A run with the boys – Tim, myself, Gavin and Toby – on Sunday morning

I am down to the last 2 sleeps in Stellenbosch before flying home, which makes for mixed feelings – obviously I am really looking forward to getting home and seeing everyone, I can’t wait, BUT watching the tv describe the cold weather that is returning to Scotland doesn’t excite me!

To counter the cold weather I have been focussing on my bike riding, since I doubt I will be riding the bike outside when I am home next week. So last week I basically rode everyday other than Sunday, where I ran longer with the boys (see above pic)

Monday – 100ks, Tuesday – 135ks, Wednesday – 150ks, Thursday – 45ks easy, Friday – 100ks, Saturday – 135ks

This week has been the same format – 100ks and 135ks already, but today might only be 100 (slacking!). On Monday we had a ‘team’ dinner – myself, Gavin, Dan, Conrad and Nikola, who builds and maintains our sites. Thankyou! Toby also came along too – he has been my superb training buddy these past few weeks out here, which has really helped the training along.

I like this photo – we had a nice night.

I decided to be good to myself – mojito AND marshmallows (there was even a fire to melt them on!) A strange mix, but one I enjoyed

See you all soon, Frase

….which is exactly what Liz Blatchford and I were doing on Saturday morning with a bit of ‘throu and off’ TT work on my new favourite road – the Berninapass, which has absolutely stunning views of a glacier at the head of the valley.

Don't tell Liz I was taking pictures...

First up on Saturday was the ITU WCS in Kitzbuhel, Austria. The team bus left here on Thursday with the Brownlee boys and young Hollie Avil aboard – they were all last seen floating around the track early doors. Fantasitc results all up with Alistair taking the win (yet again) with a cracking front running 10k straight out of T2 to prove he is without doubt the hot property in draft legal racing at the minute. Not to be out done, Johnny gave it to himself mixing it in the top 5 for a good 8k before ‘fading’ to a superb 13th in only his 2nd World Cup event. Someone should remind him he is only a Junior!!

Most importantly however; David ‘Maccers’ McNamee took home a fantastic debut performance of 17th, within 2 minutes of Bullet-Brownlee and less than 60 secs behind veteran racer Will who himself was a very solid 7th.

Then today I was once more glued to the updates screen, watching Quelle Challenge Ironman Roth unfold. – This race sounds amazing, and I can’t help but wonder if it will be on the cards for me sooner or later??? Fast times and huge crowds?  -Sounds good to me.  Chrissie Wellington duly smashed the world leading time with an outstanding 8.31, but huge kudos goes to Catriona Morrison who continued her excellent season with the fastest female debut IM performance of all time in a cracking 8.48. – Not so long ago that would have challenged the Scottish mens record! However, we now have my T.R.I team mate Graeme Stewart looking after that crown, and he impressively lowered his own mark to 8.23 by finishing in 13th place in a truly world class field.

Finally, there was an Xterra US event in Vermont where fellow triathlonteam bloggers Conrad and Dan notched up 3rd and 5th spots. – I’ve lost count how many times these guys have raced during the past couple months.

Well if that wasn’t enough motivation for one w/e, I’m not sure what is. -  Aerobic 5k swim and a 90k bike for me tomorrow. Best get to bed.

Blair is back up North (and on the longest w/e in Scotland that means very little darkness which is really cool) in Inverness ready to hit the Highland Cross tomorrow morning. He’s been training regular enough and is really looking forward to attempting to break the 4hr mark. Stirling Tri Club have the team title to defend too

I am in Holland.

Well, I couldn't find a picture of us all ....

Firstly I must comment on The Caveman, Conrad, who recently elevated himself to hero status here in 8D Alloa Rd, through his blood -and -gore antics last w/e racing in Richmond. The good luck streak appears to have hit a stumbling block this week though, as his latest post highlights. – Surgery for the big man means the other guys can actually have a shot at winning in the seemingly-never-ending-race-series that is Xterra. -  Dan can potentially notch up his 2nd win in Xterra Little Rock this Sunday.

Over in Capitol City/Washington D.C, Mr Pink is hitting the pontoon in his first ITU Super World Cup Series event alongside 50-odd other hardened speedsters – one of them being our very own Mr Clarke.

Good luck boys.

I too am hitting the races. Perhaps i’m a gluten for punishment, but I reckon the legs have pulled up ok at last (i’ve basically done nothing all week since the UK 70.3) and so tomorrow I am heading to Amsterdam airport and beyond, for the Dutch Long Distance Champs. 

We’ll see how it goes since it will be my first attempt at ‘backing up’ long course w/e’s. Might have to suck it up, but eiher way it will be a new experience and I am looking forward to going and trying something different.

I’ll be back Monday with some news.

I like racing at home when I can, and the Stirling Triathlon Club have been very supportive of me so far, making it all the more worthwhile being able to give a little something back when I can.

I raced early(ish) in the morning – the first wave off, and it was a few degrees the wrong side of comfortable if I’m honest. Thankfully the forcast rain held off (for the entire day in the end as it were) and everybody was able to enjoy dry surfaces. I myself was happy enough with the way I got round the course. Since I got home from Florida nearly 3 weeks ago, it has simply been a case of getting myself into race shape in time for the UK Ironman 70.3. The process has involved a significant amount of physiotherapy and yet still I had pencilled in both the Athy race in Ireland last week and the sprint at home here in Stirling this morning. It’s been a fair old balancing act, but I feel like I have judged it reasonably well.

Afterwards I was back onto the pooldeck to help out with the kids race. I wish there had been similar racing formats available when I was younger – it without question develops the useful skills required for racing later on down the years. And that asides, it’s plain old good fun racing if you ask me.

8-10yr old kids race; some great start positions there

Some great racing all over the shop this w/e from our squadron including a fatastic win from Dan in the xterra series, where he brought Conrads winning streak to an end aswell as a top 5 from Gav down in wettest Blenheim and also a solid result from Aleksandar at the Swiss 70.3.

we struggled a bit here too....

I would have talked a bit about everyone on our online team who raced over the weekend (Conrad, Dan, Will, Igor, Dejan, Aleksandar and even Nikola), but all I will do is re direct you over to Gavin here since he has captured it masterfully.

As only he can! (It is worth a read).

I’ve been pretty busy in Stirling, (as Gav might say) seeing many men about many differnet things (it seems) and yet here I am trying to remember where and when exactly!

I do know I have been out training regularly, what with the build up to Wimbleball, UK Ironman 70.3 ramping up daily. I’ll put together a wee post on the specifics of that race soon enough, as there will be plenty of folk heading down to the Exmoor moors in addition to myself I am sure.

So for now I’ll call it a day on this post, for it really didn’t go very far after all.

Alas, I tried!

Nikola has put together a great new website (a few months in the process) linking all of our sites that he designs and manages – including South African Xterra machines Conrad and Dan, Irish literature genius Gavin, continental euro’s Dejan, Aleksandar, Igor and of course – mine. Check it out at triathlonteam.org

You will also see that I am 'website of the week' if you check it out

The essential online triathlon resource that is tri247.com very kindly added me in today – have a look here at their link.

Athletes started with a 12k surf ski (pictured), 1.5k swim, 50k road bike ride, 13k road run, 12k canoe, 25k mtb and to finish them off good and proper – an horrendous 9k beach run – the kind of soft, horrible sand that you dont even want to walk on! Virtually everyone that I know here in the ‘Bosch was taking part in some shape or form, be it individually or as a part of a team. That also included my brother Blair, for I had decided to enter him in the ‘Terra firma’ event – everything but the ‘wet stuff’. We were barely on speaking terms by the end of the day……. well, he was barely speaking to me!!!!

Gavin (fresh off a flight from Norn Ireland), Nikola (my website guru) and myself watched the early depart with varying degrees of excitement

My job for the day was to be the ’seconder’ for Blair. Every athlete needs a second, since the event is mostly point-to-point, and so you rely upon helpers to set up the next transition area. I have entered the books as possibly the worst seconder in the history of seconding after my dismal attempt on Saturday! Blair arrived here in SA late on Tues evening, giving him only 3 days to acclimatise to the warm climate and get his bearings, yet I went ahead and entered him in the ‘little novice event – it’s only a bike run bike run’. My reassuring words were not ringing so true 5 and half hours later whilst he trudged in from the beach run. I think we started to realise at the briefing on Thursday eve that it might take a little more prep than he had managed in the previous months!!! – Not much! However, he decided that by taking things easy on the runs it should be fine. Ummm, nope.

Fraser was late getting to the first change over after the road bike, missed him mid way thro the road run to give him fuel and was subsequently 5-10mins late arriving with his mtb – parking was a nightmare! Then when Blair finally appeared for the final change over (by which point I was asking race officials if they had heard anything over the radio …) he looked white as a sheet and asked simply, but desperately ”have you got any food?” Err, that would be no. “I’ve got a gel, if you want?” That didn’t go down well at all. Truth be told, between us it was a complete cock up and we hugely underestimated the task at hand, especially for him under the South African sun.

But credit where it is more than due, for he ran off out onto the beach, vowing to finish and claim his medal. Over an hour later he came back into sight – trainers evidently not required.

Caught in the act ….. that there on my lap is a pie. A chicken pie. I think if nothing else, South Africa has an affinity with Scotland in its love for the Pie. The things is I would never usually eat a pie at home.  Funny really that when I ride the 4 Passes route – all 128 hilly K’s of it – I feel that eating a pie is justifiable. I blame Will Clarke to be honest. For he started the trend this time last year!

I forgot to bring my camera along for the ride, so I have stolen the pics that Dan Hugo snapped. The ride was completed alongside Dan, Mari – my housemate, Johhny Kritzinger – who’s house I lodged in for a month during my stay in S’bosch last year, and we also had Christoph Sauser along for the first hour. However he turned round when the hills began at Sir Lowry’s Pass (the 1st Pass of the ride) – these multiple World Champions huh!? I should note that he rode it solo the day before in 4 hours and 10 minutes … which could well be record time. Myself and Will Clake may attempt a two-up to challenge that time in Feb when he pitches up…….

Some views that Dan took of the ride below:

And finally – the last descent dropping us back into Stellenbosch; Hellshoogte – representing the ‘4th Pass’:

Scotsman, of course

Wow! Baptism of fire, or something like that ….. Dan Hugo tells me there is ‘hill climb’ low key type affair being organised by his father, so I was more than happy to go along. Oh. My. Word. 14.7k, topping out at close to 1600m with a average gradient in the region of 8%. It took me 65 minutes, and I am now a body!

Although the road to the tv mast was 95% tarmac it was much easier on an mtb; these have many more gears for a start, so i borrowed. My back screamed, my lungs hurt an my heart protested, but it was great fun!

The start ramp was out the back of a sheep pen (i think) and the views at the summit were fantastic. The ride back down wasn’t too bad either…… )

stunning