The view looking towards Nederland; a quaint little town (with a cracking coffee shop!) nestled at just over 8000ft

I already alluded to this on a quick facebook post over the weekend, but I have trained in plenty of places around the world, and I thought that I had (and i have, don’t get me wrong) seen my fair share of good scenic views. Joe had told me I would like it up there, and he couldnt have been closer to the truth. Despite the altitude creeping up towards the 3000m mark I was quite oblivious to the pain in the legs and simply enjoying all that there was to see.

It’s nearly September and the snow is all but gone on the high peaks, but what remains still makes for a fantastic viewpoint I thought. – I could almost be fooled into thinking that this was up the north of Scotland, by Aviemore and the Cairngorms but then the blue sky gives its all away

I am no photographer, but even my relatively novice eye could see that this was a good place to pull out the camera from the back pocket. – We were riding an out and back section at this point in our ride, so on the return I stopped to grab a photo after nearly riding off the road looking at it on the way out. Amazing. You can just make out the herd of cattle in the distance wandering down towards the water for a big old slurp!

I’m not sure what came over me by this point in the ride, but I was stopping every 5 minutes to snap something or another (just call me Dan Hugo) … Joe had long since dropped me in search of a coffee and a seat (we were nearly 5 hours in by now) but I thought this was a cool little shop, capturing what little sense of history there is out here in the States. – I have jazzed it up a little with my clever iphone app called Camera+

And last, but by no means least, here we are stopped (yet again – tourists so we were) by the Magnolia Drive signpost. – Just for Gordo, wee Matty and Gav. They know what I mean!

 (Note: Running with the Buffaloes is a superb read charting the success of the Univeristy of Colorado Mens Cross Country Team. – They did much of their quality running up on Magnolia). I have yet to run high -around 8000ft, versus 5400ft in Boulder - and I think it will have to wait for another visit to Boulder before I do.

Little did I know. After my racing at the Racine, Boulder and Steelhead 70.3s, I managed to sneak into the 50 slots offered for racing in Las Vegas. Happy days. Team Trek/K-Swiss team mate – and landlady – Julie Dibens was heading down for a recce with her coach, agent and also former Ironman World Champion, Craig ‘Crowie’ Alexander. - I jumped at the offer to tag along with this crew.

Now, the saying goes something along the lines of “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” … and so I will hold true to that for the most part – if you want to know about the course, go and look for yourself

Lake Mead is a much larger body of water than Lake Las Vegas where we swim. Mead is visible from the bike route

I had never been to Las Vegas before, and boy is it a strange strange place … and I didn’t even get to see The Strip or the many famous hotels and casinos! The race starts in Lake Las Vegas, about 15miles or so out of the city, in a suberb called Henderson.  We then ride out into what can only be described as something akin to the moon. Its hot, hilly, dusty, hilly and hot. Did I mention it heats up out there … 45C was what my bike computer told me on the Sunday. I can’t describe what that feels like, and thats exactly why I am so pleased to have gone and checked it prior to the race … now I know.

We couldn’t have trained like we did without a support car – and a car LOADED with liquid and cooling vests. on Sunday I sunk a total of 11 bottles over our 4 hour ride … quite insane to be honest. You just couldnt drink enough it seemed and the cooling effect of a fresh bottle out of the cool box was golden! Crowie and Julie are pouring iced water on their arm coolers in this shot above … it didn’t last all that long, but they said it felt superb for about 3 seconds.

We also checked out the run route, although it was most important to get familiar with the 90k of (quite incredible smooth i may add) tarmac that will shape the large part of the race in a couple of weeks. We rode over the course a total of 3 times during the weekend and I can safely say that it was a completely worthwhile (although hotter than the sun) trip.

I don’t think that a bottle of Coke has ever tasted this good!!  - Slightly emotional after 4 hours in the Nevada Desert heat. – I was amazed to realise that my gear shifters were starting to get too hot to grip onto … hold onto that thought.

I hadn’t however counted on having to do a duathlon …. I barely have any wish to race one of those when at home! So when at the race briefing on the Saturday afternoon, as the wind picked up, the clouds rolled (extremely) quickly in and the chop in the water increased it suddenly seemed a real possibility. I left with my ‘crossables’ crossed.

Running with eventual (and very deserved) race winner Tom Lowe midway through the half marathon

Sunday morning arrived, and the wind was still blowing pretty strong. In fact it was quite a tricky task wheeling my bike along to transition. Things didn’t look good (and they always seems a magnitude worse whilst in the dark and at 5.30am) and sure enough the audible hubbub as I entered the race site was of it being a dreaded duathlon. In fact it wasn’t even a duathlon – this would have been a better (and altogether fairer) option. The race director had opted for a bike run – essentially a 70.3 minus the swim and T1 as the way forward.

There isn’t much that you can do other than accept the decision and make the most of the cards dealt. – I couldn’t change anything and so my job was simply to focus on getting on with the task as best I could. Albeit with some considerable grump. I won’t lie, I like a swim!

We were to hit the road at 30sec intervals in a true TT format, starting in reverse order with the highest number. Now, one thing about this type of racing is that you want to be starting behind your competitors, as that way, if and when you catch them, you are virtually in front on them on the road – a big mental and competitive advantage. By extenstion, the one place you don’t want to be starting is first, as you are essentially ‘racing’ (I use the term loosely as it really isn’t a race, it’s a time trial) nobody, and haven’t a clue how the ‘race’ is unfolding 10,15 or 20mins behind you.

I had number 38, and I started first.

This meant that i was starting 19 minutes in front of athlete number one, and a good quarter of an hour before the top 10 guys who would more than likely be duking it out for the paycheques. The upside (which I was doing my best to find) was that I got to follow the lead car which made it feel a little bit like I was ‘winning’ the race. I decided before I started that I would certainly attempt to ride the full 90ks without being caught by another rider. – A memorable comment from 2005 Hawaii Ironman winner, Faris Al Sultan, was that he loved being out front of the race that day as he got to, or at least try to, “chase the helicopter”. I chased the blue and red flashing lights of the Sherrifs’ vehicle instead.

I was mindful of not going full bore from the get-go, as you can dig a horrible lactic filled hole for yourself that way. I settled into what I supposed was a good speed and something that ‘felt’ quick and yet sustainable. The reality was that I had absolutely no idea on that course, on that particular morning, in those conditions, whether or not I was actually going quick. – I was after all, not racing, i was time trailling. I much prefer racing; there are far more controllables to work with.

As the ride progressed I new that I was going well and I felt strong. I had a few quick peeks behind and saw noone, so I figured I wasn’t going to be caught at least. Also, I am now racing with a power meter fitted into my disc wheel this year so I was able to pay some attention to those figures, and also to my average speed. I started to do the maths and realised that I was on course to ride sub 2hr 5mins which is I feel, pretty quick riding  especially for me. But again, I had no idea whether or not others behind were going much quicker … perhaps they were on course for a sub 2hrs?!

All I could do was keep on pedalling. And chase those lights.

A final glance at the computer as I rode into T2 showed an average speed of 43.8kph and a total ride time of just over 2hrs 4mins and a final distance of 91k. I was pleased with the ride and hit the run hoping not for miracles but to at least feel like I was running. And not jogging like last week.

He’s a big lad is Tom!

For 7 miles I was still the first athelte on the road, untill the metronic footfall of Tome Lowe came floating past. I will admit to having a bit of a sulk and loss of concentration, as I knew he was race number 21, which meant he had potentially taken a whopping 8.5 minutes out of me.  I knew I wasn’t running fast, but I felt I had ridden well and just couldn’t quite cope with the harsh reality at that moment that ….I sucked! As it turns out there had been about 6mins difference between us at that point, which is of course still a huge margin.

I managed to hold a solid enough pace till 9 miles and then I faded badly. Two further athletes rattled past before I hit the finish chute, and I ended up the day as the 13th fastest; my worst finish in a 70.3 to date! At least it was techincally only a 69.1

It was a realy pity that we couldnt swim; many of the athletes were equally frustrated as we were in agreement that we had mostly swum in worse waters … it wouldnt have been any fun, (and of course safely must come first) but I do firmly believe that there should at least be some attempt to get the Pro wave in the water – even if that has to be for a shortened version of the swim. We are not only racing for a living and prize money, but with the new qualification system for 70.3 World Champs and Hawaii; for points. The results on Sunday were significantly altered becuase of the format that took place and I certainly hope that the WTC looks into implementing a sound procedure to follow should this situation (which is more than likely) arise again in the future.

Onwards and upwards. And back in the pool (I hadn’t swum in 5 days by the time I got home on Monday!)

Yesterday was the next installment in my ‘racing myself back to shape’ programme … let say I maybe underestimated the effects of racing at a mile high elevation after less than 3 weeks of acclimatisation, but lessons were learned and plenty positives taken. Onwards and upwards.

The big plus about racing at altitiude is that you get to go fast on the bike!  Higher air = thinner air, and thinner means less resistance which is good when you want to get from A to be B quicker than you might expect.

After an uncomfortable swim (wetsuits were legal despite the Boulder Resevoir remembling a warm bath) I got onto the bike and felt a lot better than 3 weeks prior at the Racine 70.3. Within 5 miles our group had reversed Andy Potts’ lead of 75secs which suggested we were toddling along rather well. By ten miles I found myself at the front and with a little gap on the rest of the guys; my Trek/K-Swiss team mate Joe Gambles pushed on too and before we knew it we were nearly a minute to the good… over 2 minutes by T2. - It felt good (but hard!) to be racing at the front of a race at this level again, and it bodes well for the next few weeks of training up here.

The run brought me back down to earth with a bump. I might as well have been running on the moon given how hard it felt to breathe; I just couldn’t pick the pace up past a jog for all but a mile or so of the 13… it was a really frustrating feeling but to be honest, given how much I have struggled with my run training since arriving in Boulder, it shouldnt have come as such a surprise.

As I said – onwards and upwards. Next weekend I will be racing at the Ironman 70.3 Steelhead in Michigan.

A big thankyou to Larry Rosa photography for all the images above.

 Who said a thousand calories was a lot?

Saturday(30th) – Looooong bike ride – hilly loop up into the high(er) peaks with a group. 190k, 6hrs

Sunday – Longer run with sme faster pace work. 25k, 1hr 50. Swim solid 5k (4*400,4*300,4*200,4*100 main set)

Monday – Swim – masters session; 5k.  Bike 2.5hrs steady – 75k.

Tuesday – Morning ride; 4.5hrs with 1hr of TT work, 140k. (1 puncture+1.5 litres choc milk). 40min steady run, 9.5k

Wednesday – Run 6k easy. Swim 4k including 40*50 interval set.

Thursday – Run 6k easy with strides. Swim 4.5k solid. Ride 75mins, looking at race course; 40k.

Friday – Run 7k steady. Swim masters, 4k. Feet up, watch tv!

The razor-sharp amongst those reading will notice i’ve had two long rides early in the week leading into the race; but I wanted to have some volume up to 5 days out, and with no ride on Wednesday I think I recovered pretty well from the longer TT efforts of Tues. Hope so anyway. Gulp.

Running has been low volume, low intensity and ‘thro the roof’ breathing!! Needless to say I am finding the altitude is taking some time to adapt to.

Swimming i have kept pretty consistent; I am gaining quite a lot of aerobic fitness from the swim sets and i do feel it is making a difference to my general fitness. Hopefully it will help lift my swimming back to where I would like it quick time. Time will tell.

It’s been a good week though; a nice mix, and the race this Sunday will be another guage as to where I am at on the road back to competing rather than taking part.

And finally, on an all together different note, the week has also been an intro into hot-air ballooning – they seem to launch most mornings from down the street… i’ve watched them on my jog/runs – wondering if I might think about a trip up there? Probably not!

I’ll write more about settling in soon, but for now I will stick to the thin air stuff – since with thin air comes high moutains and I’ve been able to explore them a little more over the past few days as breathing has become easier.

Boulder sits just on the edge of the Rockie mountains at around 5500ft, with rolling plains stretching away as far as the eye can see away from them. So when I arrived here I stayed ‘low’ and didn’t ride up the moutain roads and canyons to give the lungs and heart a chance. So on Thursday I did my first longer ride – topping out at nearly 10000ft at the stunning Lake Brainard. It was a fun ride with ‘local’ fellow Commonwealth training buddies Joe Gambles, Richie Cunningham, Dan Hugo and Josh Rix. – They have all spent at least a couple of summers here and know all the good hang out spots

The ride was one of the hilliest I think I have ever ridden – with nearly 8000ft of climbing throughout the day – taking in 140ks in just over 5hrs saddle time.

Joe Gambles and I as we hit the Lake at the top of the ride – 2990m (that means O.U.C.H)

We weren’t sure if he was more surprised than us?! – Have a look at some more pictues that Dan snapped during our ride over on his website … he’s a little bit better at it than I am.

Today I did my second longer mountain ride of the week (and  think my longest ride outside of racing Ironman or Abu Dhabi) with a rather talented group of individuals including not one but three world champs. I did my best to keep up and not stop for photos too often!

The ride was 187ks door to door and took me just under 6 hours … as well as six 750ml bottles of fluid, 2 large chocolate milks and maybe a cheeky chocolate bar to keep me happy.

I used my iPhone to take these and have edited them with a clever little App called Camera+ – it’s fun to use and I will play around with it a little more with time i think – as long as I am allowed to stop for photo shoots and not get left behind that is. If you snooze you loose.

All in all though its been a really fun couple of weeks so far, and I feel really settled here. It is entirely obvious why Boulder is such a popular choice for so many traithletes, cyclists, runners and sports enthusiasts in general - it’s a mecca for all things fitness and outdoors. I love it!

Before I raced at Racine 70.3 last weekend I spent an exciting few days in Madison staying with our legendary Trek/K-Swiss team mechanic Mark Andrews and his family …. it was exciting on at least two fronts:

1. I was getting given my brand new Trek Speed Concept - here is a preview of the bike I did for SRAM whilst in Racine

2. I got to go hang out with Mark at work and get a tour of the Trek factory HQ at Waterloo: very very cool!!

Trek as a bike company is unique in that they still produce all of their top end frames right there on site at the company HQ and don’t have them mass built in the far east of Asia or elsewhere. They can therefore maintain the absolute highest of standards in their frame production and ensure that the quality of craftmanship and care are unquestionably second to none. Furthermore it means that there is constant development and continued improvement in the whole production process – from the initial sheets of carbon (it really was like holding a big sheet of paper!) to the application of the final coat of paint. For me, as someone who studied Engineering at University and loves learning about a process, it was a fascinating few hours.

Just to prove I was in fact there ….

The  front line of Trek racing at the moment … hopefully have a Trek/K-Swiss uniform up there soon enough?!

Where all the fast stuff gets built – Trek Race Teams Workshop … including a US Championship RadioShack frame on the far right and other frames in various states of completion.

And last but by no means least – my new Speed Concept. – SRAM – who equip our bikes with groupsets – came and visited me prior to racing at the Racine 70.3 and did a quick interview talking about the bike and the rest of my season ahead.

Read about it here.

Nice to back up on one of those podium things again!

This past week has been a series of ‘firsts in a while’ – racing back to back weekends including both transatlantic travel and and a longer distance event (in fact that is a ‘first in a while’ all on it’s own) and indeed getting used to travelling again seemed like a first at times. All good fun though and part of the journey ahead – this journey of finding race fitness once more.

Talking of journeys, I had a fun trip over to Racine from Madison on Friday afternoon courtesy of the K Swiss expo truck. – It travels from race to race across the country and was en route to Racine via the Trek factory – happy coincidence I thought! Once here in Racine I was being homestayed by the wonderful Behrends family… I am now a (re)fan of all things cartoon thanks to Zach and Lilah (age 5 and 7!)

Apparently summer arrived in the MidWest just in time for us this morning – word on the street was that it’s been hovering around the kind of temperatures the Shire would be proud of until recently. Today it was 32C. And humid. Of course it was. - I usually like racing in the heat … just with some time to get a tan beforehand though.

Being back and racing in the US felt good though. – The events are just so much bigger with more excitement and atmosphere – transition had over 2500 bikes in it, the whole town was in lock down and there were 90ks of closed roads to get out on. It wouldnt happen in the UK!

After the poor(er) swim of last week in Zurich I was aiming to get out as hard as I could and try to set a good tempo. After a live rendition of the Star Spangled Banner from the race director over the tannoy (he was good!) it was time to hit the waters of Lake of Michigan – it is big, one of the Great Lakes no less (and not in any way to be confused with the Atlantic Ocean – I wouldn’t ever be that dumb, oh no, not me …)

We exited the water as a group of 5 – eventual race winner Paul Ambrose did a magic act that involved putting 7 minutes into myself, Steve Hacket and Craig Alexander by T2 which was impressive riding. I didn’t feel fantastic out on the bike today, in fact I rode with power for the first time and was contemplating giving the computer a serious throw as it confirmed I was doing a perfect job of heamoraging watts as the ride lengthened… work to be done.

my new Speed Concept with little Lilah from my homestay on board

The run was always going to be tough. By now it was warming up nicely and I was looking for shade in desperation at every street corner; there didn’t seem to be any readily available. I headed out of T2 in 3rd place and held onto that position till just shy of the 10 mile marker. It wasn’t pretty running but it’s a start and thats the main thing. I hung on to the finish to take 4th place in what was a competitive field.

I’m happy with how it went today. Other suffered even more and it has been a long time since I got to the finish of a long course race, so I have to be (and most definately am) pleased.

Work to be done, as always, and that is going to be done in Boulder, Colorado. – I fly out of Milwaukee tomorrow lunchtime to go see for myself what this multi sports and outdoors mecca is all about.

There is a beach – it must be the seaside, right?

Full results are here

I had raced in Liverpool once before – the British Championships were held there once in 2004, and I remembered the Albert Docks as being a really good city centre venue; which they certainly are. We arrived on Saturday evening, having left the rain of the Shire behind and found a pleasant warmth in the air. Happy days right away!

The race for me was all about getting out there, enjoying it and having a blast – Going as hard as I could from the off was about as complicated as my race plan ever looked and there was something nice and relaxing about that. There was a small but really good quality field racing, which I knew would let me see how I was doing in the old fitness stakes… ouch!

The swim was in the dock itself, with the odd (thankfully non stinging) jellyfish and green and gunky reeds to negotiate. I held my own and climbed out just behind Stuart Hayes, feeling pleased with the effort as the boy can surely swim. I stuck my head down on the bike and set to work ticking off the 4 laps through the streets; lap 1 was a painful blur, laps 2 and 3 were highlighted by the chimes of the church bells and lap 4 was a case of  ‘lets get off the bike soon as these legs are a wee bit tired now’! I was delighted to ride like I did and a 70second buffer to Stuart out of T2 was the result… loved riding the Speed Concept again! My run was a mix between holding off Stu for as long as I could and then fending a charging Ritchie Nichols off in his non drafting debut … there were a few curses directed his way in the closing 500m!

All in it was a great weekend away – I thought it was a cracking venue for this type of race with closed roads and great viewing for spectators across all 3 disciplines which always makes such a difference to the way an event feels. A big thankyou to the Kevin, Richard and Laura at race HQ for looking after us so well and giving us a great hotel room!

Congratulations to Stuart and fellow tri performance solutions racer Liz Blatchford for theirs wins …. thanks to Liz for this superb race video aswell:

Full races results are here.

Photos by Richard Melik.