News - previous items

Older links to clips and articles:

• Maddog is now officially married! Well done (I think) Mel. Oh, and Maddog is still in a moon-boot form the stage do, but you can hardly notice the broken nose. And Mel was worried about the hair and eyebrows...  
• Over the next few weeks there will be a few "baseline" time trial sessions. These will be Saturday training based, but if you want to sneak them in during the week you are welcome. There will be a time trial leader board started - with best times, best improvement, and best meltdown(s). 
• I have started up a "challenge" page on google documents - so far in the experimental mode there is a swim challenge between Ant Gardiner and myself. Next month will also be a swim one (feel free to join). The idea is to set a goal, and see how well you achieve it! You will need a gmail account and to email me to allow you access to edit the page. The page should be here: spreadsheets.google.com. 
• A bit after the fact - but here are the Ironman predictions and actual times for the team for IMNZ (coaches and athletes predictions). Phill Morreau went home with all the money from the sweepstake (well he won it and has not actual received it yet!). 
• This week in my blog - getting sick and not so fat...
• Raewyns Blog and the newspaper article on her (and a couple of others).
• The third of the big cycling tours is wrapping up this week - "Vuelta a España". Looks like some racing! Road cycling world champs are next week. Floyd Landis has lost his drug tacking appeal, so loses his tour de france title. Although there is one appeal left, so no doubt the saga will continue... 
• Triathlon World cup Beijing was last weekend, with the kiwis doing quite well - which was important as it was a NZ selection race.  
• Jared and Susan are back for their "cruisie" holiday. Of course while on holiday, some people still train, and Jared now has 7 days off with a bit of an ITB issue! "Are you sure we won't need a wetsuit for the swim Jared??"...
• Anthony Ham can organi se Bell Bird Bay wine for the conisours out there (new brand we launched this year to out of the same place as Alpha Domus Brand).  Already doing well with the Merlot getting 4 star in Cuisine Mag and rated one of the ‘Best Buys’.  $144/case ex winery <<click for flier>>
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• Congratulations to those that competed in the Individual secondary school cycling champs, including: Katie Kenny, 4th overall and 3rd in the hill climb, Sam Morreau 3rd overall, and 2nd in the hill climb, and Matt Morreau 2nd overall including 3rd in the hill climb. Nice job! Well done to Linda Breekveldt, who has just finished competing in the world Olympic distance triathlon champs in Germany! She also managed to get in some nice riding in the swiss alps by the looks of things too!
• World triathlon champs results from the weekend, stand-out NZ performance in my mind was Terenzo making the top 10 and first kiwi home:
  Elite Women’s Results:
  1st – Vanessa Fernandes (POR) 01:53:27
  2nd – Emma Snowsill (AUS) 01:54:31
  3rd – Laura Bennett (USA) 01:54:37
  4th – Emma Moffatt (AUS) 01:54:54
  5th – Ricarda Lisk (GER) 01:54:59
  6th – Anja Dittmer (GER) 01:55:04
  7th – Magali Di marco Messmer (SUI) 01:55:09
  8th – Joelle Franzmann (GER) 01:55:15
  9th – Jessica Harrison (FRA) 01:55:26
  10th – Sarah Haskins (USA) 01:55:27
  Elite Men’s Results:
  1st – Daniel Unger (GER) 01:43:18
  2nd – Javier Gomez (ESP) 01:43:22 
  3rd – Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS) 01:43:36 
  4th – Simon Whitfield (CAN) 01:43:40 
  5th – William Clarke (GBR) 01:43:45 
  6th – Jan Frodeno (GER) 01:43:57 
  7th – Terenzo Bozzone (NZL) 01:44:04 
  8th – Stuart Hayes (GBR) 01:44:07 
  9th – Bevan Docherty (NZL) 01:44:22 
  10th – Tim Don (GBR) 01:44:27 
• The third of the big cycling tours is on this week - The tour of Spain. Looks like there are some nice hills there too...
• Some trash talk from Andrea to Malcolm - phases Malcolm needs to be familiar with for the hill training sessions ("useful Italian phrases for Malco & other wannbe Italians"): 
  

  Hello beautiful=ciao bella

  Just sit on my wheel while I tow you home darling=Siedasi appena sulla mia rotella mentre li rimorchio tesoro domestico

  Here let me change your tube, I'd hate you to break a fingernail=Qui lascilo cambiare il vostro tubo, io li odierebbe per rompere un'unghia

  Would you like me to lube your chain darling?= voi lo gradiscono lubrificare il vostro tesoro chain?

  I'll just go ahead and order your coffee, you have a well-deserved rest. Anything else you'd like with that? =Andrò appena avanti ed ordinare il vostro caffè, avete un resto bene-meritato. Niente altro che gradiate con quello?

  Let me push you up this hill sweetheart=Lascilo spingerlo su questo innamorato della collina

• The bargain bin is up and running again at westlake girls bike class. if you have any request - let me know and they will be added to the bin! 
• And evidence from Deno's fishing trip, or as he called it "cross training week":
• Good luck to Linda Breekveldt - she is competing in the World Triathlon Championships 2nd September . She is currently enjoying swimming in very pleasant looking lakes and climbing Swiss mountains!  Barry Brown has just left for His European campaign (5 weeks of holiday with one week on the bike in the middle somewhere!). 
• Ever wondered what a fast half marathon was - Haile Gebrselassie won NYC Half-Marathon in 59 minutes, 24 seconds. New Zealand's Nina Rillstone was 3rd in the womens event in 1:10:35 (it was won in 1:10:32!!).
• A bit of older news, but also quite a good result worthy of mention - Natascha Badmann sets very fast half Ironman time at Eagleman Ironman 70.3, claiming the women’s title in a “world best” women’s time of 4:08:18. A few guys would be happy with that time! 
• Sledges, rumours (true or not) are require for the <<Sledge page>>
• <<stuff for sale>> a few deals and things for sale - let me know if you want something from this page, or want to put something on there! 
• A few congratulations - Deno on catching a 120km blue marlin - harder to pull in than a couple of 5km swim sets apparently - pictures to come... Maddog is currently overseas, doing the European tour thing. He and Mel are now engaged! Well done. Bets are now being taken on whether shot guns will be present and if the wedding will be in the speights house in dunedin. 
• Event wise - Barry Brown is on a roll, after a rogaine win, he and Dan were first in the two man mens team for the auckland 24hr race at the weekend. Well done guys. 
• Good luck to those doing the taupo half marathon, and to Linda going to World Triathlon Champs! 
• Joel has entered the half Ironman - bets are also being taken on when he will start swimming and if he will get to the start line. apparently no one is interested in finish times... Joel and Katie have just returned from there European tour - images from the tour de France care of Joel (might have stepped out a little close to the riders on one occasion there Joel!):  
  

• Well done to those who did the North Shore half marathon. Peter Kane and Bevan leading the way with very respectably 1:24 times.  
• A couple of weeks ago, Alistair Knox (hawaii based athlete) managed 3rd age grouper in the Barclays 70.3 event in Washington (US). A tidy 4hrs 25min for a half ironman - well done Al! 
• The tour de France continues along as a great race, with exciting racing, and unexpected results almost daily. With the first few alp's stage done, the true contenders are starting to show their faces. The first longer individual time trial this weekend will be the next big test!  
• Tauranga half Ironman has sold out in just 8 days (individual), and there are still a few team spots left. 
• Friday morning run intervals sessions are up and running. meet at 6:30 am by the grandstand in the Auckland domain. Session takes 50min to 1hr. All are welcome ($5 for un coached athletes). Deno is looking for fresh meat...Gruppo 2 had a reasonably successful introduction last week for the sunday morning long ride- and is set to continue. average speed 25-26kph, ego's to be left at home... Contact tony or liz if you want more information. 
• Congratulations to Hamish Taylor - reasonably new to the group - and managed to cut out a 10hour 35min Ironman in Germany. Great effort on quite a short build-up! However Hamish maybe in a little trouble on his return - rumour has it he was responsible for a bike crash that involved Bevan McKinnon getting a cracked tail bone (ouch!). Bevan is recovering very quickly, and hopefully back on track for Hawaii Ironman! 
• Last week Jo Lawn became the first New Zealand woman to break 9 hours for the ironman - in the other german ironman race in Roth (Quelle challenge). 
• The tour de France starts this weekend, with the prologue on Sunday morning NZ time (2am). Cyclingnews.com have good coverage, and the official site is <<tour de france>>. Alexandre Vinokourov is currently the leading favourite. my pick is Alejandro Valverde - whose team mate was second last year (still awaiting the drug testing court case from the winner!).
• Well done to those who were at the secondary schools cycling champs. Even being there - in the miserable weather - was a major accomplishment. 
• Tauranga half Ironman has been named as the long distance triathlon champs - and selection race for the long distance world champs (which is not so long now). It did fill up last year - so make sure you enter early if you want to race! www.halfironman.co.nz
• The national triathlon series has also been announced - with seven races around the country - starting with Rotorua on the 11th of November. 
• Andrea is currently in Europe - and has just ridden up Passo dello Stelvio - which is a "very scenic pass in the Alps". To quote Andrea from the top - "definitely harder than child birth!". Nice one! If you would like to see what it looks like: 
  <<Passo dello Stelvio>>
• There was a recent article in cyclingnews.com on kiwi cyclist Greg Henderson - I liked the quote: "I remember doing these climbs and asking the doctor to re-calibrate my SRM, thinking, 'This couldn't be right - I cannot be doing this many watts up these kind of hills!' They re-calibrated it and said it was right. I was like, 'Holy s**t!' No one was getting dropped and I'm pushing 420 watts up a 20 minute climb! I'd be waiting and waiting thinking surely they will call for a gruppeto soon. Nope!" - nice one Greg!! For an inside look into the pro-peleton in Europe:
  <<An eye opening experience>>
• With the tour de France not too far away - here is a youtube clip from an older tour...
  <<1997 tour de France stage 13>>
• Ironman western Austrailia have offered a bonus for breaking the world record - 7:50:27 for the men and 8:50:53 for the women. They are also offering "full entry fee refund to the first placed athlete in each age group if they break the current course record in their category"! If you are lucky enough to be in the male 40-44 year age group - you only need to go 8:55:56 - almost do-able!  <<see course records>> 
• Those interested in a Friday morning run interval session - please let me know. When we have a quorum it will get started. Either email me or phone 021 486 262.
• There has been enough interest to get a team cycling kit made up, so that is all go. Closer to summer we will look at some tri gear also - that feels a wee way off at the moment!

swim training video

early hawaii ironman video