The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread (Page 17): Triathlon Forum: Slowtwitch Forums

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The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread

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Rappstar

Mar 12, 11 19:21

Post #401 of 426 (2998 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [Barlow] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Barlow wrote:

Great race Rappstar. Really cool to have a slowtwitcher to root for. Just a quick question: seeing as it was a virtual TT the whole way, did you use power to set your pace? And playing catch up, did you gamble at any stage?

Thanks,
Will

My *plan* was to just pace by power for the first 3.5-4hrs, then to put in a surge to try to close the gap. But by the time I hit four hours, it was really hot, and I still hadn't closed on the leaders. A lot of other guys had blown to pieces, but the real group of ~10 at the front was still too far for me to actually close the gap with a surge. A surge is good for dropping guys, but if you know how much power you can manage, you have a pretty good idea how much actual time you can close, especially when the guys up front aren't slowing down. So I thought, at that point, I'd do better to try and just stay at my power (which was also plenty hard enough at that point), and try and keep my run as fresh as possible, but in retrospect, it might have been nicer to start the run a bit closer to feel like I could actually close the gap. I felt good on the run, but the gaps just seemed so massive ahead of me.

I was just so far down, and those guys are so good, that I don't know that I could have made a better gamble. I think my "gamble" was that if I was steady, the guys who weren't would fall apart in front of me.

If I came out that far back again, I think I might have taken a bigger risk on the bike. Maybe 10-15w more, which could easily have smashed me, but that probably would have closed the gap to at least the top-6 or 7 off the bike.

When a race is that long and windy and hot, I just figured that making my best even effort was the best bet. And I was *almost* right.

Suzette

Mar 12, 11 19:28

Post #402 of 426 (2987 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [Rappstar] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Jordan
Great, great race! We had some good times on the thread while you were racing. You have so many friends, fans and advocates here on ST.
Again, was cool to chat w you in San Diego at the awards - thanks for all, and hope to see you again soon!
All the best - Suzette
Suzette Ayotte
US Marketing Manager
fi'zi:k

Herbert

Mar 12, 11 20:21

Post #403 of 426 (2939 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [Rappstar] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Power is your friend. :-)

AlphaQ

Mar 12, 11 21:49

Post #404 of 426 (2890 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [Salmon Steve] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

I see from the fact she's posting on her facebook page she made it home fine. Pass on my congrats to her for her teams effort (I will be enlisting her services when I decide to go for an Ironman)
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Chicks are like Voltron, the more you can get, the better it is." -Tucker

Salmon Steve

Mar 12, 11 22:14

Post #405 of 426 (2872 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [AlphaQ] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

I said jokingly, to one of the guys she coaches, that he had to make sure she made it back to the flat safely. He rang me at 12.15am informing me i) He'd just won the 50-54 National title, ii) He'd just dropped her off home. :)

All's well.

FJB

Mar 13, 11 0:07

Post #406 of 426 (2801 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [Herbert] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Thank you also for asking permission. Seriously

Can I make a suggestion for the next race?

Would you be able to put any contests for prizes on a separate thread from the race reporting. It became very tedious to read everyone's picks, followed by the constant reminders of the contest and the prizes on offer, followed by changes to the picks every time someone dropped out.

Meanwhile, it was hard to actually follow the race. The thread was great with the updates and different racers contributing comments. I think most people would prefer to hear from Bjorn or Rappster than to see who won a pair of socks.

Just a suggestion.

AlphaQ

Mar 13, 11 0:56

Post #407 of 426 (2766 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [Salmon Steve] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

That's awesome!
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Chicks are like Voltron, the more you can get, the better it is." -Tucker

Barlow

Mar 13, 11 1:33

Post #408 of 426 (2739 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [Rappstar] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Jordan,
Thanks for the insight. Very interesting to learn about the decisions made in a race at the front of the field.

Thanks,

Will

Suzette

Mar 13, 11 3:47

Post #409 of 426 (2707 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [Barlow] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

1st place winner for R3 fi'zi:k cycling shoes was Mojozenmaster, only one to predict men/woman winners! Yeah! White R3 fi'zi:k cycling shoes en route!

2nd place/consolation winner of spontaneous fi'z:k / Abu Dhabi contest is Mbarber, the only other person w/ Van Lierde in Top 3 men's picks + top 2 female winners. Mbarber, you win saddle/tape package. Will contact you via PM or pls email me at suzayotte@earthlink.net *thx

3rd place consolation, TBD.

Only trifecta > Seabiscuit w correct women's pick. Deserves more than socks!

"In for the thread duration" fi'zi:k sock winners to be contacted - minimum of ten.

Thanks again and safe travels and training to all.
Suzette
Suzette Ayotte
US Marketing Manager
fi'zi:k

ZingUK

Mar 13, 11 4:19

Post #410 of 426 (2683 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [Rappstar] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

I did the short course Jordan and watched you in the swim, you went way off line at the start of the second lap and nearly had a head on with someone else coming the other way who was also way off line.

The conditions were brutal but not as hot as the 40 degrees Bjorn suggested but certainly mid 30's and that wind was just head on no matter what direction we were going. I know a lot of the local competitors here and several ended up in the medical tent (as did Julie Dibbens I believe). The course was significantly harder than last year because of the conditions.

I did give you a shout as you were about 0.5km from the finish so if you heard a Scots voice yelling "Come on Jordan, dig in!" that was me :-)

Rappstar wrote:

Thanks for the support everyone. Swam like crap. Very surprised since I've put in a lot of time in the pool and had some killer workouts. I did the USMS postal swim and actually had some hopes after how well it went that I might actually make the FIRST group, not be 5min behind them...

That was pretty much the story of the day. I did my best to play catch up all day, but it's hard to chase bigger guys on a flat and windy course. Basically a solo TT for swim, bike, and run.

A very long day to come 11th, but hats off to everyone who finished ahead of me. It was an epically hard day, and I'm mightily impressed with the performance of everyone who finished, but especially the guys who smoked the swims, bikes, and runs out there.

Time for some recovery, and then some time figuring out what went wrong on the swim, and-hopefully-correcting that before Oceanside.

sciguy

Mar 13, 11 4:33

Post #411 of 426 (2673 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [Rappstar] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Rappstar wrote:

Anyone who thinks the swim isn't tough and important need only check out your studly hour swim results to see what truly fabulous motors the guys
swimming ahead of you must have.

Age group Place First Name Last Name Age USMS # Distance

30-34 4 Jordan Rapp 30 CVMM 331R-02ZH2 5,165

Nice swim!
Genetics load the gun, lifesyle pulls the trigger.

FJB

Mar 13, 11 5:11

Post #412 of 426 (2642 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [ZingUK] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

The conditions were brutal but not as hot as the 40 degrees Bjorn suggested but certainly mid 30's and that wind was just head on no matter what direction we were going.

I am often surprised at the number of people who complain about weather conditions in countries that have extreme weather. I mean, was anyone really surprised that it is hot in Abu Dhabi? It is like Hawaii when people start complaining about the hot and windy conditions.

Do people do their homework or just hope for an unusually cool and calm day and then get surprised when it is actually quite typical?

ZingUK

Mar 13, 11 5:29

Post #413 of 426 (2627 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [FJB] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

To be fair I live here in the UAE and even as locals we were surprised how hot it got yesterday, the temprature has suddenly shot up by around 10 degrees centigrade in the last week. The other things non-locals tend not to understand is how exposed this particular course is, and the strength of the solar rays here even compared to similar tempratures in other parts of the world but you are correct about doing homework. Even having done the homework though it was still brutal yesterday

FJB wrote:

Rappstar

Mar 13, 11 6:33

Post #414 of 426 (2572 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [ZingUK] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

When I'm swimming badly, I pull hard to the left. I always go *slightly* left, but the worse I'm swimming, the worse it gets.

@sciguy - the 5165 postal swimmer was definitely not in residence during the race.

Though my conclusion after speaking with a bunch of wise swimmers, including my wife, is that it's not my 60min swim that needs improving; it's my 60sec swim. I negative split the postal swim, which is atypical. But it's typical for me. Likewise, I negative split long rides, long runs, etc. pretty naturally. Which is generally great for long distance racing. The one area for triathlon racing that negative splitting is not helpful is on the swim, which should be a pretty drastic positive split. So will spend some time talking it over with my coach, but I think I'll probably spend ~3mos or so working strictly on 50/100 and maybe 200 speed. It seems like it's worth at least trying. If I make big strides, and there isn't the gain in races, then at least I know. But I think there will be, and I'm certainly willing to try.

That being said, even without that work, I should have been ~3min faster (the bulk of that second pack, with guys I've swam with numerous times), so that's another bit of mystery, though I think I carried a bit too much fatigue into the taper. Who knows though.

Thanks again for the support. On a day like that, it's really great to hear people saying your name. Thank you.

FJB

Mar 13, 11 6:38

Post #415 of 426 (2564 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [ZingUK] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

To be fair I live here in the UAE and even as locals we were surprised how hot it got yesterday, the temprature has suddenly shot up by around 10 degrees centigrade in the last week.

I can understand that temperatures go up from day to day but all the competitors would have signed up long before the week before the race and knew for a while they would be there. Was the temperature 10 degrees or so higher than any March day in history?

If that is the case it would be unusual but if not, it strikes me as odd that such an elite field with professional athletes were surprised at the heat. I can understand an age grouper signing up because they heard Abu Dhabi was a nice place and it would be kind of cool to race there but for this field, it just seems many were not prepared for the conditions and considering the location, it seems unusual.

I can't imagine a pro in Hawaii sayiing there were shocked at the heat and wind but that is what happened here.

Jensentri

Mar 13, 11 7:14

Post #416 of 426 (2530 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [FJB] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

It was extremely hot yesterday, the hottest day while I have been out here.

Going back from Yas Marina Circuit the first time, many of the aidstations was busy serving AG'ers going out, and didn't hand out any drinks to the PRO field coming back on the opposite side of the aidstation. I talked to Bj�rn afterwards, and he missed 3 aidstations going back on the first lap (because the volunteers wasn't ready and paying attention to his side of the road), and that basically killed his race...

/Martin

Herbert

Mar 13, 11 11:05

Post #417 of 426 (2410 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [FJB] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

This was a last minute thing, thus like this.

AlphaQ

Mar 13, 11 11:21

Post #418 of 426 (2388 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [Rappstar] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Just out of interest how come you were on a Transition rather than a Shiv? Do you prefer it?
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Chicks are like Voltron, the more you can get, the better it is." -Tucker

Rappstar

Mar 13, 11 12:18

Post #419 of 426 (2317 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [AlphaQ] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

AlphaQ wrote:

Just out of interest how come you were on a Transition rather than a Shiv? Do you prefer it?

I'm getting my Shiv soon. The delay has been that I want ski-bend extensions, which requires more work to set-up before it comes to me.

monty

Mar 13, 11 12:31

Post #420 of 426 (2301 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [Rappstar] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

So will spend some time talking it over with my coach, but I think I'll probably spend ~3mos or so working strictly on 50/100 and maybe 200 speed. It seems like it's worth at least trying.\\

Perhaps you have heard this somewhere before?? (-; I'n not sure who your coach is these days, but would be glad to piggyback any advice he/she may need or have for you.

AlphaQ

Mar 13, 11 12:32

Post #421 of 426 (2300 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [Rappstar] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Oh right. Thanks for the fast reply :)
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Chicks are like Voltron, the more you can get, the better it is." -Tucker

sirkilio

Mar 14, 11 2:35

Post #422 of 426 (2111 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [Rappstar] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

The Abu Dhabi video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8dlf0nlBN0
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Miguel Andrade
http://mitano.blogspot.com

ToKnowMore

Mar 14, 11 15:13

Post #423 of 426 (1927 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [Rappstar] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

When will you star racing with your Shiv?

Herbert

Mar 17, 11 7:08

Post #424 of 426 (1799 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [sirkilio] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

And more good stuff next year

sirkilio

Mar 17, 11 7:12

Post #425 of 426 (1795 views)

Re: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Triathlon thread [Herbert] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

For sure! (I better start saving money so I can go and race there next year)
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Miguel Andrade
http://mitano.blogspot.com

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