Pre-Dawn Swim Start

Coming into this race my goal was to finish top 8 and while being interviewed by the race M.C. the morning of he asked me if I was afraid of the Embrun course and what my goal for the day would be, I quickly responded, “No of course I am not afraid of this course and my goal is to finish top 8”  Well the gentleman quickly shot back with, but Scott this is your debut Embrunman do you really think you can finish top 8, in which I responded, “Yes I understand that but I just finished very well at Alpe d’ Huez and have been training all summer in the mountains in Switzerland with my teammates so I feel very prepared!”  He then added, And yes going to Alpe is the best way to prepare for this race but this is Embrunman and the course is much tougher than Alpe d’ Huez. I finished off with, “Well I guess I will find out!!”  And for the record….he was right Embrun is much tougher than Alpe but I can hold my head high placing in arguably the toughest race in the world.

After a coming out of the water a bit better than I had at Alpe I was very happy to be on my bike to really enjoy my last ride in the Alps for the year.  What I wasn’t prepared for was the 7k climb we faced immediately out of transition.  Even though it was tough starting like that I was pleased we were headed up because it was pretty cold and the sun was not really out.

I had no idea what position I was in but was pleased to see Xavier Diepart as he finished 7^th in Ironman France back in June so I was hoping we could ride together for much of the day.  Unfortunately for Xavier he did not have a great day as I pulled away from him after the first descent.

It was good to see Brett and Fiona as we headed out towards the Col d’ Izard where Brett told me to concentrate as I was in 22^nd position and had to start picking people off.  I don’t really recall any point in the day other than the first 15k of the run where I felt like I was going comfortably.  The bike got tougher and tougher as each 10km sign passed.  I knew I was going pretty well when I caught sight of Brandon and Stephen about ¾ of the way up the Izard.  Brandon and I reached the top together where we were met some pretty cold temperatures and fresh snow on the top of the mountain. I was kicking myself for not putting gloves into my special needs bag as my hands were frozen by the time we reached the valley.  I knew that from that point on I was going to suffer and boy was I right.  It never stopped, all the way into the transition I was on my limit as we were greeted with climb after climb.  I held it together for most of the way until we got back to town and had to do the final 4km.   I am not sure how much time I gave up but I was barely moving up in that village and am pretty sure I lost several minutes on the guys in front of me.  The demons really started to come out at this point as I was pretty desperate for coke and just kept trying to remind myself that nothing could hurt as bad as some of the training sessions I have done over the past few months.

Le Col de I’zoard

Onto the run my legs came alive immediately and I was starting to think I might run myself into the top 5.  Because I had yet to put together a solid marathon off a 180km bike my plan was to go conservative for the first half and then try and really hammer the 2^nd half .  Well at about 10kms Doc pops out of the bushes and is screaming at me that there were 6 guys in front of me and 5 of them were running like donkeys so if I would stop being Mr. Conservative I might have a shot at picking a few off.  I put my head down and picked up the pace.  At25kms I ran by Matty and he informed me that I was gaining on Stephen and was just 30 seconds down.

Just after passing Matty things started to get really tough as I became quite nauseous.  Passing Doc once again around 30kms he told me it was now or never but there wasn’t much I could do.  I was still moving forward and gaining on Stephen but at the out and back section he got glimpse of me and took off, forcing me to go into survival mode.  I suppose if I had of known the gap behind me I might have taken a risk at tried to go with him but realizing that I was about to finance the next few months with 7^th place I kept the effort steady crossed the finish line satisfied with my best effort to date.

This was for sure a tough day but I really loved every minute of it and cannot wait to come back next year hopefully a bit stronger on the swim and bike so that I can get on the podium.  Big congrats to T-Mac for getting the win, to James for his second place finish, and to Stephen, Bella, and Brandon for having very solid days just 2 weeks after Ironman UK.  Also, congrats to Matty for his 8^th place in the short course race.  Thanks for the support out there Matty and to Brett and Fiona for traveling to see us race!!   We got the best coach in the world with the most supportive wife in the world!!

It’s been a great summer with more progress made as I get closer and closer to summiting the mountain I have been climbing for 18 months now.  Its back to America now where James and I will continue training side by side for the next few months as we prepare for the Rev 3 and Ironman Florida.

Special congratulations to my mate Andy and his new bride Naomi who got married this past weekend in Horsham, England.  It was an honor to be in your wedding party and I must admit I had more fun at your wedding than any other wedding before!! I must be recovered from Embrunman as my legs felt great on the dance floor!

Look out Jersey Batman and Robin are coming to town, with Cat Woman  or is it Wonder Woman? in tow as well…

So after 2 days of riding through the Alps we pulled in, rested a day and Wednesday morning feeling refreshed we dove into Lake Verney at 9:30 a.m. yes that’s right 9:30 a.m. part of why I love this race so much is for its late morning start as I hate 6-7 a.m. starts…

This race is one of the nicest races I have done, it’s a real beast of course and in my opinion a must do for all avid triathletes.  After a chilly swim in the lake the bike course takes you up and over the Col du Grand Serre, the Col d’ Ornon, and then up the final climb of the day, the famed Alpe d’ Huez.

Last year I finished 9th and was really hoping for a top 5 this year.  Unfortunately my day did not start out as I was  hoping.  I made the catastrophic mistake of lining up too far to the right of the field to avoid the fighting that goes on during the first 500m but once out I never merged into the pack and swam 3/4 of the swim  by myself.  Big, big mistake this was and I am quite embarrassed that as much time I spend in the pool that I finished 7 mins behind the leader.

So once out of the water and seeing who I was with in transition I was fuming and decided I was  going to give it to myself for the next 4 hours to try and make up the ground I had just given away.   After a few kms up the first climb I saw Doc and Declan (Tamsin’s Boyfriend), on the side of the rode.  I shouted to them that I was a complete, bleep, bleep, and just had the worst possible swim.  Doc yelled back to shut up and forget about it as I was wasting too much energy thinking about the swim.  So I put my head down and carried on riding on my limit for the rest of the climb.  I’m pretty sure it was at the base of the second climb when Doc and Declan came driving by again with Declan in the passengers seat he was shouting some positive words to me, he later told me that Doc instructed him to tell me that I was finally riding like a man but he didn’t know how I would take that….Are you kidding me… I have been waiting 18 months for Doc to say that to me!!!

After 3 hours of riding I had finally reached the bottom of the Alpe, I was unsure of my position as I was riding myself the entire day slowly moving up the field.  After a brief wrong turn I quickly made a U-turn,  made the final turn, grabbed a coke, and headed up.  In my head I thought about the 25 trips I have made up our hill in Leysin in the past 2 months and tried to visualize doing the same up the Huez.  James and I had challenged each other as to who would have the fastest time up the Alpe so I was feeling good and wanted to push it a bit.  We are still waiting on that result…

During the race you don’t really appreciate just how steep those first few switch backs are but the next day as we started on our trip back to Leysin I was sure to go slowly so I could  take those turns in and really appreciate just how steep the pitches are!!!  I took each turn 1 by 1 and remembered from last year that you could recover a bit half way up.  With about 3 switch backs remaining I heard someone yelling from above, I looked up and it was Doc.  Coming around the  corner he was there shouting that I was in 7th position and if I had a good run I might be able to crack the top 5.  I informed him that he must make room for me in the Sutton home because I will be spending the Christmas season in Leysin working on my swim…

The last few kms on the bike really started to hurt but I was pleased to hear that I had moved up the field quite nicely.

Into T2  I quickly put on my shoes and started chasing.  Matty was right outside the transition and told me there were 2 guys in front me that I could catch.  By the end of the first loop I had caught them and set my sights on getting on the podium.  By the end of the 3rd lap I caught the 3rd place guy and for a few brief minutes I started to think about my swim, If I hadn’t of F-ed my swim I might have had a shot at 2nd, I thought.  But at this point I really just wanted to enjoy the last lap as I was confident I had secured my very first place on the podium…

Coming through the finishing shoot I was very happy to see James as he and I have been training together for the past year and half and for him to get his first win and me my first podium on the same day was great!  Big thanks to Matty and Dave who were all over the run course supporting us!!

Its been 18 months since I first met Brett Sutton when he told me that it would take 18 months to make me a real athlete…The jury might still be out on that as I am still starting my races like a donkey but the bike is much improved and as a result I am starting to run again.  However there is still much, much more work to be done before I reach the top of the mountain.  I took another step last week by gaining my first podium but I will not stop there as there is lots more fight in this dog!!!

All in all the whole trip was a great success and I really look forward to next year’s trip! Congrats again to James for his first International win and to all the chicks; Jodie, Beck, Lisbeth, Tamsin, and Emma on their great races.   Big thank you  to Cyrlle Neveu for taking such good care  of all week long!!!  And special thanks to Stefan from Magic  Sportfood http://www.magic-sportfood.de/ for taking care of my nutritional needs on race day!!!

SD

Sponsors and Supporters:

The Bike Boutique, Cervelo, 3T, Avia, Token, Louis Garneau, Nuun, Blueseventy, Personal Best Nutrition, 63North, The Sandyhookers Triathlon Club, The Doctors at Advanced Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute, The JT Foundation for Autism Awareness

Not only has the training been fantastic and I have checked off many more boxes in Doc’s training regime but I have also managed to check off some the things on my Switzerland bucket list as well.

In June the Tour de Suisse rode ride up our hill from Aigle so we were able to catch a glimpse of the peleton as it rode by.

Coming Through Le Sepey

Riding Home After A Fun Filled Day

One of my big regrets from last year was that I did not go down to the Montreux Jazz Festival for at least 1 concert so this year I was very keen to go see Ben Harper.   The only photo I have is the one Tamsin took of James, not Batman James, but Aussie/Brit James and I sucking back the 6 beers I bought.  You see I didn’t get enough for dinner so I needed to load up on the carbs with beer.  I bought 6, 3 for me and 3 for James, thinking we could bring them into the concert hall.  But the Swiss being the Swiss, we were not allowed to bring our drinks into the hall with us.  Why you might ask?  Because they love clear floors and let me tell you…you could have eaten off this floor, it was sparkling.

Lets see what else is there?  Oh I had never been to the top of the mountain in Leysin so I really wanted to hike it.  So a few weeks ago we had a bit of rest so Jodie and I went for a hike.

We didn’t quite make it to the top because I had to be back by 5:30 so I could go see the track meet in Lausanne with Caroline.  But this is a picture from our turn around spot.  Next time I might just take the chair lift rather than hike since I have some races coming up…

So as I was saying we had to hustle back down  the mountain because Caroline scored us some tickets to go see the Diamond League Track Meet.  I really wanted to go last year but no one had a car and  taking the train back at night you run the risk of missing the last train up and we know all about what happens then, either you pay the taxi driver 100CHF or you hike up the rail line like Doc did over the winter…

We Had Pretty Good Seats

Then last week when the Tour de France came to Morzine, which is a gorgeous ski town not too far away, A.J., former TBBer and Lisbeth’s Husband needed someone to drive his car to the village as he and his mate Teig were riding that days stage. They had an extra room so asked if Matty and I would drive the car, spend the night, and then watch the tour the next day.  Since it fell on a Saturday night, we did our days training, then hoped in the car.  The next morning I got up and did my long run along the route which the riders would be taking just a few hours later.  It was a great run and really good fun!

A.J., Matty, and I

And Here They Come...

Like Seeing A Champion Boxer Getting Knocked Out:(

Racing Back To The Pub To See The Finish

A.J. and Teig were shouting, “Living the dream boys, we are living the dream!” as we ran down the mountain back to the pub…

The last thing on my summer bucket list was to ride around lake Geneva.  The day of the Ben Harper show, the boys and I departed early in the morning covering the 215km trip with time to spare for a quick nap before the show.  This was one of the most beautiful rides I have been on…

My intention was to do a whole blog about our apartment here in Leysin but time has gotten away from as we seem to be spending a bit more time on our bike this summer.  So here is the abbreviated version.  First though I must thank Sam Renouf, another former Sutto athlete who has kindly rented us his pad for the summer!  Thanks Sam we love the apartment!!

We have appropriately named our apartment the ‘Bat Cave’.  It’s full time residents are James, the smart ass South African, Matty, the French Speaking Canadian who’s ever other word is eh, and me the American with way too much energy.  The Alpha 7 residence is where we hang our hats… As a result of  our 3 different personalities it can be quite entertaining most nights, each one of us have a sense of humor so the jokes never stop flying.

We like to think of the ‘Bat Cave’ as having an open door policy, visitors have been coming and going all summer.  The Marsh’s come to use the internet from time to time, the chicks come to do the same as well as enjoy the occasional glass of wine, my home stay from Nice, Pierre, stopped in for a night as he was racing in near by Les Baines.  We even had a surprise visit a few nights ago when T-Macs hubby Chris locked himself out of his apartment and needed a place to crash.  I woke a bit confused to see some strange man sleeping on our couch.  At first I thought it was a local student who might have been drunk and wandered into the wrong apartment but then I got closer and realized who it was…

Most night we eat in as it is much cheaper to cook with the Prix Guarantee items from Coop than it is to go out to dinner.  After a few weeks I get a bit tired of the cheapo brand of pasta and sauce so I decided to spring for some fancy sauce and gnocchi.  Matty was so impressed I thought I would take a photo….

Since I sprung for the expensive dinner I had to stick with cheap table wine at 2CHF

Matty Enjoying A Glass

Sometimes we convert the ‘Bat Cave’ into Scottie D’s Barber Shop

Brandon Getting A Trim

So as you can see it has been quite the summer thus far!  I have a few more things on my Leysin bucket list but those I will save for the winter time as I really want to spend a winter here some time.  Brett’s wife Fiona suggests I find a local Swiss girlfriend so that I can stay with her over the winter…I like the way she thinks!!!

Tomorrow we we begin our annual Team TBB tour de france as we head to the Alpe d’ Huez triathlon.  We will take some photos and promise to write some great race reports when we return…

Till next time!  We ride!!
SD

Sponsors and Supporters:

The Bike Boutique, Cervelo, 3T, Avia, Token, Louis Garneau, Nuun, Blueseventy, Personal Best Nutrition, 63North, The Sandyhookers Triathlon Club, The Doctors at Advanced Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute

After a difficult swim in which I put myself into a terrible situation I was very excited to get on my P4 and start climbing. I went hard from the start but to me it did not feel too hard…I never felt fatigued or any sign of struggle until about 3kms from the top of the last climb.  At this point I began to recognize the symptoms of what I was feeling. I started to refuel and believed that once onto the run I would come around just like I did in St. George last month. Unfortunately it was not meant to be this time around!  Dropping out of a race is not fun!!!!  You feel like you are letting so many people down but the reality of the situation was that I could have slogged through a 3hour 30min marathon or slower which might have taken a lot more out of me than if I would have nailed this race and run 2:50…

Picture taken by Pierre Moulierac

So I live to fight another day and am hoping to race in the next few weeks so I can forget about the demeans from Nice.  This set back hurts more than others because I absolutely love the city of Nice as well as this race but I will return again next year with the hopes that the 3rd time will be the charm.

Despite my disappointment on Sunday I tried my best to enjoy Monday, going for a nice ride along the coast to Monaco and then enjoying a perfect afternoon swim in the sea along the beautiful cliffs that make the coast of Southern France so breathtakingly beautiful!!  I then accompanied Erika at the awards ceremony in celebration of her 2nd place finish.

Merci beaucoup a les Moulierac pour leurs hospitaliter!  Thank you to the Moulierac’s for your hospitality!!  I loved staying in your home, enjoying the views, and practicing my French!!  You are a wonderful family and I can’t wait to return to either race or train with Pierre some time soon!!

Yesterday I made the trip back by car with Erika.  It was a gorgeous drive through Italy and the first time I have been in my family’s  home country so very special to me!!  We are having a team photo shoot  over the next 2 day swith Cervelo and Blueseventy and then it is back to work as soon as possible with my eyes on the horizon for my next crack at an Ironman!!!

SD

Sponsors:

The Bike Boutique, Cervelo, 3T, Avia, Token, Louis Garneau, Personal Best Nutrition, 63North, The Sandyhookers Triathlon Club, The Doctors at Advanced Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute

After a few minutes a commercial comes on, Connor hops off the couch and grabs his push bike, trying his best to race around the house, poor boy he is still just a bit too small to get the hang of it, but he’s giving it a real go none the less . That’s great Connor, I encourage him. By the end of the summer we can start teaching you how to ride a proper bike like Katelin. We gotta get you on the bike early so you can be a bike monster by 20 and not 30. “Yeah, bike monster…Then I can ride a Cervelo like you”   he says. Boom!! He goes down…It’s o.k., get up… crashing is a part of it, I fall off my bike all the time…Well not all the time but I am trying my best to wipe the fear off his mind. He pops back up and off he goes…

O.K. commercial’s over lets see how Carlos is doing…I’m having a conversation with my 3 year old nephew trying to explain to him how the bike race works like I was trying to explain to some drunk guy at the pub last night what Ironman is..See.. today is a mountain day and so the small guys like us do better in the mountains than the big blokes.. And it looks like Carlos is having a pretty good day so far!    He nods like he knows exactly what I am saying, it’s quite hilarious really. 

I finish my coffee and tell him it’s time for me to go ride my bike …Alright, I gotta go ride my bike now Connor, but you keep watching so  when I get back you can tell me  how Carlos does...”Great, I’m gonna ride my bike too…  Off he goes racing around the house!!!  Another perfect morning at the beach house!!!

Headed into the race my good friend and former coach Brian Shea of Personal Best Nutrition asked what I was hoping for last Saturday. My response was pretty simple, “I just want to finish that marathon and not feel like it was the hardest thing i have ever done…I want to run, not walk/jog/walk/jog!!” This has been my biggest obstical since coming back to triathlon. I knew I was pretty fit and the strongest I have ever been so there was no reason why I should not have one of the fastest runs of the day..

The insturctions from Doc were simple, this is another training exercise in prepearation for more races to come later in the year.  I am not afraid of saying that my goal in Ironman France is to go over 1 hour faster than I did last year…

I will not deny that prerace I was scared of the forecast, rain/cold/wind…My 3 least favorite things.  I knew this was a possibly coming to this rac in May.  I understood that we would see either heat or cold and I respected that so I was not mad… As the race approached the forecast got better and better. 

The swim was cold but nothing like I thought it would be.  It was my error to let the pack go, right from the gun I just laid it up..F- It I will swim by myself, I thought.  But as we turned toward the last 2k, the wind picked up and the cold got to me.  I swam a good 5mins slower than I know I am capable of doing… An hour and two minutes, “F#ck Forget it, you are animal..Unleash it in the last 3 hours on the bike!!!”  This was James’ advice to me in the days before the race and I took it to heart. 

The first few minutes were cold but I was so glad to be out of the water and no longer had a head ache or nautia that I warmed up quite a bit.  After 30mins I rode by my sister, stopped and gave her my vest.  Now… the bike course was tough…It was no joke and we needed a race like this in the U.S.  It was 2 loops with over 30miles of climbing but it wasn’t the climbing that was tough, it was the combination of the wind and crap road surface that made it so challenging.  I moved up the field nicely during the first 3 hours and even at the start of the second loop I was smiling and felt good.  I don’t know how to explain what happened but after about 3 hours on the bike  it felt like I hadn’t been on my bike in months.    What I consumed in the days  leading up to and during the race will be addressed…

Photo Taken By Jay Prahsuhn (Donna's Other Half)

Towards the end of the bike we came towards town and I was starving, I passed Heather and Jimmy and told them I needed food,  a hotdog, a donut, anything..  I was convinced my day was over.  Coming into transition my goal was to make it to 10k of the run then shut it down.  “It’s o.k. you had a solid day of training”, this is what was going thru my head.  Onto the run I started on the coke immediately.  The first 3 miles were all uphill with the most challenging portion coming from miles 3-4.  After the first few miles I found myself feeling pretty good.  I passed Donna’s husband Jay around 10k and I said to him that I was having a long day but…..It’s IRONMAN!!!”  So I contiuned on. 

Towards the end of the first loop I ran past an age group athlete who was running with 2 of his mates, it was clear that this man had a crash and broke something as his shoulder was in a sling.  “How can you quit if this guys is running with a brokern collar bone?”

  What goes up must come down,  last  3miles of the run are downhill and I really started flying. ”  I am going to run as hard as I can and salvage this day!!?  I thought.   I passed Heather and Jimmy at mile 11 and gave them a thumbs up, “I am finally running!!” I told them.  Thru the half mark I made the turn and didn’t even think twice…Keep hammering!!!  When I finally got to mile 20 I realized that I had a shot of having my fastest marthon in an Ironman to date.  You could see the smile on my face…”How am I having such a good run, when 2 hours ago I thought I couldn’t go anymore???”  One more hill, up and over I went… With a mile to go I could feel my eyes starting to well up, “I finally proved to myself that I can run off the bike!!” I never gave up, all day… I was so proud of myself.  It didn’t go well out there on the bike and I know I should have riddenmuch, much faster but I didn’t have a pity party… I kept fighting and that provedmore to me than anything I have done in training or racing in the last 3 years…  If I would have dropped out I would sitting here still wondering if I was ever going to figure out the run  Instead I now know I can do it and have my head held high looking forward to the rest of the year!!

Photo taken by Jay Prasuhn

Crossing the finish line I slapped my hands together in frustration but also in anticipation for whats to come. ” I could have kept going”, I thought.   These are all good signs!!  The animal was never unleashed on the bike but I know it’s there, deep inside, ready to come roaring out!!!

Overall St. George was a great experience and I recommend this race to anyone… At first I thought I would never to this race again but it defines Ironman.  It’s not easy, it’s hard as nails, and it takes a hard person to tackle this event.  It’s not Ironman Florida or Lousiville, its the real deal and I love it for that.  Ironman takes alot of sacrifice to prepare for so it was great to able to go to Las Vegas and relax for a few day!

Big thank you to my homestay, the Flanagans, to my sis and brother in law for making the trip and showing The Wongstar and I Las Vegas.  Oh and Thanks to Ran for taking us all to the adult pool at the Mandaly Bay!!!

Sponsors and Supporters: The Bike Boutique, Cervelo, Avia, Louis Garneau, 3T, Blueseventy, Token, ISM Seat, Personal Best Nutrition, Hawk Racing, Sandyhookers Triathlon Club, The JT Foundation, and The Doctors at Advanced Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute

After reading my last blog, The Doc encouraged me to write more stories like the last, which I really enjoy doing but it ‘s honestly very hard sometimes to muster the energy to sit and write when you are cooked from the heavy training that goes on in camp. But here I am 24 hours removed, staring out the window of Narita Airport finding the energy starting to come back, anticipating the depression that I might face when I get home and realize camp is over.   But  its just 5 weeks till the start of the Swiss Camp. In a perfect world, I think I would heed Docs request and spend 11 months out of the year in camp but I would need to rob a small bank to fund such a block of training so at the moment I settle for 2months here and 3 months there as I keep taking steps up the mountain I now find myself on. Yes I do believe I am well on my way now, up my Everest I continue to go, maybe even slightly ahead of schedule but aware that a false move or two could set me back…

So as I sit here staring at the cold rain that is falling outside, I suddenly find myself already missing the heat of Thailand and reminiscing some of the stories that unfolded over the last 2 months. Once again new friendships were formed as some newbie’s have come aboard and the old friendships continue to get stronger with each passing camp. There were also the usual sweat, tears, and laughter that make the camps so memorable. But the one story that is most memorable is probably the long ride that James and I went on a few weeks back.

After six weeks of doing mostly the same 150km or 95 mile loop for our long ride, James and I decided we were up for trying a new route that Doc had highlighted on the map in the bike room. So after a quick glance at the map we decided, no problem, we head out the usual way, make a right on the 1002 or something like that, then the next right, then 1 more right and we are back on the 4 and nearly home. Cool!!

Now keep in mind that James and I are pretty similar in that we are like most men, we don’t like asking for directions, we are both happy to just keep heading in the direction we think is right and  eventually we will find our way. This is great because we don’t get fussed when we get lost, we just roll with it. Back in February when we spent 2 days in Singapore, we got lost every time we came out of the subway, it was hilarious…We just laughed, scratched our heads, and couldn’t figure out why we kept  getting lost.

So back to the ride, we head out, figure it will be around a 4.5-5 hour ride. We are both pretty wrecked from the long week of training and in particular the track session we did the day before, oh yeah the one where I found myself struggling to keep pace with Zali, Doc’s daughter, as he stands by trackside laughing, telling me to just carry on even if I have to walk the last 8kms. “He,he,he life’s tough mate!” he says but as I glance over we both have a mutual understanding that as bad as it hurts in training, it ain’t real world hurt…

It’s a great day for a long ride though, clear blue skies, at least 40 degrees C, so well over 100 F, another great opportunity for us to really suffer. We get to Kow Phenom and make our turn as planned but shortly there after we get a bit confused, we see signs for the road we are looking for but then come to the next intersection and there are no more signs. I want to go straight, James wants to go right. He says, well if we go right, at least we stay with in our 150km box so we can’t get lost. O.K. I agree and we go right.

There are kms signs on every road in Thailand so we know exactly how long it is to the next town or highway. We carry on, it really starts to get hot by 3.5 hours or so and we are both looking forward to getting to the 4 and only having 20-25kms to go. Finally at 120kms or 77 miles we get to the main road…. oh wait there are no signs. Great! Well, which way. I think we go right, I say. James agrees but we decide to be wise and ask which direction to Krabi. We stop at a local road side shop, James goes in while I grab some ice out of the cooler that was the size of a hot tub, I could have taken a nap in there.   He comes out with this shit eating grin on his face, Bro, they say Krabi is that way…Pointing in the direction we had just come from. No way!!! That can’t be, I respond. So James comes up with the brilliant idea of going to the 7-11 to ask for directions, There is always someone in 7-11 that speaks English, he claims. Sure enough we walk into 7-11 and there was a very nice Thai Lady that was very anxious to practice her English and help us out. Oh yes, she says, Krabi is that way, not too far, no problem, I go all the time on my motor bike. Where you go Ao Nang?? Oh jezz!! Yeah not far ON A MOTOR BIKE. We were 120kms away, maybe 115 if we took this short way she pointed to on the map.

So what do we do? Do we get a taxi? we had already been out there for 4.5 hours now. Should be ride some and then get a taxi? Or should we man up and ride home? First things first, we load up on food and drink. Oh sh#t, James I only got 200 Baht left. He laughs at me and says, well looks like if I take a taxi I will be seeing you at home, he,he,he!!

After enjoying some cookies, a hot dog, a few cokes, and some donuts we carry on. There were some moans, some laughs, a bit of the blame game, and some serious talk, but mostly it was James and I, heads down taking turns at the front, leaving each other alone with our thoughts. As the time passed and the sun got lower in the sky, the temperature dropped and I found myself really enjoying the adventure we were on and my legs actually felt way better than they had a few hours before.

Finally after 7 hours of riding we made it to the 4 and we were heading home!! Wow, what a day, an epic day if you will. In all it worked out to be 230kms or 145 miles in 7hours and 45mins of riding. When Doc heard what we had done he simply said, F-ing Imbeciles.     Ha,ha,ha we got a head start in our preparation for our trip to Alpe d’ Huez this summer!! And the best part, I had 20 Baht to spare!

Hope you enjoyed my favorite story from Heat Camp 2010!! Stay tuned for more stories from Batman and Robin that I am sure will unfold over the next few months as we tackle the Swiss Alps….

SD

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SD

One of my favorite parts of being a member of  Team TBB is that we have camps, long camps. We don’t do 1 or 2 week camps, we do 2-3 month camps. So when you get to spend this much time in a location you really get a sense of what it feels like to live where ever the capm is being held.  You to start to pay attention to  how the surise and sunsets  feel, you can tell what time of the day it is based on the movement around town,  and you start to recongnize more and more people.  But mostly you start to feel like you are a part of the community and in some ways you start to feel at  home!!

Then, when camp is over and we go to our respective homes,  you really start to miss certain things about where you have been. I am pretty sure I can speak for most on the team by saying we all get homesick for Leysin as it truly is  a magical place!! But this story is about Krabi, Thailand and in particular our place of residence, The Tawanthai Hotel…..

The hotel is about 8kms from Krabi Town and 25kms from Ao Nang.  Krabi Town is where the Trust Afarians come to try and feel like they are just like the rest of the world and Ao Nang  is where most tourists go to vacation on the beach.

. It’s a perfect location for training as we are only 1.5kms from the track and pool, and all the while much removed from the highway so the roads are open right in our backyard.

The Hotel is very much a community run operation, with family and friends coming and going daily.. It is owned by, Krob and Kang…

Krob

Kang looking after Doc's youngest

The old man, as we respectfully call him, used to work construction and they lived on the property where the Hotel now stands.  A few years ago they decided to build the hotel in anticipation  for ….  retirement.  Now they live on the 1st floor, room #….Krob spends his days mulling  around the property, watching TV in his special chair, eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the hotel  restaurant, all the while Kang…is in the hotel kitchen, cooking from early morning to late evening,….so much of a retirement for her…I do however think we have inspired Krob  to exercise a bit as sometimes in the evening I see him walking up and down the street, moving his arms in a flamboyant way in an attmpt to look as if he is worker hard!  

Krob and Kang  have a daughter named Jaeb…. she is married to Buntam.  Buntam is a Pharmasist in Krabi Town and he was our contact point as he speaks very good english.  They live just up the road that leads to the waterfall, we see them quite often when we are out riding or running in their neighborhood.  Every Sunday Jaeb and Buntam drop their two daughters. Jane and Kham, off at the hotel to spend the day with grandma and grandpa. This very much reminds me of home when my niece and nephew come to visit my parents at the Beach House, A.K.A. Hotel DeFilippis…. Now that summer is here and school is out, they seem to be spending quite a bit more time at the hotel.

Jane and Kham

Kham

 Next we have May… May used to live next door in a small row house. Now she is the manager of  Tawanthai and I believe has a small stake in the business. She too lives on the first floor, which is a good thing because she looks after our bikes, which are in the bike room just down the hall.

May seems to have taken a liking to the boys as she looks after our laundry, drives us to the supermarket, teaches us how to speak Thai, makes sure our rooms are made up, AND she even gave me a rather naugty Thai calender to hang on my wall…I should note that it is a calender of Thai women and not lady boys:)

May

 There is Yom and Neng.  They are nephews of Krob and Kang.  They too rent a room in the hotel and spend most evenings enjoying their meal complete with Hong Tong Whiskey, snooker, and a soccer match on the TV.  Yom is in his mid 20s, works construction, and has 3 girlfriends, or so I have been told.  I asked him if I could borrow one durning my stay at the Thawanthai, but he kindly sad, no:(   Neng is in his late 30s and works for the government.  He travles about once a week to a nearby city to do some work but seems to alway be happy to be home enjoying the company of his friends and family. 

Yom And I

Neng and Sophie

 Last but not least we  have Pond. Pond lives next door in the white house with blue shutters. He lives with his girlfriend Jo who is English, they have 2 children…. Jo is a teacher in Krabi Town.   Pond speaks very good english so  he helps out at the restaurant. He seems to be a very deep person, spiritual…. if you will, and has a big heart.  I enjoy our nightly chatts that we have.  He  too spends most nights at  the restaurant with Yom and Neng doing much of the same, drinking beer and whiskey, playing snooker, and watching soccer.   Pond also runs a bar of his own on one of the Islands off the coast, Jam Island, or Ko Jam as you say in Thai. Since the arrival of  he and Jo’s youngest child, he has been spending more quality time at home.  A few years ago he lost the whole bar in the Tsunami,  as well as his sister and brother in law who were in Phuket at the time it hit.  He has since recovered., rebuilt his bar, as well as his spirit but you can still see the sadness that left in his eyes.  Pond’s sister had two children that survived the Tsunami, they now live with his Mom in Northern Thailand, where he was raised..

Pond

 Now that the Sutton clan has arrived we have quite the family atmophere at the hotel, which is nice to come home to after a long hard day of training!!!  I hope you enjoyed the story of the Thawanthai Hotel.  If you ever come to Krabi, Thailand for a visit and need  a place to stay, you will be well looked after here!!

Fiona and Zali Talking About Life I Suspect

SD

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I am now settled  here in Krabi, Thailand.  I love the first week in Asia as the time change puts me to bed early and gets me up before dawn.  It’s5 a.m and I am bright eyed.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am not much of a morning person.  As a child my parents let me stay up late to watch Johny Carson and the Honeymooners, so most nights I was up till midnight at least.  This pattern has carried into my adulthood.  During my 4th year of college, Coach Watts would drive to my condo to pick me up for morning run because I kept missing so many of them.  I would say, “Coach it’s not like I am not going to run, I just like to sleep in.  I just can’t  seem to get up, I sleep right thru my alarm.  So if I sleep in till 7 or 8 I will run then”.  He didn’t think that was very funny so he started calling me on his way to campus and would then swing by to get me.  Thanks G.W.!! 

So anyway I left last Sunday evening with a quick stop over at The Bike Boutique in Singapore to get my new Cervelo P4,  finally arriving here on Wednesday.    I met James Tuesday morning at the airport and we headed straight to the shop where the guys started working immediately on our new bikes.  It was great catching up with James!! We had a nice swim and easy run along the beach to wake our bodies up.  Wednesday morning we headed back to the shop and got a quick fit on the Retul System before packing our bike and heading to the airport.  It was also very nice to meet the guys at the shop and to see Alex again.  I love to visit Singapore and hope to go back soon. 

TBB Singapore

Me and Black Betty

It’s great to be back in Asia!  There is a familiarity to the way the air feels and smells, it’s like this most feeling with a touch of a smokey scent.  So here I am settled in for the 7 weeks…. Below are some photos from the symposium. 

Doug Rice and I

JT and I

JT and I infront of a Cervelo P4