UK 70.3 - Ouch....that hurt!
Yesterdays race in Wimbleball (about 2 hrs away from Bath) was just one of those races where everything hurts from the gun. The 6am start on a chilly morning certainly didn't help matters, but regardless it was a long day in the office as they say.
The swim went pretty much to plan, except that I missed the front mens pack, which was disappointing as I thought I would be able to stay with them. However I exited the swim with a couple of minute lead over Bella Comerford, so all was OK. On the long run up the hill into transition I pretty much knew things weren't fantastic as I was seriously breathing out of my ass, and I mean seriously! I then fumbled around in transition, and hobbled out onto the road and made a real balls up of jumping on my bike. I blame it on the lack of feeling in my feet due to the cold - but that's still no excuse.
The next 2 hrs 52 mins was then a real struggle. I just really felt like I was having to work way harder than I should be, but kept telling myself once I warmed up things would get better. It was Ffffffffffffffffreezing out there. By the time the hail storm hit us on the second lap I did actually have to question what the heck we were all doing out there. 8 am on a Sunday morning, on our bikes in a skimpy little trisuits, freezing cold in the hail! Surely there is something better to do :)
Anyway I came back in to T2 having only extended on my lead on Bella marginally. I knew Bella is a fantastic runner, so at the time wasn't sure if my lead would be enough, but after my great run in Switzerland I still believed I could win. I knew that quite often in triathlon you have races where you may feel shitty on 2 disciplines, but then feel awesome on the third ....so I was hoping that today would be one of those days. And for the first mile things were OK. But I still had 12.1 (and yes that .1 is important believe you me) to go. Ouch! I even remember asking one of the age-group athletes that passed me "Hey it is 2 laps isn't it?" Wishful thinking, he replies "no way its 3, why?". " cos I am hurting.....badly...that's why!".
Not long after I then had to stop momentarily to stretch out my first of my muscle cramps. I knew something was just not right when I actually got a cramp in my forearm as I went to grab a drink at the aid station. A couple of minutes later Bella zipped by me. I did shout "go Bella"....but I doubt she heard me as she was running so fast. She had a fantastic race and really deserved to win. Her 1:25 run split would have been hard to hold off even on a good day.
Despite by body seriously telling me to stop, I pushed through was extremely happy to see the 2 familiar faces of Mike and Lucky pups at the finish line.
Congrats to both Bella and Fraser for winning. You both had fantastic races, and also to everyone out there that got round. It really is one heck of a race, and I hope to see some of you back there next year.....maybe.
70.3 Swiss Win
It's sure is nice to stand on top of the podium again. It feels like
forever and a decade ago that I last won a race. In reality it was
only actually 4 races ago, but after a winter of miles and little
niggles it seems a lot longer. I have to say, it is fantastic to have
won another 70.3 They are never easy to win, and it was a hard day
having to chase down the Swiss mountain goat Nicola Spirig. I always
new Nicola was a great cyclist, and was going to be hard to beat on
the day, but I was a little disheartened when she came by me on the
"Swiss Beast" climb. After my not so stellar bike at St Anthony's I
was thinking, shit it's happening again! But I let her disappear off
up the mountain and stuck to my original race plan and just focused on
what I needed to do.
The bike course was truly spectacular. There is nothing quite like riding in the Swiss "hill-side", with the cowbells ringing and all the locals lining the streets cheering. They were so loud at times you couldn't even hear yourself breathing ...which was a blessing :)
I managed to limit my losses on the bike, and came into transition about 1min30 down on 1st, and a comfortable lead up on 3rd. To be honest at this point I was focusing more on holding onto 2nd than shooting for the win. I knew what a great runner Nicola is especially over 10km, but at the back of my mind I did also wonder whether her strong bike would take it's toll. So I settled into a comfortable pace, and was pleasantly surprised with how I was feeling as I bounded up the dreaded "stairway to heaven". To my surprise I then had first place in my sights and ran up next to Nicola at about 4km. It was then a case of just trying to maintain the pace I was setting, and not repeating what happened in Clearwater. My pace slowed a little, but I finished strongly and held on for the win, no doubt disappointing the Swiss crowd, with the home favourite Nicola finishing a couple of minutes back in 2nd.
It was great to have Mike out there at the finish to celebrate with. He decided at the last minute to jump on a flight and come and watch the race which was fab.
Next up for me is a couple of UK races. The UK 70.3 is in 2 weeks, and the UK Xterra just 6 days later on the 21st June. Bring it on!
All the gear: No Idea!
That's what I have been feeling like since my first two races of the season. I have some truly great sponsors behind me this year, and have by far the best equipment to use, but my body and mind just didn't know what to do with them! Obviously I was disappointed with my result at St Anthonys, but went out to St Croix feeling confident that I would do better over the longer distance. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, I never got to prove it. At about mile 10 on the bike I heard a fssssssss, and looked down to see my back tyre going flat.
Now I know that flat tyres are inevitable at some point in your career. Everybody gets them, but I don't think that makes it any less frustrating to deal with. After about 10 minutes, I eventually managed to get my tubular tyre off the wheel, and replaced it with my spare, only to realise that my value extender wasn't long enough for me to pump any air in! Doh! Live and learn as they say. At that point I was pretty much done and dusted as all the pro women had gone by. A few minutes later a bike mechanic did drive up and help me out, but my head just wasn't in it anymore, so I cruised back to transition. I am not sure how many spectators shouted "you're going the wrong way" at me - it was funny the first time.
Anyway regardless of my flat tyre, the race probably still wasn't going as I would have hoped. I led out of the swim, but only because Nina Kraft took a wrong turn at the very end of the course, and I was caught by Mirinda at about mile 5.
I am now back in the UK, and will be here for a while. My next race will be 70.3 Switzerland which I am excited about. Shortly after that is the UK 70.3 and the UK Xterra on back to back weekends, which will be a tough double to do, but also one I am looking forward to.
Until then, its back to the grind for me. One plus is that I have a new training partner to punish - Mike, who has signed up to race Xterra UK this year! It is great to see him getting back into great shape, and really enjoying it too (well I think he is!)
Thanks for reading, and hope to have some more positive results coming soon.
Thanks to our St. Anthony's home stay
Thanks once again to our super dooper homestays Carolyn and Tim. And we look forward to seeing you again for Clearwater.
Update from St. Anthonys
Bummed out! - yes that's how I feel after yesterdays race. Not that 6th place is bad or anything, but I am just not happy with my overall performance, and especially my effort on the bike. But in a way I think this is a good thing. For those of you that followed me race last year, you will know I had a great year. Not that it came easy, but everything did seem to go swimmingly well most of the year. So, to start the season with a poor race I think will be good. It has reminded me of all the hard work I was doing on the bike last year so that I could put the hammer down when I needed. I also do need to remember I am yet to have really started any quality bike work, and it was my first race of the year. BUT I biked nearly 2 minutes slower than last year. Come on!
Anyway, to take a positive away, I ran faster! So all is not lost.
I am now on to St Croix for this weekends 70.3 race. Out of the 2 races this is the one I have been focusing more on. There is a tough field this year, with the reigning World Champ racing, so it certainly isn't going to be easy. One thing's for sure, I will need to find my biking legs somewhere out there this week if I am going to give Miranda a run for her money.
Check back next week to see how it goes!
UK Xterra Camp
Ever thought of doing an XTERRA, but didn’t have the confidence? Or perhaps you’re a seasoned racer who is looking for a new challenge? Well the XTERRA UK training camp held in Afan and Resolven in Wales on 24th-25th May could be the answer.
In preparation for XTERRA UK on the 21st June, Driven to Tri coach and 2008 XTERRA World Champion, Julie Dibens, has teamed up with World Cup mountain biker and top XTERRA athlete, Sam Gardner, to offer a jam-packed weekend including a unique chance to check out the race course under expert tuition.
The weekend is designed to offer a fun and relaxed opportunity for you to take a look at the XTERRA course. A number of coaches and split sessions mean that we can give you individual attention, whether you’re an absolute XTERRA beginner or a seasoned racer. The weekend provides great value for money and would be ideal for club groups or individuals.
There are limited spots so please enter now. Visit the Driven to Tri site to download the registration form - Click here.
April 2008 -Xterra Weekend with Serpentine Triathletes
This weekend Sam Gardner (Xterra bike legend) and I ran an exclusive Xterra UK training camp for a select few of Serpentine triathlon club plus a few others. With the UK Xterra being held not too far away in Neath in Wales, it was a great opportunity for us all to get down there and test out the new bike course for this year. 
The camp had two purposes really. 1) to help give some roadie triathletes a taste of what Xterra is all about, and 2) with the help of Jamie Newall (one of the UKs top Mtb racers), hopefully teaching them some useful mountain biking skills to help get them around the course in one piece. From what I saw, I think we were successful on both fronts - No major crashes (even though Driven to tri stunt woman Daz had a made an impressive effort) and about 50% of those on the camp said they were seriously considering racing Xterra this year. Mission accomplished! 
On a personal front the weekend also allowed me to get out on my fab new On-one Scandal mountain bikes, and ride on some of the best biking trails in the UK. Once I am out there and in the "mountain bike groove" I thoroughly enjoy the riding, and I know that if I had that kind of terrain on my doorstep I would be hitting the trails a lot more than I currently do. The bike course for this year's Xterra UK is epic. They have changed it up for this year by adding some great little technical singletrack trails. I say great, but I doubt I will be thinking that in the race! They were great fun riding down at a leisurely pace - but I have the feeling hurtling down at race pace will be a little more challenging!
I will now be putting the Scandals at the back of the queue of bikes, as I now turn my attention back to the Stealth (my time trial bike), as I prepare for the first 2 races of my season - St Anthonys and St Croix.
For anyone interested, Sam and I will be running another Xterra UK camp on the 24th/25th May and encourage anyone vaguely interested in Xterra, or anyone interested in trying out a new style of triathlon to come along and join in. Full details of the weekend will be posted soon on www.xterra.uk.com
A special thanks goes out to all the guys that helped out at this weekend. Ryan, Ben, Aled and Jason - thanks for all your time and help, and hope to see you back in May. You guys are legends!
April 2008 - Lanzarote Trip
So it's been a little while since I last wrote an update, but to be honest there wasn't much to report. Most of February and March were spent plugging away at home in bath, and dealing with a few niggles here and there. So to be honest I wasn't having the best of times. I needed to get away, get some sun on my back, and have a few consistent weeks of training to get my confidence back. For me there is nowhere better to do this than in Lanzarote. I have been going to Lanzarote at least once a year for the last 6 years, and I always seem to come away stronger and fitter.
So I booked my flights, persuaded some other eager beavers to join me and off we went to rack up some sunny miles. I stayed out there for 3 weeks, and with the end of the trip falling over Easter it meant Mike could come and join in on the fun for the last 10days. There was a great mix of people to train with - some more serious than others, but I think that's what helped make it such a successful trip. I even managed to get some good training done - despite Sam and Susan's best efforts!
Here are my top 5 highlights of the trip
No 5: a Kilo of Ham please! - When you have up to 9 hungry triathletes (and most of those calorie burning machines) we were getting through a lot of food each day. I can't forget the look on the guy's face, who worked at the deli at the little supermercado in La Santa village, when we would ask for a Kilo of ham! I think he thought we had made a mistake with our Spanish translation! But no - we pretty much got through a kilo a day. I think he chuckled to himself every time we saw him.
No 4: Mission accomplished - I think of the 10 people that joined me on the camp, everyone of us got what we wanted too out of it. As I mentioned we had a wide range of abilities out there, and everyone handled their training in a professional manner - achieving their goals for the trip. It was a pleasure to be out there training with everyone. So thank you! (u know who you are!)
No 3: Sammy G and Benedict - Listening to Sammy G's tell us about his adventure to a nudist beach in Maui (after I left). I won't give any more details, but if you are intrigued ask Sam about Benedict next time you see him. It is sure to bring a smile to his face.
No 2: Monster Brick Set - Completing one of the toughest brick sessions I have done to date. On my penultimate day out there I set myself the challenge of doing a solid run/bike/run/bike/run session. Considering my state of fatigue going into it, I was more than happy with the way I handled the session. And it has now given me some confidence going into my first races at the end of April.
No 1: Nicks Naked ride thru La Santa - This seriously couldn't go unmentioned and without a doubt gets top spot. I am not sure whether any alcohol is to blame for this or not, but Nick basically accepted a bet of 10euro/person to ride with arm and leg warmers only the 2km from La Santa Village to Club La Santa and back. 
This all arose from a discussion about how great his tan lines were from the first few days cycling. Unfortunately for Nick he is merely a cyclist (it's OK Nick :0 ), which means little or no time spent in the pool working on a proper tan. The pictures we have are priceless - but probably best not to post them here......oh what the heck...here you go!
So all in all it was a great couple of weeks. Thanks to Planet X and Brooks for getting me sorted with lots of nice kit to use while I was out there.
Next up this weekend Sam and I are running a camp for Xterra UK with the London Based Serpentine triathlon club. Should be good fun! No doubt I will have more stories to tell next week!
March 2008 - Italy Trip
I just got back from a trip to Italy with Dave from Planet X. It was a bit of a whirlwind trip that consisted of about 1000 changes of clothes, lots of Italian food, and a windy trip home!
Planet X had asked me to go out there to work with their clothing designer Carlo. The idea being for me to help them develop a women's line of clothing to go along side Spencer's S2 men's clothing line. I really had no idea what to expect, but I went out there with some pretty solid ideas in my head of what I wanted. The most important thing for me was to help develop a "Speed-Line" of clothing. With the majority of my races being Olympic distance I am still looking for a race-suit that is a technically fast fabric in the water, as well as being practical for cycling and running. I am not willing to give up any free seconds to anyone, and I think I got this point across pretty clear. It was, at times, hard with the language barrier. Even though Carlo speaks fairly good English, discussing the more technical aspects was a challenge. I am very excited about what we came up with, and look forward to trying out the first prototype hopefully when I am in Lanzarote towards the end of March. We will hopefully launch this suit at the St Anthony's race in April.......so get cracking Carlo!
Also in the works are a one piece and a two piece option for endurance or long distance races. These suits are designed around the concept that they need to be less about speed and more about comfort and practicality. So the endurance line will be more breathable, probably less restrictive, and will have things such as pockets for those that need gels and bars throughout the race. Hopefully it will look sweet too! But you will have to wait to learn more.
We also spent a little time looking at making some excellent training kit to go alongside the racewear. Carlo is obviously excellent in all these areas. I tried on many products he already had in the pipe line, and was truly impressed with the quality of them. But then he is Italian remember...what else should I expect.
Other than lots of talk on kit and changing of clothes, I managed an early morning run through the town of Novara. I snuck out the door at 6:30 expecting a nice quiet shuffle through the cobbled streets. I failed to realise that the whole town would be getting up at this time, so ended up fighting my way through throngs of kids walking to school, and crazy Italian drivers on their way to work in cars and on bicycles....and all this down tiny cobbled streets wide enough for only one of these.
The trip then ended with a hairy scary landing attempt at Bristol airport. Having flown a lot to races over the years, it's not often that I get scared flying! We were really getting blown all over the place in the 50mph cross winds, and on the first attempt the pilot had to abort the landing when we must have been about 10m from the ground. I figure that you know something is not right if you get that close to landing and the pilot changes his mind. So I was then fairly relieved to hear that instead of trying again, he would land us in Cardiff instead. Although not ideal as it meant for a very late return home, at least we made if safely.
I am off to the sun and wind in Lanzarote in a week. I can't wait. It seems like forever since I have been warm while training....other than when sweating away on the Computrainer. I will go out there for 3 weeks, and have various different training partners coming out to keep me entertained.
Thanks for reading, and look out for me wearing some of the new Planet X kit soon.
February 2008
I am now well and truly back into some good training. Having just finished a solid 3 week block, I am looking forward to a slightly easier week next week. Today I was lucky to get to ride with up and coming superstar triathlete Aaron Harris. 
We headed out for a nice 100km ride in sub zero temps. But, the sun was shining, the roads were quiet, and even the drivers on the roads seemed to be in a good mood, sharing the roads with us beautifully. I have to say it is SOOOOOO nice to be riding my superlight pro carbon Planet X road bike. Having ridden a time trial bike for most of the year last year, it is nice to be able to head out for some winter miles on a road bike. I look forward also to doing a few drafting races on this beauty later in the year. I hear that British elite national champs maybe held at the same venue in Wales....so who knows I may even drop in there.
The only real downside to enjoying my Planet X road bike, is that it is preventing me heading out on my On-One mountain bikes. I really need to get out on them as I have some exciting "testing to do". Worst case scenario I will be out in Mid Feb, as it looks like I will be catching up with soon to be Xterra world dominator, Sammy G for a trip to Afan in Wales. Who knows we may even check out the course for this year’s Xterra. And of course this would be a perfect place to test out which is faster - the 29'er or the 26’er!
My plans for a warm weather training camp are also coming together nicely. I will be heading to Lanzarote for 3 weeks in March, and will have various people joining me at different times to no doubt kick me around a bit. I have always been a huge fan of training over there. The riding is typically hard, as the wind can be relentless. I also find that March is often a good time to get away, as we tend to start expecting the weather to get better around then.....but more often than not it snows!
Also on the plan I have a short trip to Italy to meet with the Planet X/S2 clothing dude. Planet X is keen to develop some women's specific kit for this year, to go alongside Spencer Smith’s very own clothing line S2. Top of my list is some fast-ass racekit. Having decided to stick to Olympic distance, and 70.3's again this year, fast is a priority for me.
And lastly and on a very sad note (for me) is the news that the coach here in Bath, Chris Volley, has accepted a coaching position with Triathlon Scotland in Stirling. Chris has been a fantastic coach/mentor to me over the last few years, and he will be truly missed. I have no doubt in my mind however that we will stay in touch, and I will keep harassing him for advice, and he will continue to not pick up the phone when he sees my name! I wish you all the best with the new job and the move Chris.
New Sponsorship - January 2008
I am very excited to say that I have some fantastic new sponsors backing me for this year. The biggest and without a doubt the most exciting of which is that I will be riding for Team Planet-X / On-one this year. They will be providing me with 3 fantastic bikes, as well as cycling clothing and racekit that I will have an input on designing. The guys at Planet-X have already been fantastically supportive having kited me out with my 3 bikes. It's only January for pete's sake.....surely I should have to wait at least until June to get my first bike! I am looking forward to getting to know the Planet-X gang as the year progresses - despite them having some crazy ideas up their sleeves (like me riding a 29inch single speed MTB, and racing in Hawaii!). To have a sneak peak at what I will start out the year riding have a look on there website. Their Time Trial bike, the Stealth Pro Carbon, which I will be doing most of my racing on is Sweeeeet. It will be kitted out with some Xentis wheels, which just look fast. And no I wont be riding a PINK one like Spencer Smith (I like to think I have a little more taste than that - no offense Spencer!).
I am also excited to welcome on board Schwable tyres, Oakley sunglasses, and Giro Helmets. All of these have fantastic products and I am very much looking forward to using them as I try to improve on my performances from last year. Talking of last year, it is interesting when I reflect on my season. I was happy with my most of my results, and was obviously delighted to win the Xterra world champs in Maui. However ending the year with my 4th place at 70.3 worlds has really given me the hunger to knuckle down to some good training this year. Out of all the races I wanted to win last year, that was the one that I wanted the most, and I am determined to go back this year better prepared for it.
For those of you wondering (and wanting to plan which races you will come and cheer me on!) I plan on racing a very similar schedule to last year, with the exception that I will start racing a little later, kicking of my race season in St Anthony's at the end of April. It means I won't fly out to Guam and Saipan to race some early season Xterra's, but having had some illness over the Christmas period I don't want to rush into racing before I am ready. It will be a long season and I will be looking to be going well in October and November.
Lastly some of you ole faithfuls will notice that I am now writing updates instead of Mike. While some of you will no doubt be disappointed, it had to be done or Brant at On-One would never stop talking about how "I" should be writing it. Let's hope I am as informative as Mike! I'll give it a go anyway.
December 2007 Update
It's been a while since our last update. I guess that's the problem when there is no racing....not much to report on! Julie is now back into training after a 2 week break after Clearwater. Well she called it a break!!!! She is trying to keep things pretty relaxed up until the New Year, and then will crack on with the serious stuff. This is always a hard time of year for a lot of people. The days are short, and here in the UK are often wet and/or cold. Julie is however staying focused, thanks to the meltdown in her last race of the year. Her performance in Clearwater is still fresh in her mind, and so is helping her to get out of the door, when everything else is saying " No, stay inside wher it's warm!".
Other than the training Julie has been using this relative downtime spending more time working on her Driven to Tri coaching. She is now really enjoying this, and has a handful of athletes that she is really enjoying coaching. She has also done a few guest appearances at dinners and expo's. Speaking is not her favourite task in the world....but one that she is getting more confident at. She now understands that with her 10 years experience that people are actually interested in listening to what she has to say. Just don't ask her about nutrition!
2008 looks like it will see Julie race a similar format to this year, where she hopes to combine racing 70.3's, Xterra's, the Lifetime Fitness series, and the odd race in the UK. We hope to post a tentative race schedule in January. It also looks like Julie will have a brand new band of sponsors, which she is very excited about. Nothing is signed and sealed yet, but as soon as it is we will let you all know.
All that is left to say is to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and New Year from myself and Julie. It has been a fantastic year, and definitely our most enjoyable one to date. Hopefully you have all enjoyed reading the updates, and will continue to check back for more news in 2008.
Julie would also like to send our a special thank you to two of her sponsors. Eve and Ant (and Ollie) at Skinfit, have been so supportive of Julie and all her Triathlon endeavours. They always went out of their way to get Julie what she needed as far as racekit, and clothing goes. They have also become fantastic friends, and Julie thanks them for everything they have done. And secondly Total Fitness Bath. Though not technically a sponsor for this year, they have continued to be incredibly supportive throughout the year. They actually lent Julie mountain bikes, road bikes, and Time trial bikes, when her other sponsors failed to deliver. Andy and Sarah Rolley at Total Fitness Bath, are fantastic mates, and without their support this year would have been a lot lot harder! This is what sponsorship is all about. Building great friendships....as well as milking them for all they are worth :)
Julie 4th in 70.3 World Champs
Julie gave it everything on saturday, and after leading for about 67 of the 70.3 miles faded in the last 3 miles to come home in 4th place. In one hand it was a tough way to end the year, but in the other she should be happy knowing that she laid it on the line giving it 100% on the day and made the other girls work hard for it. It obviously wasn't the way she wanted the season to end out, but what a great year she has had. To recap:
- 1 Xterra World Championships
- 1 British National Title
- 2 70.3 wins
- 2 Xterra Global Wins
- 2nd Place in the Lifetime Fitness Series
- 16/17 races in the top 3
Back to the race, as i said Julie led pretty much from the gun, and exited the water with about a 50m lead on a small group of girls inlcuding Becky Lavelle, Leanda Cave and Pip Taylor. Out on to the bike Julie put her head down and opened up a big lead early. By mile 20 she had a 2min30sec lead on Becky and Leanda and about a further minute on the eventual winner Mirinda Carfrae.
Julie then entered into T2 and headed out on to the run with some would think and unassailable lead. She had 4:30 on Becky and Leanda and about 7mins on the fast charging Mirinda Carfrae. Now Julie knew that Mirinda runs like the wind and was hungry for the win, and knew that there was a still a lot left to do to try and get to that finish line first. Julie ran well for the first 10km losing only about 3mins to the fast charging Carfrae and holding time on the other girls. It looked like it would be a close race to the line with Julie and Mirinda. And then BOOOOM! You might have heard the small explosion throughout the world, but with about 3miles to go the wheels on the Dibens train flew off! The last miles were a real struggle and Julie was quickly losing time to not only Mirinda but also now to the other girls. Sam Mcglone the passed her with about 1 mile to go and Leanda Cave not long before the finish line. Julie the collapased across the line in 4th.
Mirinda had a truely amazing run, going 1:18 for the 21km run. Now that is fast running! She truly deserved the win and was without a doubt the best athlete on the 70.3 mile course. So Julie would like to give a huge Congrats to Mirinda, and to her coach Siri for getting her there in great shape. Julie hopes there will be many more duels with Mirinda next year.
So now the racing season is over! Julie will now take a little down time. She will keep the training light and switch her focus to her coaching with the Driven to Tri team - at least for the next couple of weeks :)
Thanks for reading. Thanks for all the continued support. All the messages that keep coming in are fantastic and Julie loves to read everyone of them.
Julie is the 2007 Xterra World Champion!
Julie is ecstatic with her win the Xterra World championships. The course was fantastic and offered many challenges for everyone. Julies race went exactly to plan really. She had about a 2 min lead on the next girls coming out of the water and never looked back. Out on the bike she focused on what she had to do and tried not to worry about what was going on behind her. Lucky the Maui Gods were kind and she got through the bike without any mechanical issues and also without falling off her bike....which is probably a first for xterra for Julie! This was probably a blessing as you certainly wouldn't want to come off and land on a Lava rock! Julie came into transition 2 still in the lead, despite having some fast mtb'rs chasing her down. She had about 2mins on the next girl as she left transition, who was Mel McQuaid (3 time xterra world champ). This lead was exactly what Julie needed, to give her the confidence that she could hold on for the win. We are yet to see the official splits but we believe Julie went on to have the fastest run split as well, and win by almost 7 mins.
While most people out in Maui will be partying the night away, Julie will now be focusing on her next World Championships which is the 70.3 WC in Florida in 2 weeks. She will however participate in the huge Halloween costume contest held tonight. Her and Sam gardner are going as Bob and Bobina the two swim bouys. Pics to follow!
Julie would like to add " i just want to thank everyone who was sat at home watching the live feed on the net. I am sure it was exciting to watch and it was great to know that i had loads of people cheering me from the UK, US, OZ, and NZ. A special thanks must also go out to Jamie Newall at Extra UK who very kindly lent Julie a fantastic BMC mountain bike to use for the race! BMC bikes came first and second in the womens! They must be doing something right :)"
I better start looking for flights now!
Thanks for reading and for all the continued support. Thanks to Rich Cruse for allowing me to use the above photo on this site. Do not use this photo without Rich's permission. Contact me if you are interested in using the Photo.
Some Maui fun and games
Pre Xterra Training:
Secret Ninja Buoys to aid Julie on swim:
Dibens (almost) does Dallas! (to steal the headline from Tri247!)
Julie finished in 2nd place in Dallas earlier this morning. This was race 5 in the series of Lifetime Fitness races held in the US this year, which started in Minneapolis in July. Sarah Haskins (USA), stormed away with an early lead on the swim and never looked back and won the race finishing about 1min30 up on Julie in second. 
Julie had an uncharacteristically poor bike, and failed to find her usual gears. She came into T2 1 minute back on Haskins, and had a solid run to hold off the faster runners coming from behind. Miranda Carfrae rounded out the podium in 3rd, and an under the weather Emma Snowsill came home in 4th. Emma did just enough to hold on to win the series and have enough points to take home a bonus of $60,000. Julie finished off the series in 2nd place, but bizarrely didn't have enough points to pick up her $25,000 prize bonus.....despite finishing 2nd and 3rd in all the races (figure that one out!). Anyway, not to be greedy Julie was delighted to pick up her $25,000 for her 2nd place in Dallas, and thoroughly enjoyed racing in the series. She'll be back next year, and hopes to be on the top of the podium at some point.
Julie now flies onto the sun and sand in Maui. She will now spend 2 weeks preparing for the Xterra world champs. So its time to ditch the Time Trial Bike for her flash new BMC full suspension bike, and hit the trails in Maui.
Check back in a couple of weeks for more.
Thanks to Mario Cantu for the black and white photo. Please do not use this photo without his permission. Contact me if you are would like to use the photo.
Read some archived news
January 2007 - September 2007.