Posts Tagged ‘Caveman’
Caveman’s specialized equipment choices in quest for 7th World title
#aeroiseverything #soisfattyres #dittohorsepower
ITU Cross Triathlon Worlds 2013 Long version
Cross Tri Worlds Highlights. (Short version- 2.40)
Racing through the dunes, stairs and sidewalks of Holland proved a fertile ground for innovative equipment choices. From the video you can get a feel for the course- but the real test was the long sections of deep, soft sand.
I enjoy thinking about equipment and how to make it better while training, and have been doing the obvious tire reaserch for almost a year.
Big was my surprise when I opened a “special box for sand racing” from Jason Chamberlain at Specialized. The biggest widest rims I have ever seen. Really wide. And light. Mounted with our biggest tire- Renegade 2.3- but more like 2.5 or 2.6 on this rim.
The dark sand is the easy part. There were 3 of these sections on each of 4 laps. Try picking a straight (existing) line, balance perfectly in it while deliverying seemingly a million Watts, WHILE being totally relaxed, BARELY holding onto the bars, ready to jump off and run the moment the front wheel digs in…
The Basics skills for sand riding: The tires need to float on top of the sand. The moment the front wheel sinks in, it snakes
Above foto by Jeroen Tibbe.
My 7th World title. It didnt sink in till the last kilometer. So proud. Happy. More like exstatic. I’m blessed with an amazing career. Wonderfully supportive sponsors. Genes- I’m turning 40 in October and still winning. (thanks Mom and Dad) Rocket scientist coach Ian Rodger. My wife Liezel. So much goes into this job/life/career, its hard to phantom and acknowledge all in a paragraph or even a blog. It really reaches deep.
For example- the guy in the purple shirt with the big smile- his name is Andre de Beer from Pretoria, South Africa. (raced AG earlier in the day) From when I was 14 and onwards, (thats 1988) my dad and I did douzens of triathlons in Verwoerdburg (now Centurion) organized by Andre de Beer. We also raced together back then. (I still remember pacing advice he once gave me.) He is one of the many many people who helped form my career. Seeing his smile and shaking his hand in thanks afterwards is just one of the many things which give me shivers and makes me realize the intricacy of life, never mind success.
A quick race recap- full blog coming soon:
Thanks to some “specialized” equipment, (pun intended) #aeroiseverything Specialized Evade helmet, TT bars (on a mountain bike?!) crazy wheel/tire setup, a few clever lines, some skills, some luck and a lot of hard pedaling and serious suffering, I caught the leaders (Ben Allen in pic above) on the 1st lap of 4 and made some good time on almost everyone.
Beach racing is much tougher than I expected. My legs were broken towards the end of the bike, and looking at the bike splits behind me, everyone was broken.
More pix on Beach Challenge.
Barging into the long soft, deep, sandy sections, you need all the speed you can get off the stairs. With 12 psi in the tires, it becomes a circus act. Remember Caveman-ism, “Speed is your friend…”
I did have to keep my eye on 2008 XTERRA World Champ, Ruben Ruzafa, who was 1.15 down going into the 9km sandy slog through the dunes. Also referred to as “the run leg.” After one lap (of 3) I only gave up 5 seconds on the lighter Spaniard, and knew I had the race in the bag. The last few km I made sure to enjoy the people and especially the emotions. I thought of Burry Stander (his mom, Mandie sent a special message “remember Burry is there with you” the night before) I thought of my dad who would have LOVED my 7th World title. I thought of my Creator and the way He has blessed my life, and I thought about my wife Liezel who often puts even more into my career than I do…
Like this pic above. More about my equipment and “how many knobbies on a 2.3 Specialized Renegade tire?”, tire cutting and strategy in the next blog….
In the meantime, hats off to Ruben, Brice and everyone who did battle on the dunes of Kijkduin, Holland.
Interesting how the podium is a mixing pot of athletes from various disciplines:
From L to R: 2nd- Ruben Ruzafa- long time professional Mountain Bike racer, now 70.3 and off road triathlete. 1st long time Caveman from Duathlon, ITU Olympic dist, Olympic non drafting, off road triathlon and some MTB background. 3rd Brice Daubord– ITU Olympic dist athlete.
| Pos | First Name | Last Name | Country | Time | Swim | T1 | Bike | T2 | Run | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conrad | Stoltz | RSA |  |
02:01:38 | 00:10:05 | 00:01:03 | 01:11:08 | 00:00:29 | 00:38:54 |
| 2 | Ruben | Ruzafa | ESP |  |
02:01:52 | 00:10:21 | 00:01:07 | 01:11:56 | 00:00:29 | 00:38:02 |
| 3 | Brice | Daubord | FRA |  |
02:02:37 | 00:09:48 | 00:00:57 | 01:14:43 | 00:00:25 | 00:36:46 |
| 4 | Kris | Coddens | BEL |  |
02:03:04 | 00:11:36 | 00:01:13 | 01:12:32 | 00:00:25 | 00:37:20 |
| 5 | Gonzalo Raul | Tellechea | ARG |  |
02:03:15 | 00:10:10 | 00:01:03 | 01:15:20 | 00:00:32 | 00:36:11 |
| 6 | Tomas | Jurkovic | SVK |  |
02:03:30 | 00:10:20 | 00:01:10 | 01:13:50 | 00:00:24 | 00:37:48 |
| 7 | Victor Manuel | Del Corral Morales | ESP | |
02:03:53 | 00:10:51 | 00:01:04 | 01:15:06 | 00:00:25 | 00:36:30 |
| 8 | Ben | Allen | AUS |  |
02:05:18 | 00:09:22 | 00:00:50 | 01:14:15 | 00:00:31 | 00:40:22 |
| \9 | Paul | Embrechts | BEL | |
02:07:06 | 00:10:44 | 00:01:06 | 01:14:49 | 00:00:31 | 00:39:58 |
| 10 | Diederik | Scheltinga | NED |  |
02:07:15 | 00:10:38 | 00:01:03 | 01:14:51 | 00:00:32 | 00:40:13 |
Click here for full results.
I’m writing this from Rome. I’m racing XTERRA Italy this weekend. We traveled somewhat Caveman style last night- Princess Hotstuff caught some winks in Zurich- with the podium flowers refreshing in a ClifBar water bottle on the side.
More adventures (and a proper Cross Tri blog) to come…
Memories from XTERRA Brazil when I first raced on the island of Ilhabela in 2008, consisted mostly of sandy beaches, warm ocean, strong sugary drinks and warm hearted people.
After 8 years, most of those memories proved accurate:
Our ride from Sao Paolo was legendary- the brand new “old” VW Kombi evoked memories of family trips to the Kalahari and school trips to rugby and cricket matches. Thanks to the Ilhabela Tourism Buro! Behind is our hotel- old buildings, palm leaf roofs and palm trees at the pool. Now you spikka my language…
Being injured and watching XTERRA Richmond from the sidelines.
“Having a bad day is all about perspective…”
A story about being injured and watching XTERRA Richmond from the sidelines.
Richmond is where I fell in love with XTERRA. Thanks to Rich Cruse for the picture.
It was the summer of 2001. I borrowed a monstrosity of a bike from Joe Umphenour, covered the logos with electrical tape (endorsed by no one) put my own yellow tires and road pedals on it. Rocked the timeless speedo, running camel back and rookie number 27. My total monthly income from sponsorship was $400. I finished 2nd behind Mike Vine, and passed Ned Overend and Steve Larsen -legends unknown to me- on the run.
Just a few months earlier, a picture of Steve Larsen, in that same river crossing, pulled me out of a post Olympic slump and gave my spirit for adventure and racing wings.
Caveman’s favourite tool for technical riding: Specialized Command Post
The Specialized Command Post lowers the saddle height with the push of a button. Initially I only used it for really technical courses, but now its a permanent fixture on all my mountain bikes. It lowers my centre of gravity, gets the saddle out the way for a better body position in the corners and drops, and on a few occasions I’ve used it for a (safe) really aerodynamic tuck.
I think this “drop seat post” will eventually become more and more prevalent amoungst Cross Country and also social riders. Once people realize weight is not everything, learn how to use it properly (I’m still learning proper cornering) and once they’ve made peace with the “funny” look and feel. Remember when 29ers were “funny looking”?
If all else fails, you can go with Rappstar’s favourite tool for technical riding:
