LUKE BELL

Everyone enjoys "taper time" and I must say I am no different. With Ironman Australia, Port Macquarie just under two weeks away it is always satisfying to sit back and reflect on all the hard work, fun times and great training sessions that have been completed. Ironman is far from an individual sport and it is the people around you that help you get to that start line with a smile on the face, and ready to, as my friend Brett Stephens always tells me, "give your best effort"! Brett spent 6 years working with Professional Tennis play Pete Sampras... Hey if Pete Sampras lives by the rules of "best effort" every time he walked out on court then it is good enough for me lining up at Ironman. 2016 definitely started out a little different than I had expected with a small bike crash January 4th, while actually on a recovery ride that resulted in a fractured pelvis. With the great help and it diagnosed early we were able to manage the training and keep the early season goals of Ironman Australian and the Asia Pacific Championships in Cairns. Although the little hiccup of not abiding by my rule of "keeping the rubber side down" the build has gone as good as I could have hope for considering all things, so I will be on the start line on May 1st and worrying about the only 2 things that matters... myself and getting to the finish line as fast as possible!