Training & product testing on Kona lava fields before IM Kona

I knew I had my 4th XTERRA World title in the bag. I knew it.

I felt the strongest I have felt in years. Tore up the bike course and had between 2min30 and 3min lead with only 6k to go on the bike- and then the P word happened again- on the smoothest road on the course. I quickly fixed the slow puncture with foam- and still in the lead- carried on. The P thing slowly came back, and then I had to stop and put in a lime tube. The change went quick, but I resumed in 4th and of course the tube couldnt resist the P. So I rode the last 5k on the rim. Thankfully its an Edge wheel and it had no damage, smallish crack in the bead hook. Riding the rim on the lava was really dangerous, the rear wheel slid out in every turn, but a deep determination coupled with deep denial kept me mashing the pedals.

I started the run 5 minutes behind. It was all gone. I didnt come here to race for 10th. I enjoyed the run. The views, fellow athletes and people. I finished with a smile and enjoyed the Halloween party. People say” what a gentleman you are”.
But today I’m totally gutted. I dont feel the gentleman. I put so much into this World champs, no, I put everything I had- the whole year- into this and now I have nothing but a big empty feeling inside me. Never mind the big empty place in my bank account. Money cant but a World title.

I have won 3 World titles here and I have lost 2, maybe 3 to mechanicals. This is a humbling, cruel sport.
I qoute from the XTERRA race report:

“Early on, this race showed all the signs of a Stoltz world championship run. The “Caveman” was out of the water with the leaders, passed everyone by the fourth mile of the bike where he had already put 30 seconds on Marceau, Dan Hugo, Batelier, and Eneko Llanos. From there he extended the gap, and was up 1:30 by mile 10 and with less than two miles left of heavy climbing before “The Plunge” steep downhill section where Stoltz’ is at his best, it looked like he was well on his way to a 4th World Title.

“I felt really good today, best I’ve felt in a long time. I was relaxed and riding really fast on the technical stuff, and even had quite a bit in the tank for the run, but then it came down to luck,” said Stoltz, who got a slow-leak somewhere around mile 13 or so that forced him to stop, repair, and watch as Ruzafa went by.

To compound matters, at mile 17 Stoltz’ back tire was completely gone, and he was dangerously riding on the rim coming down the lava fields. “It’s the last race of the season and I wanted to see what I could salvage,” said Stoltz.

By the time he entered T2 and was five minutes and 10 places back, best he could do was a) enjoy the ocean views, b) drop words of encouragement and some energy gel to a friend, and c) cross the line graciously in 12th place giving high-fives to the spectators that lined the finish chute.

I started XTERRA training at 4 years old when single speed and white tires were all the rage.

I’m in Maui, Hawaii. It has been my birthday for almost 24 hrs and, it will keep going for at least another 20 hrs. Thanks to Facebook, I have been getting birthday wishes from folks in Australasia almost a full day early, and as the earth turned, and the sun fell on Africa, wishes came flooding in last night from South Africa and Europe, and then today (the 23rd- my actual birthday) the North and South Americans checked in. This time thing is weird in many ways.

I’m still in bed, watching the ocean, the palm trees, Kahoolawe island (the one the Navy ruined with “target bombing”) I

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The 2009 Specialized Epic S-works.

The press has hyped the bike up and Susi won the XC World Champs on it, but DANG, I was especially surprised by: a) the suspension and b) the weight. And, yes, it is a really pretty bike.

As you can see in the background, I tested the bike on a not-so-old lava flow at Edison snow park outside Bend, to see how the new Specialized Armadillo Elite (Fast Trak 2.00) tires would hold up through the sharp lava. I ran into big lumps of sharp lava as hard as I could (to test the tires for tire cut resistance) but every time the suspension just ate up the much anticipated jolt. When the suspension is not active, bike is 100% rigid- unlike anything I’ve felt since… well, since my Tarmac road bike. The New Epic’s suspension is definitely a few cuts above the “old” Epic. And I’m sure many cuts above anything else out there.

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I needed to get out of the condo and daily town life, and headed up the Cascades and camped at the foot of Broken Top. I camped and trained at 2000m, (the same alt as Tahoe- XTERRA USA Champs is in 2 weeks) enjoying the nice weather and the changing colours of approaching of fall. (Autumn) I put in some really big sessions in fun surroundings- so it felt like holiday.

Of course, in true Caveman tradition, I try to carry everything at once.