Posts Tagged ‘oakley’
#ThrowbackThursday Conrad Stoltz 1998 ITU All African Triathlon Champion Swakopmund Namibia
Conrad Stoltz & Lieuwe Boonstra 1st & 2nd at 1998 ITU All Africa Triathlon Championships Swakopmund Namibia
Back when we were chasing ITU points to qualify for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Speedos were the rage, we sewed and ironed our sponsors logos on, and Lieuwe had the most admirable horse-like pony tail in the biz. (this photo does not do it justice)
Lieuwe and I were a formidable team: Both 2nd pack swimmers but really strong cyclists, we’d get together on the bike, ride up to the lead pack- usually lead by David Hyam, Glen Gore and sometimes Tim Don. Once in the pack, I’d sit in and send Lieuwe up the road. If they chase and catch Lieuwe, I’d attack, and Lieuwe would bridge over to me later, or we’d repeat till we got away. But usually they would let Lieuwe go and watch me – the stirrer and stronger sprinter… I’d wait till Lieuwe had about a 30″ gap then attack and ride up to him, where we would start a furious through and off. This would be the crucial time to get clear of the chasers without bringing any unwanted fleet footed runners with. (Eksteen, Don, Gore et al.)
At this particular race
Caveman ready for XTERRA Buffelspoort, South Africa
Gearing up (read “tapering” – once over 40, tapering starts early!) for XTERRA Buffelspoort next weekend.
More info on Stillwatersport XTERRA page.
Here is a cut and paste job from Ride Magazine:
Xterra legend Conrad Stoltz will kick-start the 2015 season in Buffelspoort (North West Province) when he toes the line at the much anticipated Totalsports Xterra Full presented by Rehidrat® Sport on Saturday, 24 January 2015.
Stoltz started his Xterra career in Richmond in 2001 when searching for a way to get motivated after the 2000 Olympics. “I felt burnt out and had a hard time getting motivated for another four year slog to the next Olympic Games,” says Stoltz. “My coach at the time said that I could do anything I wanted to get my mojo back. Paging through a USA Triathlete Magazine, I saw a picture of Steve Larsen running his mountain bike through a knee deep stream. This really appealed to my sense of adventure”.
“I made a few rookie mistakes at my first event including not knowing the course, borrowing a bike, riding with road pedals and road shoes to mention just a few,” continues Stoltz. “For most new triathletes swimming is the biggest hurdle, but once you’ve learnt to swim it’s by far the easiest of the three disciplines. If you’re new to swimming, spend the time and money to get private lessons. Swimming fitness is not a big deal. It’s all about having a good stroke, being comfortable in open water and being able to swim straight without having to follow a black line on the bottom. The Xterra Buffelspoort mountain bike course is not exceptionally hilly or technical, but you need a decent level of fitness and skill to get through it in good shape. You’ll need some reserves for the run. It is a tough run that starts out fun, scenic and technical, trail running at its best. After about 5km, the trail points to the sky and you start climbing. It will probably be hot, you’ll definitely be tired and the hill is long, really long. Xterra is not easy, but I recommend it to all athletes because it is fun, it’s an adventure and you get to meet really cool people”.
Adventure enthusiasts that are not yet ready for the challenge of the Totalsports Xterra Full, can enter the less daunting Totalsports Xterra Lite.
Calling all trail runners: Forming part of the action of South Africa’s largest off road triathlon, the Puma Trail Run incorporates the Xterra trail run routes and will take place on Sunday, 25 January 2015.
Event Information
Totalsports Xterra Full
Date Saturday, 24 January 2015
Venue Buffelspoort Dam
Format 1.5km swim, 26.5km mountain bike and 12km trail run
Totalsports Xterra Lite
Date Sunday, 25 January 2015
Venue Buffelspoort Dam
Format 400m swim, 17km mountain bike and 6km trail run
Puma Trail Run
Date Sunday, 25 January 2015
Venue Buffelspoort Dam
Format 6km and 12km
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XTERRA Worlds is tomorrow. Follow it live here on XTERRA website.
Look for the well camoflaged Caveman.
The inspiration for my race kit (leaves and tyre tracks) I got from the Delicious Monster plants here in Maui. Fantastic gear from Nimblewear. Light, comfortable, hydrophobic yet breathable, UV 40 protection, and best of all- it didnt arrive the day berofe race- like it usually does with other manufacturers / printers.
We’ve had some rain this year. A lot of rain. As you can see below, the earth here is quite clay-y. It has dried out quite a bit since this pic was taken (a week ago) but we may get some showers again tonight…
Fun & games!
I drowned my phone in the ocean this am, so dont expect much tweeting or phone calls. The Lifeproof case was not #CavemanProof after all…
Stay tuned.
Caveman wins XTERRA UK and 50th XTERRA Championship title
Braaap! I havent had this much fun doing my job in a long long time. After being frustrated by many of the "ho hum" courses lately, the UK course was fantastic! "Semi retired" XTERRA Pros Sam Gardner and Richard Stannard personally built the trails and did an incredible job. The trails were easy (and safe) enough for everyone to ride, but going fast is tricky. 
Vachery Estate in Surrey, is famous for the scenic British country side. We home stayed with cycling legend Carl Hutchings and Terry. This was basically the view from our bedroom window. 
We made the most of the "Bahamas like weather" this British summer (note #PrincessHotstuff's summer wear) and visited a nearby town and tried warm beer. (only twice- the 2nd time to make sure its really really supposed to be warm) 
#Caveman EPO.* This is the stastiest beetroot juice we've ever had. (90% Beetroot juice and 10% Apple juice) *Beetroot juice is proven to boost red blood cell count. 
Chilling with Carl and Terry at the Squirt chain lube stand. #PrincessHotstuff puts to test the eco friendly, bio degradable chain lube and bike wash. Apparently a German rider once mistook the Squirt sample in his race pack for an energy shot, drank it during the race, and afterwards went the the shop to buy more of that "Squirt energy product…" Memorizing all 1000 turns, one had one pre ride a fair bit- lots of fun…
Thanks to Saffer Carel du Plessis (not the rugby player) and his wife for the stunning pics. All the good photos in this blog is by Light Trapper
Calm before the storm. Next to me in the beard is 23 year old Rock band singer, physio, super swimmer and fresh u23 Cross Tri World Champ from Spain- Roger Serrano. 
100% focus. With the light changes through the trees and open fields, choosing the right lenses for your glasses was crucial. Oakley Radar XL with VR28 lenses
There was not a single rock on the course, so I lowered my tyre pressre by 2 psi to 20psi. To reduce deflection (like rolling resistance) on this bumpy terrain, I took 10psi out of my front and rear suspension. I did bottom out the fork quite badly a few times… 
I did plow the fields a but with my pedals, but fortunately my well worn LOOK Quarts' are #CavemanProof. I also tried, for the 1st time the Stages Power meter. Its the small black piece on the crank arm. Amazing how small it is and how well it works. Not sure how to interpret the power data yet, (as MTB is very erratic compared to road power) but the numbers indicate huge spikes in power. (see below)
Peak power was 992W and avs was 340W. Power file. 
The day after disastrous ITU Cross Tri Worlds in Germany (last week- blog in the works), I made some huge changes to try get rid of the back pain. I moved my saddle forwards 3.5cm (huge move) to its "old postition" and moved from oval chain rings to round chain rings- in order to accomodate the power meter I've been trying to use the past year. Despite the huge changes in such a short time, I felt much better and only had some back pain.
Describing the course in a blog is impossible- here James Walker shows us how NOT to overtake a lapped rider… 
I was 1 min down after the swim, and came off the bike with a 5 min lead. So I could really enjoy the technical trail run. Check out this short video I made of the run : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7Zvo7b7jwY&list=UU5HJTF5nzeSPJonIgie455w 
Stuff dream are made of. Jumping water canals, 
Over trees.
50th XTERRA Championship win. The 50 XTERRA wins I celebrated in January 2013, counted all the XTERRAs I'd won- apparently the 4 XTERRA Buffelspoort wins with its 2500 participants does not count. 
Couldnt do it without the loving support and friendship of #PrincesHotstuff 
Big turn out from South Africans- almost felt like racing at home. Dankie julle!
When I planned my racing calendar this year, I decided to only do races I enjoy. Fun, technical, challenging, well designed, adrenaline filled and true to the XTERRA nature I fell in love with 13 years ago. I dont necessarily pick races to suit my strengths, (like this one with its 1600m of climbing on bike and 550m of climbing on run) but I like real mountain biking, real trail running, and preferably an interesting destination. That's why I'm still passionate about racing. When I'm having fun, I enjoy doing my job and I'm fast. Unfortunately the XTERRA Italy course changed from last year, and the fun factor was replaced with a "either you can, or you cant" attitude. Not the best way to attract newcomers to the sport, and not the reason I do this. While I'm on the topic: I'm writing this blog at the location of my next race. (Location withheld to protect the innocent.) Even though the course suits me relatively well, I'm quite disappointed with the seemingly hours of boring gravel road, dangerous down hills (only 30 seconds of it)- obviously not meant for mountain biking- avoidance of single track, and a no-imagination run course. All this when we're riding right through thousands of hectares of stunning pine forests – perfect single track terrain. Maybe I'm a quality course snob, but the poor quality of many XTERRA courses is frustrating and confirms my dreams of sometime soon building a phenomenal course(s) which would redefine the sport. Fun for the hard core athletes, yet accessable to beginners & kids. Think XTERRA / Urban Rage / Tough Mudder, with a lot of Caveman sprinkled on top…. Anyway, back to Italy: 
Got out the swim with Kiwi Braden Curry and someone else. About 30" behind Roger Serrano the Bearded Beast.
Hoping for rain because that's the tyre I've got. 
Early on we did a fun loop through the old town of Scanno. Probably my favourite part of the race- narrow cobbled alleys, down century old stairs, 
Watch out for fellow competitors, super slippery cobbles, and maybe an opening door… 
Past old ladies in traditional black, where today they watch a different world go by… 
Get off the brakes and bring some speed- faster is easier. After the fun and games of whizzing through town we climbed. And Climbed. And CLIMBED. As you can see below on my Suunto Movescount file, the 1st climb was 700m in one go – 43min for me. Mostly steep, gravelly, jeep track. I dont mind climbing, but then the down hill must be good. Unfortunately this year it plunged almost straight down the ski slope. In dry training conditions I glazed my brake rotors its so steep. Yet, going slowly due to the rain, it took me less than 8 minutes to get down. Not a good "Yahooooo!!" rating. (Divide Suffering time by Fun time to get Yahooooo rating: 43/8 = 5.3 Yahooooos) 
Click here for full interactive Movescount file. Braden and I climbed together, but when Ruben Ruzafa caught us, Braden went with him and I couldnt respond. My legs were heavy and HR low- an indication that my legs werent rested enough, and I was paying the price for too much pre riding. As can bee seen in "Bar Chart and Curve" section, my avs HR was only 146. I spent only 1hr36 (of 2hr55) going Very Hard (between 146-163), 39min going Hard (127-146) and 16min below 126HR. When fit and rested I can do 3hrs at 155hr avs. As we summited, the rain started coming down in huge drops, and the ski slope instantly became an ice rink. The Yahoooo factor went up. 
Loved the Command Post, (now available at your Specialized dealer) dropped the saddle, and the big knobblies on the front Ground Control 2.3 tyre came nicely into play. 
In less than 5 minutes, I was in the village down theeeeere. Straight down the ski run in the back ground. Some sections through the trees were real slippery, the trick was finding traction on the leaves and not in the mucked up "trail". Please dont do this on a under normal conditions on a normal MTB trail. But these were mostly goat trails and I didnt want to make unnecessary cartwheels and have to fix my bike with a piece of wood like this guy…
It was tough tough times for the age groupers! This guy broke his handlebar, found a stick to make a ThereIfixedIt.com #Cavemanstyle plan. Classic! 
Coming in with Carloni (FRA), behind a flying Ruzafa. 
The run was really challenging -technical, super hilly, scenic & fun. 
Stunning sections through Scanno. Loving the new Hoka Huaka racers. 
and surrounding hills. 
Save some energy for the views. 
The rain didnt dampen the crowd's spirits. Braden Curry is a hard core mountain man, and came steaming past me up the last climb to get 2nd behind Ruzafa. 
3rd for Caveman, 1st Ruzafa (ESP), 2nd Curry (NZ) 
PrincessHotstuff! Still trying to shake the cold she pickup that day- running around in the rain, cheering, taking photos and giving splits at every oppertunity. 
Eating lamb sosaties with Kiwis in Italy?!? Sam and Braden Curry & kids. Check out Bradens' adventure race, RedBull Defiance in NZ. 
Made many new friends (& touched up my French) here with Ezechiel and family from France. 
A super tough race for the age groupers. Bike wash on the swim course – not so much sympathy for the bike after a long day 🙂 
Ciao Italia! Grazie mille!!! Guten tag Deutchland und Austria for Specialized Germanic Dealer Event
