Every triathlete should do an Ironman. Then do a European Ironman. I’ve done two Ironmans “in the States,” but racing overseas is a different story. The race was run with 'precise German engineering.' But they also expect you to have a greater deal of self sufficiency: no wetsuit strippers, no sunscreen appliers, no special needs bags. Those would be for wimps. As such, Germany is not a good "first" Ironman. But, there is a reason Ironman Germany is the European Championship: It seemed as if everyone was trying to get to Hawaii and had a realistic shot. The median finish is 11 hours. Anecdotally, I chatted with Americans who went sub-10 and were 30 deep in their AG. As such, it had an amazing vibe to it. I was always aware that I was racing with the best.

SWIM The race organizers shuttle you about 20k south of Frankfurt to a less-than-impressive industrial pond. Kicked in the face, swallowed water, washing machine, yada yada yada. Nothing remarkable about this swim. Time - 1:16

BIKE The Germans are amazing cyclists. Absolute killers on the bike. I averaged 20mph+ for the first 2 hours (tailwind) and was getting passed by everyone! The bike course was perfectly suited for the ‘all-around’ cyclist: long rollers and flat sections through farmland; steep climbs with false flats and momentum-killing turns on narrow cobblestone streets; quick technical turns and switch backs through villages outside of Frankfurt. Time - 6:45

RUN You will either think this is a great idea or horrible idea, but the run is four 10k loops along the River Main right through the middle of Frankfurt. I liked it because I was never alone; I got to see the top age groupers; and the German fans sat on park benches and cafes along the river, drank beer, and cheered. They were 'smart' fans, too: When they saw a Western name (Ryan and not Uder or Gunther), they cheered in English. Nice touch. I appreciated the occiasional "Good job." Racing stateside you take for granted that you can understand the cheers. Over 500,000 people turned out for the race and it was broadcast on national TV all day long. You could tell where the leaders were by looking up and seeing the media helicoptors. Time - 5:29

FINISH This finish chute is worth the trip! They wrap up the race in a 600-year-old town square. And like most Ironman finishes, this is a rock concert: fog machines, laser lights, flash bulbs. Awesome finish. I didn’t hear “you are an Ironman!” Never have. It is generally too loud.

TOTAL TIME – 13:46. I PR’d by over 40 minutes but I was 20% lower in the overall finisher's ranking than my last Ironman. So, 300+ hours of training gets me the back of the pack. Okay then.

Tour de France: The next day, I got up, shipped my bike back to The States (Note: Find a cheaper way than a $500 UPS shipment), and got on a train to Paris and then on to Chateauroux for Stage 5 of the Tour de France. It took two days of travel to get there to see 15 seconds of the race. But I got to see the stage winner, Nicolos Vogundy, from about five feet away. Very intimate in the smaller towns.

Nicolos Vogondy, stage winner, about 150 meters from the finish:

Nicolos Vogondy, stage winner, in the background being interviewed:

Pamplona, Spain for San Fermines: My last stop was Pamplona for San Fermin and running with the bulls. Yes, I ran. It is like running for your life through a rock concert. What a rush.

The start of the run:

The run:

And the finish inside Plaze del Toros. The only way to get in here is to actually run with the bulls:

So, the final result:

1. 11 days of travel with minimal sleep
2. 20-hours and 10,000 miles on a round-trip international flight
3. 13hr Ironman finish
4. 24 hours and 1,500 miles on the train across three countries to see 15 seconds of the Tour de France and run 2 minutes with The Bulls in Pamplona
5. Only a couple of beers in Pamplona . . . *cough* *cough*