Posts Tagged ‘specialized shiv’
My first Triathlon since retirement!
I know, I havent blogged in a while. There has so much to talk about this past year! Many fantastic stories and memories, retirement from professional racing, baby Zena, my first winter in 23 years(!?) and new beginnings in the coffee shop and my coaching business. But as any new parent will tell, you – once you have a baby in the house – priorities (and time) change beyond imagination!
Being known as “the sporty couple”, we have been warned that our baby is going to be busy! We thought it was cute at the time, but no jokes! Zena is one busy body!
We also opened CavemanCafé in Specialized Stellenbosch mid December, which is has been really hard work.
However much fun it is, one needs a break from working all that coffee magic…
Then I got an invite to race WestCoastWarmWaterWeekend , a race I remember very fondly. Previous blogs showcasing the scenery & special race here .
Did quite a few 14hr days
After racing the Short Track and XC at the Sea Otter Festival, we “lived” in Morgan Hill for nearly 2 weeks. I spent some valuable time at the Specialized HQ and the training was great.
The cut on my hand was healing well, Princess Hotstuff took out the stitches with nail clippers after 10 days, but 1) I didnt swim at all since my crash at XTERRA Vegas 2 weeks ago. (click if you are curious and have a strong constitution) and 2) the inside of the hand does NOT feel good at all. Testing mountain bikes was super painful and I could only do the rock section 2x per day.
Caveman Specialized SHIV on its home ground in Morgan Hill, CA.
As you can see from the pic above, the road riding in rural California is stunning, and my hand needed respite from the jarring, and I needed to get used to riding upside down on a flat bike again.
Motor pacing behind Princess Hotstuff on the Specialized Turbo. This electric bike is WILD! It goes 30mi/h pretty comfortably, and beats most cars of the line at robots. (South African for “traffic lights”) But if you want to go over 50km/h (about 33mi), you’re on your own…
If I had not been there myself, I too may not believe that the 5150 New Orleans actually happened. ZERO press from 5150. Not even on their own website. You’d think they’ll have someone paid to promote the event? I’m a 2 man band (with the Cave Missus) and even our small operation has a paid employee who blogs about 5150.
So no more waiting to see if there is a pic of my zippy Specialized SHIV. (I’m actually eager to see my position and aerodynamics on the bike)
So we have to do with the trusty old iPhone pix:
N’Awlins is HOT!!
The ice bath at the finish was the best thing all week. N’Awlins is so hot, when you walk out the door, you’re immediately drenched.
After about 4 or 5 years away from any serious road triathlon racing the Caveman dipped his toes into the 5150 scene at New Orleans.
The reason for 5150 is: “I want to qualify for HyVee and kick ass”
The reason for New Orleans is: “It is in the same time zone as XTERRA Richmond, 2 weeks ago, and we dont have a home right now, so we may as well hang with friends in Richmond and train. (and get specialist injury rehab) After 2 weeks of daily intensive rehab for some calf issues I’ve had since THAT cut foot and infection.
With hurricane Debby over Florida and some strong winds pumping over New Orleans, there was talk that the race would become a duathlon. So we were lucky to have a swim but not lucky enough to get a swim warm up. This put a major spanner in the works- so I did 2×10 ladies’ push ups instead- trying to get blood into my arms. (When I woke up the next day, the 1st thing I felt was my sore pecs- from the ladies push ups or pumping a tubular to 120 with a mini hand pump?)
I swam badly with the cold (sore?) arms, chocolate dark choppy swell and sun seemingly shining straight out of the buoy itself. Lost 2.20 to some Bird whom I outbiked by 12 minutes, but importantly, lost about 60″ to guys I should be able to swim with. And lost another 50″ on the 1km run from the swim to T1. I put on shoes for the short run to pamper the calf.
Upon exiting T1 Liezel did not have enough fingers to show me how many riders were ahead of me. They looked like ants up the road. I put it in the Big Dog and sat at Ian’s guesstimated wattage. Quickly caught a few guys but when my heart rate went down to 140s I dropped a gear or 2 (put it in the Great Dane I guess) and the ants came back much quicker. I thought I was catching the mid packers as I was flying past them, but when I saw Liezel at 20km she only needed 1 finger to show me the number of riders ahead. (Cant hear splits with the aero helmet and rushing wind) 40″ behind David Thompson- a strong biker I was told by “someone in the know” would ride about 380W. That SHIV is just amazing, I was flying through the field, despite the strong side winds I could stay on the aero bars, used the Specialized Fuelselage drinking system inside the bike frame- stuffed with ice, I think my position is good (havent seen it yet) and those new red Specialized Trivent shoes with magnets and heel opening is lighting quick.
I came off the bike with a 25″ lead, not enough. I havent run on road or dirt in 2 weeks- nursing a calf injury- I only ran little bits on the Alter G while getting intensive treatment from Megan Presby at Advanced Orthopedic Center in Richmond, VA. I ran steady, tried to stay cool and hold off the little guys but slipped to 4th. Not a bad race, the result so so, my calf held, but I know where I can save chunks of time and immerse further into roadtrigeekdom. When do I earn my right to get a 5150 tattoo?
I didnt know any of the athletes- must be the generation gap… so it was hard to plan my race and strategize. When I saw an Aussie in a speedo running at a good clip something rang a bell. (Check out Tim Reed aka “the Bugdy Smuggler” blog here) Made some new friends at the finish. Chris Foster is a fast runner, despite the run time. (It was humid, windy and there was an extra km after the swim) A good lot, the young crowd. Even met a Saffa on the rise. Travis Johnston.
We wallowed in ice tubs and I’d ask the other guys: “Where are you from?” “Boulder” Oh, me too. Well nice to meet y’all. Guess I dont spend enough time at the pool or on the track to know the skinny tire guys.
I used my Suunto Ambit GPS and heart rate so I could gather data for my coach Ian and future training reference.
Started my Suunto on the run from the swim. Bike leg ended at 55min. You can see how I eased up last few km to freshen up for the run. On the run I felt like overheating when at 160, so backed off a little, but with 2km to go I saw the Budgy Smuggler coming and poured on the pain, but it was too little too late. Was fun to see Tim hurting too though. Once he had 10m he did the look-over-the-shoulder every 10m. Racing in the heat sucks.
The only useful info from the 5150 site:
I’m used to the number 1 at XTERRA, but it was a big honour to get the no 1 at my first 5150. Had to read the manual to see which side of the woody woodpecker helmet goes in front. Havent done a big road tri since Wildflower about 4 years ago when Charlie DQed me for using this very same helmet (without me knowing till 3 days later) because he “couldnt find it on the internet.” Of course he couldnt, it was newly released. A bit like the new Specialized McLaren TT helmet released yesterday: Youtube video
Putting the finishing touches to my transition at 6.30am- the earliest race start I’ve had in YEARS. (XTERRA starts at a more civilized 9 or 10am)
I dont have good pix of my zippy SHIV Tri here, but now that we know at 5150 you have to BYOP(ress), Liezel will take photos at my next 5150 at Boulder Peak. (in 7 days)
I cant say too much about the power file other than I was quite happy with the numbers. It has been quite a work this past summer dialing my TT position to maximize power output without sacrificing too much aerodynamics. I’ve done a few TTs (Like South African TT Champs blog) so we knew more or less what W I can hold for 40km, but what about the run? Was a bit of a guessing game and a fun new project for Ian and I.
New toys: Quarq Cinco OmniCal, 54/39 Rotor Qrings and Specialized S works cranks. I also discovered that one can remove the Specialized cranks with a Specialized multi tool and the special Trox tool- no need to carry a socket wrench. Perfect for hotel room wrenching! Ok, the fit is not 100%, but thats better than my usual tools- usually includes a big rock and something like a cork screw.
In the quest to save on luggage I didnt bring a floor pump. Traveling to an XTERRA and a road triathlon on the same trip become a logistical nightmare so I tried to cut out the heavy floor pump- Caveman wrenching I wouldnt recommend: Pumping a tubular tire to 120 psi using a crack pipe and a Mountain Bike mini pump. By the time there was decent pressure in the tire, my biceps and pecs were cramping- no wonder I lost 90″ in the swim!
Due to the lack of pics of the race- here are some other pix from NOLA. (New Orleans Louisiana)
My Princess. Tres Francais. Brought back special memories from my 6 years racing triathlon in southern France back in the 90s…
Scars and memories from Hurricane Katrina apparent everywhere…
A LOT of water, the Mississippi. The biggest river in South Africa- the “Mighty” Orange- you can walk through, if you choose your spot well…
The old and the new. Was wondering what people here did before the invention of the air conditioner. Then came to the conclusion: Southerners arent “slow” (like people warmed us), THEY ARE HOT.
Our hotel was this cool old restored Cotton Mill factory from 1903. And quite affordable. Hampton Inn on Convention Center Blvd
The local N’Awlins folk is a VERY colourful lot- most of them will claim some kind of French and or Cajun ancestry and throw around family trees and even say a few French words to prove it.
We really enjoyed the people watching!
Ironman World Championships, Kona, Hawaii. Pix by Conrad Stoltz
Macca piloting his Specialized SHIV out on the Kona Ironman course. By Conrad Stoltz (I’m showing off my mad camera skills, hoping to someday get paid for this writing/photography hobby of mine).
The reason I havent blogged in a while is the lack of interwebs connection at our Kona condo. Been knocking out some amazing power numbers on the bike, and other than recovering and eating, havent found the energy to go blog. I find it hard hard to sit and blog from a coffee shop (Lava Java of course) squinting at the screen in the sun, with the stunning ocean views, Big Island pork pizza in one hand, typing with the other and ogling the sea of finely chisseled/ tanned/ tattoed/ coiffed Ironman bodies streaming by.
Back to the race.
SPECIALIZED ANNOUNCES THE TRIATHLON TEAM TO BEAT IN 2010
MultiSport | March 11, 2010
Poised to dominate the triathlon world in 2010, Specialized has launched its first-ever comprehensive triathlon team, with multiple athletes in each of the three major specialties: Long Course, Short Course, and Xterra. Hand selected by Bobby Behan, Specialized Global Marketing Manager for MTB and Triathlon, the team athletes represent the best in the business – from decorated vets to young, upstart pros.
“It’s super exciting to be instrumental in the construction of this star-studded global team, many of which have inspired my own triathlon career,” said Behan. “Collectively, the team has won every major title in triathlon from the Olympic Games to World titles in ITU, Ironman, and Xterra.”
