WTS Cape Town

I injured my shoulder 9 days before this very important race was held for the first time in Africa. We tried all possible – physio, rest, ice. I nevertheless arrived in Cape Town on the Thursday before the race.  I was still very positive as my injury was much better, but still not 100%.

The water was an icy 12 deg C, but the officials decided that the normal 1500m swim will be on the cards. The swim was crazy fast and the pain in my shoulder really handicapped my stroke and overall rhythm.  I exited the water way beyond my normal position and also vomited and felt dizzy on the first cycle lap.  My coach and I then decided to call it a day.  I was very disappointed as we were anticipating this race and the quality of the athletes to compete for many a month.

A few positives also came out of this weekend.  South Africa (Cape Town) is now on the map with regards to hosting a high profile race.  My colleagues from SA did an amazing job with 3 men in the top 20 and 3 girls in the top 30.  Richard just missing out on podium in 4^th position.

For now, I need to focus on rehabilitation of my shoulder and trying find out what is wrong with my body overall.

Until next time

Cheers  

Africa Championships, Troutbeck, Zimbabwe

Africa Championships were held in a beautiful little place called Troutbeck in Zimbabwe this year. I have raced there previously so I knew what to expect. The route was hilly both cycle and run disciplines. Both routes were uphill to the turning point and then downhill to complete the lap.

On a wet Saturday noon, the hooter went off and the race started. The swim was not too fast and I was able to sit on the feet of some athletes and just stay there. As my climbing abilities aren’t on the standard of the smaller built athletes, I cycled out my own tempo for 3 laps until Richard and Eddie caught me. From there on we cycled harder but it was a bit easier since we were sharing the work load. We then didn’t lose too much time.

When I passed my coach, told me I need to dig deep to enable me to get some ITU points. So for me the whole run was about limiting the damage and as I lost out on points at SA Champs, I was determined not to spoil the opportunity again.

I managed to obtain the points and was also 4th overall and 2nd in the u/23 elite category. So it was a good day out for me, really hard but worth it. I was very happy with my results and my performance.

Next up is the WTS in Cape Town in 2 weeks’ time

Until then

Cheers  

Sasol Cross Off Road Klipbaai

The second leg of the Sasol Cross Series was changed to a duathlon, due to heavy rain and the river being flooded. This means that the triathlon and duathlon series points will be combined for this race.

I didn’t know what to expect on the first run as I haven’t done a duathlon for a very long time.  I went hard out hard and I managed to get a 30sec gap on the 2^nd placed athlete. I had a smooth transition and started the Off Road cycle leg.

As it was the week before SA champs, I didn’t want to take any chances on the bike and risk a crash, so I raced the technical parts very easy. A few athletes caught me and I decided to sit on their wheels and just be safe. I felt confident of my chances of winning because I managed a good first run leg. 

Again I had a good transition and started the run in second place, but after 1km I caught the first placed athlete and pulled away from him. I managed to get the win and with that also seal the win for the series.

This was a final and good confidence boost before the next weekend, I’m hoping my form will stay there and I will have another good race.

Until then

Cheers 

Sasol Cross Off Road - Emerald Casino

As always early in the new year, the Sasol Cross Off Road Series is taking place very close to my hometown, Vanderbijlpark. I raced the first series some 4 years ago and it was fun, so I decided to race it again this year. The races consist of 1000m swim, 22km off road cycle and 6km trial running. 

In the first race I wanted to do well and build my confidence for the season so I went out hard. I exited the swim with a minute gap. My brother was in a team and he managed to start the cycle with me, so it was a lot of fun having him there, keeping me company and focused. We worked well together keeping the pace fast. 

 After a quick transition the 6km trail run started. I felt good on the run and was able to open a gap quite quickly. I ran hard and felt good after this race. This was good for me and my confidence at the start of the ITU season. 

The next race will be the 2nd leg of the Sasol Cross series, one week before SA Championships. 

Until then

Cheers 

IM 70.3 Buffalo City

This year I took part in my very first 70.3 race. I could imagine this was going to be a really hard race. I have never done these distances before.  Looking at the Pro start list was scary – I even saw the name of a previous IM World Champ amongst them. Racking the bike on the previous day, race briefing and warm up, was all things I haven’t experienced before. But luckily my dad and brother was there to help me and keep me focused for the race. My mom was there as always to support. On race morning I was feeling good and focused but also very anxious.

The swim was very similar to a normal Olympic distance race as the pace was quite fast but not too bad. I exited the swim a few about 20sec behind the leaders. After the swim the big test started with the undulating 90km time trail. I was stressed   because I have never done this distance before in a race and the field was very strong. I managed to get to a good transition and was out on the bike in 3rd position. It only lasted for about 10km until the group caught up to me and I was content to sit at the back as I was still new to this. At about 25km there was a huge increase in the pace and I tried to go with the group, but after about 5km of hard effort, I dropped back because I knew I can’t keep up with the pace. Doing a time trial for 90km on a difficult route is physically and mentally demanding, but it was fun, I enjoyed all of the cycling. The 90km didn’t feel that bad and I was glad I could start with the run soon.

On the run I felt kind of fresh from the cycle. I started out at a too fast pace, which was a bit of a mistake. The race was longer than what I was used to so I had to hold back a bit. I felt good until about 5km to go when my legs started to fall of quite badly. My legs felt like jelly and I was tired, I kept on counting the meters down one by one until I reached the finish. 

I was really happy, as everything went almost perfect for my first race. The weather was perfect and also my body. I couldn’t have asked for a better race considering my limited experience in this and also with the amount of training I did. I ended up in 15th position in the Pro category, with a decent time as well. I took a lot of positives out the race and also it was a great boost mentally for having a good first race of the season.

That was the perfect building block for the rest of the season, I just needed to focus on the races and take it one race at a time.

Thank you to my parents, brother, coach Lindsey and all my sponsors.

Cheers

Rudolf