Meanwhile, out on the prairie, the 2012 Canadian Birkebiener took place in Edmonton on February 11th. Lenka Plavcova ripped up the 31 km Journal Cup Loppet in a Worcestershire sauce-hot time of 2:37:51; good enough for her to finish 13th in her age group .  You can see all the results for the 2012 Journal Cup here.   Competing in the 55km Birkebiener (full results) with-pack event, Jan Plavec finished 17th overall ( out of 146), finishing in 3:53:10.   He followed those results by competing in Edmonton’s Silver Skate Festival Winter Triathlon held on the following weekend. Here he found himself a little behind the eight ball, going against speed-skates with hockey skates, but as you can see from the results, he made up for it on the run.  Jan came in 11th place and had the fastest run time overall.

That’s about all I know about early results.  If I missed your kickass results posted in an extreme snowless snowshoeing race or some other timed competition this year, let me know. Or, better yet, post your results on our website, here!

Jersey V3

The screening will include a question and answer session with the filmmaker, in which I will ask the question “If humans are the perfect runners, why do I suck so badly at running?”.

If you don’t live in Edmonton, or can’t make the advanced screening, you can watch the documentary on CBC television on March 15 at 8:00 PM.  Check out the website for more info about the documentary, and have a gander at the official trailer below.

Next up is the Fat Tire Tuesday Mountain Bike Series.  These really are fun and low-key.  They are held in Terwillegar Park, every Tuesday usually beginning in the middle of May.  There are podiums and prizes, welcoming trails, and good natured organizers. Same deal; as long as you are a club member, you are welcome to pay the tiny-wee race fee, and line up beside like-minded trail enthusiasts. Check it out; you can keep up to date on the status of these races by touching base at the Hardcore website.

Finally, come September, United Cycle puts on an awesome series of relaxed and kick-ass cyclocross.  Mountain bikes are permitted, and there are always a few who want to give the sport a try before investing in the greatest race machine ever invented.  Courses are usually twisted around open lawn at or near Goldbar Park, and involve some sections where you have to get off your bike and run a few steps.  These races are rediculously popular, a testimony to how well organized they are, how relaxed the atmosphere is, and how much fun the sport of cyclocross is.

So there you have it. Don’t be shy join a club, preferably Fiera Race Team, and get racing. See you at the starting line, no excuses.

UPDATED:  Here is Pete’s first-had report.

Saturday Feb. 4 saw the staging of the 29th edition of the Winterlude Triathlon: a unique winter event featuring an 8k skate on the world-famous Rideau Canal, a 7k ski in the Arboretum, all capped by a 5k run, in part along the icy margins of the canal. If ever there were an opportunity to test your endurance sport skills, with the added challenge of Canada’s unpredictable winter weather thrown in, this is it!

Kicking off the triathlon is an exhilarating 8km mass-start skate that winds along three-quarters of the total length of the Rideau Canal skateway. To be competitive in this race, it is crucial to use long blades with ski bindings attached, enabling a quick transition from the skate to the ski (as well as profit from the incredible efficiency of long-blade skates compared to hockey skates). Competitors share the surface with the general public, so vigilance is required throughout the race. An 8am start, however, means most Ottawans are still tucked cozily in their beds – only the keeners are out taking advantage of the glass-like conditions on the canal after a cold winter’s night of diligent work by the maintenance crews. The skate portion has the feel of a criterium, with all the requisite drafting, periodic bursts of speed, and jockeying for position found in a bike race. It has the added adrenaline rush of sharpened skate blades flashing inches from your nose, or worse, in the event of a tumble. Two people went down – that I know of – in the course of the skate. I finished, unscathed, in the top 10, benefitting from the strong draft in a relatively tight pack of lead skaters.

On to the ski – definitely my weakest event… It started off poorly and only barely improved. My hands were cold and shaking a bit as I tried to get into my bindings. I marveled at how this minor lack of manual dexterity could compromise so significantly such a basic task. Did I say “marveled”? I mean “cursed”. I hope the words going through my head at that point weren’t said out loud…they weren’t intended for public consumption. At least a half-dozen skiers passed me in the T-zone, adding to my frustration. The course is set/groomed only the night before, so passing is tricky as the snow hasn’t had much time to set and is pretty mushy. Anyway, my arms felt a little leaden for the first few km of the ski and my lack of skiing this year didn’t help with the overall co-ordination factor. I didn’t actually fall, but I did feel pretty wobbly out there until about the midway mark when I finally started to find my ski legs. The two-loop course didn’t work to my advantage, as I began the 2nd loop just behind a group of 1st loop skiers beginning to climb a small incline. One person fell just in front of me, forcing me to wait until he righted himself so I could pass. The format is definitely an incentive to ski like stink on the first loop to avoid encountering (i.e., having to pass) so many people on the 2nd loop.

After passing a few people on the first loop, I skied most of the distance on my own – the lead pack was fairly spread out. The second loop was busier, but I knew I wasn’t likely picking up any positions on the front-runners. I had no way of knowing how far ahead anyone was now that the competitors were jumbled up on the ski course, and its curvy format made it hard to see much up ahead anyway. The race director did a nice job of maximizing use of the arboretum, incorporating a few small climbs, some straightaway and lots of turning, to make for an interesting ski race, overall. It finished back down on the canal, where the second T-zone awaited with our frozen running shoes, stuck in a snowbank.

I guess the transition from skate-skiing to running isn’t completely unlike going from cycling to running: the heart-rate is high, the quads are spent, the calves have to adjust to more of an abrupt contraction, and the hip flexors have to drive forward with much more authority. I quickly unstrapped my ski boots, donned my runners, tore off my vest to proudly expose my Fiera Race Team singlet, and headed for the exit. (Editor: images of superman!) After a few hundred meters of adjusting to the new cadence of running (and missing the timing mat on the way out of the T-zone: my fault), I settled into an easy pace and attempted to catch my breath. I don’t know why, but starting the run in any sort of triathlon always catches me and I have to ease into it. Apparently I don’t do enough brick workouts (it shouldn’t be hard to improve on this…doing one would be a good start…). By about the halfway mark, I was in a good groove and slowly started picking up a few more people that had kicked my butt in the ski. Cornering on the ice was tricky at times and I began to understand how Bambi felt. It’s hard to suddenly change direction when the only contact between you and Zamboni-smooth ice is a pair of snow-encrusted runners, and you have a decent amount of forward momentum, to boot. I had been playing around with trying to mount screws in the soles of some runners the night before, but only succeeded in puncturing an air bag in an old pair of Nikes. That sucker ptttthhh’ed around my workshop like nobody’s business! My Wile E. Coyote days are behind me, much to my wife’s relief.

All told, I finished in 6th place; 4th in my age group. It’s the third time I’ve participated in the race, and every time reinforces how much fun it is. Part of the thrill is being part of a 300-strong group of fellow winter enthusiasts, taking advantage of the unique conditions that exist in our nation’s capital enabling such an event: a (typically) robust winter, a super-long canal that is flooded and turned into a massive skating rink, and a group of people who recognize the potential of the above and undertake the effort of organizing the race. I strongly urge anyone on the team to give this race a try if you find yourself in Ottawa in early February – it really is a good challenge, and a good time!

Full results here.

Do you have a short film about bicycles or Bike culture?

 If so, we are now accepting submissions for the

We will be accepting submissions until 4PM on March 30, 2012.  You can download a copy of the submission guidelines and upload your awesome film at www.bikereel.com

Don’t have a short film about bikes, but love watching short films about bikes?  Well, stay tuned for more information about the upcoming Bike Reel Short FilmFest, which will be coming to Edmonton in May 2012!!

Questions?  You can email the festival directors at: info[at]bikereel.com

Stefan before the BIG race

This was the best race I have ever had! But when looking back I was lucky that I could participate at all.

The year started definitely not according to the plan. I caught myself a nasty Achilles tendon injury, which was bugging me for 6 months (see previous post).  In the end I got it under control and was able to finish a short but crisp 14-week training program, which got me into peak shape. Then the day was finally there.

We went down to Mexico with a big group: Sanja, Simmon, Ben and Lindsay, Sarah (Ben’s sister) and Laura (Lindsay’s sister). We also met up with Carsten, a very good friend of mine from Germany. We all resided at Casa Birdie, a nice villa located at San Francisco Beach on Cozumel’s west coast. Ok, since it’s a race report I will spare you the touristic details.

Race morning:  If there is one thing I really dislike, then it’s being rushed in the morning. So, I thought 4:30 am is the perfect time to get up. I was actually sleeping very well that night and when the alarm went off, I immediately hopped out of the bed, went down into the kitchen and prepared breakfast. Simmon, who was sleeping in the living room, also got up (because of me) when I realized it was actually only 3:30 am. “You idiot forgot to adjust the time zone on the cell phone…”, was my first thought. Well, now I was definitely not in a rush but felt pretty bad about it and was hoping the other guys wouldn’t wake up. I switched the kitchen light off, Simmon fell back on his couch and an hour later I repeated the whole thing again. This time though it was all good.

Swim:  About an hour later we made our way to the swim start, where Mexican soldiers with machine guns were welcoming us in T1. That was so crazy! They were patrolling in the transition zone with machine guns ready to fire. Anyway, we couldn’t really pay attention to it since we had to get ready to be in the first row once people were allowed to enter the dock area. After the pros were off, we were allowed to slowly walk in file to the end of a corner from which we were supposed to jump off and tread water till the gun goes off. Luckily, everything went well. We made it quick into the water having thousands of people behind us.

I was right behind Ben and Lindsay. The water was clear and warm but Jellyfish were stinging us all over the place. It wasn’t really painful but rather an unusual feeling, and they were so small I could never really see one. Then we were off! The washing machine was switched on and I tried to keep it controlled and focused on exhaling (a tip I got from www.swimsmooth.com). The first hundred metres didn’t feel too bad, or maybe I finally got used to open water swim with 2000 people. No matter what, I told myself to do exactly what I did for so many miles in the pool: Maintaining a nice rhythm with a good body roll and keeping the elbows high. The swim course was a rectangle and easy to sight. On the back straight I had to countersteer a little bit since the surf was pushing us gently back to shore. Every now and then I had the chance to draft off someone but for the most part I was on my own. I exited the water and when I saw 54 minutes I was super happy!

Stefan exiting the water after a smokin' fast swim in the washing machine

While running along the dock towards T1 a fellow competitor helped me with my speed suit zipper, which I couldn’t zip down right away. I easily found my bag, changed and headed to my bike. I quickly unracked it and ran it out of T1. On my way out Sanja was yelling and cheering and told me “You are at 57 minutes right now”. That was pretty awesome and I was very happy that all my 6am swims at the Kinsmen Sports Centre paid off!

Bike:  The bike started well and my pace was good. Actually, I went out way too fast for the first couple kilometres (as I always do). Clearly I have to work on NOT doing this all the time. It was a 3-loop course with a total of 182km. The first part goes south, then the second part is going back north along Cozumel’s wild coast (with terrible cross winds) and finally it turns west to where T2 and the finish were located.

On my way south I could see a group riding together and I was hoping they would fall apart once the crosswinds hit them. Shortly before the turn I passed Lindsay, she and Ben had amazing swim times, and she looked fresh and was super excited. I was really happy for her to see that all works out so far. Finally, the group fell apart and I passed them eventually. This stretch back north was awful and needed full concentration and motivation. Then, after the next turn we had a tailwind and I was going over 40km/h. Shortly before I reached the city, the group I had passed was reunited and passed me again. I was really annoyed by that, but I either had to suck it up and let them pull away, or stick to their wheels and take advantage of the group. I picked the first option, put my head down and was waiting for them to be out of sight. Then on the second lap my glutes started to hurt really badly and I was slowing down significantly. My heart rate dropped accordingly and I was unable to push it. It was a weird feeling I never experienced before. I tried to keep up the speed, but my glutes were just burning… another thing I had to accept. On the other hand my quads felt amazing and I was looking forward to running – but there were still 2 laps to go and it became really hot now.

Looking cool and fast on the bike

During the second lap, especially the part along the east coast of Cozumel, I reached my low point, as for the bike part of the race, and I was absolutely not looking forward to the last lap. I approached the city again and the pain in my glutes started to fade slowly. I was very pleased about it and my attitude turned positive again. On my way south I caught up to Ben. He told me he crashed because someone cut him off in a corner… damn triathletes We chatted a bit and then I went on since I didn’t want to risk a drafting penalty. The last lap was ok but I was really looking forward to start running now. After 5 hours I finished the bike and started to run.

Run:  On the first 2 km my quads were complaining a bit but then they felt good. The heat however, really gave me a hard time. I grabbed ice bags at all aid stations and was pressing them on my forehead, neck and wherever else cooling was needed. In retrospect, I guess that saved me of not developing a heat stroke. Again we had to do 3 laps and after the turnaround there was a slight tailwind so no air movement at all. IT WAS TERRIBLE! I felt like a boiled potato ready to get peeled.

Back in town I just wanted to quit but Sanja made sure I kept on going. She was cheering, screaming and feeding me with motivation. This was just enough to not pull the ‘chute and quit the race and my triathlon altogether. I didn’t quit but I swore myself that I will never do an Ironman again in my life and I don’t understand why I put myself through this – and why on earth am I, a middle European, doing a race in the tropics?? NEVER again – this was my mental state starting the second lap. Ben, Lindsay, Simmon and Carsten were all suffering. We were giving high fives whenever we saw each other. I was really happy having them on the course as well. During the second half of my second lap it started to rain like crazy. The streets were flooded and there were stretches when the water was knee deep and running wasn’t possible – but I was so happy it started raining.

During the last lap I never felt so much pain in my life before. My legs were hurting badly. The real pain had arrived! Every step was painful but I just kept on running. I told myself “You ran for 30km now, so don’t stop now. As soon as you start walking you will lose everything you were training for so hard for all these months. Don’t break in now”. On the last few kilometres then, I knew I will finish this damn race and was able to speed up a little bit. And then, finally, I crossed the line and it was all over. Thank god!

Somewhere along these last kilometres I must have also passed Laurent Jalabert! He is right below me in the result list. When I heard the commentator saying that Laurent Jalabert is coming in, I headed straight back to the finish line to congratulate him. I shook his hand but he was also pretty beaten up and not really in the mood of talking. Anyway, it was super cool. I would have never thought in my life that I would be able to be so close to someone who rode the Tour de France 10 times and even compete with this very person in the same competition AND beat him. I walked over to the massage tables but before I got the deserved massage I had to sit for the next 15 minutes because I really didn’t feel well. That’s when I also saw Sanja again. She found me right away and after the massage we waited for other guys to come. First in was Ben, followed by Lindsay, Simmon and Carsten. I was really happy that everyone was in the finish and everyone was well!

Final thoughts and what comes next:  First of all, yes I made it! I qualified again for Kona, but this race was by far the hardest and most painful race I ever did. My legs and my glutes were hurting for 2 days so badly that I was not able to walk normally. During the third day it got better and the soreness faded. Neither at IM Canada nor at IM Hawaii I felt like this after the race. I definitely went up one level of pain resistance and I am sure my next races will be even better.

I clearly have to improve my biking!! 5 hours is not acceptable for me. For my next race I want to be at 4 hours 50 minutes, and also cut down my running time another 10 min. I will continue swimming the way I did and not really change a lot, except refining my technique. Taken all together I will hopefully get into top shape in order to finish in Kona among the Top 5 in my age group.

Stefan Schreiber, in his third Ironman appearance, and Simmon Hofstetter, in his debut Ironman, spent the day Sunday smashing the competition.

After following a very strict training and nutrition regime, Simmon pulled off an amazing time of 11:23:22, for 27th place overall in his age category.

Simmon's times - whoooohooo!!!

Simmon rehydrating after a workout.

As for Stefan, he had the goal of going to Cozumel to improve on his time from last year, and to qualify for the 2012 World Championship in Kona.

After a year of training battling a pesky Achilles heal injury, he went to Cozumel and  had an amazing race, finishing 3rd in his age group (only 28 seconds out of 2nd place), with a finishing time of 9:23:51.  While we don’t yet know if he has recieved a qualifyig spot for Kona, we are nevertheless amazed, inspired, and very proud of his accomplishment (UPDATE: Stefan has informed us that he has indeed qualified for the 2012 World Championship in Kona!!  Stay tuned for a race report).

Stefan's times - wow!!

Next up - Ironman Siberia

Full report.

As was mentioned earlier this week, the Canadian Cylocross Nationals are taking place tomorrow in Toronto.

Last year, riders from Western Canada invaded Toronto’s Cedervale Park and took home most of the Hardware.  In the Elite Men’s category, Chris Sheppard (BC) took gold and Aaron Schooler (AB) took bronze.  The silver was won by Mike Garrigan (ON).

The 2010 Elite Men's podium. Sheppard will be back this year to defend his jersey.

In the Elite women’s category, western riders swept the top 4 places: Wendy Simms (BC) with the win, Katy Curtis (AB) with silver, Catherine Pendrel (BC) with bronze, and Pepper Harlton (AB) just off the podium in 4th.

Pendral raced to 3rd in 2010. As of yet, the newly minted XC world champion isn't registerd to race this weekend

It was only in the U23 category that the East seemed to dominate, with Evan McNeely (ON) taking the Maple Leaf jersey ahead of Jared Stafford (ON) in second; and Garrett McLeod (NS) in third.

So what’s going to happen this year?  Will the West continue to dominate the Elite categories?  Or will the East be able to show up at home?

Chris Sheppard will be back to defend the title, as will Evan McNeely.  However, as of today, none of the Elite women’s podium is registered to race.  Does this mean Pepper will be able to scoop the win? Or will Emily Batty have an advantage on a reportedly hilly, mountain-biky course?

The list of registered riders can be found here.