Announcements

Shawn
March 5, 2010

tbb_malaysia
As expected, it was hot (102 F) and humid (80%) in Langawi for Ironman Malaysia. It didn’t slow down Team TBB’s Hiro Nishiuchi and Jocelyn “The Wongstar” Wong. Hiro came from way back off the bike to run a blistering marathon, earning a hard fought 2nd place in 8:50:52. Despite a slow swim, The Wongstar held strong and steadily moved her way through the women’s field for 5th place (10:20:32).

On the other side of the globe, Angela Naeth was dealing with cold, rainy and windy conditions at the Desert Duathlon Classic outside of Phoenix. She threw down a race best bike-split to finish 3rd among some of triathlon’s best females.


Shawn
February 26, 2010

Steffen WinsCaroline Steffen of Team TBB scored a huge win at the Ironman 70.3 Geelong in Australia. Steffen, the 4th place finisher from last year’s Ironman 70.3 World Championships, took control on the bike and strode away to a comfortable 5-minute victory (4:14:32). This is the Swiss Miss’s first 70.3 win. Congratulations to Caroline.

Challenged Athletes Foundation poster boy J.P. Theberge did what most able-bodied athletes are unable…he qualified for the Boston Marathon. At the Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach, J.P. ran a scorching 3:06:47, well under the standard. Next goal for J.P., breaking the elusive 3-hr barrier.

The guys from Troy Lee Designs Honda continue to impress with podium after podium. Wil Hahn ended the Supercross Lites West schedule sitting in 3rd in the point series. Unfortunately, Cole Seely crashed in training and broke his hip but hopes to be back for the finale in Las Vegas later this year.


Shawn

Melanie McQuaidAVIA sponsored athletes Melanie McQuaid of Canada and Nicolas Lebrun of France were named 2009 XTERRA Athletes of the Year by Triathlete. Melanie had an unbelievably consistent year, winning 6 stops on the XTERRA US Tour, as well as the XTERRA USA Championships and placed 3rd at the XTERRA World Championships. Nico got a roll late in the year culminating with a 2nd place at both the XTERRA World Championships and the XTERRA Winter World Championships.

Team Luna’s Katerina Nash finished 4th at the UCI World Cyclocross Championships in her native Czech Republic, barely missing a coveted medal.


Shawn
January 25, 2010

2010_first_winBrasil’s Reinaldo Colucci set a new course record (3:52:38) and ran his way to victory at the Pucon Ironman 70.3 in beautiful Pucon, Chile on Sunday…a great way to the start the new year for the Brasilian Olympian. He outpaced 70.3 World Championship runner-up Daniel Fontana and the 5-time winner of the Pucon event Oscar Galindez.

Team TBB’s Tereza Macel of Canada finished 3rd in her opening race of the 2010 season.

In supercross action (yes, AVIA even sponsors a supercross team), Wil Hahn of the Troy Lee Designs / Lucas Oil / Honda team was the runner-up at the Monster Energy Supercross Lites race in Anaheim. Wil is now tied for 2nd in the points series after three rounds. His teammate Cole Seely placed 5th and is currently seventh in points.


Shawn

2010_racing_startThe multi-sport season is upon us…already. AVIA is busy with many new projects for 2010 and needs to get caught up on all the athlete news for January.

AVIA XTERRA superstars Melanie McQuaid and Nico Lebrun were named XTERRA Athletes of The Year by Triathlete magazine. You can check out the article in the February issue, which is on newsstands now.

Team Luna’s Katerina Nash is one of the favorites for the upcoming UCI Cyclocross World Championships, having won the World Cup event in Roubaix, France.

Traithlon racing in the Southern Hemisphere is heating up as a number of the Team TBB athletes already have a full Ironman under their race belts. At Challenge Wanaka in New Zealand, Rebekah Keat  and Lisbeth Kristensen finished 2nd and 3rd and Keegan Williams placed 3rd. Good on ya!

Down in South Africa at the Ironman 70.3 in Buffalo City, James Cunnama of Team TBB set a run course record and finished 2nd. Last year’s winner Lucie Zelenkova fought her way onto the podium with a 3rd place finish.

AVIA is almost ready to announce some exciting athlete news. Stay tuned.


admin
December 30, 2009

mel2010

The AVIA family grows to include Jo Zeiger, Llanos Bros, Mel McQuaid, Pip Taylor and Team TBB. Official partnership with The Bike Boutique focuses on developing world champions as well as social development to ensure youth around the globe can participate in triathlon.

AVIA sponsors MelRad Racing. Guided by 6x World Champions Melanie McQuaid & Conrad Stoltz, MRR team members will race the XTERRA series.

AVIA sponsors the Forward Motion Elite Race Team. The elite team races 5k’s through Iron distance events and garnered over 100 podium finishes in 2009.

Lucie Zelenkova wins Ironman South Africa & South Africa 70.3.

Jillian Petersen wins the Miami International Triathlon.

Saul Raisin completes New Orleans 70.3. On top of a full racing schedule he gathers support for The Raisin Hope Foundation throughout his travels.

TEAM AVIA kicks off the 2009 season with awesome racing, camping, and celebrating at the AVIA Wildflower Triathlons. Eneko Llanos and Reinaldo Colucci take 2nd & 3rd. Erika Csomor finishes 3rd; Tyler Stewart & Heather Wurtele round out the top 5. UC San Diego wins the collegiate championship.

Eduardo Sturla brings home his 3rd Ironman Brazil title. Reinaldo Colucci, finishes second in his first ever Ironman.

AVIA sponsors the Commonwealth Tri Series & the Texas Tri Series.

Tyler Stewart storms the bike course at Ironman Coeur d’Alene, with a new record of 4:59:35 and overall record of 9:23:51. Heather Wurtele finished 3rd.

AVIA’s Bek Keat posts the 2nd fastest women’s Ironman time ever at Quelle Challenge Roth in an impressive 8:39:24.

Pip Taylor wins Vineman 70.3 presented by AVIA.


admin

enekobest

Bella Bayliss champions Ironman UK, Ironman Austria, and Ironman Lanzarote.

Shonny V. wins XTERRA Brazil & XTERRA Mexico.

Amber Monforte smashes the overall Ultraman record with a time of 25:45:51.

Tereza Macel wins Ironman Lake Placid; 6-weeks later she wins Ironman Canada.

Catharine Pendrel leads the Luna Pro Team as she claims #1 in the World Rankings after her win at the Pan Am Continental Championships. She brings home Silver from the World Mountain Bike Championships.

Llanos Brothers go 1-3 at the Spanish Cross Championships.

JP Theberge brings home Gold from the ITU World Championships held in Australia.

Erika Csomor wins Powerman Zofingen for the 6th time.

Melanie McQuaid defends her XTERRA USA Championship title. Shonny V. takes second. Nico Lebrun & Conrad Stoltz go 1-2.

The AVI-BOLT II - Troy Lee Designs, Limited Edition and matching bike are showcased in Vegas at InterBike.

Jo Zeiger wins Longhorn 70.3 in record setting time.

TEAM AVIA hits the waves and lava fields on the Big Island. Tereza Macel runs 3:10 to claim 4th, her best ever finish at the Ironman World Championship.Tyler Stewart is 10th.
Eneko Llanos claims his 3rd title at the XTERRA World Championships.

Katerina Nash wins the US Gran Prix Cross Championship. Alison Dunlap takes 3rd.

Official testing of the new AVI-QUEST Technology gets a thumb’s up from biomechanists. Two new shoes this spring!

What a fantastic year! Look forward to more racing, great footwear & victories in 2010.


admin
December 21, 2009

happy_holidays_avia

Wishing you happy holidays - complete with winter runs and stockings stuffed with gear for all your adventures and a New Year filled with health, fitness & many PR’s.

A Christmas Triathlon Poemby Timothy Carlson- compliments of Slowtwitch

Fair readers - tris and dus, newbies and vets, short coursers, long coursers, ultras and their pets, Hail to the leaders, the bleeders, heavy sweaters and the cool, Here’s to cold beer in summer and hot toddies this Yule!

God rest ye merry energetic triathletic souls, Happy base building, full logbooks – meet all your goals! Yes it’s the Slowtwitchers, wishing y’all well, Singing happy carols of fat-burning noel.

But mostly this tome is a big hug to report, Sweet thoughts to neighbors throughout our fair sport, A time for warm wishes of you from here, To swim-bike-runners in ev’ry hemisphere.

To Fiona and Bevan, sibling Dochertys, Swift finish line sprints, as oft as you please. To Matty and Snuffy, proud brothers Reed, Fraternal good will and more closing speed.

To Snowy and Walto, new bride and groom, Some capacious new space for their cramped trophy room, Betrotheds Jordan and Jill, Rappstar and Savege, Bask in the lovelight, race well on the edge!

To Greg and Sian and their sprightly little Welches, Eternal good humor that time never squelches. To Pippa’s poppa, Whitfield Simon, A fourth Olympics, bright B.C. sun.

Hail Tom Evans and Joanna Zeiger! When you’re 60, you’ll conquer da Eiger! Huzzahs Helen Tucker and Holly Avil,
Great Brits indeed sporting speedy young wheels!

On Pottsy, on Richie, on Terenzo Bozzone, Looking forward to more clashes in half Iron zone. For Macca, king smackah, strong cables galore, Truncated races at Kona no more!

Fair Keller, Fernanda, Tri-Queen of Carnaval, Another win at 42, smiles shared with us all Wendy Wingnut, five Ironman wins, Not half as happy as new baby grins.

Clink all cups to Brooke Davison, Mother of three, top AG, second to none. James Spader, Ralph Nader, nor Oakland Raider, Holds a candle to Iron Wendy Mader.

Vanessa and Javier, Iberian royals, Fought hard in Beijing, just missed the top spoils. Unending Aussie ois to fair Miss Granger,
Chrissie couldna won if Belinda’d been a stranger.

Fond farewells to world champ Lessing, Hello coach Simon, with Wellington’s blessing. Here’s hoping old pals DeBoom and P Reid Might return to Kona with their accustomed speed

Hosanna Shanna Banana - and Alex Ribeiro, Come back to Ultraman, champions co. Hail Kristin Armstrong, former tri,
Beijing cycling gold, held on high.

May the Tour’s Sir Strong Arm Lance, Some day find his way to the Kona dance. For Benno and Laura’s new Boulder house,
Warm fires joyful laughter, and nary a mouse!

All rise and cheer for trailblazer Les, Whose IOC campaign gave us Olympic success. To Fertic and Gilbert and Davy Kahune,
May Ironman, USAT and Xterra find 2009 a boon.

May hard-working zebra Jimmy Ricitello, Find this year’s Timo Bracht a little more mellow. To Vito and Eli and the gang at Zoot’s, Some fancy pants post-race seersucker suits.

May coach Siri Lindley and Rinny Carfrae, Have a rollicking debut on Kona’s Queen K. St. Nick grant quick footed Andreas Raelert, A puncher’s chance at Kona paydirt.

For Crowie, Neri and sprightly Lucy, Some Hawaiian fruit, sweet and juicy. To scientific, analytic Thunder Bear,
Some fashionably cool post race wear.

Just who put the hot in Hottentot? Why forever young Ironman Mr. Bob Scott, To coach Cliff English and red-hot McGlone, A healthy New Year and muscles well toned

For Paula Newby-Scooby-Dooby-not-a-Newbie Fraser
Unlimited cuddles, with Huddle, Paul-needs-a-razor
For the Duke of San Diego, media mogul John,
Less hot breath on his neck from the CGI’s dons.

For good-hearted, generous Mr. Bob Babbitt, Age fifty-plus legs as quick as a rabbit, “You’re an Ironman!”’s silver-tongued Reilly, May his throat be strong and wit stay wily.

Sarah Haskins bright smile will never grow old, May her World Championship silver turn into gold. Merry wassail Collinses, Judy and John, For Ironman’s founders, an aerobic orison.

For Ueberbiker, fun-lover, Herr Jurgen Zack , A toast in his name, good memories, no lack. And Kona twice-conqueror, Uberbiker zwei, A Normannator toast to this Stadler guy.

Neue lang syne Holland’s Yvonne Van Vlerken, Now a contender at Kona a’ lurkin’. If water she’d conquer, Hungary’s Csomor, Kona chances, though slim, a still-open door.

Glad tidings Natascha, so courageous, so brave, Broken bones could not quell your Queen K wave. Brian Boyle, paralyzed not long ago one day, Reborn, energized, amazing! On Pele’s fields of play.

Thanks for the thrills, Dr. James Gills, Shepherding Valerie’s dream baby most surely fulfills. Here’s hoping that Providence Equity’s, Keeping Ironman open to some Walter Mittys.

But in our madcap Christmas spree, Take time out for fond reverie, Of a life well lived, adventurous, free,
Barbara Warren, we so loved thee!


admin
December 14, 2009

shonnybrazil

Tiradentes, Brazil - The XTERRA Regional Real attracted more than 1000 athletes in Tiradentes and São João del Rei (MG), Brazil.

Altogether, more than 1000 athletes, amateur and professional, competed in the Mountain Bike Duathlon, Mountain Bike Race and Night Running Race in the two days of competition that filled the square in Tiradentes, Minas Gerais.

The day started early at 9am, with the most anticipated race being the XTERRA MTB Cup, athletes faced a journey of 52 km full mud - especially after the rain Saturday night - closed trails, steep descents and ascents and dirt roads and rocks. Before that, the bikers were exposed to the heat on a ride of 15 km to São João del Rei, where they were given the official start. At the end of the race, Rubens Donizete won the men’s race and Shonny Vanlandingham won the women’s race.

The highlight of XTERRA Regional Estrada Real was the American Shonny Vanlandingham, who fired in front of the other competitors and won two races. In the MTB Cup, the American mountain bike champion left behind Erika Gramiscelli, the champion from the previous race stop and held the top position for almost the entire circuit. Cristina de Carvalho, of Sao Paulo, made another podium in third. In the Duathlon Shonny was again the champion. She put a lead of almost 20 minutes on Cristina de Carvalho. Luzia Bello, Santos, came in third.

“The competition was good, with everything that I expected: a lot of mud and slippery slopes. The hardest parts were the climbs, very steep,” said Shonny.


admin

lunavictory

ALISON DUNLAP CLAIMS 4th AFTER CRASH IN US CROSS NATIONALS
This weekend contained 4-days of action packed cyclocross racing at the US National Championships, held in Bend, Oregon. Despite the snow, slosh, and bone chilling temperatures, over 5,000-fans joined in on the action.

Alison Dunlap went out hard, keeping Katie Compton in her sights. However, after a couple of spills on icy sections, Miller & Dombroski moved up in the field. Alison had a strong race to finish in 4th place.Katie Compton won the championship with Meredith Miller & Amy Dombroski joining her on the podium.

KATERINA NASH SWEEPS USGP in PDX, LUNA 1st & 3rd OVERALLThis year’s Portland US Gran Prix series finale was held under sunny skies and on a mostly dry course. Unusal conditions for Portland, but it made for some exciting action packed racing. Katerina rode off the front like she has in every other race this season to win by a comfortable margin on both days. Alison Dunlap was in the chase group battling for the podium when an unlucky flat on the last lap took her out of contention in Saturday’s race.

And on Sunday Alison was again fighting for that final podium spot when she crashed hard in a corner, causing her to lose contact with Amy Dombrowski, who went on to finish 3rd. Katerina won the overall for the second year in a row with Alison rounding out the podium in third.

Katerina has a few weeks at home before going home to Czech for her National Championships in January. She’ll then race two World Cups before lining up at the World Championships at the end of January.


admin
December 13, 2009

enekomaui3

Makena, Maui - TEAM AVIA’s Eneko Llanos, of Spain, won his third XTERRA World Championship this Sunday. After a somewhat disappointing day (14th place) at the Ironman World Championships, Eneko decided he wanted to have a positive and decisive finish to his 2009 season. So, back to Hawaii he went, less than 2-weeks later.

The men’s race was stacked with past XTERRA World Champions, Ironman Champions, XTERRA US & France Champions, as well as some up & coming competitors that have yet to fear the slopes of Haleakala, the intense sun, waves, and lava-laden terrain. Luke McKenzie led the swim, followed closely by Seth Wealing and Eneko Llanos; the second pack to emerge the warms Pacific waters, included Olivier Marceau, Franky Batelier, and Conrad Stoltz.

Stoltz jumped to an early lead on the mountain bike and the first to hit the infamous “Heartbreak Hill”. Stoltz still held the lead to “Ned’s Climb”, the 1,400 feet climb to where the “Plunge” begins,.
with Batelier, Llanos, Marceau, and Lebrun waiting for the opportune moment to gain in position. Stoltz’ has built his legend and the spot where in past years he could put guys away with his fearless downhill riding but the course this year was smoother and less of a deciding factor in the bike outcome.

“This was a tough race, but the bike course was a little smoother, a little faster,” said Llanos, who became the first racer in 14 years to win XTERRA Worlds after competing at the Ironman World Champs. “The course was a little less technical, and I went at a steady pace and it went really well.”

At T2 Stoltz, Llanos, and Middaugh entered and exited the lush luau grounds at Makena Resort together. The timing was perfect and Llanos jumped into the lead.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect to be this strong,” said Llanos, who finished 14th at the Ironman World Championship in 8:37:55 and captured the Hawaiian Airlines Double award for the fourth straight time. The award is given annually to the pro man with the fastest combined time at Ironman Worlds and XTERRA Worlds. “Just two weeks ago I was really disappointed in Kona, and now here I am so happy. I came here with no pressure and just wanted to have fun and then I felt strong from the swim and had a good day. When I crossed the finish line I couldn’t believe it, how fast feelings change, and something amazing happened and I’m just so happy now.”

Llanos finished in 2:37:22. Additional AVIA athletes racing included: Nico Lebrun (2nd), and Conrad Stoltz (5th).


admin
November 30, 2009

bellacoz

Cozumel, Mexico - Bella Bayliss had another strong race at the inaugural Ironman Cozumel. She exited the water with the second pack of women; Yvonne Van Vlerken was right on her heels. Van Vlerken hasn’t won a race since early 2008 so she was hungrier than ever for a win. Bella posted the 2nd fastest bike and run split, only to Van Vlerken, the race champion. Bella finished with a 9:22:34, final clock time. Edith Niederfriniger finished 8-minutes back to round out 3rd place on the podium.

Additional AVIA Athletes racing include: Jocelyn Wong (10th).


admin
November 10, 2009

lunavictory

The Luna Chix have taken the “conquer & divide” philosophy and have been racking up the medals around the world. A few recent highlights include:

Iceman Cometh - the 20th anniversary of the mountain bike races held in Kalkaska, MI, drew over 4,700-races. Alison Dunlap won the championship.

UCI Cyclocross World Cup, Norway - Katerina Nash had a strong race, finishing in 5th. She followed it up with two wins at the Mercer Cup in New Jersey, the following weekend.

SuperCross Cup, Southampton NY - Georgia Gould had a fantastic weekend, bringing home 2nd & 3rd place medals.

Ironman Arizona - Terra Castro had one of the best races of her life. Her 3:16 run earned her a 6th place finish.


admin
October 27, 2009

melstevens

Makena, Maui - As expected, Christine “Big Fish” Jeffrey led out of the water with Julie Dibens (2007 & 2008 World Champ) on her heels. Marie-Helene Premont (an Olympic silver medalist in the 2004 mountain bike competition in Athens), Shonny Vanlandingham (NORBA’s all-time best) and Melanie McQuaid (a Canadian National Team rider for years) had a chase ahead of them, one they wouldn’t win over Dibens.

In the ultimate display of class, Dibens deflected talking about her own race at the awards ceremony dinner but rather praised Paterson, who she had raced against on the ITU circuit nearly a decade ago, and told the assembled masses that this course was good for her and on any other course Melanie McQuaid could “kick my a#*”.

“To me, Melanie and Jamie Whitmore are still the queen’s of XTERRA and I’m certain these guys out here in the audience feel the same way,” said Dibens.

Lesley Paterson is a rising star in the XTERRA World and had it not been for that one Brit – this race was hers. She finished in the top 3 in all three championship XTERRA’s she entered, however, this result was by far the most impressive and her run split was the fastest of the day by far at 49:50.

“I was real consistent on the bike today and was able to stay with Shonny until the plunge when she took off,” said Paterson. “I worked so hard on the bike this year and it really paid off, and I’m really excited about my finish today.”

For McQuaid, the dream of an unprecedented fourth world title is still just that. She didn’t have a bad day, it just wasn’t enough.
“I didn’t have an amazing day today and you have to in order to win here,” said the 3x World Champ. “I’m not happy with my performance, I just wasn’t snappy enough, but I had a good season.”

Additional TEAM AVIA athletes competing included: Shonny Vanlandingham (5th) and Danelle Kabush (7th).


admin

zeiger3

Austin, TX - Joanna Zeiger made a smashing comeback at the Longhorn event. She led from start-to-finish, proving she’s the best of the best in the 70.3 distance. Zeiger, who has been suffering with a season-interrupting bout of dizziness, is back in full force and was ready for a win. She finished the Longhorn Ironman 70.3 Austin by 2:14 over Heather Jackson in an impressive time of 4:14:53. Zeiger will attempt to defend her Ironman 70.3 World Championship title in Clearwater next month.

Additional TEAM AVIA athletes competing included: Tereza Macel (5th) and Terra Castro (10th).


admin
October 26, 2009

bellafl

Panama City Beach, Florida - Bella Bayliss had a strong day at Ironman Florida but still not the race she’d hoped for. Bayliss has won Ironman Florida 5-times and was hoping to add one more to her list of titles. Unfortunately, despite a solid race, two other women were having the race of their lives.

Bella likes to lead from the front so when she came out of the water just over a minute back, it was apparent she was less than thrilled. After her 59-minute swim, she lost two more places on the bike, and then worked extremely hard on the run but ultimately ran out of time. Bayliss finished 3rd with 9:13:52. We know she’ll be even more hungry next time around!

Additional AVIA Athletes competing include: Jocelyn Wong (10th), Kristin Lie (11th), Scott DeFilippis (16th)


admin
October 12, 2009

MacelsFinish

Kailua-Kona, HI - Australia’s Craig Alexander captured his second consecutive World Championship title. Chrissie Wellington of Great Britain, added a third championship title to her resume; her final time of 8:54:02 broke the course record set in 1992 by Paula Newby-Fraser.

AVIA’s Tereza Macel had a solid day as she battled the intense heat out in the lava fields, the winds at Hawi, and taking on the best athletes in the world. Tereza swam just off the feet of TBB teammate Lucie Zelenkova who would lead the women’s field out of the water. Tereza’s tenacity on the bike is unbeatable but as an athlete of three sports, her challenge is to temper her speed so she still has plenty to give on the run. Tereza posted the 3rd fastest split of the day, only behind Wellington (1st) and Berasategui (3rd). She followed up her strong ride with a 3:10:13 run split. Congrats Tereza on amazing 2009 season!

Additional AVIA athlete competing in the IRONMAN World Championships include:
Tyler Stewart - 10th
Lucie Zelekova - 23rd
Erika Csomor - 27th
Lisbeth Kristensen - 32nd
Maki Nishiuchi - 36th
Abigail Bayley - 38th
Bella Bayliss - 42nd
Eneko Llanos- 14th
Eduardo Sturla - 19th
Reinaldo Colucci - 21st
Stephen Bayliss - 4th
Hiro Nishiuchi - 49th
James Cunnama - 51st


admin

tylerkona

Kailua-Kona, HI - Australia’s Craig Alexander captured his second consecutive World Championship title. Chrissie Wellington of Great Britain, added a third championship title to her resume; her final time of 8:54:02 broke the course record set in 1992 by Paula Newby-Fraser.

AVIA’s Tyler Stewart had a strong finish after a long day of battling the intense heat out in the lava fields, the winds at Hawi, and taking on the best athletes in the world. Uber-cyclist Stewart came out of the water with a group of age-group men, prepared for a chase. With a top 5 bike split, behind only Wellington (1st), Virginia Berasategui (3rd), and Tereza Macel (4th), Tyler moved herself up to 12th from 46th leading into T2. Stewart showed us she hang in there for a tough 26.2 run and won’t let up until she’s crossed the finish line. With a 3:22:59 run split, Tyler moved herself into the 10th, her strongest finish at the Ironman World Championships. Congrats Tyler on a fantastic 2009 season!

Additional AVIA athlete competing in the IRONMAN World Championships include:
Tereza Macel - 4th
Lucie Zelekova - 23rd
Erika Csomor - 27th
Lisbeth Kristensen - 32nd
Maki Nishiuchi - 36th
Abigail Bayley - 38th
Bella Bayliss - 42nd
Eneko Llanos- 14th
Eduardo Sturla - 19th
Reinaldo Colucci - 21st
Stephen Bayliss - 4th
Hiro Nishiuchi - 49th
James Cunnama - 51st


admin
October 9, 2009

xterrachamps

Good luck to the TEAM AVIA athletes who will take on the best of the best at the XTERRA World Championships! TEAM AVIA athletes competing include - Melanie McQuaid (2009 XTERRA USA Champion), Shonny Vanlandingham (2009 XTERRA USA Championships - 2nd), Danelle Kabush (fastest runner in the 2008 Champs), Conrad Stoltz (3x World Champion, Nico LeBrun (European Champion), and Craig Evans.

On October 25, 2009 a maxed-out field of 600 international dirt lovers will embrace the annual challenge of XTERRA’s most grueling course - and in the ensuing hours put their mental and physical toughness up against Mother Nature’s arsenal of sun, sand, water, kiawe and lava. When it’s all over, they’ll don some of the weirdest and most wonderful costumes you’ve ever seen and dance the night away at what is surely triathlon’s greatest after party.

Athletes from more than 20 countries and 40 states will gather in Maui - having competed all season long for the right to be at the XTERRA Global Tour’s culminating event. What begins as a gathering of relative strangers end as a family whose friendship defies boundaries of title and expertise and unites them all in the challenge of Man vs. Mother Nature.

$105,000 in pro prize money is up for grabs and for age groupers the title of World Champion earns them a one-of-a-kind XTERRA World Champion jersey. All the action will be filmed for a one-hour nationwide TV special, and on race day, you can log-on to XTERRA.TV for live coverage from Maui.


admin
September 28, 2009

melusachamps

Snowbasin Resort- Ogden, UT - The three-time XTERRA World Champ came out of the water more than three minutes behind Christine Jeffrey undaunted, and by midway through the bike had a two minute lead on Jeffrey, Sara Tarkington, and Shonny Vanlandingham.

By the 19-kilometer mark McQuaid still had more than two minutes on Vanlandingham, while Jeffrey fell off the pace, Tarkington remained in third, and Lesley Paterson moved into fourth position more than four minutes behind the leader.

During the last quarter of the bike Vanlandingham got a split that said she was just a minute back when the dreaded flat seemingly erased any chance she might have. Three stops to quick fill her tire later that cost her a couple minutes of hard-charging time and “Shonny V” found herself in the precarious position of having to make up three minutes on the run.

It just so happened that McQuaid, who has been at altitude for a month and here in the area for two weeks, may have just “overtrained” and started fading.

“I tried not to think about how slow I was running,” said the champ. “Before the race I was listening to this techno song and the only thing that was going through my mind was ‘I like to move it, move it’ and I was hoping it would help me get through.”

It certainly did get her through, and fast enough, but Vanlandingham ran three minutes faster over the 10-kilometer close and pulled to within 47 seconds at the finish line.

“I feel really good about today,” said Vanlandingham, the top American woman in the race and the Pro Series. “I mean, if you take the flats out I could have contended. Wish I could’ve made it more exciting for the fans and spectators but in this sport, those things happen.”

Paterson caught and passed Tarkington on the run to finish in the top 3 in her third straight XTERRA championship race this year. Carina Wasle also moved up into fourth, and Jenny Smith rounded out the top five.

“This place is absolutely amazing,” said Paterson in her Scottish accent. “The course was perfect and fast and smooth and fun, the air temperature was perfect, and I was having trouble concentrating looking at all the pink and yellow and orange – it was much like Scotland in the fall.”

At the awards ceremony McQuaid spoke for the entire field when she said, “the people and volunteers here in Utah are crazy amazing. The hospitality they show is insane, they’re just so happy to have us and I can tell you we are happy to be here. I can’t imagine a funner place to enjoy the end of the U.S. series.”


admin

conraduschamps

Snowbasin Resort - Ogden, UT - The race started out predictably enough with Seth Wealing leading the charge in the mile-long swim in the calm and cool but comfortable waters of Pineview Reservoir, followed shortly after by the “Big Fish” Christine Jeffrey and some 40-seconds later out popped Stoltz, Branden Rakita, and Craig Evans.

Out on the bike things changed quickly as Conrad “the Caveman” Stoltz evaporated Wealing’s early lead by the second mile and put nearly a minute into the entire field. It was 50-seconds to be exact, and the next riders to arrive added even more colors to the already vibrant scene with Josiah Middaugh in blue, Nico Lebrun in green, Mike Vine in orange, and Branden Rakita in black all riding wheel-to-wheel. Early speed credit also goes to Middaugh and Lebrun, who exited the swim more than minute-and-a-half after Stoltz and caught up quick.

By mile eight the landscape had changed again as Stoltz had put another 20 seconds on Middaugh and Vine, but Lebrun had taken 20 seconds back and was now only half-minute behind the 3x XTERRA World Champion from South Africa.

“Today I was riding really skinny and fast tires and my plan was to go very hard on the climbs but be conservative on the downhills so I would not crash,” said Lebrun, long known as one of the sports premier climbers. It was a solid strategy, especially considering this 30-kilometer bike course climbs and climbs and climbs with some 3,000 feet of uphill from the reservoir to the top of the course (it’s 4,600-feet elevation at the swim start and 7,600-feet at the top of the bike).

On the other end of that spectrum is Stoltz, who has the power to climb but his solid 6-foot-3 frame requires a lot more effort to propel up a mountain. “This is the anti-Conrad course,” explained Stoltz. Nevertheless, any time the trail got flat and the very few times it went down Stoltz pinned it and even his fellow pros call describe his fearless riding as “simply amazing”.

As proof, despite all the ground Lebrun made up on the ascent Stoltz still took a minute lead out onto the run after his final rush down to the transition area. The good news for Lebrun, and the bad for Stoltz, was there’s still a lot more climbing on the run.

At mile 1.3 Lebrun had gained 13 seconds, in the next 15 minutes he made up the other 47, and for good measure added another 52 ticks to cross the line with a winning time of 2:21:57 – Stoltz 2:22:49.

“Maybe for the first time ever I’m content with second,” said Stoltz, who with the finish secured an unprecedented 7th XTERRA U. S. Pro Series title. “Considering the injuries I had this year and my sketchy training as a result I’m very happy to keep it all together and still win the series. Plus, Nico is just a Billy goat, and he was the strongest guy out there today.”

Behind those two Josiah Middaugh did everything in his power to stave off Mike Vine, who came within seconds of getting past, to hold on for 3rd – top American in the race and in the Pro Series now for the fifth time in six years. Both Middaugh and Vine tipped their caps to the guys ahead “They crushed it today,” said one – and – “they really nailed it,” said the other.

Wealing, who said he did “pretty darn good” for how bad he was feeling, finished in 5th, and five other Colorado guys rounded out the top 10 with Rakita, Cody Waite, Ryan Ignatz, Brian Smith (fresh off a grueling adventure race in China last weekend) and Will Kelsay.


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shonnyuschamps

Snowbasin Resort - Ogden, UT- Shonny V. came out of the water 2-minutes behind Melanie McQuaid, the current US Champ, that would be her toughest competition of the day. Vanlandingham patiently went to work, knowing it was fully within her capabilities to reel in McQuaid.

In the last quarter of the bike Vanlandingham had reduced McQuaid’s lead to less than a minute when the dreaded flat seemingly erased any chance she might have. Three stops to quick fill her tire later that cost her a couple minutes of hard-charging time and “Shonny V” found herself in the precarious position of having to make up three minutes on the run.

McQuaid, who has been at altitude for a month and here in the area for two weeks, may have just “overtrained” and started fading.

Vanlandingham ran three minutes faster over the 10-kilometer close and pulled to within 47 seconds at the finish line.

“I feel really good about today,” said Vanlandingham, the top American woman in the race and the Pro Series. “I mean, if you take the flats out I could have contended. Wish I could’ve made it more exciting for the fans and spectators but in this sport, those things happen.”

Paterson caught and passed Tarkington on the run to finish in the top 3 in her third straight XTERRA championship race this year. Carina Wasle also moved up into fourth, and Jenny Smith rounded out the top five.

Luna Pro & Teammate, Danelle Kabush, finished 7th Overall.


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lunapro

The women’s field was stacked with last year’s winner and defending US champion Katie Compton taking on the powerful LUNA duo of Katerina Nash and Georgia Gould. Helen Wyman (Kona) of Great Britain attacked from the start, creating the first selection. Only Katerina and Katie were able to respond. Wyman quickly faded, leaving Katerina and Katie to battle up front. An unfortunate crash on the run-up took Katerina out of contention for the win. Katie rode solo the rest of the race finishing almost a minute ahead of Katerina. Georgia had to battle with a surging Kelli Emmett (Giant Bicycles) for the final podium spot. A last lap attack dropped Kelli and secured 3rd place for Georgia. A great start to the cross season! Noteably absent was Alison Dunlap, stuck at home fighting a nasty sinus cold. She’ll join the rest of the team for the first round of the US Gran Prix in Madison, WI this weekend.


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September 27, 2009

konamen

Kailua-Kona, HI - This Saturday, October 10, the TEAM AVIA Men will take on the 140.6-mile challenge through the ocean waves and the lava-covered terrain. Our men will race the best of the best at the 2009 Ironman World Championships. This year’s AVIA athletes represent over 15-Ironman Wins, 4-Course Records, and countless other podium finishes. Join us wishing them well & if you’re lucky enough to be in Kona, give them a cheer as they speed by!

2009 TEAM AVIA MEN
- Stephen Bayliss
- Reinaldo Colucci
- James Cunnama
- Eneko Llanos
- Hektor Llanos
- Hiro Nishiuchi
- Eduardo Sturla


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konawomen

Kailua-Kona, HI - This Saturday, October 10, the TEAM AVIA Women will take on the 140.6-mile challenge through the ocean waves and the lava-covered terrain. Our women will race the best of the best at the 2009 Ironman World Championships. This year’s AVIA athletes represent over 15-Ironman Wins, 4-Course Records, and countless other podium finishes. Join us wishing them well & if you’re lucky enough to be in Kona, give them a cheer as they speed by!

2009 TEAM AVIA WOMEN
- Abigail Bayley
- Bella Bayliss-Comerford
- Erika Csomor
- Rebekah Keat
- Lisbeth Kristensen
- Tereza Macel
- Wendy Mader
- Maki Nishiuchi
- Tyler Stewart
- Heather Wurtele
- Lucie Zelenkova


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September 21, 2009

cp_worlds

Schladming, Austria - Catharine Pendrel, with her 3rd place finish this past weekend, gained enough points to finish 3rd in the final World Cup standings. Georgia Gould was 15th overall, with Katerina Nash in 38th. Katerina only raced in two World Cups this year. The LUNA Team finished 2nd in the overall team rankings. Congratulations on finishing a long and grueling mountain bike season!

What’s next? The LUNA team converges on Las Vegas next week for Interbike. Georgia and Katerina will join Alison Dunlap for Cross Vegas, a huge nighttime cyclocross race in front of thousands of beer drinking, hot dog eating, super fans. On Friday, the cross team heads to Madison, WI for the first round of the US Grand Prix national series.


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alid1

Redmond, WA - On Saturday, the Star Crossed event was held under dark skies at 7pm. Helen Wyman (Kona) rode away for a decisive win with Sue Butler coming in 2nd and Alison in 3rd. On Sunday at the Rad Racing GP, Helen Wyman again rode away from the field, only to suffer an untimely flat on the second lap. Sue Butler had magic legs and rode to the win by 30 sec. Alison was 2nd. It was a good showing in only her second weekend of cross racing in five years.

The LUNA Team will be racing this Wednesday at Cross Vegas, at the Interbike trade show.


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September 19, 2009

erika_zofingen_1

Erika Csomor made history this weekend by winning the Powerman World Championships in Zofingen for a record 6th time.

The Hungarian dominated from the first run, but it was on the third lap of the bike where she pulled away from her rivals to enter T2 with a 7 minute advantage. From there on she attributed her success to sheer mind power to win (7h20) over Jessica Peterssen (UK) and Camilla Lindholm of Sweden in third.

Congrats Erika!


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September 14, 2009

jpchamp2

Gold Coast, Australia - Congrats to JP Theberge!! on a fantastic performance at the ITU World Championships.

JP - a father of three, businessman, and world champion triathlete - doesn’t let anything get in his way, let alone his below the knee amputation. The long flight from LAX to Brisbane gave JP plenty of time to focus on his objective & specific goals for the race, as well as reflect on the hard work and the journey that went into getting him to another World Championship event.

His swim was less than satisfactory, putting him in 8th place at T1. JP began to ride, knowing a lot can happen in a 40k TT and a 10k run. Little by little, JP picked off his fellow competitors until he was 41-seconds down from 1st place at about 2.5-miles into the run. And then he went, with confidence in his hard work and nothing to lose - JP brought home GOLD!!! He finished 1:24 over Rivaldo’s 2nd place for a final clocktime of 2:19.

For JP’s race recap, check out: http://www.challengedracing.com/main/home/Entries/2009/9/12_Gold_Down_Under.html


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alexiss

Monterey, CA - Congrats Alexis! This hometown favorite always puts her best on the line for the family & friends that have been cheering her on for over 2 decades. Complete with pink hair and a vibrant smile from just being out on a race course, Alexis swam, bike & ran her way to 3rd place just behind race winner Leanda Cave and Tenille Hoogland (2nd).


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September 8, 2009

llanos_crosschamp

Congrats Llanos Brothers for your great races at the Spanish Cyclocross Championships!

Eneko finished 1st; Hektor finished 3rd on the podium. What a great way to hold on to late season fitness & spice up the routine. Next stop - 2009 Ironman World Championships!


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September 2, 2009

cp_silver_1

Catharine “Kika” Pendrel kicked off the 2009 World Mountain Bike Championships with a silver medal as part of the Canadian Team relay squad. This is the best result ever for a member of the LUNA Pro Team in a UCI World Championship.

The Team Relay is made up of national teams of four riders – one elite man, one elite woman, an Under-23 male, and a junior man. Each team member races one lap of the cross-country course with the starting order left up to the teams.

Chloe Forsman will be the next LUNA Pro to see action, racing the Under-23 women’s cross-country on Wednesday, September 2 (2009). Georgia Gould and Catharine Pendrel will race the Elite women’s cross country on Saturday, September 5, 2009.


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August 31, 2009

tereza_can2

Penticton, B.C. - Sunday’s Ironman Canada belonged to Tereza Macel. Still on a high from winning Ironman Lake Placid just over 5-weeks ago, Tereza entered this iconic event with the intent of hearing the pleasant ring “Tereza Macel - IRONMAN CHAMPION” once again. If you meet Tereza, you’ll think she’s one of the sweetest, most soft spoken women you’ve met…until that all disappears when she swims, bikes and runs.

Coach Brett Sutton teaches his teamTBB to race like they train so Tereza’s 51:11 swim with the boys was just that. Swim specialists Kat Baker and Belinda Granger were left in her wake, over 2-minutes behind. Onto the bike, Tereza was again in familiar company. She began riding away from the girls, and was the only pro woman to break the 5-hour mark. Tereza finished her day in decisive fashion with a top run split of 3:17:52 - giving her enough time to truly enjoy this victory and give some fan love to family, friends and sponsors, as she crossed finish line flashing her brilliant smile.

Macel’s final clock time was 9:11:20. Last year’s champion, Belinda Granger came 2nd in 9:40:49. Local athlete Janelle Morrison finished in 3rd; Haley Cooper & Tara Norton rounded out the top 5.

Additional AVIA Athletes racing, include: Trevor Wurtele (18th).


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lisbeth_louis

Louisville, KY- Sunday’s Ironman Louisville was exciting race for spectators. Forty-one year old veteran, Nina Kraft led out of the water with teamTBB’s Maki Nishuichi right on her heels.

Kraft pulled away but recieved a shock when TBB’s Lisbeth Kristensen passed her as if she was standing still. Kristensen, who had her first baby earlier this year is just winding up for the season, and put a 9-minute deficit into Kraft.

Once on the run course, temperatures began to heat up. Kraft reclaimed her lead with the 2nd fastest run of the day. Lisbeth Kristensen finished in a strong 2nd overall with a final time of 9:23:57, 3-minutes behind Kraft. Kim Loeffler finished in 3rd; Kate Pallardy & Fernanda Keller took 4th & 5th on the podium.

Additional AVIA athletes racing, include: Maki Nishiuchi (7th), Hiro Nishiuchi (7th), and Scott Defilippis (16th).


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jilliannats

Tuscaloosa, AL - Last Sunday’s USAT Elite National Championships were held in the hot, humid college town of Tuscaloosa. The event drew the nation’s best, including the next group of Olympic hopefuls.

Jasmine Oeinck, a two-time ITU Under 23 World Championship silver medalist in cool conditions, overcame 85-degree water and typical Alabama summer heat to win the USAT Elite National women’s title in 2:02:49 at Tuscaloosa. Oeinck came off the swim and bike five seconds behind fellow Boulder, Colorado resident Jenna Shoemaker, then ran a race-best 35:14 to outpace Shoemaker by 33 seconds and hit the line with a 28 seconds margin of victory. Swim sensation, Hayley Peirsol rounded out the top 3. Margaret Shapiro, finished in 4th; Jillian Petersen took 5th in the Elite Open Division.


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August 17, 2009

heatherlakestevens

Lake Stevens, WA - Sunday’s Ironman 70.3 event, held at Lake Stevens, a small town 40-minutes north of Seattle, began eerily. The small community was enveloped in a layer of fog so thick one couldn’t 15-ft ahead, let alone swim bouys placed approx. every 100-yards. The chill in the air and 50-degree temperatures also left participants wondering what this race would hold. After a short delay the fog began to lift, and the athletes were off. The 2009 field included a long list of professional men, Becky Lavelle a world class racer, ITU star Samantha Warriner, 2x ITU World Champion & 2006 Ironman World titlist Michellie Jones, 2008 Ironman Coeur d’Alene Champion Heather Wurtele, 3x XTERRA champion Melanie McQuaid and Ironman Hawaii 5th place finisher Linsey Corbin, along with over 1,000 age-groupers fulfilling dreams of qualifying for the 70.3 World Champs, setting a pr, or just finishing.

Becky Lavelle set the pace from the gun start with a race best swim of 25:58. Wurtele and Jones emerged over 2-minutes back, and McQuaid 4-minutes off the race leader. Wurtele proved to be the dominating factor on the bike course, putting over 3-minutes into Lavelle, Jones and McQuaid. On the run Lavelle and Wurtele, two of the lankiest runners in the sport, paced off eachother. Wurtele looked strong but lack of promised nutrition on the course was her detriment. She raced strong, preparing to pick up the pace in the final 5k. Unfortunately Wurtele bonked with 1.5mi to go; Lavelle outran her for the win. Jones raced in no man’s land, pushing to reach the two leaders ahead and conscious of the strong racers behind her. She maintained position for 3rd on the podium. Congrats Heather!


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melstevens

Lake Stevens, WA - Sunday’s Ironman 70.3 event, held at Lake Stevens, a small town 40-minutes north of Seattle, A very deep women’s field included Becky Lavelle a world class racer, ITU star Samantha Warriner,2x ITU World Champion & 2006 Ironman World titlist Michellie Jones, 2008 Ironman Coeur d’Alene Champion Heather Wurtele, 3x XTERRA champion Melanie McQuaid and Ironman Hawaii 5th place finisher Linsey Corbin. For Melanie, this race was her token 70.3 race of the season, basically a long training day for XTERRA National Champs next month and proof that she can be as competitive on the road as off.

Becky Lavelle set the pace from the gun start with a race best swim of 25:58. Wurtele and Jones emerged over 2-minutes back, and McQuaid 4-minutes off the race leader. Wurtele proved to be the dominating factor on the bike course, putting over 3-minutes into Lavelle, Jones and McQuaid. On the run Lavelle and Wurtele, two of the lankiest runners in the sport, paced off eachother. Unfortunately Wurtele bonked with 1.5mi to go; Lavelle outran her for the win. Jones maintained position for 3rd on the podium.

AVIA’s Melanie McQuaid, hammered away on the bike, after her disappointing swim. She posted a top 3 bike time but expended too much effort to move up in the field any further. She finished in 4th. Linsey Corbin rounded out the top 5.

Congrats Melanie!


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pendrelxct

The cross country race was a tight battle between Willow Koerber (Gary Fisher/Subaru), Catharine Pendrel, Georgia Gould, Katerina Nash, and Lea Davison (Maxxis). Catharine set the intial pace up the first climb, but was passed on the descent by Willow. After Willow flatted, Georgia and Catharine regained the lead. A lap later Willow was back in front. Catharine was in 2nd, only to suffer a flat towards the finish. Willow finished 40 seconds ahead of Georgia with Catharine in third, Lea Davison in 4th and Katerina Nash rounding out the podium in 5th.

Catharine’s third place was enough to give her the series title, with Georgia in second, Heather Irmiger in 3rd, Katerina Nash in 4th, and Pua Sawicki 5th. It was Catharine’s first series title. LUNA has won the National Series championship every year since 2005.

The short track was another tactical race between the LUNA team, Lea Davison, Heather Irmiger and Willow Koerber. After an aggressive start that saw multiple attacks and lead changes, the main group quickly wittled down to the three LUNA riders, Heather and Lea. On the last lap Katerina attacked hard up the only climb with Lea in tow and a small gap back to Georgia. Lea was able to squeak around Katerina before the final turn and held her off in the sprint for the win. Katerina’s second place was followed closely by Georgia and Catharine in 3rd and 4th.

Georgia, Catharine and Chloe will return home for some rest before the World Championships in 3 weeks in Canberra, Australia. Katerina Nash will be focusing on the January 2010 Cross World Championships, an hour from her hometown of Prachatice, Czech.


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August 10, 2009

shonnyv4

Valle de Bravo, Mexico - Shonny Vanlandingham took home the crown at the XTERRA Mexico Championship last weekend. Shonny V. who seems to get stronger each year and throughout the season, claimed her 3rd win in 4 races.

The Valle de Bravo race course is a two hour drive from Mexico City. It sits on a huge reservoir, with green hills and mountains perfect for XTERRA racing. The swim course was relocated due to the lack of rain this year. Shonny V. got caught up in a agressive, messy swim start and came out of the water 3-minutes back from Olympian Fabiola Corona.

The bike course is hilly with some great single track, a ride you can actually enjoy. Vanlandingham recovered from the swim and had her game face back on. At the end of the first lap, Rebecca Dussault had pulled ahead of Corona and Vanlandingham was coming on strong. On lap two, Shonny V. stormed by her competition in impressive style and prepared for her victory run.

The run course is breathtaking, as you emerge for the woods racers enjoy views of the valley and lake. Shonny V. negotiated the hills well, and promised to enjoy the views post-race and with a celebratory margarita. Vanlandingham held off Dussault by 30-seconds with the rest of the field trailing several minutes behind.

Congrats Shonny!!


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amberultra

British Columbia, Canada - Ultraman Canada is a 3-day, 512.6 kilometer (318.6 mile) ultra-endurance event, which started in Canada in 1993, following the format of the Ultraman established in Kona in 1983, covers part of the Okanagan/ Similkameen regions of British Columbia.

Stage 1 - 10.0 km (6.2 mile) point to point swim starting in Penticton and finishing in Okanagan Falls, followed by 144.8 km (90.0 mile) bike ride, beginning in Okanagan Falls over the Richter Pass returning to Okanagan Falls.

Stage 2 - 273.5 km (170 mile) bike ride, beginning in Penticton and ending in Princeton.

Stage 3 - 84.3 km (52.4 mile) double-marathon run from Princeton to Summerland.

This past weekend, Amber Monforte - nurse, Ironwoman, XTERRA competitor and Stoltz fiancee - made her mark on the triathlon world with a record-smashing performance.

Monforte, who has found her niche in training and racing, proved she was the toughest mentally and physically for this ultra-challenge.

Monforte started Friday’s Day One with a third-best 2:52:39 swim, lagging behind Brochu’s 2:42:41 and 5-time Ultraman Hawaii winner Shanna Armstrong’s 2:47:11, but topping all the men’s major contenders. On the 90-mile bike, Monforte broke the women’s record with a 4:58:35 split, topped only by the first three men. However, Brochu hung tough for the first day’s overall lead with a 5:05:40 split that left her 2:53 in the lead.

On the 171.4-mile bike on Day 2, Monforte broke the race open with a 9:14:22 split that was 35 minutes faster than Brochu, and was again topped only by the first three men – Benat Zubillaga, Milton Augusto De Souza and Josef Ajram.

On the Day 3 double marathon, Monforte cranked out an 8:31:13 run that put another 66-minutes on Brochu.

Monforte finished fourth overall including the men in a time of 25:36:49. She out-paced runner-up Barbi Brochu, who set a fastest swim time of 2:42:41, by 1:39:11. Monforte’s record time beat Tracy Preston’s Ultraman Canada women’s record of 29:31:44 by nearly 4 hours. Monforte’s amazing race also broke the previous women’s world best at the Ultraman distance of 25:45:51 set in 1989 by Tina Bischoff at Ultraman Hawaii.

Monforte, supported by crew Graham Bartlett and Conrad Stoltz, finished a VERY happy and tired girl. We think she deserves a extra long vacation!


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lisbethk1

Prague, Czech Republic - This weekend was the European Long Course Championships in the beautiful city of Prague. Named the “BIGMAN”, the course draws athletes determined to be big people in the triathlon world. AVIA sponsored, TBB athletes, Lisbeth Kristensen and Lucie Zelenkova, decided to put themselves to the test in a race that draws both speedy ITU athletes and Ironman endurace phenoms. The race covers a 4k (2.49mi.) swim, 120k (74.6mi) bike, and 30k (18.6mi) run.

Teammates Kristensen & Zelenkova worked together on the swim. Lucie has had a stacked season and seemed to be feeling the results of last weekend’s racing at Antwerp 70.3. And Kristensen, commented that her legs just haven’t worked right since her 3rd place performance at Ironman Switzerland. Despite not feeling 100%, Lisbeth posted the 2nd fastest swim split and a top 3 bike & run times. Kristensen who competes for Denmark, completed the distance in 6:22:57 for 3rd place on the podium. Lucie Z. finished in 6th place.


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August 3, 2009

bellauk3

Bolton, Great Britain - Third time was a charm for Bella Bayliss as she stepped to the line at the 2009 Ironman UK. Sunday’s race was both her third victory at Ironman UK and her third Ironman Title for the year. After a rocky start to 2009, Bella has found her sweet spot again as she builds up for the Ironman World Championships.

Bella lead out of the water in first with teamTBB teammate Abigail Bayley on her feet. Once on the bike, Bella never looked back and cemented her victory for the day. Teammate Abi entered T2 about 13-minutes back, where both women would run a 3:01 marathon split, taking 1st and 2nd on the podium. Bella crossed the line with a final clock time of 9:34:00.

Congrats Bella!


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jospin3

Glucksburg, Germany - Joseph Spindler won the Ostseeman Triathlon an Iron distance race in Glucksburg, Germany. This was Spindler’s 3rd win on this course, teamTBB’s Caroline Koll took third in the women’s race.

The race in Glucksburg, a small northern German town, close to the Danish border, includes a technical 6-lap bike and a challenging 5-lap run with many sharp turns, short steep hills and cobbles.

“Gluck” meaning luck turned out to be more than that for TBB’s Joseph Spindler who showed a marked improvement in his swim (59′59″).

Fellow German Horst Wittmershaus stayed close throughout the day. It was the small gap that Spindler made on the bike that determined the outcome, as the two ended up both running 2:55 marathon.

Spindler took the win in 8:28:00, Wittmershaus was second in 8:30:59 and Dane Ulrik Schaarup finished in third.

In the women’s race it was TBB’s Caroline Koll who led out of the swim. Unfortunately, on lap number two she was controversially handed a black card and an 8 minute penalty. Last year’s runner up Nicole Woysch took the lead on the bike setting a course record of 5:07. At the start of the run she was well clear of second place Conny Dauben. Woysch went on to post a new course record of 9:22, with Conny Dauben in second in 9:57. Koll came back from her penalty time to finish on the podium in third.


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tbbbike4

Bolton, Great Britain - Bella Bayliss stole the stole the show as she took home her 3rd victory at Ironman UK. TBB teammates Stephen Bayliss (Bella’s husband) and Abigail Bayley also had fantastic races.

Stephen Bayliss exited the swim in second, just behind Phillip Graves. Bayliss, know for his consistency, pushed strong on the bike and run, posting the second fastest split in each discipline. Bayliss took 2nd on the podium with an 8:48:29 clock time.

Abigail Bayley, who is having a great season after her 4th place finish at Ironman France, continues to climb the ranks. She followed Bella out of the swim and maintained her position on the bike. Her 3:01 marathon awarded her 2nd place on the podium.

Congrats teamTBB!


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July 28, 2009

cpendrelwcup

Mont Ste. Anne has been on the World Cup circuit for over 15 years, and has a reputation as one of the best run, not mention the most fun, events of the summer. To keep things interesting, the riders were faced with a totally redesigned course with extremely technical descents and demanding climbs. And to add to the challenge, it started to rain 10 minutes before the women’s race.

Catharine Pendrel had a slow start and was 10th after the first lap. By the second lap she used her climbing prowess to move into the lead and never looked back. Katerina Nash, in her first World Cup of the season, came from a mid-pack call up, to ride in 2nd for most of the race. It wasn’t until the last lap when Irina Kalentieva, the defending World Champion, passed her and took the silver. Katerina, one of the best technical riders in the world, excelled on the demanding course and was able to make time on the descents. Catharine took the win in front of family and friends for her second World Cup victory in two years.

Georgia Gould placed 7th, adding to the dominating performance of the LUNA Pro Team. Three riders in the top ten gave the LUNA Team the victory in the team classification for the event. They are now in second overall. Catharine is 4th and Georgia 14th in the World Cup standings.


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July 27, 2009

tezplacid3

Tereza Macel, AVIA sponsored teamTBB athlete, won Ironman Lake Placid in a decisive fashion this weekend. Macel, who was representing the Czech Republic, proved she was the best on the course and never looked back.
Her domination began with a 50:48 swim, 2-minutes faster Hillary Biscay and 1-minute faster than the top male.

“I just swam and then, halfway through the first loop I passed the guy who was leading. I thought I would take turns with him, but nobody would come to the front with me. If I need to swim fast and get away from the girls, that’s what I have to do,” said Macel after the race.

Once on the bike, Macel increased her lead, allowing the other women to fight for the other podium spots. Samantha McGlone passed Biscay by mile 45, Tara Norton had moved into second place just ahead of McGlone. Macel extended her lead to 12-minutes and was riding with top 10 men, just like her usual training days.

Once into T2, McGlone and defending champion Caitlin Snow were prepared to run a personal best to gain a few postions and Kona slot. Macel comfortably ran a 3:20 marathon to take the win with a final clocktime of 9:29:36. Snow and McGlone arrived in 2nd & 3rd.

It was a race executed to perfection for Tereza Macel, and a true career highlight, for this athlete who seems to love racing and enjoy being out there regardless of the outcome. Congrats Tez!!

Additional AVIA athletes racing, include: Zach Ruble (16th)


admin
July 20, 2009

pipvineman

Santa Rosa, California - AVIA ladies stole the show at the 2009 Vineman 70.3. Both men’s and women’s races hosted one of the deepest, fastest fields of athletes ever. The 19th annual race was hotter than most - 75-degree water and temps reaching 107-degrees for the late afternoon runners.

In the women’s race, AVIA’s Jo Zeiger, defending Ironman 70.3 World Champion had the fastest swim with Dede Greisbauer and Pip Taylor following her out of the Russian River. On the bike course, Zeiger continued to ride strong, as did Kelly Couch, Tyler Stewart and Linsey Corbin. On this winding bike course through the Sonoma vineyards, AVIA’s Pip Taylor put over 4-minutes into her competition.

The run course began to heat up, resulting in several changes in the men’s race. Jo Zeiger ran into complications with her asthma and had to drop out at mile 9. AVIA’s Tyler Stewart, felt sluggish from her recent Ironman effort, but had a breakthrough late in run. Pip held her strong lead to take the crown with a 4:20:04 clock time. Stewart beaming, sprinted for the line and took 2nd; Dede Greisbauer cruised to 3rd.

In the men’s race, AVIA’s Reinaldo Colucci and Eduardo Sturla took a wrong turn on the bike course, dropping them from 2nd & 3rd to a dissappointing 6th & 10th place finish. Local pro, Nicholas Thompson had a breakthrough race, finishing in 7th with a time of 4:04:15.

Additional AVIA athletes competing, include: Alexis Smith and Tracy Robertson


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tylervineman

Santa Rosa, California - AVIA ladies stole the show at the 2009 Vineman 70.3. Both men’s and women’s races hosted one of the deepest, fastest fields of athletes ever. The 19th annual race was hotter than most - 75-degree water and temps reaching 107-degrees for the late afternoon runners.

In the women’s race, AVIA’s Jo Zeiger, defending Ironman 70.3 World Champion had the fastest swim with Dede Greisbauer and Pip Taylor following her out of the Russian River. On the bike course, Zeiger continued to ride strong, as did Kelly Couch, Tyler Stewart and Linsey Corbin. On this winding bike course through the Sonoma vineyards, AVIA’s Pip Taylor put over 4-minutes into her competition.

The run course began to heat up, resulting in several changes in the men’s race. Jo Zeiger ran into complications with her asthma and had to drop out at mile 9. AVIA’s Tyler Stewart, felt sluggish from her recent Ironman effort, but had a breakthrough late in run. Pip held her strong lead to take the crown with a 4:20:04 clock time. Stewart beaming, sprinted for the line and took 2nd; Dede Greisbauer cruised to 3rd.

In the men’s race, AVIA’s Reinaldo Colucci and Eduardo Sturla took a wrong turn on the bike course, dropping them from 2nd & 3rd to a dissappointing 6th & 10th place finish. Local pro, Nicholas Thompson had a breakthrough race, finishing in 7th with a time of 4:04:15.

Additional AVIA athletes competing, include: Alexis Smith and Tracy Robertson


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shonnymount

Avon, CO - AVIA women were back on top at the XTERRA Mountain Cup. The Colorado course, held at Beaver Creek Resort, is absolutely breathtaking from the beautiful scenery to the calibre of ski mountain climbs that put even the fittest athlete in awe.

Olympic bronze medalist Susan Williams, led the swim, including most of the men. But it was up to Shonny V. to impress the crowd on bike and run. She began reeling in her competitors one by one, meanwhile posting the fastest bike split of the day by over 5-minutes. While AVIA sponsored, Luna teammate, Danelle Kabush owns the fastest run split, Vanlandingham would easily cruise to her second victory of the season.

Additional AVIA athletes competing: Danelle Kabush (2nd)


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July 14, 2009

bekroth1

Roth, Germany- Sunday’s Quelle Challenge, a fast iron distance race in Germany, was a magical day for Bek Keat. Her 2009 season has exceeded any expectations but remains a lead up for Kona.

Post-race comments from Keat reflected disappointment with her swim positioning. Keat & Wellington came out of the water neck and neck in 50:21, each working for themselves. Once on the bike, Keat’s goal was to keep Chrissie in sight as long as possible. Wellington, the women’s world record setting cyclist pulled away on the hills as Keat rode with intensity but mentally prepared for the run. Into T2, Keat was 10-minutes down from Wellington as she began her push for the finish. Keat kept her focus ahead with a few reminders of the strong runners, including Catriona Morrison, still behind her. One-third of the way through the run, Keat was reeling in Wellington. In the end, Rebekah Keat would put over 2-minutes into Wellington’s marathon for a run split of 2:55:26.

For Bek Keat, Germany’s Quelle Challenge Roth was a magical day - she was closing on the current world champion in the final miles to finish 2nd as well as shattered the current iron distance record with her final clock time of 8:39:24.

Additional AVIA athletes racing include: Erika Csomor (4th)