Break Your Limits

The title of this blog about sums up our movements of late here in SUNNY France (at last…at long long last!). So as my blogging is far from regular, I will attempt here a little bit of en executive summary blog of the past few weeks. Perfect for those pressed for time, or simply would rather do other things than read this impending waffle.

St Tropez

Home to the rich and richer and perhaps one of France’s first triathlons of the year. St Tropez is truth be told a rather hideous place but I shall not dwell on this and instead get straight down to business. The triathlon was wet and windy, yes very windy. Not only was it my first triathlon of the year, it was also the first time I have swum in water at the rather refreshing temperature of 13 degrees. Add wind gusts of 40-60km per hour and the fact that from the start line we could see mountains covered in snow in the distance (not really conducive when trying to feel warm) and you have it. I swam ok, rode like a dying dog, and ran ok. The sprint distance surely throws me around and by the end of the race I was just starting to feel warmed up and good to go. Came home in 18th place, well off the pace of the speedsters that live in these parts (this is my third 18th place of the year….I am hoping this is not a sign of things to come!).

Nice

Claire and I headed to Nice for a day so that I could meet a couple of guys who were planing on doing a bit of IM bike course reconnaisance. As BYL master coach Ray will attest, the course at Nice is absolutely fantastic! A one lap course with climbs aplently and also descents, views, villages, farms, forests. This course has everything! Not at all like the courses we have back home. In reality this cours is a virtual stage of the Tour de France, rudely sandwiched between a swim and run. The thought of running a marathon after cycling the course is about as bizarre to me as watching the shleck brothers, cadel and lance donn the joggers after a hard day in the saddle – its crazy but I love it! No TT bikes and disc wheels needed here! (Fortunately there were only three of us that rode the course this day so I avoided coming home in 18th place).

Cassis

The Team headed to Cassis for a bit of R&R and to celebrate Claire’s birthday. Cassis is a truly beautiful place on the coast. And has all that a die-hard triathlete could possibly need. Great cycling, heaps of sheltered open water for swimming and some awesome trails that run up and down the coast. After a few hours in Cassis we were close to calling it our favourite place in France until we realised that it seems this is the favourite place of about half of france’s population. Yes, tourists everywhere but still, a lovely part of the world.

Apt

Yesterday we headed to Apt for a 142km cyclosportif event. A late decision to race was made as racing plans have been amended on the fly due to a few ‘legal grey areas’ about my rights to be here in france (I hope nobody from immigration reads this blog). We were planning to race in Portugal next weekend but have been advised that perhaps its best not to cross borders until there is a little more ‘clarity’ about my rights here. So anyway enough of the legal jargon – off to Apt we went for a bit of euro bike racing. I love this stuff and I think for the triathlete its great training. The riding is very different, with periods of excuciating speed and gut wrenching pain followed by calmness and peace as the peleton heaves and surges toward the finish line. I gave it all I could yesterday and this was the goal. And I narrowly avoided my fourth 18th of the year with a nicely timed 19th place. Not a bad effort but a little dissapoinitng. I definately need to improve my cycling nous and tactics so I can get up there and mix it with the best.

An annoying physics assignment

Yes this has nothing to do with swimming, biking or running or generally excercising until just before the point of death but it has been this that has prevented me from blogging for a few weeks. I am doing a bit of study on the side here, mostly out of fear of not knowing how on earth we will be able to earn enough to pay back the mortgage whenever we (or the bank) decides that this little adventure has to come to an end. But it’s done now, so all is good for the moment. But physics – well it’s pretty darn boring to me. I think I will leave that sort of stuff to the geeks that design our bikes, wheels and accessories.

I’d rather just ride