Check out my freind Freddy’s stroke.. looking GOOD!!! esp at around 22sec!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P_sa4Psqwc

Cologne Triathlon Weekend 2009 from Cologne Triathlon Weekend on Vimeo.

oh.. yeah.. another change of plans.. Season is not finished yet for me!! I have been feeling great since the spontaneous Cologne swapover and have decided to go ahead with Challenge Barcelona. I think that I can really rip as I have never had such a quick recovery from an iron-distance… feeling much stronger than before Cologne in fact so no holding back on this one.. got nothing to lose and everything to gain!!
C U there!!

Yes, Ginge.. I can be nuts, but it takes one to know one!!

So, that is all she wrote for this year… for now. I had it in my head for a few days to swap as the long distance field was looking like a certain possibility for a podium or even a win, even if I am not in best shape of my life (a long way off actually!!).. so when Olaf Sabatchus made it official that he wasn’t going to race I had to take the chance. I really wanted to do Barcelona in a month from now but the thing is I still need a small dental treatment done that will once again inhibit training for at least a week. It was looking like I wouldn’t be in any better shape than now in a months time…. so anyway, WHY NOT.. hammer this one out and take a break and start building up for next year. It worked out alright in the end but man, it hurt like h…… I don’t advise jumping in an Iron Distance triathlon half fit and not mentally prepared to anyone!!.. The swim was easy as in the regatta course so I just followed the lead group and relaxed to save some energy.. I followed a move with 500m to go and we dropped the other two guys in the group by almost 30s!! I was thinking ‘dayum.. i might be better off than I thought I would be).. I was able to take the lead after about 20km but was joined by a strong biker Heiko Tewes who rod with me in Challenge Roth. The pace was pretty hard and after about 70km I let him go and rode my own pace. I recieved the most random drafting penalty after riding almost 50km on my own with some Danish guy way off my back.. almost 50m at times.. he finally rode up and went to pass and the official came in dinged me.. I asked if he timed it bc he showed me the card 2 sec after I was passed and i have 15 sec to drop back.. what a joke.. 16IM races now and more than 50 international races under my belt without a single draft penalty. Anyway, as unfair a call as it was, I ripped the last lap (during which some young gun BLEW by me) and reported to the penalty box for the first time in my life. I was steaming!! I was actually off the bike 3rd with weak runners not so far ahead and after a 5 minute penalty was in 6th with eventual winner Joseph Spindler only 3 min behind me. I took of running but by 20km I was really hurting.. almost at the point of dropping out… but I regrouped drank lots of coke and managed to work my way into 3rd with Spindler and new young gun about 10min up the road. Considering everything, I am happy with the day and with my season. I have worked over some very objective training goals with Susanne, my trainer, for the winter and look forward to getting into it in a few weeks. In the meantime, I will hang out in Cologne and enjoy the city life for a while.

L8R!!!

Ok.. just in case some of you haven’t noticed. I am the Ginger Avenger and am writing some of Lazy Drags’s blogs. The Dragster once again reinstated the fact that he is a crazy bastard and has swapped events ONE DAY before it takes place. He will be starting in LONG DISTANCE event at the Cologne 226 Triathlon this weekend. We don’t even know what’s going through his head but, hey we sponsor him mostly cuz he is total nutbag anyway.
So stay tuned on www.koelntriathlon.de to see if the Dragster can see this thing through.

GO DRAGS

- Ginger Avenger