Hi all,

 I recently got my north american season underway at the Boise 70.3 Ironman in Idaho. There was a quality pro mens field (28 deep) racing including the eventual winner and current Ironman world champion, Craig Alexander. It was a tough day with the temperature at 30 degrees and gale force winds whipping up out on the bike course. Boise is also at a little bit of altitude and the air was extremely dry making hydration a crucial part of the race.

 
Fellow kiwi Graham O’Grady demolished the field on the swim and comfortably lead out of the water. However he was still feeling the effects of finishing 2nd at the Mooseman 70.3 six days earlier and slowly slipped back through the field. Meantime another kiwi, Byran Rhodes was leading the charge on the bike right up front with Alexander and Chris Leito and in the running for a podium spot.
 
I came off the bike in 8th position and had some work to get done if I was to finish in the top 5 and receive any prize money. On a day like this I knew the conditions would take their toll on some athletes and sure enough many of the guys up front began to fad as the run went on. By half way through the run I had moved into 5th. I had the fast running Tim Berkel not far behind me so I had to push up on the 4th placed Matt Leito. I caught Leito with 3 miles remaining but wasn’t able to drop him initially. Berkel come past with 2 mile to go and left Leito and I to battle it out for 5th place. After several surges I finally gapped him and then kept the pressure to hold him off at the finish.
 
I was really happy with this result first up. Coming out of the New Zealand winter and working full time it was a good confidence builder to beat some of the full time athletes.
 
Now its onto Santa Cruz for a month where Graham O’Grady and Beven Docherty are based. I am looking forward to putting in a month of solid full time training before the Vineman 70.3 Ironman on the 18th of July.

Thanks for reading. Will be in touch soon.

 

 

TT:  Raf, thanks for your time. How have things been going so far this year?

RB: Great thanks guys, I am back in Perth now preparing for the World Duathlon Championships. My wife, son and I got back from our spring base in Gernika about a month ago and we had a blast there this year as always.

TT: What is it like in the Basque Country? Former World Champion Jonathon Hall based himself there as well didn’t he?

RB: Yes, Jonathon did used to live in the region and to be honest I think a lot of the support we get now is due to his hard work and results. He won the World Championship in 1997 in Gernika where we are based. It is relatively cheap and the people are fantastic folk who are proud, traditional and with a great sense of community. In spring, there are Duathlon races every week and because the terrain is so hilly I find it is the perfect place to build fitness and get good quality racing at the same time. It also obviously provides a stable environment for my family as we have learnt in the past that travelling from race to race around Europe with a child is not for the faint hearted!

TT: How did your racing go in the region this year?

RB: I got to Europe a little underdone this year. I set up a new specialty running shop with a business partner in December 2009 and also had to do a lot of work to repair a grade 2 hamstring tear that wasn’t given a rest and bothered me a fair bit at different times last season. I managed one speed session running before the season started so I really suffered the first few races. Thereafter, I got in a good flow and got stronger every week. I finished with 3 wins and 5 podiums from 6 races. The highlight was winning the Basque Championship at Amorebieta and our team winning the teams classification. Living and racing in the Basque country and competing for a Basque team that was very satisfying and important for the people who support me and my family.

TT: So you came home with some Txapela’s?

RB: Yes for sure. In the Basque country the traditions do run deep and in most races the winner receives the traditional prize of a Txapela or Basque hat. They are the best trophies because they have significance and character and they are also much easier to bring back to Australia than any other form of trophy.

TT: What is the local racing like in the region? How does the style differ from ITU racing?

RB: I think it is very different to typical ITU races or the French Grand Prix when there are heaps of fast runners and a pancake flat bike course with a group of 20-30 on the bike. In the Basque Country, the lead group is always smaller and the main danger is always from cyclists behind. If the bike is 20k, you will have 10k up at 4-10% and 10k down. It isn’t flat and you can’t skimp or the local guys will work you over. 3-4 of the top athletes have raced as UCI ProTour or Continental Pro cyclists so they can climb very well. The best is Patxi Villa who was 2^nd in 2006 Paris-Nice and 8^th in the Giro the same year but many others are very strong.

 

TT:  So what is planned for the rest of the season?

RB: Basically for me everything revolves around World Championships. Ultimately my dream is to be World Duathlon Champion. I have progressed from 14^th (2007) to 12^th (2008) to 6^th last year so I have been getting stronger every year. This year is a brutish course in Edinburgh which will really test who is the most balanced duathlete in the world. I am working really hard to try and get stronger on the bike and build enough muscular endurance to still be strong at the finish. We also have a new national Duathlon series here inAustralia and I am looking forward to racing the August rounds in Queensland and South Australia through August.

TT: Can you give us an example of your bike and run training leading up to World’s

RB: Basically I try to run daily (60-100km) and bike 5 times a week (300-350km). Steve Moneghetti once told me that unless you’re training twice a day then you are not training hard enough to be elite. I think he is spot on. Because I am juggling training with work and family I do a lot of my training at very low intensity and focus more on volume and specifically targeted quality sessions a few times a week.

A normal week would look like this:

Monday-           Run 50-60 minutes Easy

Tuesday-           Hard Group Ride 80km w fast 3km off bike

PM Rest or Easy 50 minute Jog

Wednesday-     Easy recovery Ride 60-90 minutes

Thursday-            AM 2 hour ride including 1 hour SE over hills in KingsPark

                               PM Run Intervals

Friday                   Recovery Run 40-60 minutes

Saturday              Hills Ride w hills at AT 3-4 hours

                               PM Steady 8-10km Run

Sunday                23km over Hills including 3km climb at anaerobic threshold.

                               Easy Ride 90 minutes

TT:  Favourite Movie?

RB: Bob the Builder or Thomas the Tank Engine…it is not so much the movie or show but the fact it normally signifies my whole family together. I am also really looking forward to the new Karate Kid movie

TT: Favourite Music

RB: I like Hip Hop. I know I am too old but I think it is my frequency for tearing up the dance floor and with a summer just past with 6 weddings I did my best work in that genre

TT: All the best for the rest of the season

RB: Thanks very much

 

Into my forth week in Spain and the weather is starting to heat up making training easier everyday. The last two weeks have been very busy with training and racing on both weekends. 



The first race being the Lekietio Triathlon which also doubled as the Basque Sprint Distance Championships. Lekeitio put on a fantastic race with the finish in the medieval town square. The race was won by Australia's Brendon Sexton while the undulating bike course proved too tough for me taking 9th overall. Slightly disappointed with my result.



The second race featured the San Sebastian International Triathlon which again doubled as the Basue Olympic Distance Championships. Transition was set on the San Sebastian Boulevard with the swim start on one of the city's most popular beaches.



The race was dominated from the start by French International, Sylvain Sudrie, who was never seen after the T1. A chase group containing 4 Australians including myself and 2 strong Basque athletes attempted to close the gap but entering T2 it seemed as though it would be a foot race for 2nd. 



Josh McHugh from Australia claimed 2nd place while i had one of my better races of the season to claimed 3rd. To add to the excitement of a podium, the Australian guys took 1,2,3 in the sub23 division. Very good result.



My focus now turns to spainish classes tonight and then a sprint race in Tudela on saturday. Tudela will act more as a training session than a key race.

 Start Number    First Name          Last Name           Country               

1              Barbara                Riveros Diaz        CHI        

2              Daniela Ryf         SUI        

3              Mariko  Adachi  JPN       

4              Jessica  Harrison               FRA       

5              Sarah     Haskins USA      

6              Helen    Jenkins GBR      

7              Nicola    Spirig     SUI        

8              Anja       Dittmer                GER       

9              Kate       Roberts                RSA       

10           Jillian     Petersen             USA      

11           Liz           Blatchford           GBR      

12           Tomoko               Sakimoto             JPN       

14           Kathrin Muller   GER       

15           Svenja  Bazlen   GER       

16           Kiyomi  Niwata  JPN       

17           Helle      Frederiksen        DEN      

18           Elizabeth              May       LUX       

19           Akane   Tsuchihashi         JPN       

20           Jenna    Shoemaker         USA      

21           Alicia      Kaye      USA      

22           Felicity  Sheedy-Ryan     AUS      

23           Vanessa               Raw       GBR      

24           Maria    Czesnik POL       

25           Yuka      Sato       JPN       

26           Kathy    Tremblay             CAN      

27           Agnieszka            Jerzyk   POL       

28           Alexandra           Razarenova        RUS       

29           Ricarda Lisk         GER       

30           Juri         Ide         JPN       

31           Ai            Ueda     JPN       

32           Zsofia    Toth       HUN     

33           Irina       Abysova               RUS       

34           Vendula               Frintova               CZE        

35           Magali   Di Marco              SUI        

36           Elizabeth              Bravo    ECU       

37           Ainhoa  Murua  ESP        

38           Mari       Rabie     RSA       

39           Line        Jensen  DEN      

40           Margaret             Shapiro USA      

41           Vanessa               Fernandes          POR      

42           Claudia Rivas      MEX      

43           Melanie               Annaheim           SUI        

44           Amanda               Felder   USA      

45           Szandra                Szalay    HUN     

46           Carole   Peon     FRA       

47           Holly      Aitken   AUS      

48           Olga       Dmitrieva            RUS       

49           Marina  Damlaimcourt    ESP        

50           Maria    Pujol      ESP        

51           Inna       Tsyganok             UKR      

52           Zurine   Rodriguez            ESP        

53           Emmie  Charayron           FRA       

54           Emma   Davis     IRL         

55           Aileen   Morrison             IRL         

56           Charlotte             Bonin    ITA        

57           Annamaria          Mazzetti              ITA        

58           Radka    Vodickova           CZE        

59           Anastasiya          Polyanskaya       RUS       

60           Alexandra           Tondeur               BEL        

61           Aida       Valiño   ESP        

62           Irina       Kirchler AUT      

63           Lydia      Waldmüller         AUT      

64           Flavia     Fernandes          BRA       

65           Maria    Areosa  POR      

66           Greta    Horvath                HUN     

67           Kerry     Lang       GBR       

 Start Number    First Name          Last Name           Country               

1              Alexander           Brukhankov        RUS       

2              Dmitry  Polyansky            RUS       

3              Jan         Frodeno               GER       

4              Courtney             Atkinson              AUS      

5              David     Hauss    FRA       

6              Reto      Hug        SUI        

7              Steffen Justus   GER       

8              Ivan       Rana      ESP        

9              Matt      Chrabot                USA      

10           Tony      Moulai  FRA       

11           Jarrod   Shoemaker         USA      

12           James   Seear    AUS      

14           Yuichi    Hosoda JPN       

15           William Clarke   GBR      

16           Javier    Gomez ESP        

17           Oliver    Freeman              GBR      

18           Valentin               Meshcheryakov               RUS       

19           Leonardo             Chacon CRC       

20           Frederic               Belaubre              FRA       

21           Yulian    Malyshev            RUS       

22           Ivan       Tutukin RUS       

23           Joao       Silva       POR      

24           Ben        Pattle    NZL       

25           Daniel   Unger   GER       

26           Sven      Riederer              SUI        

27           Josh       McHugh               AUS      

28           Sebastian            Rank      GER       

29           Ryosuke               Yamamoto          JPN       

30           Marek   Jaskolka               POL       

31           Joao       Pereira POR      

32           Ruedi    Wild       SUI        

33           Joshua  Amberger           AUS      

34           Alistair  Brownlee            GBR      

35           Manuel                Huerta  USA      

36           Erhard   Wolfaardt            RSA       

37           Francisco             Serrano                MEX      

38           Balazs    Pocsai   HUN     

39           Bruno    Pais        POR      

40           Diogo    Sclebin  BRA       

41           Hirokatsu             Tayama                JPN       

42           Christian              Prochnow           GER       

43           Vladimir               Turbaevskiy        RUS       

44           Ben        Collins   USA      

45           Peter     Croes    BEL        

46           Alessandro         Fabian   ITA        

47           Duarte Silva        Marques              POR      

48           Jamie    Huggett                AUS      

49           Jose Miguel        Perez    ESP        

50           Gregor  Buchholz              GER       

51           Kyle       Jones    CAN      

52           Bruno    Matheus              BRA       

53           Attila     Fecskovics           HUN     

54           Brian      Fleischmann       USA      

55           Francesc              Godoy  ESP        

56           Claude  Eksteen                RSA       

57           Jan         Celustka               CZE        

58           James   Elvery    NZL       

59           Ran        Alterman             ISR         

60           Brendan               Sexton  AUS      

61           Gavin    Noble    IRL         

62           David     McNamee           GBR      

63           Franz     Hofer    AUT      

64           Oleksiy Syutkin UKR      

65           Mario    Mola      ESP        

66           Jonathan             Brownlee            GBR

 

  Elite Women - Finish 
(Run - Lap4) 1 D. RYF (SUI) 2:01:00 2 B. RIVEROS DIAZ (CHI) +0:02 3 E. MOFFATT (AUS) +0:04 4 N. SPIRIG (SUI) +0:05 5 A. HEWITT (NZL) +0:06 6 E. SNOWSILL (AUS) +0:10 7 M. ADACHI (JPN) +0:16 8 J. HARRISON (FRA) +0:32 9 H. JENKINS (GBR) +0:44 10 S. HASKINS (USA) +1:02 11 A. DITTMER (GER) +1:15 12 D. TANNER (NZL) +1:27 13 L. NORDEN (SWE) +1:37 14 S. BAZLEN (GER) +1:41 15 J. PETERSEN (USA) +1:49 16 K. MULLER (GER) +1:55 17 H. FREDERIKSEN (DEN) +1:58 18 K. MCILROY (NZL) +2:03 19 V. HOLLAND (GBR) +2:08 20 K. NIWATA (JPN) +2:11 21 Z. SZABO (HUN) +2:15 22 H. AVIL (GBR) +2:28 23 K. PRIDE (AUS) +2:40 24 N. SAMUELS (NZL) +3:21 25 A. KAYE (USA) +4:23 26 K. LANG (GBR) +4:28 27 F. ABRAM (AUS) +4:29 28 Y. JANG (KOR) +5:18 29 M. CZESNIK (POL) +5:27 30 A. JERZYK (POL) +5:40 31 A. RAZARENOVA(RUS) +5:44 32 Y. SAPUNOVA (UKR) +6:20 33 R. LISK (GER) +6:30 34 E. JACKSON (AUS) +6:53 35 A. TSUCHIHASHI (JPN) +7:14 36 J. IDE (JPN) +8:07 37 Z. TOTH (HUN) +8:08 38 Y. SATO (JPN) +8:22 39 I. ABYSOVA (RUS) +8:32 40 D. HONG (KOR) +11:33 41 H. KIM (KOR) +11:59 42 L. WALDM??LLER(AUT) +13:11