible rain.

What might make it legendary? Well, I can only imagine the beauty of riding past castles, forts, abbeys, old monuments, prehistoric burial sites and thinking of just how really old that patch of green earth really is. Celtics, Vikings, Normans, all fought for their piece of territory.

And yes, there’s true legend; thousands of years ago, Garman Garbh stole the crown from the tribe’s queen. The queen got a hand from a local witch, who flooded the mudflats, drowning Garman. The harbor was then called the Lake of Garman, the Gaelic word for Wexford—host county to the race.

And those who were king and queen at the time were called Eireman. So in reality, the man or woman who wins Eireman will be, quite literally, the first king and queen of Wexford in hundreds of years.

Think about that. Is that not epic and legendary?

Of course, it always comes down to the question for those who would want to do the race: what’s the course like? Ryan thinks this course will give Roth a run for its money as one of the worlds fastest.

The race will take place in Courtown Harbour, County Wexford (which is due south of Dublin on the Southeastern tip of Ireland). The day will set off with a swim in the calm Irish Sea in a counter-clockwise fashion in this not only wetsuit-legal, but wetsuit-mandated swim.

The bike is a four-lap 112-mile course (or a two-lap 56-mile bike for the half-Iron-distance event, or one lap for the Olympic-distance event) and as advertised, dead flat, on fully closed highways. Having raced on closed highways for the first time at 70.3 New Orleans not long ago, there is no greater experience (and deterrent to drafting) than a fully open road for cyclists.

After a few snaking turns in the early miles, the run is flat and straight. The out-and-back two-lap marathon moves you from from Courtown Harbor inland to the town of Gorey and back.

While there’s not much prize money on offer as yet (this is an upstart race, after all), the winners will take up an honor not bestowed upon any triathlon, Eireman, king and queen of Ireland. Epic.

What's cool is that on the one day are the various distance events. So one spouse could conceivably do the Ironman-distance event, with the other doing an Olympic, or a half, or a relay, and not wasting their day waiting for their spouse to finish the longer event.

Thanks to a bit of luck of the Irish, Inside Triathlon is jazzed to get a chance to document this inaugural event. Ireland is such a far-flung reach from the North American or Austral-Asian, or even middle-European triathlon centers of the world, that it will undoubtedly recall those early years of our sport, when it wasn’t as heavily vested into marketing as the sport is today. It’s not an M-Dot event as yet—and maybe it’s better that way. We’ll be keen to see how legendary it can be.

Check out the site at www.eireman.org.... and maybe look at booking an air ticket to be part of a kick-ass epic debut.

Wildflower-bound

In our last episode, I was up late-night in Monterey watching my wife at Ironman China on Ironmanlive. Now, she's here, tapping away at here blog next to me (having recorded a 4th place finish in 112-degree F temps) and we're checking in before we depart tomorrow morning for a Wi-Fi-challenged (heck, a cell phone coverage-challenged0 Wildflower—she's racing, and I'm working. Well, I guess we're both working. I spent the evening getting her bike race-ready; the team set her atop a 2009 Cervelo P3, and it's cherry.

I generally pooh-pooh sponsor-spec rides, but hers is a beaut; P3 with Oval Concepts bars, Hed Jet race clinchers, Vittoria Open Pro EVO-CX tires, Cobb Cycling V-Flow saddle and SRAM Red. And thanks to Dan Empfield for getting her set proper atop her ride... it was a longtime work in progress. And thanks to TeamTBB for providing her a bitchin battle ax. I'm the pickiest of the picky, and I'm finally happy with how her bike is set up.

I'll be at Wildflower doing more videos for the new, improving Triathlete website—I currently have some great interviews up there with Steve Larsen and Conrad Stoltz from Sea Otter, and will be doing video tours of several of the pros' bikes that I run across (perhaps including the above described one belonging to my wife).

But before that, I have a few things on that I'll be visiting when I get back. One such thing is my first test of the new Shimano 7900, set up for triathlon. Shimano was kind enough to release a test setup, which worked out perfectly, because my Guru Crono was in need of a gruppo. My buddy Andrew has been diligently building it up, and I'll be set to begin testing of the group in earnest. I'm actually keen to give it a go, as my experience lately has been on SRAM for the most part. It will be great to revisit the brand that has been the mainstay, and see what the new 7900 means to triathletes from a functional standpoint.

I have not only the group, but a few key pieces, including the PRO Missile aerobar. I was also supplied a set of the new aerobar brakes. THIS is the piece that most intrigues me.
These TT brake levers have gotten zero fanfare, and for triathletes, this is gonna be one that ranks in top-three. The Dura-Ace version has a carbon lever pull, the Ultegra version an alloy one. Both have what I would deem the strongest return spring I've felt—and I rate the Bontrager and SRAM brake levers to have among the strongest return springs.

For me, the return spring is a big deal. It means you'll have a positive feel every time you pull on the brakes. There's no rattle as I can see thus far, it's aero enough, and it has a tab at the end to prevent any last-finger slip-off. I think I'm really gonna like this lever.

Off to the land of lost cell phone signals....and a hell of a race.

Guess the Part, Win a Prize, Part 2, and a fun bet

OK, I've had a few stabs, but no hits. Jordan Rapp excluded himself and gave up, asking to know what it was. He now knows, but is thus eliminated from grand prize contention.

So I'm sending another shot at a cocked angle. It's a bit soft... sorry, my iPhone sucks for macro shots.Other hints: It is comprised of aluminum, for what it's worth. The hardware with it are what is included in the package, if that gives you any leads.

It is a product in the line of a major aerobar manufacturer. American company. But the product, being as small as it is, is not on their website.... at least I can't find it there.

Before I sign off for now and await some more guesses, I gotta put out there a bet my esteemed colleague Brad Culp and I threw together. We're both racing the first week of April; he at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside, and I at Ironman 70.3 New Orleans. From what I see, Nawlins will be an easier, flatter course. But heat could be a factor, I don't know. Or cold and rain could be a factor in Oceanside. Could go either way.

But none of that matters to Brad, for his ego is larger than the Obama Fan Club. No, he said he will slay my time by more than 45 minutes. He may be faster than I am, but hell, gimme some credit. I figure I will come withing 30 minutes.

So we have a bet: regardless of condition at either race, I come within 45 minutes of Brad's time, and I get a case of beer of my choice. I fall outside it, I owe him a case.

Of course, if you've seen his blog, you know he like to fancy himself some sort of alcohol connoisseur. Of course, I've seen him drink Zima and say "man, this stuff is awesome, bro, especially when you mix it with Red Bull, gimme a glow stick so I can get loose on the dance floor" so I don't give his brew opinion much credence. Zima? Sad.

I'll take his 45 minutes. He may give me a case of beer, but I'm not all taking. I'll buy him a box of cookies to bury his sorrows in.

Interoffice smacktalk prattle off. Let's have some guesses.

Guess the Part, Win a Prize!!!

Seldom does a bit part wow me. But this one, which I received a couple weeks ago, did. It’s metal, it’s simple, and it will change your life. And there’s a little drawing for this existence-altering piece of technology that ranks up there with the door knob and the round wheel. (You know, after square wheels were just not cutting it).

O.K. I’m exaggerating. But it makes your riding experience, on a smaller scale, more enjoyable. It’s also the kind of thing that I want to put in the magazine, but most will look right past it, as it lacks sex appeal. It’s not carbon, it’s not gloss, and it’s not aero tested. But when I put one on my wife’s Cervelo P3, people were asking “where’d you get that? She’s had to refer all questions to me.But it has utility for triathletes in a big way. It’s good for races, and good for training. Good on road bikes, and good on tri bikes. I visited Dan Empfield and showed it to him, and managed to elicit a “cool.” From him. If ever there was a vote of confidence, that was it.

I spoke to the head engineer for the American-based triathlon-specific company about the design of this little widget, who said “It was a team effort all around.”

What is it? That’s my question to you. A tab to tape gels onto? A surface for installing race numbers? Hmmmmm…. what could it be?

The first person (aside from those few who know me and have seen it) to sort out what it is and who makes it, I will send you a pair, compliments of the company, and announce the winner at this very globally-read blog. And it will change your life forever. I shot it under studio lighting (flourescent lights) against a contrasting background (my laptop) to give it scale, with one of my best cameras (my iPhone). This is as good as it gets, folks.

No more hints…. Time to give me your best guess!

From Moto in North Carolina in to Velo in Vegas: a month redux

Been a while, eh? I'm in Vegas for Interbike, which officially kicked off today with the first day of Dirt Demo. It's gonna be full-go for the next few days to see all the hottest new stuff.

I happen to be staying in the hotel with the guys who has been at the maelstrom of the "hottest" anticipation. Indeed, I ran into Phil White, half of the Cervelo brainchild with fellow engineer Gerard Vroomen. We walked and talked about a mile down the strip—he to do some shopping, me to get my credentials at the Venetian. There has been buzz about whether the new P4 Carbon would be coming. And like Gerard told me at the Tour de France earlier this year, he and his media team said they'll let me know when they have something ready. He told me that they've invested—get this—over $1 million in the development of the P4 Carbon. So when they want to let the world know, they said I would be on the short list of those who would get an inside track.

So... stand down, Cervelo-ites...at least for now.

Last we spoke, it was Olympics time. Jan Frodeno surprised us, and Emma Snowsill didn't. Great fun was had by all.

Around that time, I was the guest of Specialized to a unique test. I have a piece that will be going into Road Bike Action magazine as well as in Triathlete magazine. It was exceptionally informative, and unique: Specialized brought out the brains (engineer Mark Cote) and the brawn (six-time Australian National Time Trial ChampNathan O'Neill... that's Mark getting on Nathan's nerves, giving him a hard time about his helmet straps) to do some interesting tests, to draw some quantifiable numbers as to what the true benefits of a tri bike are over a road bike, in terms of rider position benefit, wattage output benefit, even bike-only aero profile benefit. It was quite interesting, and will make for good reading... at least for those who like to look at numbers and what they mean.

There was actually protocol for three separate tests that we were : a wind tunnel test at the new A2 Wind Tunnel, located in NASCAR's hometown of Mooresville. That was interesting enough. Then there was a 1k trial at an area loop for some outdoor comparison.

Then the finale was a series of 10-mile road trials at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte. The test was held on the actual NASCAR track, which, for me, was a thrill. It was also held in conjunction with the Carolina TT Cycling Association series,which hosts a monthly time trial on the track. One of the coolest things I'd ever seen, cyclists of ever level out laying down the watts, in individual and TTT format.And then.... there was a unique prototype setup. Not a proto bike, but proto measurement device. You'll have to read the mags to see what that's all about.

The heat of the day gave way to the cool of the night as athletes raced under the lights. I'd wish I brought my bike! But it was Nathan, after a day of 10-mile time trials under the hot sun, who put on a blazing display in his last lap—just to see how fast he could go. He nearly fell over after the hot lap, but it was fun for us to watch from the infield grass. He passed on the customary infield tire burnout donuts.

One of the coolest dynamics I'd ever seen took place there as well: athletes warmed up in the garage alongside spare cars belonging to Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon. How unique. I had to get a shot of it, which you see to the left... that's Carl Edwards' Office Depot No. 99 behind the bikes.

With that trip finished, I headed home, excited about the coming Pepsi 500 NASCAR race in Fontana, Calif., up the road.

Enter Specialized marketing magician. Nic Sims. He's British and has the voice of the Geico gecko. And he's a great guy. Because he picked up my NASCAR fetish (I was flipping out as we drove past DEI headquarters), and made something cool happen.

MyDad retired a couple weeks ago. Dude can sleep in as long as he wants now. But I wanted to send him out with a bang, and Specialized helped me to that end.

All the boys in my family (that being my dad, brother and I) are big NASCAR fans. We went to PIR in Phoenix over a decade ago to see Dale Earnhardt race, several years before he passed. I like Kasey Kahne and Carl Edwards. Dad and bro like Tony Stewart. But we all agree on one favorite: Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the 88 car.

It seems Specialized sponsors one of the Sprint Cup drivers, and as such has access to the races. When I said “hey, if the ones in Cali never get used, gimme a ring,” I didn’t think anything of it.

But Nic rang, and got myself, and dad and brother, not only in, but in with garage and pit passes. For four hours, we got to wander up and down pit row. It’s the equivalent of courtside seats for the Lakers—at 78 thousand decibels. And you had Drew Carey shouting for the gents to start their engines, as well as some celebs I’d never heard of (whos’s heard of The Hills? Apparently, two actors were there and causing a stir). I guess I’m losing touch with what the kids are watching these days.

But we all knew who was passing from the garage to their cars. So we got to basically hang out behind Junior’s pit and watch Tony Eury Jr. do his thing directing the frenzy. The pit crew are surprisingly athletic, going through stretches, some running up and down pit lane to get their lungs blown open a bit.

That done, I went to Malibu to cover the Malibu Triathlon weekend. I did the Olympic-distance race with my brother Jon (finished 8th in my age group in 2:20, was pleased with that) But the next day I got to watch the paparazzi descend on Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey like flies on carrion. It was disturbing. John Segesta, Rich Cruse and I stood back and watched the rudest guys trample, bump and otherwise ignore anyone else around to get that money shot. Whatever. One tried to warn me he was coming thru. I promptly stopped, squared up, looked him in the eye and made him go around me. I have a greater understanding why once in a while, celebs snap and haul off on these clowns. I totally get it now.

That stated, it was chaos to even try to talk to any of the celebs as a journalist. But I got lucky. After the vultures left McConaughey to stalk J-Lo, who was still on the course, I cruised over and asked for 2 minutes. He gave me about seven, talking about his race in great detail. It sounds to me like he'll maybe be doing more triathlons. The fact that he was getting training advice from respected L.A. area coach Ian Murray of Triathletix meant he was taking it serious. The "coach" J-Lo was working with was no tri coach, that's for sure. Anyway, it was all good for the sport to get names like McConaughey and Lopez to lend exposure to triathlon.

And since I was shooting the race, I managed some shots of Matthew, and one I think my massive legion of women reading this blog (or at least the two who are reading it) will appreciate:

See? Milk (and training) do a body good!

Until next time... which should be not long after Interbike, and before the Hawaii Ironman in three weeks (three weeks!!!)

Beijing Bikes: Juraci Moriera’s Suplicy CS-0.7, and the Cervelo R3

If you race locally in San Diego, you know there’s a sprint race about every other weekend. And if you go to these races, you’ll always see the same guy at the top of the pro results: Brazilian Caue Suplicy.

Caue has been a friend of mine for several years, when we were both coached by San Diego Xtraining coach Sergio Borges. Like many local-level pros, Suplicy languished in pro triathlon limbo-fast enough to win local sprints, but with the payout of a box of PowerBars. (If you read Triathlete magazine, you might recall seeing Caue in a story I wrote about the unglamourous life of a pro triathlete).

Well, Caue could see the writing on the wall. Sure, he wanted to continue racing, because going fast is kinda fun. But he wanted to take his experience as an athlete, and apply it to bike design. So came the birth of Suplicy Bikes.

I didn’t think much would come of the brand, but he’s surprised me. For one, he has been scooping up wins on his own bike. and has a collection of nice gear, road and tri and his order-online website and a few local shops here. At the Encinitas Sprint Triathlon that he won a couple weeks ago, Caue told me he managed to get his bike under an athlete racing in the men’s Beijing Olympic Games Triathlon: Brazilian Juraci Moriera. And he pulled out the stops.

It was thought that Brazil would have just one spot for the Beijing Games, and Reinaldo Colucci had the points on Juraci. But a late surge put Juraci on a plane and on the start for this weekend. He needed a bike, and Suplicy, ready to help a friend, supplied his lightweight road bike, the CS-0.7.

The frame has a slightly sloping compact design a fork with a 1 1/8” carbon steerer with an integrated cut-to-fit seat mast, and, as sold, features some of Suplicy’s house gear, including wheelset, bar and stem. The bike comes in eight sizes, ranging 50cm to 60cm. The stock offering is completed with SRAM’s Force groupset. Complete with this kit, the CS-0.7 retails at $5,000.

For Moriera, Suplicy was able to secure a set of the 2009 version of the Lew Composites Pro VT-1 carbon wheelset. which feature ceramic bearings in a Tune freehub body, and weight a guaranteed 850 grams or less. Yes, it’s that $5,495 wheelset. Moriera’s race bike is fitted with a SRAM Red groupset, a Vision by FSA Mini Clip-on, and Speedplay Zero pedals.

Frame weight for his 58cm frame: Suplicy pegs it at 6 kilograms, or 14 pounds, complete. One nice little details, Moriera's bike has the plug on the top tube's underside, for a tidy race number placement on race day.

Here's what Juraci emailed me today: "I really like the bike otherwise I don't think I would be using it at the Olympics! I'm very impressed with how light it is especially for such a big frame," he said. "I definitely feel that this bike accelerates better and is more responsive than any other bike I've ever ridden. This bike will be my weapon to defeat the hilly bike course. I was able to ride on the Olympic course yesterday and felt very good — the hill didn't seem as bad as it was last year so I'm very excited to use this bike at the race. I'll be racing the lucky number "8" on the Suplicy on Monday!"

It’s not news for those that have been watching the Games to see that Cervelo has sent its road athletes to Beijing on the new S3 road bike, complete with a floating Olympic ring motif, and will make these bikes available in a limited run. Differing from the Soloist, the S3 has cable routing that ports in at the front of the top tube (avoiding the extra weight and shift slop of a full housing run) and new, more aero stays. While Fabian Cancellara used the S3 to bridge to the break, then take bronze in the road race, the triathlon will see a few athletes: Canadian Simon Whitfield and TeamTBB pros Reto Hug and Nicola Spirig of Switzerland, and Mariana Ohata and Reinaldo Colucci of Brazil.
So in a race with what will certainly be some of the finest bikes, a little Brazilian designer has the newest (and certainly one of the most expensive at $12,000 as Suplicy puts it) bikes in T2 this weekend. And Cervelo will certainly have one of the cleanest-looking (and aerodynamically-fastest) new models on the racks.

Best of mechanical luck to all the athletes racing this weekend.

Interview: Belinda Granger

There's just a few hours left at Ironman China, so given that it looks like Belinda Granger may take the win (and hopefully my wife and Belinda's TeamTBB teammate Donna Phelan will continue the good TeamTBB juju given that she's in third at the moment), I thought I'd post a video that you'll see in the video clips at right.

The video was taken a couple weeks ago when I spent a week visiting Donna and the rest of the team in Subic Bay, Philippines. I'll be updating the blog in a bit with the story of how this team has been simply kicking ass this year. I've been to triathlon camps like I'm sure you have, but there is NOTHING like this.

Belinda's race has not been a surprise, after seeing her training that week. On the weekend, TeamTBB's stud swimmer, Mathieu O'Halloran, Granger, Phelan and Nicola Spirig took part in the Terry Larrazabal sprint Triathlon just outside Subic. It was Belinda first, and granted, it was a sprint, I'd never seen her turn her legs over like that. So her race in China is no surprise to me. Come Kona, she's a threat to move a few steps up the Top 10 podium closer to Chrissie.

Then again, so are quite a few other team members like Erika Csomor. Like Bella Comerford. I think the dinosaurs of the sport, the classic thinking of taper, of being a slave to your heart rate monitor, is being supplanted. There's a new way of thinking, being delivered by Brett Sutton and served up by this team of supposed misfits.

And that's not counting the athletes recently qualified for Athens after strong performances at World Cup Ishigaki: Reto Hug and Nicola Spirig of Switzerland and Brazilian Mariana Ohata. What can't this team do?

What I really wonder is, when is someone is going to take this team and put a title sponsor on it? Because right now, considering the exposure they'll garner in Kona, this is the most valuable commodity in the sport, and they don't even have an apparel sponsor!

Good job to Belinda and the rest of the squad keeping it rolling...