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OCT 23, 2005 - 4th Place XTERRA WORLD CHAMPS, MAUI HI

the XTerra world Champs took place last weekend in Maui oct 23. i had been looking forward to this event for 3 years... and more so of late because I knew I had the form to win this one. but with cautious optimism because with the brutally hot conditions and jagged lava rock and keawe thorn infested bike course i find it takes a bit of luck in maui, and this year's race proved to be no exception. It started well with a solid swim... i tucked in behind peter Reid and raced out to the first buoy with the leaders. After the first of 2 loops i found i was not far off the lead pack. At the swim exit T1 I came out 1 minute off the fastest split. Right where I should be, and a welcome improvement after my swim debacle in Tahoe 3 weeks earlier. On the bike i found my legs right away, climbing well and slicing up from 20th to 3rd within the first 15 minutes. Last year's 2nd place Marceau was again riding in 2nd and tagged on when I went by. We traded back and forth for a couple km until we reached an extended climb where he popped. Now it was defending champ Eneko Llanos just ahead, who i soon overtook for the lead. I continued climbing with only the tv chopper for company, and feeling within myself. Too easy i was thinking. Prior to the race i had wondered if my hardtail would be the right choice, and so far it was just fine... ie the course was smooth enough. but this is Maui and with the experience of 5 tries before , it just doesn't stay this easy. and sure enough, before long the curse of Maui struck again - while pedalling in the middle ring the chain sucked up, jammed and twisted a link. This sort of thing just doesn't ever happen anywhere else... only in Maui. Fortunately the bike was still rideable as the gears were skipping only in the bottom 4 cogs. So i rode on, still making solid progress over 'ned's climb' on the top of the course then down the plunge. however the course is far from over with the new loop. Still remaining were a couple short climbs then a nasty traverse to the loop point over ball sized lava rocks of all sizes. The Frenchman Lebrun caught me along here and set the pace - i could see he was riding strong and must have improved on his swim to be leading here. We were both bouncing around on our hardtails .... i was making time on the downhills and Lebrun was forging ahead on the uphills. Then, in the final 100 yards of bone rattling descent before lap point, my chain skipped off and looped itself in 2 spots. i had to get off and work the loops out, however it was severely twisted now. It was 10 min to T2 from here and all downhill, but pedalling downhill. With the gears skipping severely i nursed the bike home where i found i was in 2nd , 1:30 behind Lebrun. The win was unlikely now, b/c Lebrun is the fastest runner in XTerra, but 2nd sure would be nice. While switching into my running shoes the front of my thigh seized... a common problem in Maui, caused by excessive sweating. I hobbled out of T2, but now the fleetfooted Llanos and McMahon were bearing down, among others. On a normal day, a 1 min 40 sec gap on Llanos would be fine( I outran him at the last event in Tahoe ) and just under a 3 min gap on McMahon would be more than ample. However I was now struggling with leg cramp and the new run course starts with 4 km of exposed uphill. Both Llanos and McMahon caught me. It turned out to be a close finish when I started to come around over the last couple miles, and I almost reeled in Mcmahon on Salt and Pepper beach, however it was not to be... 4th again was my finish, same as my last visit there in 2002. So the season is done now and I'm good and ready for some R&R - which for me entails a couple months of dirtbiking and wrenching in the garage. All in all it's been a successful comeback season - a win at the Keystone MTN CHAMPIONSHIP, 2nd in the USA POINTS SERIES, 3rd at the USA CHAMPIONSHIP, and 4 wins in Regional events ...and satisfying to know the horsepower was there in 2006. Many thanks to my sponsors - Driving Magazine of Maui, Frontrunners , Schwalbe Tires, Fox Shocks. See y'all in '06 Vineman

OCT 2, 2005 - 3rd Place, XTERRA USA CHAMPS, Lake Tahoe CA

Hi all, thought i'd send my my account of the 2nd biggest race in the world of XTerra, the USA Championship in Lake Tahoe Nevada. It had been 3 years since my last visit here, and I was eagerly anticipating not only the race but the visit to such a pristine area... the thick pine forests of Tahoe are something to behold. last time in 2002 i'd arrrived last minute from sea level and raced without previewing the course. safe to say i lucked out placing 2nd b/c the altitude really affected me on the bike course, most of which is at 7400-8600'. This time i did it right - 2 weeks of altitude prep in Sun Valley ID , and an early enough Tahoe arrival to ride the course. Seeing as it's Oct now the buzz leading up was centered on whether we'd be riding in snow or not. turns out not, and it wasn't a bad day - save for the swim conditions. a steady blowing SW wind over the last 2 days had whipped up sizeable chop on the north shore and a lake temp of 56 F. i did avoid going hypo( unlike at milwaukee in july ) however I did not escape the swim unscathed. Despite a decent start off the gun, i was the unlucky recipient of a foot to the face 100 yards in... followed by a couple mouthfuls of lake tahoe chop. my goggles were torn off and in an instant i was near blinded and gasping for air with people swimming into me. i responded by flailing my arms for a while in the direction of the safety boat. eventually i found some space (and breath) and was able to refit my goggles, only now they wouldn't seal because the strap had stretched. i was left to swim the rest of the way sans goggles. turns out that was bearable and i got going again on the 2nd loop, but the time gap exiting on the beach was not pretty -4 minutes down. bloody hell!!! now it was catch-up time. i madly sprinted the 1/2 km run to T1 where the official split was taken. 3:35 down it turned out to be. onto the bike which starts with a nasty sandy climb from 6250' up to the flume trail @ 7400'. but not long enough ! because i ended up in the unfortunate situation stuck behind a couple swimmers, ie slow riders, for the full extent of the 4 mile flume trail - a no passing zone due to the perilous drops off the ledge it traverses. i'm quite certain i lost a minute to Conrad here. but, my heart rate did drop right down. once clear i let out my frustrations by punching it on the flats along marlette lake, then drove it hard over the remainder of the climb to the 8600' summit. over the top i could see 2X triathlon olympian marceau just ahead. yes!! i soon overtook him on the Rim trail descent, and it was readily apparent my new Fox F100 fork was up to the task. also passed Seth wealing on the switchbacks and 2000' vertical drop later I was in 3rd at T2. My bike split of 1 hrs 34 min was 2nd best on the day, only 6 seconds off Stoltz. the legs were noticeably rubbery once on the run - no surprise after the longest ride in xterra. With ITU standout wealing bearing down i had to squeeze every drop out of the tired legs. Fortunately seth blew with 2 k to go and i held my spot in 3rd. and the picture wasn't so grim at the finish - i had moved to within 1:11 of 2nd place stolz and the winner Llanos was 2:13 ahead. Also moved up to a 2nd place final result in the 2005 points series - a successful finish to what could have been a disastrous day. now i can take comfort in knowing everything's in place for World's, coming right up Oct 23.
RACE REPORT on xtri.com
Results with splits
for now, VINEROC-Z

SEP 10, 2005 - 1st Place, XTC OFF-ROAD TRIATHLON, VANCOUVER BC

Formerly known as XTERRA CANADA over the past 2 seasons, this year the event went independent, which resulted in a smaller pro field - as evidenced by my 16+ minute win. Despite a lack of competition to bring out my best, it was nevertheless a solid prep for the upcoming USA champs at Tahoe, with full 1500 meter swim and plenty of climbing on the bike. Since the ride was identical to last year's I could compare times to when all the pro's were there... my bike split was 44 seconds faster than last year's best, posted by Josiah Middaugh, who went on to post the fastest bike split at Tahoe... T minus 3 weeks away. This weekend weekend I'm off to the Mt Baker hillclimb - a road race up a 4300' climb - followed by 2 weeks of altitude prep @ 6500' in Sun Valley, ID. Onward and upward!

AUG 21, 2005 - 1st Place HIGH CASCADES OREGON XTERRA REGIONAL

This event was staged in the incredibly scenic venue of the High Cascades in central OREGON. I could feel going in that the fatigue from racing Keystone only 7 days earlier was still there, as well as a lengthy road trip over the last few days with stops in Dove Creek CO, Moab, and Sun Valley. The course would be a grinder with loose volcanic pebbly, sandy surface and 90+ F temps. Still i was looking forward to it, because the course would be a technical challenge, esp the bike with maintaining speed - and an upright position! - over the loose terrain. Shortly after starting it was apparent that Aussie pro Jason Chalker was ready for battle. We were neck in neck through the swim and stayed that way for most of the ride, until near the end of the bike when i was able to establish a gap on the singletrack. The 6.5 mile run was a crusher with first half uphill and loose...and going through a burn zone with no shade turned out to be the toughest and decisive part of the race. I pushed hard to hold the gap over the top of the course which allowed me to cruise the last 3 miles which was mainly downhill. Winning margin was 6 1/2 min. Best feeling of all was crossing the line and taking a beeline for the refreshingly cool waters of crystal clear Suttle Lake. A worthy event! This concludes 3 1/2 weeks on the road with 3 wins in 3 races. Time for some R & R at home in Vic.

AUG 14, 2005 - KEYSTONE CRUSHER - 1st Place XTERRA MTN CHAMPIONSHIP

Hey all, for those who are unfamiliar with this event, well it's not just another Pro Tour stop. This event lies in the 'ultimate challenge' category - at least in my books it does! With its 1km coldwater swim at 9300', 30 km mtb up to the dizzying heights of 11660' and high speed technical descent, followed by an 11 km trail run, this event ensures a severe treatment of lung searing pain for all who dare to compete. As such, this event is part of my self-proclaimed 'triple crown' of xterra - i hold it in high regard along with the USA champs in tahoe and world's in maui. Keystone is extra special because it's the venue where i became hooked on xterra ever since competing at the inaugural 1998 event. This year was my 6th trip there.... missing the last 2 years in keystone left me feeling this would be my year once again. Confidence was also high after a strong race on a similar course in crested butte 2 weeks earlier... and didn't hurt knowing i still own the course record here which i set in 2001. when the gun went off i did exactly what had to be done.... hung with the lead pack on the swim ( easily my best swim of the year ), then once on the bike i let rip. didn't hurt coming out of T1 and seeing the race lead within sight... conrad and the ITU guys ( ie fishlike swimmers ) were all right there. after the first 6 min climb up the service road to the singletrack i had already moved into the lead. At this point the adrenals were pumping and the blood was boiling. the climb almost felt effortless... i summited keystone mtn 45 min later and there was nobody in sight. apparently my lead was 3 1/2 min. AH YES, what a feeling! onto the descent the upper half of which is wide open... must admit my aged hardtail is not the weapon of choice over this rocky terrain. lower down is the tighter more technical track which i do best on, especially after clearing the chute on 'wild thing' and a smooth wheelie drop off the big boulder had me grinning. heading out of T2 onto the run i could see Conrad had bombed the 2600' descent and was 2:45 down... but that was as close as he'd ever be! Nothing was going to stop me now from my first XTerra Pro Tour win this season. I knew I had the running legs - just like at crested butte 2 weeks earlier... and I enjoyed every step of the way on that run, savouring my impending victory. My lead stretched to 4 1/2 min by the time I crossed the line. Only last year's champ Josiah Middaugh outsplit me on the run. What a day! Makes it all worthwhile. Race Report on Triathletemag online
RESULTS on XTERRAPLANET.COM

JULY 31, 2005 - 1st PLACE, CRESTED BUTTE REGIONAL XTERRA

JULY 3, 2005 - 2ND PLACE, PADDEN MTN XC

JUNE 18, 2005 - DIVIDE AND CONQUER

May 15, 2005 - XTERRA PRO TOUR #1 - TEMECULA CA - 4TH PLACE

Opening round of the XTERRA USA Pro Tour was May 15 in Temecula CA, located south of LA and north of San Diego. It is a worthy venue, with lots of climbing and adequate technical on the bike, as well as a tough run with loads of trudging through sandwashes. This was my first Pro Tour race in 2 1/2 years , and i wasn't sure what to expect going in. I did however have one race under my belt, the 'Big Blue' regional series race located nearby at Castaic Lake, which on a similar course i had won handily by 14 minutes ...although none of xterra's big guns were there.
shortly before the start i learned that wetsuits were not allowed. DOH! i'm still working on bringing the swimming up... it's what i let slide the most over my racing hiatus.
When the gun went off i charged out of the gates and to my surprise found i was holding the pace alright. I yo-yo'd off the back of the 2nd pack the whole way and just fell off in the last 3 or 400 metres, coming out 1:34 off the fastest split. On the bike I was climbing well and made my way up to 5th by the end of the first lap. On the 2nd lap I climbed past Classen for 4th, and soon after with Marceau in sight ahead, I came upon a sizeable group of lapped traffic descending off the ridge. Instead of relaxing like I should have I went for the dangerous pass in the rough and paid the price, getting tossed over the bars. The chain wedged between the bb and crank which cost me valuable time. Once riding I found the 2nd lap was shortened to bypass more lapped traffic and next thing I was in T2. Heading out I could see the Mexican Serrano, Classen , and Kelly Guest were all hot on my heels. I reinforced to myself that the legs were fresh (after the shortened ride) and hit it hard. Nevertheless Serrano caught me, and we paced off each other for the first mile. From here the last two miles of the two loop run is a slog, running through a thick sandy wash. With the heat of the midday sun now kicking in, it was now time to perform, ie try not to die a horrible death. I kept pushing and Serrano fell off. This energized me and I pushed it all the way home, holding my spot to finish 4th. A satisfying result for my return to XTERRA. The new venue in Temecula is a winner, great course and once again TEAM Unlimited delivered a smooth and professionally run event.