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Go London!!

©Romilly.com 2011What a weekend, racing in London on the Olympic course was so cool (not the best result for me, though). The course itself is pretty; a no wetsuit swim in a nice green lake and race suit ruined.

A solid long bike, I got 44km on my Garmin, pace was not really on, I only averaged 309 watts for the whole bike and throw in some English summer weather, rain, and crashes all over the place. I guess it’s from all the diesel from the busses left on the road. I managed to stay upright (full respect to Gav Noble, went down hard but still finished on his own). I think all the crashes were on the same corner too, I guess that’s why it’s a test event, to sort it out for next year.

The run was crazy, so many people cheering in the heavy rain too. It felt like a steeplechase, jumping over the flooded road and then a cross county over the mud, much fun. I felt I had my own little Barmy Army out there. When things aren't going your way it really helps heaving so much support out there so thanks for all the shouts, you guys are legends.

Next for me is a nice easy week with the family, then a good hit out in Lausanne World Sprint Champs then a late arrival into Beijing 3 weeks later for the World Champs. Really looking forward to giving that course a good go after my disappointment in 2008. Everything to play for, nothing to lose, could be a dangerous combination...

Specialized training blog

Specialized are doing a series of video blogs of their sponsored athletes which take a look at "48 hours in the life of ..." Enjoy!

So it’s been a while!!

It's late April and I am on the Gold Coast, well rainy coast at the moment. I started my season off down in South Africa. Flying out there early Jan for a solid block of training for 3 months. I had decided to do 2 races out there this year (a slow start as I want to be flying come August and September).

A 4 day stage race www.tourdeboland.co.za in and around Stellenbosch with my new team mates the Specialized Factory Team (all mountain bikers). Then 2 weeks later the SA champs and ITU points race in PE. I would then head down under via UK (to drop the family off) for Sydney, the first in the WCS races of 2011, stay on at the Gold Coast for 4 weeks and head home via Yokohama WCS race or Seoul ITU points race now due to the earthquake in Japan. First part of my season done.

Flying now with a bike is easy... Try flying with bike/training kit and a baby with 3 months of stuff, 9 bags at check in! Thanks to John at www.velomotion.co.uk for the lift and help with all the kit, Legend. I managed to get my head down for 10 weeks of solid work with the help of my in-laws and sister in-law and family coming out for 3 weeks in the middle to help out with Matilda. This really helped me push on and take it to the next level........oh, and gave them all a nice tan to take back to the UK.

I managed to get my new bike an S-Works SL3 and then the Venge - such a sweet ride - my SL3 weighed in at 6.1kg (love that !!). The Venge with my new Zipp wheels and S-Works SRM is a sweet bit of kit. I think I have every course covered with these weapons !!

Matilda and the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Left: Stellenbosch - Another hard focussed swim session!
Right: Love the view from my hotel, pre race day ran over it with Gav Noble.

This winter I just wanted to get fit on all 3 disciplines with a slightly bigger bike block for a few weeks, hence the bike race. 4 days just over 600km average speed 41.1km/h with some brutal climbs. I finished a solid 22nd on the GC and got what I needed out of it winter miles at speed. Then it was off to the SA champs, another good way to see my overall form. I was pleased with a win and executing all 3, swim, bike and run, well. Still early season but all looking good.

South Africa National Championships, Port Elizabeth, 20/3/11

  1. Don TIM (Great Britain) 01:54:51
  2. Eksteen CLAUDE (South Africa) 01:56:52
  3. Weber WIKUS (South Africa) 01:57:23
  4. Essadiq MEHDI (Morocco) 01:58:24
  5. De Villiers HENDRIK (South Africa) 01:58:40

It was also nice to have Oly Stanley out for a good block of training for 7 weeks, I know I got a lot out of it and really appreciated the company, thanks mate.

I got to Australia 3 days before the race so it was all about R&R and I managed to freshen up well (a bit too well in the swim). I had a solid race in trying conditions wind, wet and slippery roads !! Not the best swims but a sweet bike (Love the Venge, aii !!) and a good run for 6th. Loads to work on but all moving in the right direction.

Sydney ITU WCS, Sydney, 10/4/11

  1. Javier Gomez (ESP) 01:50:22
  2. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 01:50:29
  3. Sven Riederer (SUI) 01:50:34
  4. Brendan Sexton (AUS) 01:50:40
  5. David Hauss (FRA) 01:50:49
  6. Tim Don(GBR) 01:50:58

I am looking forward to Seoul on 15th May then 3 races in the UK, Strathclyde, Blenheim and Windsor, before I hit the WCS again to start my build up to Hyde Park and World Champs in Lausanne (Sprint) and Beijing (Olympic).

I hope everyone out there has had a solid winter and is getting ready for a good season.

Winter miles mean Summer smiles !!

Tim

I've signed with Specialized

Here's the official release from Specialized:

World Champions Abound on Specialized 2011 Factory Triathlon Team

Even more talent added to this year's roster: Neutral-service race support stronger too with SRAM and Zipp partnerships

Building on arguably the most dominant season ever by any triathlon team—including world championships in virtually every discipline—the Specialized Factory Triathlon Team returns in 2011 with last year's powerhouse squad almost completely intact, while managing to bolster the team with some key additions. To our "who's who" list of top-tier triathletes, with names like "Macca," Gomez, Norden, Henning, and Whitfield we've added names like Frodeno, Don, and Findlay among others.

And we will also build on the unprecedented "Factory Team" type race support we began in 2010: Specialized trucks will be present at races throughout the US and Europe, offering soigneur services for the pros as well as mechanical support to pros and age groupers alike. And a new partnership with Zipp and SRAM will provide spare parts and wheel options to the pros. Specialized will also once again partner with the ITU World Championship Series and have a similar presence at key Ironman and Half Ironman distance and other major events around the globe. It is this combination of a dominant list of pro athletes and comprehensive race support—more common in road and mountain bike racing—that will again allow the Specialized team to stand alone at the top of the tri world.

"I thought we had an absolute ‘dream team' last year, but somehow we're poised to be even stronger in 2011 with our new lineup," raved Bobby Behan, Sports Marketing Manager. "We're looking forward to another exceptional year. And while World titles are great, we're especially proud to be able to again offer neutral support to many age groupers and give our elite athletes levels of support they never had before."

Here are the 2011 Specialized Factory Triathlon Team lineups according to distance, along with some of the athletes' career highlights:

Long Course:

3-time World Champion, the reigning Ironman World Champion Chris "Macca" McCormack returns after his incredible victory in Kona. "One of THE moments from 2010 was undoubtedly that final mile of Macca's memorable victory," said Behan. "We are pleased to announce that a longer-term deal will see Macca with Specialized for many years to come."

Rasmus Henning who won Challenge Roth with a near-Ironman distance record 7:52 will also return for another shot at that record in a different race. Jordan Rapp, the victim of a near-death accident early last season, was back at the top only seven months later to finish 4th at Ironman Arizona, and continues to heal and improve. This fearsome trio is joined again by young up-and-comer Philip Graves, 3-time World Champion Peter Reid—a Specialized Ambassador since his retirement—will continue to advise and mentor. All will again ride the Shiv.

Short Course:

ITU Development Team:

Two more 2010 World Champions, Javier Gomez and Lisa Norden will return to defend their titles under the Specialized banner, along with 2-time Olympic medalist Simon Whitfield, but they'll face tough competition this year from their new teammates: 2008 Olympic Champion Jan Frodeno and former World Champion and Hy Vee winner Tim Don. Also joining is World Championship Series Round 2-time winner Paula Findlay. Meanwhile, Sydney World Championship Series round winner Barbara Riveros has graduated from the ITU Development Team to the senior stable. Of course Specialized will continue to support at a grass roots level, with neutral technical service at major events and through support of ITU Development Team scholarship athletes Leonardo Chacon Corrales and Abrahm Louw. Men will ride S-Works Tarmac SL3 and women will use the S-Works Amira.

With the Summer Olympics only one year away, this new team is perfectly poised to be a serious threat for the podium. "The level of talent on this team as well as the race support from Specialized is unprecedented and that combination will certainly help lift all of us to another level. It´s great to have peace of mind that for the London Olympics, and of course all my races, I´ll be riding the latest and greatest bikes on the market," said Frodeno.

Xterra:

Yet another returning World Champion heads up our off-road team. Conrad "The Caveman" Stoltz was close to quitting his 2010 season to comfort his ill father in South Africa. Instead, the tough South African held strong, winning his 8th USA Series Title, utterly dominating Worlds in Maui—a title he dedicated to his dad Gert. Conrad will again race alongside fellow countryman Dan Hugo and 3-time Xterra World Champion Melanie McQuaid. Ned Overend, a legend and icon at Specialized, will continue to mentor the team.

The Epic 29er will be the bike of choice for The Caveman, and McQuaid will have the S-Works Era. The men will also have the option to ride S-Works Stumpjumper 29HT or Epic 26" models. Stolz had this to say about his new ride: "To me the highlight of 2010 was the arrival of my new S-Works Epic 29er. Winning XTERRA Worlds was ok too."

About Specialized

Specialized Bicycles was founded in 1974 by riders for riders. Headquartered in Morgan Hill, California, with global distribution, the company focuses on making everyone's time on a bike better by delivering functional and technically advanced equipment that provides a performance benefit.

Lanzarote camp

So you have heard of the 12 days of Christmas, I have just had the 14 days of La Santa, no presents each day just lots of hard work and (sorry) warm miles, hey they were bloody windy ones mind you. I was lucky enough to be invited on a federation camp, well kind of as there are always triathletes at La Santa training together avoiding the cold and snow this time of year - crazy stuff !! I took my wife, Kelly, out and my daughter, Matilda; it was her first camp and I wanted her to get some good sessions in (she is only 10 weeks old !!) so we had to plan very carefully. Turning up to a Ryan Air flight with seven pieces of luggage can be dangerous and very expensive but we got the weight right on all the separate bits and had pre-paid the rest, sorted.

MatildaThe camp did not start that well as the flight was a nightmare (Matilda was a saint, slept the whole way) but some people got too roudy and, well, were idiots and the police were waiting for them at the other end, what a way for them to start their holiday. I have not been to La Santa since May 2000 with Lessing to get ready for Sydney - it has not changed, I think I even recognised the waiters at the pool bar !! It is such a productive place, everything is there: Olympic pool, track, gym, supermarket (so expensive) and the pool bar. It was great to hit the ground running and with Joel as our leader, we commenced on a very good two weeks of training. I managed to get in just over 50 hours which I was most pleased about as I have had two chest infections since Matilda was born and except for a two week solid block and my adventure race (love that stuff), I had not done too much.

It was good to have the nutritionist there to calm me down in the buffet after a hard day's grind and in the second week the physio came out to soothe all those aches and pains from my winter miles (I needed that). On the second week my main man, LL cool Frase came out (check out UK Ironman and 70.3) to keep me sane in the wind and on my build runs along the coast. He is a top man and very talented, so thanks Frase. The last few days were all talk about getting home in time for Christmas as the 'big freeze' had hit the UK. Fair play to Ryan Air and thanks. We were lucky, only 60mins delayed and only 40 people on our flight, result. Taxi man was there to whisk us home and living on a farm, Pete, one of the lads here, had cleared the snow from our door with the red tractor and put the heating on, love that.

I just have to get through the 14 days of Christmas and New Year till we all head out to the sun again to Stellenbosch for three months to get ready to rumble in Sydney – it's going to be big !! So enjoy the turkey and the turbo and be careful out there. And by the way, Matilda managed a straight 6.5 hour sleep, a then record, and I think Kelly and Matilda also broke the record for speed walking around La Santa (future champ ?!).

Happy New Year guys,
Tim

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