Balmoral Represented at the Rheinfelden Schloss Triathlon - Germany & Switzerland

24/06/2009 10:36:00 PM

It maybe the off-season and winter in Australia but in Europe the triathlon season is just getting started. Alright moving to Europe with work makes it easier to compete but it’s still a good opportunity to represent BTC. And that’s just what Bec and I did at the weekend – the event was the first Rheinfelden Schloss triathlon (www.schloss-triathlon.de) which was a 1.9/40/10 race split between Switzerland and Germany.

BTC and the 2009 European Triathlon season – Race Report No.1

By Andrew Dentskevich

The backdrop for the race was the Beuggen Castle which dates back to the 13th century, stands proudly next to the Rhine and provided an interesting transition area.

The swim leg started on the Swiss side of the Rhine just below a hydroelectric plant 1.9km upstream from the castle (and swim exit). Now you’re probably wondering why the swim is 1.9km for what is effectively an Olympic race. Well the answer is twofold – 1. At this point the Rhine is a fast and powerful river so organizers have made it longer to give competitors more of a challenge and 2. I’d say the river is probably 200m wide so a shorter distance could see some competitors miss the exit point and on their way to Hamburg!

Still once the race had started it felt like being on a conveyor belt and, though it sounds nice, it doesn’t give you much time to think - I head butted one of the few buoys halfway across the river and just avoided becoming a permanent fixture on a dead tree protruding from the riverbank as I neared the exit. Still I won’t complain as I’ll never do another 1.9km swim in 15 minutes.

Having reached the safety of the river bank it was up to the castle for a quick transition. The bike leg consisted of two laps around a very pleasant German countryside. A steady climb 200m over the first 8km, a steady descent back down over the next 8km then 3-4km of flat with a rather persistent headwind. Now Bec and I aren’t that competitive so when I spotted her only a few minutes ahead of me on the first lap I thought I’d easily run her down in the run leg. However, at the same point on the second lap there was no sight of her so I thought she’s obviously decided it was Hammer Time. After two laps on the bike it was back to the castle for the run leg.

Now the run leg was one loop that crossed the Rhine to Switzerland before returning to Germany and the finish. It’s a picturesque route that snakes along the river with diversions through the twin towns of Rheinfelden. I felt pretty fresh off the bike despite my recent euro beer appreciation activities so set about the task of chasing Bec down. By my calculations she was roughly 5 minutes ahead so if I could knock the run over in sub 45 minutes I’d have a good chance of taking the line honours for the day. Had I done enough to make my simple plan work?

I managed to keep my pace around 4 ½ mim/km and thought I’d soon lock my sights on the Becster! 4km down and no sight, 6km and no sight, 8km and no sight – just as I was beginning to think she’d fallen off the bike I caught sight of my prey 200m ahead and with only 600m to the finish. I realised that despite getting my calculations right I hadn’t factored in a stellar run by Bec who pushed out a 49min run. Today the line honours were Bec’s in 2h20m, 2nd in her age group, 9th woman overall and thrashing me by 50 secs. She was one happy kitten!

After that it was a case of rehydrating at the nearest drink station and discussing the finer points of the day (well actually how Bec beat me). Still, all is not lost and there’s a rematch at the Alpe D’Huez Long Course triathlon (www.alpetriathlon.com) in July – the journey continues!

Andrew Dentskevich

International News & Results

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