63

After Kitzbuhel

I had two days off after my win at Kitzbuhel and I needed it. I never really drink alcohol only when I’m on my break or Christmas so when I do go out especially after a race when the body is at its most fatigue it takes me at least a week to get over it. I had a great couple of days training after the race but on Friday I came down with a sore throat which for me usually means a full blown cold. I took lots of vitamin C, Zinc, and garlic and did three recovery days and with a bit of luck my cold went away. This was a first for me so I was very fortunate to have nabbed it before it nabbed me.

After a couple of days easy at my mum and dad’s house in London I came back to Loughborough to train with the Team Dillon squad. We have had a great couple of weeks training and with my win the moral has been awesome in our group. We have just been joined by Clark Ellis from New Zealand he was training at altitude recently with his national team but wanted a changed so he came to us and he’s loving it. We also had a few of Michelle’s athletes Richard Todd and Jill Parker who are racing at the world champs in Budapest join us also. it’s certainly made the sessions fun and great to train with a few more in the group.

My mate Will Clark is having a bad time at the moment he has had a very bad season and has just had a bike crash and needed 9 stitches in his arm. I really feel for him as last year I was in the same situation. I crashed mid season, got very ill and then flatted at London Hyde Park which was meant to be my big come back to ITU racing. Its a really tough time for a pro athlete when things are going bad but I found if you keep fighting things turn around.

The other day our squad were given a bit of a treat, British triathlon gave us a 50m swim lane to train in which was nice so things are starting to turn around here in Loughborough. Budapest is coming fast and things have been going well for me so fingers crossed it stays this way.

My Mum and Dad are driving out which is going to take them a week so they are getting ready now. They like to take there time and enjoy the scenery. I will keep you updated on how the race goes, thanks for reading my blog.

Stu

62

Winning Kitzbuhel

I have been racing the ITU circuit for a long time and my closest ever win was second in 2004 at the Salford event so for me to win the ITU Kitzbuhel World Champs Series race was a very special moment and I will remember this for the rest of my life.
The day before kitzbuhel WCS I was a bit more nervous than usual and it was affecting my confidence going into the race. I was talking too much to Will Clark and Clark Ellis about how we were going to bike super hard and split the bunch this started to make me feel tired and fatigued it just shows you how the brain can really effect the body.

I woke up race day and truly thought I was going to have an absolute shocker because I felt so tired and it was all nerves how powerful the mind can be. For my warm up I did a lap of the bike course and my legs felt quiet good so this was a positive so I thought to myself it was going to be alright if I just focused in on myself.

The Water temp was 20.6C so no wet suit swim. I went in for a swim warm up with my wetsuit on just to keep the muscles warm. Most of the athletes do this now especially if the water temp is on the border line of 20C. I had a very good start and found I was swimming fast with very little effort so I knew from that moment it was going to be a good day. I excited the swim close to the front and was straight away in the lead group.

My plan was to sit in the bunch and on the 3rd lap attack. On the second lap we were caught by the chasing pack. Once we were in town coming off the cobbles I attacked and to my nice surprise was joined by Greg Bennett (Legend Non drafter) & Maik Pertzold, Matt Chrabot and Christian Prochnow these are all very good cyclist and we formed a strong group of five then I knew it was on. We all worked very well together and to my surprise gained almost 2 minutes on the chase pack. Onto the run I felt okay but not great I race like this all the time so my body is getting use to feeling very tired I think it has also helped me doing all those non drafting events in the states last year and earlier this year. After 7 km of the run I knew I had the win, Gomez was catching me fast but he was running out of road so finally after many many World Cups I finally won my first World cup and it was the best feeling of my career.

I went out after the race and had some celebratory drinks, It was one too many so had to leave the disco early. I woke up the next day still drunk with a massive hang over but it was totally worth it. Now onto Budapest next and then Dallas for its been a good season so far.

Stuart Wins at Kitzbühel

Stuart wins after a breakaway on the bike!

With a gutsy breakaway on the bike, Great Britain’s Stuart Hayes stunned the field and stole the win at today’s Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Kitzbühel. The Brit was part of a five-man break on the bike, which was able to build a lead of over 1:40 at the second transition.

Stuart Hayes achieved the best result of his long career with a win at the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series in Kitzbuehel, Austria, on Saturday. His attack on the bike opened a 1min 43second lead over the chasing pack for him to run away with the win.

Hayes, 31, rode a similarly attacking ride in Hyde Park recently, and this time forced a break with Greg Bennett, Matt Charabot, Maik Petzold and Christian Prochnow. When he finished 8th in Hyde Park, Hayes said he needed at least a 1min30 gap over the faster runners to give himself a chance of winning – and he did exactly that on Saturday.

He said:

“We had a plan on the third lap to attack on the bike. The only way I can win is to attack on the bike. I go into every race and I try to come last or first by breaking away and putting everything into the bike. My Focus Izalco Extreme was superb.

“I’m trying to change the mentality of the ITU pack and ride hard so it’s not just a running race, it’s a bike race too. I’d love to be part of 2012 but it will be hard as we have so many great guys in Britain.”

Hayes’ margin of victory over Javier Gomez was 32seconds. Gomez received a 15 second penalty for not placing his cycling helmet in the transition box at the second transition, but never really looked like catching Hayes.

2008 Olympic Champion Jan Frodeno was third and holds on to his number one world ranking with just one race left in the Series: the Grand Final in Budapest next month.

ELITE MEN
1. Stuart Hayes (GBR) 1:52:32
2. Javier Gomez (ESP) 1:53:04
3. Jan Frodeno (GER) 1:53:21
12. Tim Don (GBR) 1:54.11
23. Will Clarke (GBR) 1:54.47
40. Alistair Brownlee (GBR) 1:56.36

Photos

61

London Triathlon

I always enjoy the London triathlon. I love the fact the elites get to mix with the age group athlete and being from London means friends and family always come down to watch.
It was a wetsuit swim this year which was a bit of a shock considering how warm it has been this summer but all it takes is one week of bad weather in the UK and the water is below 20C so the rubber was going on for the first time this year.

I had a great swim start and found myself at the front of the field and on Richard Stannard’s feet. McClarty the swim specialist was off the front but at the moment he is no threat so I could relax until I hit the land. Coming out of the swim I went slightly off course because I swam to the wrong ramp but I managed to amend this by sprinting through transition and powering the first couple of kilometers of the bike. After about 5k I was in the lead pack with Tim, Will Clark, Atkinson and Oily Freeman there were also a couple of other athletes from overseas. We were working well together but some of the big names were just siting on which make me realize they wanted a running race. So after 15k I knew it was time to start racing the bike. Once we were caught by the second pack I attacked with Will Clark.

We stayed away for around 10k but were caught again and that’s when Stannard and Matt sharp attacked which was a perfect time for me to go again. I knew it was a suicide move for my 10k run but in order for me to win I had to make sure I got some kind of a lead. Myself, Stannard and Matt Sharp got a small lead straight away. Stannard gave it his all but had to go back to the pack after some great turns. Richard is still recovering after being hit by a car last year.

Me and Matt Sharp pushed into T2 but unfortunately only had 30 sec on the main bunch. Onto the run I felt quiet good but knew the lead was too small. I lead the first lap and was then caught by Will Clark, Atkinson, Tim Don and Shoemaker I could see they were really hurting from the hard bike which they don’t think they expected. Clarke dropped off and the other three left me at 5km mark. The three of them opened up a small gap and it was enough for them to stay away and battle it out for the podium places. Atkinson was 1st, Tim 2nd and Shoemaker was third. I was 4th and Will was 5th. This was my best race of the year so far and has given me a lot of confidence going into the next two World Cups Kitzbhul and Budapest.

60

London Hyde Park Triathlon

My aim for London Hyde Park triathlon was to make the bike as hard as possible and that’s what I did.
I had a good swim for me, got to the first swim buoy inside the top 10 which meant not many beats for me today thank goodness. After lots of tight turns I just managed to scrape into the lead pack on the bike & once on the bike I new I just had to wait for the right moment to attack.

My best bet to attack was when the chase pack caught us and this was after two laps. So as soon as the bunch caught I attacked and got a mini lead but I knew I needed some help from other riders and finally someone came to my rescue after around 5 minutes. We spent a couple of laps away but were caught again.

Once we were caught someone else went and I thought lets go again and this was the move I was waiting for. We were a three man breakaway and after two laps we were joined by a group of six, this was a dream for me as I knew I could get my breath back and wait for the run. We had a 50 sec buffer on the big runners which was a great head start for me but probably not going to be enough for a podium. However I never really thought of this and just tried to run as fast as I could to stay away.

My legs were really hurting but I found myself leading the race until the first lap on the run 3.3km. Then Alistair Brownlee, Gomez and Jonny Brownlee caught me. It was strange as once they went past me I was able to hold on to them for a bit and upped the pace. It wasn’t long before I couldn’t keep with them and was caught and passed by the Russians and a young Spanish athlete. I was still managing to maintain a good pace and with one lap to go I was holding 6th place. I thought I was going to finish 6th but with less than 200m to go I was caught by Brad K and Jerrod Shoemaker.

They were running super fast getting ready for the sprint and I could not react quick enough to hold them off. I came into the finishing shoot happy with 8th. I saw Alister and thought he was doing a victory lap but I suddenly realized he had hit the wall and was walking to the line with great difficulty due to dehydration. I passed him and ended up a very pleasing 8th. My next race is the London triathlon at the Docklands which is my favourite race of the year.

59

After Des Moines

After the Des Moines World Cup I was off training for nearly two weeks with very low energy levels and a bubbly stomach. During my time off I went to watch Michelle race at the national women’s Road champs which was on one of the hardest bike circuit’s ever used for a national champs. She had a great race and finished 14th she was also suffering with the virus I had so I personally think she could have done much better. That may have been her last road race though because of all the crashes. Michelle has 4 pins inside her back to keep her back fused together so one big knock could undo all the great work her surgeon had done to get her back training again.

I just recently had my new Focus Izalco Extreme 2010 delivered and its a great bike and recently shot a front cover with Triathlon World for the October Issue. Its an improvement on the 2009 model, its lighter, stiffer and amazes me how they keep improving on their bikes.

I get to train all day every day and rest when I need to so I can maximise my performance. It amazes me how the average athlete goes to work every day, has a family to look after and puts in the training time. I coach one athlete Mark Rossi and he works for a bank goes in at 7am and leaves for to go home sometimes at 7pm. He rides in and sometimes run’s home and fits in swimming when he can over the weekends. He also has two new additions to his family & sometimes reduces his sleeping hours. He tells me he’s one of thousands of age group athletes out there that train this way so I take my hat off to all age group athletes. You are a great example of dedication and I’m sure if started sport at a very young age like I did you would all be professional athletes and my job would be way harder.

My next race is a French Grand Prix in Paris and then Hyde Park London triathlon. Training has been going well so fingers crossed I will have a couple of good races

58

Des Moines

I was on a massive high after the Blenheim Triathlon. Even though I was second to Tim its always a great feeling to do a course PB and race in front of a home crowd.

My next race was the Des Moines Hy Vee triathlon. Before Hy Vee I always stay at TJ Tollakson parents house. They live in a huge house just outside of Des Moines and its the perfect place to stay before the big race.

A couple of days before the race I started to feel very tired and found at night I was not sleeping right which is usually a sign that I’m coming down with something. However I just kept telling myself it was nervous and once the race was over I would be fine. Race day came and I found myself on the toilet way more than usual. I also had massive stomach Ache but I was still telling myself it was nerves and too shut everything out.

The gun went and I had a really bad dive start, something I must start practicing. I found myself at the back of the swim. I had to weave my way through the pack to make sure I came out in the main bunch. I came out of the water around 10th so I was pleased with my effort. Onto the bike I felt weak and this is when I knew something was wrong. I rode very aggressively going with all the breaks but they all came to nothing and these breaks were hurting me more than usual. At 38k I knew my race was over but decided I would be one of the first riders into T2. I got off the bike near the front and put on my running shoes and went for it but found I had nothing and had to settle for 31st place which is my worst ever position at the Hy Vee triathlon. Tim Don won with a very impressive 10k run split. I was glad to see him back to his winning ways as he’s had a tough couple of season’s since winning the World Champs in 2006.

After the race my belly started to rumble and I ended up taking a week off training with a lot of toilet visits.
I have a couple of weeks training until my next race in Paris for my French team and then the two London Tri’s.

My New Focus Izalco Chrono bike has just arrived so I will be taking it out for a spin over the next couple of weeks. My next non drafting race is at the end of the year so plenty of time to get my position right.

57

Blenheim

This year Blenheim triathlon was the most interesting and fastest I have ever done. The great weather and international field totally changed the race from previous years.

The Biggest shock for me was the water temp being 20c which meant a non- wetsuit swim this would totally change the race because the swim was actually a swim rather that a float down the river.
I did a swim warm up with my wetsuit on just to make sure I kept the body temperature warm before the gun went. This worked well and stayed warm before the we started.

The gun fired and I had a good start, I lead for about 400m of the swim then I started to get a little cold and slipped through the field but still managed to get out with the lead group. There is a steep hill to run up out of the swim and always seems to split the field up so I made sure I positioned myself well so I got into transition with the leaders.

A lead group of 8 formed on the bike this included Tim Don, Richard Stannard, myself, Tom Bishop, Hendrik De Villas and a couple of others. We worked well together and had a great lead, then I attacked just before coming into transition. However it didn’t come to anything and was just a waste of energy for the run. Tim and myself ran out of T2 together but straight away I couldn’t match his pace and had to settle for second. Third was Tom Bishop which was a great result for a junior. I have one day in London then Off to the USA for Des Mones World Cup.

56

Crack Out The Summer Lycra

Its been a bit of a shock being back in the UK, I have found it very cold. I’m wearing the same thermals that I was wearing in December and now its May. I’m hoping it will warm up soon so I can put away the winter warmers and crack out the summer Lycra.

Having a cold for a week has set me back a bit but I’m starting to find my Australian fitness again, It should take a couple of weeks just in time of Blenheim.I did a crit race at the Hillingdon Bike circuit at the weekend and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found it a little dangerous in places especially on some of the tight corners. I finished in the bunch and stayed clear of the sprint finish. I learnt a lot from my first elite bike race and will take my new skills to the ITU pelton

I bumped into Will Clarke the other day for a recovery ride and run. He’s not had the best start to the season for him with a 10th place at his first World Cup series race of the year but he’s looks fit and says he’s been training well and with it being his first race of the season it will allow him to shake the cob webs out.
Amongst the elite guys there has been a lot of injury this winter, I think its due to the fact that every year we are all trying to push just that little bit more to get the edge. Im always trying to push the body as far as it can go but from past experience I know when its time to back off the gas.

I will be cracking the wetsuit out soon to practice my open water swimming. I think it is finally warm enough to do some open water practice. Once I get into my open water routine I will swim once a week in my wetsuit this will prevent my arms from getting that ache feeling that happens if you just crack it on to race.

Stu.

55

Fighting Viruses

Myself, Jodie and Michelle returned back to Clermont after the race. Myself, Jodie and Michelle had a great days training on the Monday. I felt great considering I had just raced. I did a 30 min run, 5k swim and 2.5hrs bike ride. On the Tuesday I woke up with a sore throat and I knew a cold was on its way. Every time before I get a cold I feel great the day before it must be the body getting ready to fight the virus. Michelle had a cold prior to St Anthony’s triathlon so I sort of knew there was a good chance I could get it too. It was lucky it came after the race as there is no way I could have raced feeling so bad.

When I was younger I would always try and train through a cold or a virus and end up in bed or having to go on Antibiotics for a week but now I’m older and wiser I think when your sick its time to rest. These days I will rest for as long as it takes.

My sickness lasted for about a week but to be honest I have had such a great run with my training that I probably needed a bit of down time anyway and this will help my body rebuild again ready for the next block of training. My next race is five weeks away so it gives me loads of time to get some good sessions in.

I’m back in Loughborough training and Its nice to be back home .I am looking forward to catching up with my friend and occasional training partner Will Clarke so we can get out and do some more miles together again.
I’m finding the weather a little chilly at the moment but give me a couple of weeks and my Ozi blood will be back to English again I’m sure.

With Blenheim being my first race of the domestic season I need a couple of weeks to adapt to the cold.

Stu.