XTERRA Alabama

Race Equipment and Setup:

Bike: Pro Cycling S-Works Epic with SRM XX1 Eagle Crank

     90ml of Effetto Mariposa Caffelatex Sealant, 22.0 psi Front, 24.0 psi Rear, 2.3 Fast Trak 

     Helmet: Rudy Project Windmax

     Glasses: Rudy Project Tralyx Impactx-2 Photochromic Clear 

Run: Colorado Running Company Inov-8 X-Talon 212

     

Race Nutrition: +First Endurance Triathlon Nutrition Plan

     Pre-Race: 24oz Bottle of 1 serving of EFS Pro + Beta Red, and 20oz of water

                         Enduro Bite Dark Chocolate Espresso

                         3 Capsules of PreRace

     Bike: 2x24oz bottle with 4 scoops EFSPro

               2 servings EFS Liquid Shot

     Run: 1 serving EFS LiquidShot and on course hydration.

     Post Race: Cappuccino Ultragen

First Endurance VIP Friends Discount

After the travel and races in Argentina, Chile and Costa Rica it was great to be back at home in Colorado for six weeks and be able to put in a solid training cycle before XTERRA Alabama.  After those early races I was sitting in 2^nd overall in the XTERRA Pan Am Series with Jean-Phillip ahead of me but had to race well to keep from guys like Josiah from catching me later in the year once they had more results.  The weather was a bit wacky with some snowstorms and cooler spring weather, which did not help trying to prep for the heat and humidity that we would experience this year.  After the last few years of cooler and rainy weather racing at Oak Mountain we were back to the normal, it wasn’t the worse it has been but it was tough on everyone.  The warm temps did heat the lake up and made for a perfect non-wetsuit swim.  For many guys this was the first race of the year and it was the best chance to see how strong everyone was and the field was stacked.

I don’t have the best start speed but can hang tough and tagged on to the back end of the front pack and settled in working to conserve energy but also I had to keep aware to make sure no gaps opened.  Right at the end as we were weaving our way through the back end of the amateur field a small gap opened up to a group of 3 as a few guys started to fade ahead of me.  I pushed the last part of the swim to keep the gap small and was able to speed through transition and moved in to 3^rd.

Tight racing with Veit throughout the course

Karsten had a small gap off the front and Veit Hoenle was right in front of me as we rode the short distance to the trails, I tried to get ahead before we hit the singletrack but just missed and then at the quickest opportunity passed Veit, and tried to work to catch up to Karsten.  A couple miles in on a short dirt road section Paco Serrano flew by and I had no chance to catch his wheel.  Viet was strong and rode back up to me but I made sure to get back ahead of him when we jumped on the trails again.  It is important to ride as smooth as possible on the trails

 Rudy Project Tralyx and Photochomic clear lens were great for the low light.

in Oak Mountain, if you rush you make small mistakes and those will cost you time, since I was trying to play catch up I was making small mistakes and continued to loose little bits of time to Karsten and Paco on the twisting single track.  Once on the dirt road climb I had to keep the pressure on knowing that Josiah would be coming hard and there were a bunch of strong riders in Brian Smith, Chris Ganter, Ryan Ignatz and Kieran McPherson that would be working together chasing as well.  About half way up the climb Viet caught me and I tried to limit the gap

as we continued up the climb.  About ¾ of the way up Josiah caught me and I just didn’t quite have it to stay with him the last bit as it would have been a great wheel to sit on across the top of the ridge before the next single track section through Blood Rock.  Josiah caught Viet right at the top and Viet had the pleasure of sitting on Josiah’s wheel on the dirt road climb across the top.  I tried to use the 36 tooth ring on my SRM crank to my advantage and powered along but Josiah is so

strong there was little I could do to close that gap down.  I nailed the trails through Blood Rock and down the descent, before hitting a new change to the course hitting the flow trail of Jekyll and Hyde.  I managed to catch sight of Viet and knew that I could catch him as the rest of the course demanded better bike handling.  I continued to make small mistakes here and there thought and it took me until the very end of the course to finally catch him just as we entered transition.

Power File from SRM PC8 and XX1 Eagle Crank

Traction was never an issue with my Inov-8 X-Talon 212.

I headed out in 4^th only 2 min down from Paco, Karsten and Josiah and knew that I would need them to really blow up in the heat to catch them.  Viet ran strong and passed me in the first mile and opened up a little gap but once we got on the trails and small hills and the heat were taking a toll and I stayed steady and cool carrying a iced bottle of EFS Pro and passed him back and put in a little surge so he would not stay with me.  I really pushed the sections of the run when the footing was trickier to continue to gain time.   At the start
of the second lap Brain Smith was flying and cruised past me I did my best to stick to him but he was on his way to the fastest run split that day and I had to stay sensible in the heat and not blow up.  There are more and more racers on the course and I used everyone of them as little carrots to keep pushing and focused on catch the next one ahead as quick as possible.  I was happy to make it through without feeling the heat that bad and held on to 5^th.  I took over the lead for the Pan Am series and will be racing as hard as possible to keep that spot, there is a lot of racing left and anything can happen.  June will be bring more training races around Colorado before heading to Victoria BC Canada for the next XTERRA in July and that will be followed by XTERRA Beaver Creek the following Saturday.

XTERRA Costa Rica

Race Equipment and Setup:

Bike: Pro Cycling Epic with SRM XX1 156Q Crank

     90ml of Effetto Mariposa Caffelatex Sealant, 22.0 psi Front, 24.0 psi Rear, 2.2 Fast Trak 

     Helmet: Rudy Project Windmax

     Glasses: Rudy Project Tralyx 

Run: Colorado Running Company Inov-8 X-Talon 212

     Glasses: Rudy Project Tralyx

Race Nutrition: +First Endurance Triathlon Nutrition Plan

     Pre-Race: 24oz Bottle of 1 serving of EFS Pro + Beta Red, and 20oz of water

                         Enduro Bite Dark Chocolate Espresso

                         3 Capsules of PreRace

     Bike: 2x24oz bottle with 4 scoops EFSPro

               2 servings EFS Liquid Shot

     Run: 1 serving EFS LiquidShot and on course hydration.

     Post Race: Cappuccino Ultragen

First Endurance VIP Friends Discount

XTERRA Costa Rica
After a few years I returned back for XTERRA Costa Rica, it was a great experience the first time and I was very happy things worked out to make back this year.  Once significant change I made was flying in to Liberia instead of San Jose and when you do this race that is the only way, it saves you a minimum of 6 hours in a car.  I was very happy about that after all of the travel that I had done in the preceding two weeks to Argentina and Chile.  The XTERRA Costa Rica crew had made some great course changes to the bike since the first year as well.  The race is very hard due to the very hot and pretty humid climate and the first year there was a tremendous amount of hike-a-bike and one very steep hill you were crawling up and trying to drag your bike with you.  They changed the course and there is one very steep hill that if things pack down just a bit would be ride-able but it is a very manageable hike-a-bike.  They added some new sections of trail and fun, so if you did the race in 2014 I highly recommend you go back, it is still tough but you will enjoy it a bit more.
The water is beautiful and a perfect temperature for a non-wetsuit swim that is just a touch chilly when you get in but it feels great once you start swimming and with a high of 99 anticipated for the day being a bit cold out of the water feels pretty good.  Because of the high temps we were off running to the water at 6am but it was definitely welcomed with how hot it would get out there.  The plan was the same get on Jean-Philippe’s feet but he started far left and I started far right and I just missed them after clearing the field after the start.  Ian King, Billy Gordon and I swam through the first lap and JP was about 15 sec up so we were staying closer than in Argentina and Chile.  I felt good and lead through the second lap and ever so slightly managed to shorten the gap to JP just a little bit, about half way through the lap I felt a few funny bumps during my stroke and could see some jellyfish floating around.  I was happy that it was only a few of them and not the thousands we were swimming through a few years before.  The current right at the shore was very strong and our timing was off and it was a big struggle trying not to get pulled back in.  Running to the bikes we were only about 10 sec down from JP.

Ian and JP got out quick and were riding to the beach and I laid chase to them, trying to find the hardest packed sand to ride on as we rode along the beach.  I slowly closed the gap down and we started the hike-a-bike together about half way up we heard someone charging from behind and Josiah was motoring us down.  We peaked over the top Josiah took the lead, with me behind, he got a stick stuck in his wheel and had to stop and I pushed on knowing it would not be long till he would be powering back up to us.  JP and I rode together and we jumped back on Josiah’s wheel when he went by and focused on just sticking there.  Josiah slowed on a corner and when he accelerated out of it neither one of us could match it and he slowly powered away.  We continued to work together to try to keep the pressure on and limit the gap he would get, a few kilometers later Kris Coddens rode his way up to us and powered away as well on the next hill.  Through the remainder of the ride JP and I continued to work together, I was more powerful on the flats and led much of it but JP would always be willing to put in as much work as possible.  We had a common goal to limit our losses to the front and to expand our lead on everyone else.  I knew I would like to get away from JP before the run as he has been quicker in the last two races but I was not quite strong enough on the flats to do so.  A big blessing through the race was that it was mostly cloudy and it kept the temperatures much lower and the sun from beating down on us though the bike, which is pretty well exposed for much of the course.
I grabbed my frozen bottle and bag of ice in transition to help stay cool and JP was able to get a gap to start as we headed up the hill on the run out of transition.  My legs were not going very well up the hill and JP easily ran away from me.  I did see Ian King and Ryan Ignatz come riding down the hill and knew that I had to run hard to keep them at bay.  Ryan has run me down a number of times and I didn’t want it to happen again.  Once I was able to get the legs going on the downhill I felt much better and was able to tick things over and just continued to run scared.  On my the second lap of a small loop in the middle of the run that the Olympic distance did twice a sprint racer, Sebastian Alfaro, was just entering the loop.  We ran together and were able to push each other and it helped keep the pace high.  The last 1.5 km’s of the run are tough on a sandy road that is relatively hard packed for most of it but there is a section about ¾ of the way through that is just running through soft sand.  It is brutal at the end of the race but we charged along, after I got through the soft sand I took a look back and saw Ryan coming.  I really pushed that last little bit in and thankfully for the first time really started to feel the heat of the day.  I held strong and finished in 4th and Ryan was not far behind in 5th.

Sorry I don't have any photos her is a link to a few:
https://augustteague.smugmug.com/XTERRA-Costa-Rica
XTERRA Costa Rica

Marquee Tri and what lies ahead.

Refreshing the Caffelatex with 30ml in each wheel after 2 years.

The Lifetime Fitness Marquee Triathlon was Sunday and was the last little rust buster for me before the season gets going. Unlike the previous few races of just rolling into the races, this one I went through a more typical routine the night before of getting things ready and getting to bed earlier for the early start.  I broke out the race wheels and refreshed the tubular tires with 30ml Effetto Mariposa Caffelatex of sealant, it is a very quick and easy insurance against having a flat tire ruin a race. Thanks to the stability of Caffelatex I only need to do this maybe once every 1-2 years, so depending on how much you race and the tires, you could easily wear out the tires before you need to refresh it. 

The swim was in Tempe Town Lake and the weather had cooled things off enough to make it wetsuit legal.  I would have preferred non-wetsuit but it was good to get in my 2XU X:3 in preparation for the next two races that will likely be wetsuit legal.  The race was an amateur race but there were a couple other pro's there using it for the same purpose I was and I would have some good competition with Pedro Gomes and Tyler Jordan.  I swam well leading out of the water and put 30 seconds on Pedro and a couple minutes on Tyler.

I transitioned quick tossing on my Rudy Project Wing57 and jumped on my bike. I did not position my Ergomask glasses well on the bike to put on and they fell off the bike and I rode straight over the lens.  A volunteer ran and grabbed them as I turned around to grab them and told me they were broken, I saw the pieces from a far, he said he would get them to lost and found and I could get them later there, and I took off on the bike.  The course was a two loop bike, on the first I had smooth sailing with a clear course and really pushed, unsure for the first 8 miles if I was gaining or losing ground to Pedro.  I clocked an estimated split of about 1:15 or so on an out and back that I was ahead and was hoping to put more time on him.  The second loop was a bit messy though as more athletes from later waves were headed out on to the course.  There was a lot of dodging athletes and trying to be a good representative of what you needed to do on the course with the narrow lanes of staying to the right and only moving just enough to the left to pass.  On the out and back section I was able to spot Pedro again and estimated I had maintained the gap around a minute ten with only a few miles left to go and worked on continuing to use the other athletes to slipstream further ahead.  I had a smooth transition to the run and hoped was moving well enough to hold Pedro off.

SRM Power Graph for the LTF Marquee Tri

I had done well on my nutrition thus far in the race taking in all of my First Endurance EFS Pro and a good swig off of my EFS Liquid Shot flask during the bike.  I felt strong and my legs felt like they were turning over well but I was not moving quite fast enough as on a few sections of the two lap run I could see Pedro was gaining on me.  Towards the end of the first lap he caught me, I made a little surge to stay with him but did not commit to it hard enough and he pulled away.  I kept pushing though the second lap and used the other athletes that were on course as carrots to keep gaining ground and keep Pedro as close as possible.  I did not know that Tyler Jordan was gaining on me and closing things down.  I crossed the line in 2nd and found out later that Tyler was only 10 seconds behind.  Overall I smoothed out my transitions and my effort on the swim and bike were right on.  The run was not up to par with my training and I need to work on the mental part of my run a bit more.  It was great having Spooner Physical Therapy there after to help loosen my left glute and hamstring out which was a bit tight on the bike.  I got my Rudy Ergomasks back after the race and the best news is that the lenses did not break, the removable ear piece came off and there is a good scratch on the lens, as to be expected riding over them,  but with Rudy's Replacement Lens Guarantee I will have clean clear vision at the next race. 

I now have a week left in Tucson before leaving my wonderful winter training grounds in Tucson and the real racing begins.  It will be a solid mix of XTERRA and half ironman distance triathlons through the year.  Below is where you will be able to find me this year there are a couple races later in the year that may change.  Let me know what races you may be at and best success with your seasons as well.

4/25   XTERRA West
5/2     IM 70.3 St. George
5/16   XTERRA Southeast
5/31   IM 70.3 Raleigh
6/14   XTERRA East
7/5     Challenge St. Andrews
7/18   XTERRA Mountain
8/1     XTERRA Mexico
8/16   Challenge Pocono
8/30   Challenge Maine
9/19   XTERRA USA
10/4   IM 70.3 Silverman
10/18 Challenge Rancho Cordova
11/1   XTERRA World Championship

XTERRA Czech

XTERRA Czech

Race Equipment, Setup & Nutrition

Clothing-2XU Custom Compression Long Distance Tri Shorts and Singlet

Swim - 2XU Race Goggles, 2XU X:3 Wetsuit

Bike - Pro Cycling SW Epic, Rotor 3D+ SRM w/38-27 Q-Rings

           Effetto Mariposa Sealant in Ground Control 2.3, Front 23psi, Ground Control 2.1 Rear 26psi.

           Rudy Project Windmax Helmet

           Rudy Project Noyz Fluo Sunglasses

Run - Colorado Running Company Inov-8 Trailroc 245

          1^st Endurance Visor

Nutrition - First Endurance Off-Road Nutrition Plan

The first of a three race trip to Europe this year started at XTERRA Czech, it has been on my list for a while as the former Czechoslovakia is part of my heritage, however after break up to Czech Republic and Slovakia, my family came from Slovakia.  It is a unique race course as it is the only net downhill bike course that I am aware of on the XTERRA circuit, there are a couple net uphill bike courses with Mountain Champs in Beaver Creek and USA Champs in Ogden.

The swim is in a beautiful lake about 15km from the town of Prachitice, though the water is the color of ice tea it is refresh and clean.  The water temp allowed for the use of my 2XU X:3 wetsuit and I smartly positioned myself next to Ben Allen on the start line and took off trying to hold his and Braden Currie’s feet.  There were two amateurs that started fast as well in the mass start and I was behind the one that started to fade and lost contact with the front three.  Ben got away and had a lead out of the water with Braden second 20 seconds back and I was about 1min back from him.

I started hammering on the bike and felt like I was riding pretty decently until Ruben Ruzafa and Alexander Hass rolled up on me about 8k in to the bike and they were flying.  It was a flatter dirt and road section and I jumped into the draft, then on the next hill though they looked effortless and I felt like I was pushing a tank up the hill.  Josiah cruised by shortly there after in pursuit and the hill was open enough that I could see Ben and Braden just ahead and we had definitely closed the gap down on them.  I was unable to maintain contact with anyone on the hill but kept the pressure on but the legs just weren’t turning over and I didn’t feel like I was producing the power that I have.  On the second half of the course I struggled on the few steep climbs and Jan Kubicek caught me just as we peaked out before a fast traverse on a road before the last descent back to town.  I managed to stay with him using the descents to my advantage but he would slowly creep away on any hills.

Old WWII Pillbox on the bike course, a different one that I didn't know was there till I saw the pic.

One of a couple fun very short fun bits on the bike.

2014 XTERRA Czech SRM Powerfile

We hit T2 together and headed out on the run with a couple other guys right on our heels.  The legs were moving well but the other guys were just a touch quicker out of the gate, Jan and one of the other guys continued to pull away but the third guy was struggling a bit on the uphill but was able to open thing up on the downhill.  I knew that I needed to stay close and make a charge on the second lap of the run on the uphill and get a slight gap.  I slowly closed and was a couple steps behind but just couldn’t get by the last little bit and I couldn’t keep pace on the downhill back into town.  It was a tough struggle and ended up crossing the line in 8^th.

Little log jump on the run course.