"Hot Wheels...."

For those interested please visit the link below that will run you through my "race" bike for 2016. The new and improved Giant Trinity TT. Enjoy.

https://vimeo.com/163814877?utm_source=email&utm_medium=vimeo-cliptranscode-201504&utm_campaign=28749

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!

    Ballarat Running - Photo Delly Carr

Next up IRONMAN Ballarat 70.3

Challenge Family Shepparton Half 2015

It has been a while since racing in Shepparton however I have fond memories of holding the course record on the previous track. The event now is conducted in the heart of Shepparton drawing on the towns support of sporting events.

Race day temperature was as close to ideal as you could ask for, a little chilly to start with, however perfect for racing once you got going. My plan was to take advantage of the strong swimmers Sam Betten, Nick Kastelein (Jan Frodeno's training partner), Mike Phillips and Matt Pellow both from New Zealand, sitting on their feet and trying to keep the heart rate low so that once on the bike I could take advantage of the gusty conditions.

After the five of us exited the lake in just over 23 minutes it was onto the bike. I took the first 5km to settle myself down and get comfortable before turning into the block head wind and surging to the front. For the next 20km I put my head down and focused on holding pace until the first turn around where I was surprised to see that I had already build a 2 minute lead. The remainder of the 90km bike leg I concentrated on keeping things strong. Riding a 2.06 for the 90km and obtaining a new 20min peak power output for a race scenario at the beginning. Happy days.


Dismounting the bike at T2 and onto the 3 lap 21km run my lead had built to 6-7minutes. I just wanted a smooth, steady run and to keep things in control and let the guys battle it out behind. Finding my legs straight away and settling into a steady tempo it was nice to enjoy the spectacular run course which covers bushland, park and lake taking in the support from athletes, family and friends eventually crossing the finish line in 3.51. Sam Betten edged out Nick Kastelein in the final 1km to take 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Challenge Shepparton Half was a fantastic event and I have always had fond memories of racing in the area. A race as good as any and one that I would recommend to anyone.                                                         Best Luke Bell.

                                                                   

Melbourne has turned it on for our arrival back. The summer has started early and it sure does make it easier to get out the door. 

As soon as I arrived back I have been consulting various medical practitioners and nutrition specialists to investigate what may have contributed to the severe dehydration that ended my day in Kona. For those that do not know the day ended being loaded onto a stretcher at T2 with a blood pressure of 80/40 and 3x 1L IV bags. After 3hrs in medical and the IV’s I still came in 2.5 pounds under morning race weight. The medical staff in Kona were excellent and I can't thank them enough in assisting my recovery, I had none other than the well known AFL (Australian Football League) doctor Peter Larkin literally pick me up off the pavement at T2.

Moving forward we are back into the swing of things as there is still some racing to do in the Asia-Pacific region to round out the year starting with Ironman Mandurah 70.3. It is always a fast race and will be good to go at it with Terenzo Bozzone and a few of the European boys out for the summer. Last year we rolled around under the course record chasing Michi Raelert pre his big Challenge Bahrain win. 

On another front I have been welcomed to be a part of the Penrith Triathlon Clup (PTC). PCT is the largest triathlon club in Australia and has some of the strongest age groupers getting around, each year taking out the club championships at Ironman Australia in dominant form. It will be great to work with these guys as they have a great balance of Triathlon and life getting the most out of every aspect. 

http://www.pantherstriclub.com.au

Along with working with PTC I will also continue to work with Ironman here in the Asia-Pacific region racing, promoting and getting young, old and new people involved in triathlon and an active healthy lifestyle. I have always been a believer of “Life long activity”. 

It is a busy few months to end the year and to start 2016. I love being involved in our sport so would not want it any other way. The 2016 race schedule is starting to take shape so once it is all sorted I will be sure to let you know. 

For now I will keep you all posted on the races and activities to round out the year. 

Best 

Luke 

With a quick stop off in Melbourne (quick as temps were 2 degree C/35F ) to see the family and for Lucy to spend some time at home with Matilda I was off to the Gold Coast to finish off those long hard miles that everyone posts about leading into Kona. Only a stones throw away now as the days tick by.

Being on the Gold Coast and Mooloolaba only a 2hr drive away (also being the 2016 70.3 WC course) I decided to break up the training with a weekend away with friends for a hit out. It was never going to be pretty with no rest and in hindsight I should have realized that lead in races never fare well for me.

The course is spectacular and with an ocean swim and add in some waves, it made for a more enjoyable and interesting swim than the standard races.  From the gun I was on the rivet to hang onto the lead guys setting the pace and things did not change from there. Onto the bike and the body decided not to turn up to play. The high end threshold rev limiter exploded soon after T1 and as we rolled onto the motor way hitting speeds of 55-60km/hr and I watch the guys disappear up the the road.  Tim Berkel, Terenzo Bozzone and Luke Mckenzie had a close and cracking race for the podium positions.  These boys had turned up to race while I had chosen to keep things rolling in the build to next month. It is always hard to predict where and what your competitors are doing one month out from Kona.

This past week involved a few days easy recovery before getting back into the final 10 day block before resting to absorb all the hard work.  To give you an idea of what things have looked like, the past few weeks have included some long rides ~200k (124 miles), some solid riding behind the motor bike pacing at 45-50k (~30 m/hr) to deal with the top end speeds and descent from Hawi, Some LSD runs to harden the legs along with solid tempo sets. There are 50m pools and squads a plenty up here on the Gold Coast so there is never a shortage of surf swimmers to keep you honest and kick your butt in the pool.

All in all, things have gone well, training has been hard but enjoyable and the time up here has been productive. Today it was nice to head down to Byron Bay to catch up with a few of the boys (Tim Berkel – 7^th Kona 2014, Tim Reed – multiple 70.3 Champion and Clayton Fettell) for a long run through the forest and looking for whales! Laughs a plenty, what it is all about.

From here it is wrapping things up and trying to live by my 3 simple rules. Be consistent, don’t get sick and don’t get injured. Lucy, Matilda and myself look forward to getting on the plane and getting to the sun, sand and surf of Hawaii.

Luke J