Despite the best efforts of previous Ironman World Champions like Sylviane Puntous, Lori Bowden, Heather Fuhr, and Peter Reid, September 17, 2000, was the day when triathlon really put its stamp on Canada. Congrats again Simon!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
A Star is Born!!
Hi All,
This deserves wayyyyy more credit than I've been giving it, but Edmonton's own Paula Findlay has gone from way off the radar a few short months ago to being the "it" athlete for Canadian triathlon in 2010.
She started 2010 as the #4 girl on the Canadian team behind 2008 Olympians Lauren Groves and Kathy Tremblay, and the once-wunderkid Kirsten Sweetland. Being only 21 and with a history of histories (knee and foot issues), Triathlon Canada has only let Findlay race let once in a full-field event (Des Moines ITU) and instead letting her tune up in secondary races (Mexico and Quebec races) before her breakthrough race in London.
Her win in London was the first race in 2010 where all the contenders toed the start line. Emma Snowsill, Emma Moffatt, Nicola Spirig, Lisa Norden, Barbara Riveros Diaz, Laura Bennett, and Helen Jenkins were just some of the ladies in the field who have multiple career wins or Olympic or World titles. But the young Canadian was not fazed, and used a race-best 33:51 run split (!) to win by 3 seconds over Spirig after breaking away from a group of 4 in the final mile. I love her quote "Running with a group of four is always hard, because there’s only three spots on the podium. At that point in the race I was just hoping for a podium spot. Then I looked back and saw I had a little gap and just ran my heart out."
Eight short days later, the ITU World Championship Series moved to Kitzbuhel, Austria. Although the back-back races means that some athletes won't be at 100%, Findlay again her used her superior run speed to speed away from Lisa Norden and Andrea Hewitt to win again by 3 seconds. Hewitt must be really be getting tired of Findlay, as she finished 7 seconds behind her in both London (finishing 4th) and Kitzbuhel (finishing 3rd).
So where does that leave us with one race to go in the series (September 12 in Budapest) to determine the 2010 world champion. Findlay's two wins in two races will not get her enough season points to finish #1 overall, but she is definitely going to be gunning for another win. Currently, the top 3 ladies are Emma Moffatt, Lisa Norden, and Andrea Hewitt (interestingly, those 3 finished in those spots at the end of the 2009 series) but there are a few other women who can claim the world title if they win and get some help.
Findlay is undoubtedly the biggest surprise of the ITU season, and she must be counting down the days til the London Olympics. The battle for the Canadian team could be a great battle in the next two seasons. Kathy Tremblay (not having a great year - only 75th in the rankings) and Lauren Groves (broken collarbone, been out for the season) both could still get back into top form in time to repeat their Olympic team experiences, along with Kirstin Sweetland, who despite having 2 career wins and only being 21 years old, has had trouble replicating the success she enjoyed in 2007 and 2008. But she has the run speed needed to compete for podium spots if she can get through the swim/bike in the front of the race. Add in 20 year-old Kyla Coates, who started in London before crashing out and breaking her collarbone, and Team Canada is looking great for 2012 and beyond!
One note of caution for Canadian fans - last year's version of Findlay was Alistair Brownlee, who absolutely dominated every race he started en route to winning the world title. This year, one win in three WCS events (he's only 17th overall, one spot ahead of Simon Whitfield) while the top two guys in the world are Jan Frodeno and Javier Gomez, who have both consistently finished in top 3 in most of their races.
Lots more to talk about - come back soon....
This deserves wayyyyy more credit than I've been giving it, but Edmonton's own Paula Findlay has gone from way off the radar a few short months ago to being the "it" athlete for Canadian triathlon in 2010.
She started 2010 as the #4 girl on the Canadian team behind 2008 Olympians Lauren Groves and Kathy Tremblay, and the once-wunderkid Kirsten Sweetland. Being only 21 and with a history of histories (knee and foot issues), Triathlon Canada has only let Findlay race let once in a full-field event (Des Moines ITU) and instead letting her tune up in secondary races (Mexico and Quebec races) before her breakthrough race in London.
Her win in London was the first race in 2010 where all the contenders toed the start line. Emma Snowsill, Emma Moffatt, Nicola Spirig, Lisa Norden, Barbara Riveros Diaz, Laura Bennett, and Helen Jenkins were just some of the ladies in the field who have multiple career wins or Olympic or World titles. But the young Canadian was not fazed, and used a race-best 33:51 run split (!) to win by 3 seconds over Spirig after breaking away from a group of 4 in the final mile. I love her quote "Running with a group of four is always hard, because there’s only three spots on the podium. At that point in the race I was just hoping for a podium spot. Then I looked back and saw I had a little gap and just ran my heart out."
Eight short days later, the ITU World Championship Series moved to Kitzbuhel, Austria. Although the back-back races means that some athletes won't be at 100%, Findlay again her used her superior run speed to speed away from Lisa Norden and Andrea Hewitt to win again by 3 seconds. Hewitt must be really be getting tired of Findlay, as she finished 7 seconds behind her in both London (finishing 4th) and Kitzbuhel (finishing 3rd).
So where does that leave us with one race to go in the series (September 12 in Budapest) to determine the 2010 world champion. Findlay's two wins in two races will not get her enough season points to finish #1 overall, but she is definitely going to be gunning for another win. Currently, the top 3 ladies are Emma Moffatt, Lisa Norden, and Andrea Hewitt (interestingly, those 3 finished in those spots at the end of the 2009 series) but there are a few other women who can claim the world title if they win and get some help.
Findlay is undoubtedly the biggest surprise of the ITU season, and she must be counting down the days til the London Olympics. The battle for the Canadian team could be a great battle in the next two seasons. Kathy Tremblay (not having a great year - only 75th in the rankings) and Lauren Groves (broken collarbone, been out for the season) both could still get back into top form in time to repeat their Olympic team experiences, along with Kirstin Sweetland, who despite having 2 career wins and only being 21 years old, has had trouble replicating the success she enjoyed in 2007 and 2008. But she has the run speed needed to compete for podium spots if she can get through the swim/bike in the front of the race. Add in 20 year-old Kyla Coates, who started in London before crashing out and breaking her collarbone, and Team Canada is looking great for 2012 and beyond!
One note of caution for Canadian fans - last year's version of Findlay was Alistair Brownlee, who absolutely dominated every race he started en route to winning the world title. This year, one win in three WCS events (he's only 17th overall, one spot ahead of Simon Whitfield) while the top two guys in the world are Jan Frodeno and Javier Gomez, who have both consistently finished in top 3 in most of their races.
Lots more to talk about - come back soon....
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Musical Chairs...and a bit of track news...
Hi All,
Today was the day where it was expected we would learn the fate of some of the biggest names in pro cycling. Take a deep breath and follow along...
Despite a great head-to-head duel in the Tour, rumours have swirled around Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck. Despite the "Chaingate" controversy, the two riders are fairly close friends, as seen by the Specialized commercial (which i wont post since it's been played by OLN about 250 times in July), and the picture below.
The cycling transfer period is a funny thing. It happens right after the Tour, when the season is really only 2/3 complete. Many of these "transfer deals" happen before or during the Tour, which i dont understand. It would like if free agents in the NHL negotiated deals with other teams during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Regardless, it has been rumoured for months that the Schleck brothers would be leaving Saxo Bank and starting their own Luxembourg-based team. It has also been announced that Saxo Bank would not be sponsoring a team moving forward, leaving Bjarne Riis and whatever is left of his team without two of their biggest names (he still has Cancellara potentially) and without their main sponsor.
That is, until today. Riis held a press conference this morning where he announced that not only was Saxo Bank going to stay on-board as a co-sponsor with Sungard for 2011, he had signed Alberto Contador to a two-year contract! Yep, Riis decided that since he can't beat Contador, he might as well sign him to his new team. It is expected that most of Contador's Spanish teammates (Noval, de la Fuente, Hernandez, and Navarro) will join him in jumping ship from Astana to Saxo Bank-Sungard.
Ok, where does that leave the Schlecks? They appear to be fine, as their new team has apparently a 20 million dollar budget, which would make it the richest in the pro peloton. So the Schlecks can apparently shop for some top dollar talent to help them compete against their old team. We still dont know what their team will be called but we should soon.
What about Astana? They lose not only their Grand Tour winner and arguably the greatest cyclist on the planet, will lose a lot of their domestiques, and their other marquee name, Alex Vinokourov, is expected to retire at the end of the season. However, they are already circling around the Tour's bronze medallist, Denis Menchov, to make him their GC contender in 2011. So not to worry, the ugly teal jerseys will not be far from the front of the peloton...
More transfer news coming soon, but I did want to highlight what a couple of Canadians did this weekend at the Canadian Track & Field Championships, held in Toronto. Arguably the two biggest stars in Canadian Athletics went head to head in the womens 100m hurdles. Here's the video of Perdita vs Priscilla...
As you can see, a great start by Priscilla Lopes-Schliep got rivaled by a great finish by Perdita Felicien, who won by 0.03 seconds. Great run ladies, as their rivalry continues to flourish. They should hopefully keep it up right until London 2012, which is now less than 2 years away! For Perdita, it was Canadian title #9!!!
More news - the same night that Simon Bairu posted a decisive win in the men's 10000m to defend his 2009 title in 28 minutes and 49 seconds, he decided to announce where he will make his marathon debut. His choice: New York City. Can Bairu break the Canadian record that is older than he is? We shall see on November 7th...
More later...
Today was the day where it was expected we would learn the fate of some of the biggest names in pro cycling. Take a deep breath and follow along...
Despite a great head-to-head duel in the Tour, rumours have swirled around Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck. Despite the "Chaingate" controversy, the two riders are fairly close friends, as seen by the Specialized commercial (which i wont post since it's been played by OLN about 250 times in July), and the picture below.
The cycling transfer period is a funny thing. It happens right after the Tour, when the season is really only 2/3 complete. Many of these "transfer deals" happen before or during the Tour, which i dont understand. It would like if free agents in the NHL negotiated deals with other teams during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Regardless, it has been rumoured for months that the Schleck brothers would be leaving Saxo Bank and starting their own Luxembourg-based team. It has also been announced that Saxo Bank would not be sponsoring a team moving forward, leaving Bjarne Riis and whatever is left of his team without two of their biggest names (he still has Cancellara potentially) and without their main sponsor.
That is, until today. Riis held a press conference this morning where he announced that not only was Saxo Bank going to stay on-board as a co-sponsor with Sungard for 2011, he had signed Alberto Contador to a two-year contract! Yep, Riis decided that since he can't beat Contador, he might as well sign him to his new team. It is expected that most of Contador's Spanish teammates (Noval, de la Fuente, Hernandez, and Navarro) will join him in jumping ship from Astana to Saxo Bank-Sungard.
Ok, where does that leave the Schlecks? They appear to be fine, as their new team has apparently a 20 million dollar budget, which would make it the richest in the pro peloton. So the Schlecks can apparently shop for some top dollar talent to help them compete against their old team. We still dont know what their team will be called but we should soon.
What about Astana? They lose not only their Grand Tour winner and arguably the greatest cyclist on the planet, will lose a lot of their domestiques, and their other marquee name, Alex Vinokourov, is expected to retire at the end of the season. However, they are already circling around the Tour's bronze medallist, Denis Menchov, to make him their GC contender in 2011. So not to worry, the ugly teal jerseys will not be far from the front of the peloton...
More transfer news coming soon, but I did want to highlight what a couple of Canadians did this weekend at the Canadian Track & Field Championships, held in Toronto. Arguably the two biggest stars in Canadian Athletics went head to head in the womens 100m hurdles. Here's the video of Perdita vs Priscilla...
As you can see, a great start by Priscilla Lopes-Schliep got rivaled by a great finish by Perdita Felicien, who won by 0.03 seconds. Great run ladies, as their rivalry continues to flourish. They should hopefully keep it up right until London 2012, which is now less than 2 years away! For Perdita, it was Canadian title #9!!!
More news - the same night that Simon Bairu posted a decisive win in the men's 10000m to defend his 2009 title in 28 minutes and 49 seconds, he decided to announce where he will make his marathon debut. His choice: New York City. Can Bairu break the Canadian record that is older than he is? We shall see on November 7th...
More later...
Friday, July 23, 2010
My 3 favorite riders
Hi All,
After about a dozen years of watching the Tour and really following pro cycling over these last few years, I've developed a list of favorite riders. It's easy to like Lance Armstrong, or Ivan Basso, or Mark Cavendish or Fabian Cancellara. And sure, they are all great champions. But three guys in the peloton really strike me as real characters...
3. Thomas Voeckler
We all got to know Thomas Voeckler way back in 2004 when he was part of a breakaway that got away from the peloton and catapulted the unlikely 25-year-old into the Yellow Jersey. But his legacy was cemented when he held on to his race lead for 10 stages, even as the mountains (and Lance Armstrong) seemed likely to take it away from him. Although he has never again worn the Yellow Jersey at the Tour, he always is willing to jump into a breakaway. And the last two years he has succeeded, winning Stage 5 in 2009 (and giving him the polka dot jersey for a few days) and winning stage 15 (the infamous Chaingate stage) in 2010. Voeckler always gives 110%, and his contorted face is seen on a regular basis at the front of the field.
2. Alexander Vinokourov
Probably my favorite racer, but I felt guilty giving him #1 billing when he did cheat. (Ok, everyone cheated - Vino got caught). Regardless, Vino has had an amazing career. His career started back in 99 with a win in the Dauphine Libere and then a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics in the Road Race previewed a remarkable run. His list of victories include the Vuelta overall, Paris-Nice, Amstel Gold, Liege-Bastogne-Liege among others. Add in a 3rd overall and a 5th overall at the Tour, plus two World Championship bronze medals in the time trial and you have a remarkable career. . His win on stage 21 of the 2005 Tour, when he broke away from the lined-up-for-the-final-sprint peloton was an amazing highlight.
Vino's positive test at the 2007 Tour was thought to be career-ending. He actually announced his retirement from cycling in late 2007, but quickly recanted. His return from his suspension has been a remarkable success, as he has won several big races, including this year's Liege-Bastogne-Liege and a dominant performace at the Tour. He easily could have won Stage 12 if Alberto Contador hadn't challenged a late break by Joaquin Rodriguez, but regrouped overnight to perfect a late breakaway to solo to win his 4th career Tour de France stage (2 others were taken away due to his doping violation). He has also been an ideal domestique to Alberto Contador in the Alps and the Pyrenees this year. Congrats on a great comeback Vino!
1. Jens Voigt
Four videos say it all:
And of course...
Enjoy!
After about a dozen years of watching the Tour and really following pro cycling over these last few years, I've developed a list of favorite riders. It's easy to like Lance Armstrong, or Ivan Basso, or Mark Cavendish or Fabian Cancellara. And sure, they are all great champions. But three guys in the peloton really strike me as real characters...
3. Thomas Voeckler
We all got to know Thomas Voeckler way back in 2004 when he was part of a breakaway that got away from the peloton and catapulted the unlikely 25-year-old into the Yellow Jersey. But his legacy was cemented when he held on to his race lead for 10 stages, even as the mountains (and Lance Armstrong) seemed likely to take it away from him. Although he has never again worn the Yellow Jersey at the Tour, he always is willing to jump into a breakaway. And the last two years he has succeeded, winning Stage 5 in 2009 (and giving him the polka dot jersey for a few days) and winning stage 15 (the infamous Chaingate stage) in 2010. Voeckler always gives 110%, and his contorted face is seen on a regular basis at the front of the field.
2. Alexander Vinokourov
Probably my favorite racer, but I felt guilty giving him #1 billing when he did cheat. (Ok, everyone cheated - Vino got caught). Regardless, Vino has had an amazing career. His career started back in 99 with a win in the Dauphine Libere and then a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics in the Road Race previewed a remarkable run. His list of victories include the Vuelta overall, Paris-Nice, Amstel Gold, Liege-Bastogne-Liege among others. Add in a 3rd overall and a 5th overall at the Tour, plus two World Championship bronze medals in the time trial and you have a remarkable career. . His win on stage 21 of the 2005 Tour, when he broke away from the lined-up-for-the-final-sprint peloton was an amazing highlight.
Vino's positive test at the 2007 Tour was thought to be career-ending. He actually announced his retirement from cycling in late 2007, but quickly recanted. His return from his suspension has been a remarkable success, as he has won several big races, including this year's Liege-Bastogne-Liege and a dominant performace at the Tour. He easily could have won Stage 12 if Alberto Contador hadn't challenged a late break by Joaquin Rodriguez, but regrouped overnight to perfect a late breakaway to solo to win his 4th career Tour de France stage (2 others were taken away due to his doping violation). He has also been an ideal domestique to Alberto Contador in the Alps and the Pyrenees this year. Congrats on a great comeback Vino!
1. Jens Voigt
Four videos say it all:
And of course...
Enjoy!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The UNBELIEVABLE Chrissie Wellington...
Hi All,
Although it might get lost with all the IAAF Diamond League, ITU, 70.3, and Tour de France races that seem to be dominating the endurance headlines, Chrissie Wellington put together a day today at the Quelle Challenge Roth that might never be matched.
Going into the Iron-distance race today, Wellington was looking at her first race at this distance since Kona 2009, after having to sit out her normal spring visit to Ironman Australia due to recovery from her bike injuries in January. There was also some question about whether she still had the drive to keep setting the bar higher and higher, even with other women like Mirinda Carfrae and Julie Dibens starting to match her dominance in 70.3 races.
All those question marks were thrown out today, after Chrissie went a remarkable 8:19:13 today (a race in which only 6 guys beat her time). This was almost 13 MINUTES faster than the previous women's world record (which was set a year ago by Chrissie at this same race). She also broke the course records at Roth with best bike time (4:36:33) and best run time (2:48:54) to win by 33 minutes over Rebekah Keat. Chrissie now appears to be making Kona a race for second place.
12 weeks til Kona!!
Although it might get lost with all the IAAF Diamond League, ITU, 70.3, and Tour de France races that seem to be dominating the endurance headlines, Chrissie Wellington put together a day today at the Quelle Challenge Roth that might never be matched.
Going into the Iron-distance race today, Wellington was looking at her first race at this distance since Kona 2009, after having to sit out her normal spring visit to Ironman Australia due to recovery from her bike injuries in January. There was also some question about whether she still had the drive to keep setting the bar higher and higher, even with other women like Mirinda Carfrae and Julie Dibens starting to match her dominance in 70.3 races.
All those question marks were thrown out today, after Chrissie went a remarkable 8:19:13 today (a race in which only 6 guys beat her time). This was almost 13 MINUTES faster than the previous women's world record (which was set a year ago by Chrissie at this same race). She also broke the course records at Roth with best bike time (4:36:33) and best run time (2:48:54) to win by 33 minutes over Rebekah Keat. Chrissie now appears to be making Kona a race for second place.
12 weeks til Kona!!
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