Merry Christmas

The year of 2011 is coming to an end, and for me it have been an amazing one. A lot of good memories to look back on and a lot of exiting people that I have meet, and where many of those are people that I would call friends today.

But before this year comes to an end, we have a little something called Christmas. It is one of the best times of the year, and I am back in Denmark for a couple of days to see my family and freinds, and then afterwards flying back to Germany to be there with Susanne and all the crazy german friends at new years eve. :)

On the sportive side of my life, I must say that the biggest excitement and the clearest memory was Susannes and my trip to Norway and Denmark. First running up the Gausta hill and watching Susanne win for the third time in Norseman, and then afterwards to drive down to my old hometown of Copenhagen and race the Challenge and finish as 9^th, being able to run to the finish line giving high fives to both some of my friends and my parents just to be welcomed at the finish line by Susanne.

The year started, like it will next year to, with the Camps for Hannes Hawaii Tours and it felt like the complete spring time was spend either in the sun of Fuerteventura or Mallorca or in a plane getting to one of those locations or getting back home from those.

Next Year I will be in both of the Challenge Camps, both of the Magic camps, as well as I our new preparation camp for challenge Fuerteventura and I am sure it will be a blast like this year.

If you want to be part of the camps there are still some spots open. And even if you are not German speaking it is still a great option to get some quality training and to move a step forward towards your goals in 2012 and further on. They are open for everybody at everylevel as long as you have a little experience on for an example to ride with clickpedal on the bike and can ride 3hours with 20km/h here back home.

There was a lot of races for me in 2011as well.

Duathlons, Short distances, Olympic distances, half distances and a long distance as well.

For next year I have two big goals, and I am working on my season planning to get it all fixed.

I will post more to this subject soon – just like some new sponsors have step on board and of cause I will tell you as soon as it all is official.

In November, we had our Challenge TriCamp Run seminar and a week later the swim seminar in professional Endurance Team, witch once again was a big success. It was some fun days where we after those hours could see a progress for all the participants – maybe worth considering for you for next year?

But for now I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas all the best for the new year and happy holidays.

Take care

Hans

Copenhagen on a regular sunday...

 

It is here...The video from KMD Challenge Copenhagen - it is so cool..

The shooting is done by Flemming Gernyx, and he is even able to make me look good on film.

Enjoy...

Hans

DNF – Well, then I tried that too...

Last race of my season is in the books, but for me it ended a couple of hours to early.

I really looked forward to Challenge Henley-on-Thames since I finished in Copenhagen in middle of august. It was quite strange feeling in these weeks between the two races, I never really felt tired from Copenhagen but also never really felt fresh. I did not do much training more or less just one race with a little short intensity stuff before to get activated, then raced Challenge Walchsee and with two weeks between Challenge Walchsee and Henley that time was spent with resting.

Susa an I drove to England. When it is possible we always try to drive to the races, because you are able to bring all the stuff you need and are not limited to a suitcase or a bikebox.

The English countryside is beautiful, and that was in surroundings like in the English TV-series Barneby that we were going to race.

The race began for us at 6:30 that Sunday. It was going to be a sunny day. But that also meant that there were clear sky during the night witch pulled the temperature down to a rather chilly 5 degrees.

Off we went in the Thames on part of the rowing leg for the rowing regatta in henley, best know for its battles between Oxford and Cambridge university.

We could see nothing other than the caps of the other athletes because of fog, witch made it a very different experience, but a very cool one.

I came out of the water as number 10 and all was good, even though that I had lost some meters to a couple of guys that I have hanged on to for most of the swim.

Transition was good, but took its time – after all you do want to get an extra shirt on when you know that you are getting out on your bike being wet in 5-6 degrees.

I did actually not feel that bad. It was cold but not in a way that you could not handle it. And I am still in the belief that the temperature did not course the problems I experienced next.

I was not feeling strong on the bike, and guys that I would normally be able to ride with were passing me in what felt like double speed. The bike leg was challenging but very nice. 4 loops with 2 climbs on each loop. Not nasty steep climbs, more like long annoying once, the ones where you feel that you should be able to be faster but simply are not.

But like I said not really steep. Therefore I was wondering what was happening n the end from second loop when I hardly did not get to that top of one of the climbs in my lowest gear. I did get to the top though, rode on for a couple of minutes and then I puked, got back on my bike rolled a little on got off and puked again. That was the end of my day.

I´ve never had a DNF before, exept one time in the danish championships where I broke my back wheel and had the option to ride the last 50k´s on the pullys or to wait to get picked up after the last competitor came past. But this was the fist time that my body was not playing along.

 

I don´t know where it came from. Did not eat any strange stuff in the days before, even drank bottled water because I did not like the chloral taste in the normal water. Maybe it was just a sign from my body to say stop.

Well I did stop, and now the off season is coming up witch also not is to bad. More on that to come...

Take care

Hans

Challenge Walchsee race report

Photo: challenge Family

 

Last weekend I once again found my self on a starting line. Here three weeks after Challenge Copenhagen I drove with Susa to Austria, this time for a half distance but not just any half, Challenge Walchsee was on. I got a late entry spot and was looking forward to a good race and the last hard unit before the next long distance in the mid September.

Susa had the job of handing out gels and salt to me one race day, and kindly asking me why I was not racing faster when I knew that I was slow. - I think she likes that job way more than racing herself.

We arrived Thursday evening to our little but very sweet hotel in Kössen, next to Walchsee, where it turned out that the daughter Michaela and her boyfriend Mario also was going to race. Both of them for the first time.

Later that evening Jacob Frandsen and Chris Fischer checked-in. Both of them are very talented Danish athletes ready to kick my ass, but all in all perfect company leading up to the race.

I hate race mornings. I don´t know why, as soon as the gun goes off and the swimming is on everything is good but until that point I just want to get back into bed. This time was no different even though we all was welcomed by a beautiful sunrise and the typical challenge atmosphere when we checked our bikes the last time and went to the swim start.

The clock hit 8:00 and off we went. Now everything was good, except that some guy hit my glasses in a way that I almost lost them, but I got them back on and did not loose much time. My swim was good and I had a group and never had problems with following. I exited the water with athletes that normally are quite a bit ahead of me in the swim so it seemed like that I had a swim that was better that normaly somehow.

On the bike I spent the first kilometres closing a small gap to 3 other guys. A couple of guys came along but on the first big hill I was kicked off when they for some reason practically sprinted to the top.

After not being able to close that gap, the rest of the ride was more or less unspectacular and I hit T2 with a setback of about 4:30 to where I wanted to be.

Photo: challenge Family

So yet again I knew what to do if I wanted to finish somewhere near top 10.

It was kind of a lonely run for the first 10-12k. In that 4:30 gap there was no one, so even though that the gap got smaller and smaller I did not see anyone. I was happy that the spectators was so motivating because otherwise it would have been a even more though task to close the gap.

On the last lap I caught 3 guys, and then on the last meters I overtook Chris Fischer who again had showed his power on the bike were he after 15k came blistering by.

I hit the finish line just in time to get a little share of the price money, lucky me that a couple of good guys had signed up as age groupers because I was only in 12^th position overall.

Photo: challenge Family

I am very happy with my performance. It was a world class field, I can´t think of a stronger middle distance field in Europe this year, so a 12^th place is for sure okay.

Now back in Germany the last preparation is on for Challenge Henley on the 18^th September.
- I am looking forward!

Results can be found here

The way to England leads through Austria..

It´s now been a couple of weeks since KMD Challenge Copenhagen and my legs and lungs are feeling normal again. I am even back into some easy training.
At the moment it is very hot here with temperatures above 30 degrees. I must admit that I like it a little cooler normally but it fits good with going for a morning jog and a couple of loops in the local lake - that is so warm that you wouldn´t even think about putting on a wetsuit.

In the first weekend of september I am going to Eurobike. At first I was going to work alittle there but things changed and I now have the option to do Challenge Walchsee in the same weekend. It will be a cool little trip and I am looking very much forard to getting back to Walchsee where I last year did the bike part in a relay. this time I will do the complete race and hopefully be able to get in the mix for a good result.
Walchsee is an amazing place in Austria between the mountains next to to this beautiful lake. a perfect scenery for a race.

After Challenge Copenhagen 2 weeks ago I never felt really tired, like you normally do after a long distance race. Don´t worry - I took my rest and did not try to push anything - but never had those days were you just could sleep the whole day.
Then again, I know that the units that you do afterwards can be mantally hard. You did your main goal of the season, it was all good, and now you have the get back in the rhythm and get ready for the rest of the season.
It is not that there is much to do before Challenge Henley. I am in shape and just want to stay somewhere on top of my level. Therefore, instead of pushing yourself out for a last hard unit i might as well do a cool race. Challenge Walchsee it is.. 4.september.. get set.. go!

Challenge Copenhagen Race report

Last Sunday I Raced Challenge Copenhagen and I have to tell you guys about it, because this was an amazing experience.

Photo: ©Jørgen Ebbesen / www.jorgenebbesen.com

For me this was, in many ways a new start. It was actually my first long distance race in almost two years and it was my first long distance race under the wings of my coach Susanne Buckenlei from Professional Endurance Team.

The build up was a little different than what I normally have been used to, mainly given that a couple of years ago I fitted my training in to a very busy daily life with studies and work. Now there have been more focus on the sport and it would also be cool to see if this fact was shown in the result in the end of the day.

During my studies I lived five years in Copenhagen – and I grew up just a mile north of the end of the bike course – and a race on home turf is always special.

The Race started well. I was fighting in the main pack for the first 4-500m but then had to let them go. I caught the feet of another guy who also had to let go of the main pack and I just stayed on his feet for the rest of the swim. I felt strong, the water had 17,4 degrees but I was not freezing at all. I came out in 51:29 min. A new personal best for me.

Onto the bike, three guys that exited the water one minute after me, came along. I rode with them for about 25k. The idea was to ride as stable watts as possible and rather to ride alittle slower than I could but therefore to have a good run. This was maybe a mistake to let these guys go, because with my couple of 60 kilos I could have used a little motivation on the way back in headwind. I rode by myself – and the next time i saw other athletes was at about the 150km mark when I took over a little group that looked like they had been pushing to hard at some point. It was a lonley ride, but a good one and I had a lot of time to enjoy how well my Exorcet was rolling. Sometimes it is quite cool not having to look at some guys ass in front of you for half a day, and instead being able to enjoy the places were you get to ride your bike.

Photo: ©Jørgen Ebbesen / www.jorgenebbesen.com

Back in the city the real hunting began. I was at 22^th place and there was quite some work to be done if I wanted to make a top 10 result, witch was the goal of the day.

I ran out feeling comfortable and knowing that my chances for a fast run split was better than some the guys who had pushed hard on the bike. It was a 4 loop couse and after the first one I started to pick up the guys one at a time. I was running well an with 10 km left I was in 9^th position. Stephen Bayliss was only about a minute ahead but my legs started slowly to let me know that it had been a long day and I could not close the gap. I ran a 2:48 min. marathon and crossed the line in 8:36 min. Have a look at the results here.

Photo: ©Flemming Gernyx

It was a really amazing race. It was just like one big party in the streets of Copenhagen. Organisers and police estimated more than 100.000 people cheering on the run course alone so you could imagne what a push that was.

Photo: ©Flemming Gernyx

Here a couple of days later I am still having problems with getting down on stairs but at the same time looking forward to Challenge Henley in 4 weeks.

Thank you so much for your support.

Take care