Ironman Oz

Hello,

Just a quick update post Ironman Australia Port Macquarie. Unfortunately I due to a substantial cut in my front tyre at the 130km mark while in 2nd position (group) with one person up ahead, I had to withdraw from the race. (Please see photo attached for pic of slash in tyre - I could also not be angry for long when Matilda walked over that night with my helmet on... perspective!).

As a recap once I obtained the cut tyre I instantly spotted the sealant (used to block/clog any small holes) so I quickly put in my CO2 cartridge hoping to be back and rolling in no time.... however all the air just blew out the side and I quickly found out the size of the gash. From there I quickly changed my spare however with no air to inflate it. I was also still quite a distance away (apx 5km) from the "mechanical zone" points which are used at Ironman Port Macquarie. In short I got some air to put in my tyre about 25mins later and was back rolling.

At this point I was well off the pace but was keen to do a solid marathon to burn off some frustration and try and peg back as many guys as possible. However word from the coach was to be "smart" and save it for Ironman Cairns, The Asia Pacific Championships (Ironman Championship event) in 6wks time rather than bust the body for the sake of burning some frustration.

After the normal roll of emotions of anger, frustration, disappointment, acceptance it was time to move on and get back into the swing of things. The positives were the body felt great. I had great swim to put me in a nice position on the bike and was riding/racing smart. At the point of the flat I had only averaged 142hr and 251w... all smiles. (3.4w/kg - quite low, most events are around the 3.8-4w/kg range).

Port Macquarie Ironman Australia is always a fantastic event and one close to heart. Ironman Australia was my first ever Ironman, I have placed 1st and 2nd there. It was great to see another successful event completed there. The atmosphere is always electric.

Thanks to everyone for their help, support and kind words. Things were looking the goods! Lets carry it onto the Asia Pacific Championships in Cairns.

Best Luke.

Comfort, Style and Speed.

Visit the link below and it will run you through the gear that I will be using during the cycle leg of all my events this year. There is some nice new and some improved products all designed for comfort and speed. 

https://vimeo.com/163969139

"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.