Crit Racing in Tampa

Here are a few pics of our boy Pete killing it in the crit. Steve saw a bunch of ISM saddles in the peloton. The USCF crowd is really embracing our patented technology.

Another WORLD RECORD on an ISM Adamo seat

Hey Team

Just a quick note. Thank you for the emails and texts. Your support is so much appreciated.

So yesterday was not the day I had hoped for as I set out to defend my world title in the Individual Pursuit. In the qualifying round I missed out on the gold medal ride off and had to settle with the race for bronze. Unfortunately things just weren't 100% on fire yesterday, and at a World Championships they have to be to win medals. So 4th it was.......somebody throw me a Moro bar!!!

But today was another day and there were two other team mates amped up to race in the Teams Pursuit. So I had to put my own personal disappointment aside and put on a new game face. Our qualifying ride wasn't what we were after and we missed out on the final Gold ride off to the Aussies and the Brits. We were however determined to take on the Americans for the Bronze. With the coaching staff devising the perfect plan to ensure we maximised everyones strengths and every one of us crossed the line completely spent Lauren, Rushlee and I executed the perfect race and the result.......a bronze medal BUT most exciting of all the WORLD RECORD!!!!!!

We had to hold our breaths to see how long our world record would last while the Aussies and the Brits rode for the Gold. The Aussies took the title but they couldn't match our speed and I am proud to say the Kiwi women hold the WORLD RECORD.

It is definitely bitter sweet because of course we would have loved to have the Gold medal and Rainbow Jersey's, but for now claiming the fastest time ever we can sleep with. What a great feeling.

Attached are a couple of photos and some links to some stories from the champs.

For now it's late, and while racing is over for me I have chief supporter and team cheering duties to attend to for the next three days of competition, starting tomorrow with the Men's Teams Pursuit, the Men's Kilo and the Womens Scratch Race.

Catch you all soon

Ali

http://tvnz.co.nz/othersports-news/sergent-strikes-silver-bronze-women-3433559

http://tvnz.co.nz/othersports-news/sergent-strikes-silver-bronze-women-3433559/video

http://www.roadcycling.co.nz/TrackTalk/new-world-record-for-nzs-team-pursuiting-women.html


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Alison Shanks

Brandon Marsh IM China Race Report

Several weeks ago, Doc suggested that Amy do IM China. And, if I wanted to have a “China Experience” as well as an “American Reality TV Show Type of Day” that I go as well and have a day in China. So, we booked tix to leave Krabi and head to China with a few of our TeamMates for what has to be one of the more unpredictable and tougher IM races on the circuit.

I have not watched one single episode of the Survivor TV show, but I know that it involves competing against others for a prize, some different tests, voting members off the island, and whatever else goes in on “reality TV” shows because we all know that they are indeed real.

I will try to keep my reality show kind of brief. My competitors were many, but I figured that in the end it would come down to who could just finish as opposed to who could race the fastest. That was partly true. I left the water behind my two fellow male teammates…and one of our female teammates. Out on the bike, I set out to ride a long ride, and would face several tests.

The wind tested us all…headwind, crosswind, seemingly little tailwind. I had the wrong front bottle set up b/c the bottles that were handed out were too small to fit into my bottle mount, and I ended up continuously refilling one of my screw top bottles. I picked up my special needs bag with a couple of Nescafe coffe/milks and it worked like a charm. I moved up through my competitors and several of them decided that today was not their day.

Out onto the run, and I was determined to not take a single hard step for 42k…just put one foot in front of the other and get to the finish. I slowly moved up through the ranks and all systems were go. I was 3rd at 28k…sorry no mile markers for my American Friends. It was then that the island…Haikou Island…turned my closest allies…my legs…against me. After working together for about 130 miles and doing quite well I might add, my legs voted. They voted to stop. Full stop. I was determined to trick them into voting the other way…water, gatorade, EFS Liquid shot, bananas, race walking, everything. I tried every trick in the book, but nothing worked. For the next 14k almost EVERY step was hard, and not because I was gaining on 3rd. Every step was hard because I was fighting an uphill battle with every muscle in my legs that was voting to stop.

I walked, jogged, straight leg walked, shuffled, and got to the finish line just before the Mrs. finished. My reality show was a real one. I ended up 9th again at my 3rd IM in 6 months. So, if you could watch my Survivor: IM China reality show, you would see a real reality show.

Thanks to Louis Garneau, Cervelo, Blue Seventy, 3T, ISM Saddles, and the Bike Boutique for the sponsorship of the team this year. Thanks to the rest of the team and doc for making Krabi training camp memorable. Thanks to Amy for nearly catching me at the end and making me “run” that last 1k…

Sweet and Sour Chris McDonald IM China RR

HI Guys,

well as many of you know I headede to China this past weekend to start my 2010 season with another crack at IM China after suffering from two flats there back in 2008 .
I was excited to race both Macca and Luke McKenzie in such a tough race , However it was over before it began.

10 days before the race I had a treatment on my lower back that actually put me in a lot of pain . I was confident that it would be fine and made my way to Haikou 7 days before the race . Ultimately two days before the race I was still in pain and decided to swap to the Ironman 70.3

Having prepared to race and IM this was kind of sour ! However I was lucky that there was a 70.3 happening on the same day so that was sweet!

I headed into to 70.3 with an open mind and hoped that everything would be fine with the back.

After watching the Ironman start and cheering for our friends we had a very reasonable 9am start time. I had a solid start and managed to get on the feet of the lead swimmer and hold my place in line for the entire swim .
Onto the bike and it was a Howler! As I ran through transition and jumped on the bike I watched one of the transition tents get blown over. my first thought was maybe one lap of this bike course might be a good thing :-)
The next was put your head down and build a gap . I had not done any real hard riding in training for a 70.3 as I was expecting to race the IM and I knew that it was going to be a race of the last man standing not really the "fastest" athlete.
I felt pretty good considering and managed to build a lead of 4 :30 over Freddy ( eventual winner )
We hit the run and it was HOT! I knew right away that I had Ironman pace and that was it . I was passed by Freddy at the 15 km mark and just had to stick to my Ironman shuffle and get to the finish line in 2nd place .

It certainly was a frustrating week having to switch races but I was happy to take 2ND place in the 70.3 and look forward to a big year ahead.
Next up is Super frog half IM in San Diego and then onto Ironman St George.

Thank you for all your help and lets look forward to a great year.

P.S the back ended up fine and the treatment was worth it long term:-)

Cheers Chris

Sarah Haskins WINS Miami International

USAT Sprint Development Race-Clermont, Florida
This past week, I have officially begun my start to the 2010 racing season. On March 7th, I raced in Clermont, Florida in a draft-legal sprint triathlon. This race was very unique in that developmental athletes, who have not yet obtained a pro card, were permitted to race and gain experience and a feel for what draft-legal racing is all about. I have not competed in a sprint race since my first year of racing back in 2003! The race went by very quickly and I can 't complain about my result finishing up on top of the podium. The entire race was in Lake Louisa State Park and was a wetsuit legal swim, since Florida has been experiencing a colder than average winter. The swim was especially short, because we had a long run in and out of the water. The bike was four laps on a smoothly paved, flat road and the run was a two loop flat, fast course. I exited the swim just behind Sara McLarty and ended up cycling with her as well as Alicia Kaye. I felt good on the swim and bike, but needed to brush up on my transitions, as they were quite rusty! I felt strong on my run and thought about my new run form I have been working on since January. I spent the following week training in Clermont, Florida while I was preparing for the Miami Triathlon.
MIT:
Race morning began very early with a 4AM wake up and pre-race meal (peanut butter bagel with banana along with 16 oz of First Endurance EFS drink). Prior to the race I had another EFS 16oz bottle that included a scoop of First Endurance Pre -Race. My nutrition during the race consisted of one bottle (16oz) of EFS drink and that was it (simple for Olympic distance racing). I usually have two bottles, but noticed in the cooler mornings I only drink one bottle (like Dallas last year when it was 50 and raining). This race I do wish I had another bottle-so now I know at 60 degrees, I would drink two 16oz bottles of EFS!
I raced Miami back in 2008 and finished in first, so the goal was to defend the title from a couple of years ago. The water was a cool, 69 degrees, but fortunately, I had my TYR's Sayonara Swimskin. Which kept me a little warmer. I had a great swim and exited just 15 seconds back from the super star swimmers McLarty and Piersol. I had much better transitions this race and got onto my bike working hard to catch the leaders, but feeling strong on my new Fuji D - 6 with Oval concept bars! I also taped my Under Armour Bit Tech mouthpiece and felt great with my mouth guard. Unfortunately, I went slightly off course about 7 miles into the bike course and lost a little bit of time, but kept my head in it to get right back on course and back into my riding rhythm. I ended up exiting the bike about 15 seconds behind McLarty, with Peterson about 40 seconds behind me. I started off the run at a good pace; not quite sure what was going on behind me. The run was a two loop out and back, so we were able to see our competition. I noticed that I was gaining time on the other athletes and was able to back off the pace a little towards the end of the run . The faster I can recover from a race; the faster I can get back into serious training for Sydney, my first big race of the year! It was a good feeling to break the tape!
I am currently in St. Louis for a couple days and getting a chance to see the family and celebrate birthday's with my nieces (Sarah turned three on the `14th and Anna one on the 17th). I have another tough training block approaching the next couple of weeks (and an altitude adjustment since I have been away from home for six weeks!)

Also noteworthy is Sara McLarty finished 3rd and Brian Fleischmann 13th on ISM saddles.

Early Season Results

Here's a picture of our rep, Lars Finanger, at VeloNews/Triathlete Magazine's bike. Lars will be traveling to Abu Dhabi to compete this weekend with 9 other ISM athletes. I wish them all good luck. Below are some recent results of Pros on ISM saddles:

Feb 27, Ironman Malaysia Hiroyuki Nishiuch 2nd male, Edith Niederfriniger 2nd, Hillary Biscay 3rd, Jocelyn Wong 5th

Feb 28, Dessert Classic Duathlon Tucson, AZ Sam McGlone 1st, Michellie Jones 2nd, Angela Naeth 3rd, (interesting to note 4th place also on Adamo Saddle)

Feb 28, Nina Kraft wins Santos International Triathlon in Brazil

March 6, Ironman New Zealand Jo Lawn 1st, Kim Loeffler 3rd

March 6, Rouge Roubaix Mathew Davis wins P1,2

March 7, Brian Fleischmann and Sarah Haskins WIN Elite Sprint Nationals

ISM Pros Check in.

Some pics of Pro Eric Limkemann killing it in a virtual race. You definitely get bessed dressed in our book, E. Nice Team kit and sweat towel.

Below, fellow Professionals and sisters, Bec and Laurel Wassner check in from Tucson Training Camp. Also in attendance were fellow ISM athletes, Amanda Lovato, Sarah Haskins, Nate Korteum, Tyler Lord, and Sam McGlone.


Hello. We hope everyone is doing well and not too snowed in! As always, thank you for your support. Here is our latest update and a few photos from Tucson.
Thanks again!
Laurel and Bec Wassner

We just wrapped up a very HARD but successful 3 week training camp with the Cliff English Coaching Elite squad in Tucson, Arizona. A highlight was riding from the desert to the top of snowcapped Mt. Lemmon. Bec made it to the famed cookie shop in under 1 hour 52 minutes, which we hear is pretty good...for a girl. We swam outside everyday at the U of Arizona pool, averaging almost 30k meters per week. Bec even set a new personal best (after 30 years of swimming) during a "get-out" swim, swimming the 50 meter freestyle in 28.4. Both of us rode more than we ever have, getting a taste of what it is like to train for long distance races. Also, while we were here I got the chance to use my camera and photographed a travel story on Tucson for an upcoming issue of Triathlete magazine.
We will be opening the 2010 season with the Roslyn Sanchez Triathlon on March 7 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This is an Olympic distance race that benefits the San Jorge Children's Foundation and the Casa Cuna of San Juan. We're excited to participate in this unique race and to help raise awareness for these two organizations which do so much for children with cancer. We're also looking forward to racing alongside actress Roselyn Sanchez and what promises to be a star-studded field. I will be racing solo and Bec will be participating in a celebrity relay. Stay tuned for photos from the weekend!

For more information on the race, see:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&ref=search&gid=196342338359

ISM Sweeps Desert Classic Duathlon

Michellie Jones opens the season with a Podium performance.
A great season opener for many Pro’s and a chance to test fitness resulted in a stellar field at the Desert Classic Duathlon.
Samantha McGlone reprised her 2005 title with a one minute margin of victory over Michellie Jones at the Desert Classic Duathlon in Phoenix, Arizona Sunday.


Samantha McGlone, the 2005 Desert Classic winner, started her day with a 20:47 split on the 3.5-mile trail run which put her 42 seconds behind Tucson neighbor and 2002 ITU World Champion Leanda Cave of Great Britain, 35 seconds behind Swiss Xterra star Renata Bucher, 13 seconds behind Michellie Jones, 12 seconds behind Marisa Asplund, and 4 seconds behind Linsey Corbin.

McGlone then took charge with a second-best 55:55 bike that took 49 seconds back from Jones and 51 seconds from Cave and 4:09 from Bucher while Angela Naeth surged with a race-best 55:24 bike.

McGlone then held off Michellie Jones by one minute at the line with a 1:36:00 time. Naeth placed third, nine seconds back of Jones.
Desert Classic Duathlon
Phoenix, Arizona
February 28, 2010
R 3.5 mi./ b 21 mi./ R 2.7 mi.

Results

Pro Men

1. Chris Foster (Redondo Beach CA) 1:23:57
2. Ben Hoffman (Durango CO) 1:25:53
3. Matthew Sheeks (Woodinville VA) 1:26:02
4. Ryan Guiliano (Schaumburg IL) 1:26:29
5. Chris Ganter (Philadelphia PA) 1:29:49
6. Brendan Halpin (Missoula MT) 1:33:30
7. Stephen Slabodnick (Chandler AZ) 1:37:39
8. Derek Yorek (Alamosa CO) 2:51:00

Pro women

1. Samantha McGlone (CAN - Tucson AZ) 1:36:00 (RIDES ADAMO RACING)
2. Michellie Jones (AUS - Carlsbad CA) 1:37:00 (RIDES ADAMO RACING)
3. Angela Naeth (CAN) 1:37:09 (RIDES ADAMO RACING)
4. Leanda Cave (GBR – Tucson AZ) 1:37:28 (RIDES ADAMO RACING)
5. Lisa Ribes (Tucson AZ) 1:38:42
6. Marisa Asplund (Durango CO) 1:40:05
7. Renata Bucher (SUI) 1:41:25
8. Kathy Rakel (Litchfield Park AZ) 1:41:59
9. Linsey Corbin (Missoula MT) 1:42:57
10. Anne Curi Preisig (Falmouth MA) 1:45:18

Ironman Malaysia success!

Hiroyuki Nichiuchi 2nd Male Pro (Adamo Racing)
Edith Niederfriniger 2nd Female Pro (Adamo Racing)
Hillary Biscay 3rd Female Pro (Adamo Road)
Jocelyn Wong 5th Female Pro (Adamo Racing)

Congrats to all. Check out Hillary Biscay's 3rd place race report below:


I kicked off my 2010 season last weekend with Ironman Malaysia. Because you will be subjected to at least seven more ironman race reports this year, I thought we would start with a slightly different format for the first one. Ironman is inevitably a contest of maximizing the day's highs and managing its lows in order to make the best of the circumstances one is dealt, so I've recapped my day here in these terms.

Highlight: Winning the swim: first woman out of the water.

Lowlight: Realizing within the first hour of the bike that the reason I was sliding off the front of my bike seat was because it had moved and was like this / .

Highlight: Getting ahold of an allen wrench about kilometer 70.

Lowlight: After spending several minutes on the side of the road removing my back bottle cage system to access the bolt to tighten my seat clamp, my sweaty hands couldn't do the trick, and I soon found myself riding in the same funky position I'd been in . . .

Highlight: Even after 39 ironman finishes, I come away from every race with important lessons learned. I love my new bike, but no matter how good the bike, two weeks is simply not enough time to get a new bike dialed and all of the kinks sorted out. I knew better; I took a risk, and I paid for it. I will not make this mistake again.

Lowlight: I lost a lot of time on the ride, and came off the bike well down on Belinda (Granger) and Edith (Niederfriniger).

Highlight: I started the run in third and was determined to hang onto this position.

Lowlight: The prevalent sensation in this marathon is one of running in a sauna. There were certain particularly-hot sections of each of the five run loops during which I felt as if my head were about to explode and/or one of my shaky legs was going to buckle beneath me.

Highlight: Amazingly, none of these things actually occurred. I stayed focused on myself and my own run, knowing that I could control only this and not the girls chasing me, and managed to have several stretches of the run during which I felt relatively "good."

Lowlight: The outbound portion of the final run loop: I felt like I was doing a slow-motion impression of running, better described by my Australian friends as "running up and down on the spot."

Highlight: I had to deal with a few challenges on race day, but in spite of this being a hot-and-sweaty sweatfest, blisters were not one of them. Ironman Malaysia is a true test of run shoes, as many athletes are taken out by things like blisters. Yet I had the luxury of drenching myself with water every couple of kilometers without worry, because my K-Swiss K-Onas drain in a second. I was so thankful for them!

Highlight (Yes, I realize I am interrupting my pattern here, but of course I've got more highs than lows--why else would I engage in this crazy business?!): Not getting run down. I crossed the line in third place, accomplishing my goal of an Ironman Malaysia podium finish, and my 15th career iron-distance podium finish.

Lowlight: New WTC rules say that I am not eligible for the third-place $4000 USD prize money: after 10 hours and 10 minutes of hard racing, my time falls 2 minutes outside of 8% of the winning time. According to the new "8% rule," finishing 8.3% off of the winning time means I don't get paid. Unfortunately, this money does not get redistributed to Belinda, Edith, or the four men who finished within the prize money cutoff. It "disappears."

Highlight: My amazing sponsors who help make it possible for me to make a living in this great sport: K-Swiss, PowerBar, ISM, Zipp, Wilier, FSA, and CycleOps.

Highlight: Celebrating the big 4-0--my fortieth iron-distance finish--by completing one of the toughest ironmans on the circuit here in Langkawi.

Lowlight: New WTC rules say that I am not eligible for the Kona-qualifying slot because I finished outside of 5% above the winning finish time.

Highlight: I have four more Kona-qualifying opportunities before this year's World Championships. It's only February and I will only get faster and stronger as the season goes along!