American Triple T 5/25-5/27/2007, an Epic Race Report for an Epic Race Subtitle: I Get By With a Little Help from My Friends

I left Belgium for Tempe, Arizona on April 4 in order to have time to catch up with the time zone difference of 9 hours. When I landed in Phoenix, Ann Dreier (my home stay) was already waiting to pick me up.

“It is awesome to go to my first ITU Continental Cup and come away with the victory. I think I may have surprised a couple people.”

“This year I am trying to work on my speed which will hopefully translate into a faster Ironman. So far I think it is working!"

Well it would have to go down as one of my toughest wins and races ever. I didn't think I would actually make the start line after coming down with a tummy bug on Wednesday afternoon. The next eight hours the toilet and bucket became my best friends.

Contributing Trifuel coaches Patrick McCrann and Rich Strauss spent last week riding with Levi, Basso, and the Tour of California. Well, maybe not with them, but they took a group of Triathletes and rode all the stages for an Epic bike camp and journey. Read Patrick's report...

As another season of terrific racing has come to a close, many of us are in, or will soon enter the most difficult time of the year; what should be the off-season. Sure there are the select few who skip it completely, myself being a graduate of that school (and that landed me a nice year long injury that I have finally emerged from!).

Tossing and turning in my slightly slanted and very creaky Plaza Motel bed, anxiety for the activities that lie ahead began to build. I must have been up five or six times through the night, part due to nerves and part due to the amount of fluids I took in to be sure to avoid being under-hydrated as I went into the day.

Swim: 1:00+ T1: 5:30 Bike: 5:26+ T2: 2:30 Run: 3:25+ Total: 10:01:56 Place(s): 9th AG, 48th OA Outcome: Kona slot through rolldown.

So now that it is February, you are most likely fine tuning your training plan for the new race season, selecting your 'A' race(s), registering early for the sell-out of the increasingly popular races, making travel plans for the destination races, and thinking about the goals (resolutions) you set for yourself only one month ago.