This weekend is full of racing in Europe, there is the WIC in Italy, a couple of marathons in Germany and the Unive Skate Off in Holland.
I'm going to race in Holland at the Unive Skate Off, it's a two day track meet consisting of two sprint events, two distance events and a team pursuit. I didn't take away good memories from this event last year so I'm hoping for better ones this year. I've had a quick look at the weather forecast and it doesn't look flash. I've packed my MPC Storm Surges just in case we end up racing on the road in the rain.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
2nd Overall
I haven't had internet the last couple of days but now that is sorted so I'm back online.
On Sunday we had the last race in Gross Gerau, the 10km elimination. I ended up finishing third and Mareika won so I finished up second in the overall ranking. At times during the race I felt like I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I ended up having to lead a lot because it was either that or be in about 9 or 10th place in the pack behind the German and Italian teams and sprinting each lap not to be eliminated. Watching some of the elimination races beforehand I thought it was safer to be at the front. A lot of skaters were being caught out and eliminated with big trains swooping off of the corners.
I didn't have any skaters that could sacrifice being eliminated for me so I only had one life. I made it to the final five but had to use a lot of energy. On the last lap I tried to pass Laura up the inside before the final corner. If I could race it again I wouldn't have made that choice but at the time she left the gap open and I took the opportunity but it didn't end up paying off. The problem was I didn't get in front of her enough before the final bend and ended up getting jammed into the edge of the track as she started turning in. I couldn't get full cross overs in so I ended up loosing a lot of my momentum. Mareika wound up around the outside and got the swoop. Laura was still at the front a few meters before the line but neglected to lunge so ended up finishing second.
Bart won the mens elimination and Fabio second, with Bart also taking out the overall ranking.
Overall I was pleased with my results, 5th in the 500m, 3rd in the elimination and 2nd in the points race. I didn't do any specific training on my skates in the off season and haven't worked on speed at all. I generally tend to be stronger on the track than the road so I'm happy with the results from the weekend against World class skaters and national squads.
On Sunday we had the last race in Gross Gerau, the 10km elimination. I ended up finishing third and Mareika won so I finished up second in the overall ranking. At times during the race I felt like I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I ended up having to lead a lot because it was either that or be in about 9 or 10th place in the pack behind the German and Italian teams and sprinting each lap not to be eliminated. Watching some of the elimination races beforehand I thought it was safer to be at the front. A lot of skaters were being caught out and eliminated with big trains swooping off of the corners.
I didn't have any skaters that could sacrifice being eliminated for me so I only had one life. I made it to the final five but had to use a lot of energy. On the last lap I tried to pass Laura up the inside before the final corner. If I could race it again I wouldn't have made that choice but at the time she left the gap open and I took the opportunity but it didn't end up paying off. The problem was I didn't get in front of her enough before the final bend and ended up getting jammed into the edge of the track as she started turning in. I couldn't get full cross overs in so I ended up loosing a lot of my momentum. Mareika wound up around the outside and got the swoop. Laura was still at the front a few meters before the line but neglected to lunge so ended up finishing second.
Bart won the mens elimination and Fabio second, with Bart also taking out the overall ranking.
Overall I was pleased with my results, 5th in the 500m, 3rd in the elimination and 2nd in the points race. I didn't do any specific training on my skates in the off season and haven't worked on speed at all. I generally tend to be stronger on the track than the road so I'm happy with the results from the weekend against World class skaters and national squads.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
WIC Geisingen Video's
Skate TV has the 500m final video now online and there will be more video's from Geisingen and Gross Gerau in the near future.
Gross Gerau Update
Just a quick update before I go to bed. One word to sum up today, LONG. Racing started at 9.30am and finished up at about 8.30pm.
The 500m heats were first up and the quarters and semi's followed soon after. With so many competitors and a tight time schedule everything was run pretty quickly often with no chance to actually warm up on skates.
In the first round of the 500's I finished second behind Erica Zanetti, who broke the 300m World record the night before. Round two second behind Jersy Puello, who was second the night before in the 300m. The third round was stacked, I had Jersy, Erin Jackson, Cecilia and Thum. All skaters that have had medals at either Junior or Senior World Championships and three of them (that I know of, 4 including me) that have placed in that particular event. I finished second behind Jersy and the time was good enough to qualify for the final.
I didn't have the legs to match the girls in the final and finished fifth, Jersy won and Sabine Berg second. The other finalists were Zanetti and Paola (Colombia).
The men's 500 final was stacked with four skaters from Powerslide and Bart. Munoz lead from the start and no one ever looked like passing him. Kwinten Tas surprised everyone, maybe even himself finishing up second and a wobbly Kalon third.
I qualified comfortably in the 5km points race heats, 15 from each heat went through to the final.
The final was tough, I felt like I was at a World Championships on the start line. Colombians to one side, three Italians in front of me, a team of Germans and skaters even wearing radios. It was hard against all the strong national teams with numerous skaters. The early points I got I had to work hard for because I was being marked by a skater. I then managed to get on a few small breaks and collect some points but with no one to catch me in the pack it was hard to recover. I led on points for most of the race until the last sprint, Mareika won the last sprint collecting three points and winning the race. I was second and Di Eugenio third. I was pretty pleased with the race, it was always going to be tough racing against teams of four and five skaters.
The men's race was packed with strong teams but the Powerslide Express (as the announcer called them) couldn't stop Bart Swings and I think Ferre finished second. The men's race was only 5km as well, by the time I got off the track and took my skates off I only managed to see the final sprint.
Tomorrow we have the 10km elimination, I'm not sure how the overall points system works and couldn't find official results before I left the track but I think I'm leading and Mareika in second.
The 500m heats were first up and the quarters and semi's followed soon after. With so many competitors and a tight time schedule everything was run pretty quickly often with no chance to actually warm up on skates.
In the first round of the 500's I finished second behind Erica Zanetti, who broke the 300m World record the night before. Round two second behind Jersy Puello, who was second the night before in the 300m. The third round was stacked, I had Jersy, Erin Jackson, Cecilia and Thum. All skaters that have had medals at either Junior or Senior World Championships and three of them (that I know of, 4 including me) that have placed in that particular event. I finished second behind Jersy and the time was good enough to qualify for the final.
I didn't have the legs to match the girls in the final and finished fifth, Jersy won and Sabine Berg second. The other finalists were Zanetti and Paola (Colombia).
The men's 500 final was stacked with four skaters from Powerslide and Bart. Munoz lead from the start and no one ever looked like passing him. Kwinten Tas surprised everyone, maybe even himself finishing up second and a wobbly Kalon third.
I qualified comfortably in the 5km points race heats, 15 from each heat went through to the final.
The final was tough, I felt like I was at a World Championships on the start line. Colombians to one side, three Italians in front of me, a team of Germans and skaters even wearing radios. It was hard against all the strong national teams with numerous skaters. The early points I got I had to work hard for because I was being marked by a skater. I then managed to get on a few small breaks and collect some points but with no one to catch me in the pack it was hard to recover. I led on points for most of the race until the last sprint, Mareika won the last sprint collecting three points and winning the race. I was second and Di Eugenio third. I was pretty pleased with the race, it was always going to be tough racing against teams of four and five skaters.
The men's race was packed with strong teams but the Powerslide Express (as the announcer called them) couldn't stop Bart Swings and I think Ferre finished second. The men's race was only 5km as well, by the time I got off the track and took my skates off I only managed to see the final sprint.
Tomorrow we have the 10km elimination, I'm not sure how the overall points system works and couldn't find official results before I left the track but I think I'm leading and Mareika in second.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Quiz
It was pretty cool when I was doing the daily Sports Quiz on Stuff and came across a question I absolutely couldn't get wrong. Click here to take the quiz.
Monday, April 19, 2010
stuff.co.nz Sports News
This featured in the New Zealand Sports section of Stuff, which is NZ's number one online news source from Fairfax Media. Click here to view full article.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
WIC Geisingen Final Day
It was the final day of racing today and the overall titles were still up for grabs. Going into today I led the women's overall on 2 points and Mareike was in second with 4 points so it was down to the last race to determine the overall winner. Bart Swings led the men's on 4 points, Munoz 6 and Joey 9 so the men were in the same situation, the last race was crucial.
The relay heats were cancelled as there were not enough teams in both men's and women's so we started at 11am with the elimination races. The women's race distance was shortened to a 5km elimination so this totally changed the dynamics of the race. It was fast right from the gun and the pace was pretty high the entire race. Powerslide and Cado Motus both had strong teams and both teams were trying to control the race but in the end it was the two individual skaters that came out on top. I hit the lead with two laps to go with Mareike on my wheel. I built up my speed and coming around with one lap to go accelerated off the corner and never looked back. I wasn't challenged in the final lap but Laetitia managed to pass Mareike to take 2nd.
The men's elimination was fast and with so many strong teams out there it was always going to be tough for those individual skaters like Joey Mantia. Early on Bart Swings had a fall, his team mates dropped back to collect him but in the end he was the one towing his mates back to the pack. This guy is talented and it was fantastic to watch him overcome the odds. There were two Bont Arena skaters, two Powerslide and one Cado Motus in the final five. Munoz had the lead coming around with a lap to go and looked like he had it in the bag, Bart then passed on the back straight up the inside but Munoz wasn't ready to give up. He went high in the final corner, built his speed up and tried to duck back under Bart on the final straight. Bart had the momentum and managed to hang on to win but it was very close with both skaters lunging at the line. Rosero came in 3rd, Bastidas 4th and Scott 5th. This is what Joey had to say on Twitter "Hats off to bart swings, the kids got talent- just fell down and made the rest of us look silly".
The relays didn't count towards points but everyone was still serious and wanted to win of course. I joined up with Laetitia and Brooke to form an MPC Wheels Team, as we all skate for teams sponsored by MPC. There were only two other teams, Powerslide (Tina, Mareike, Katherina) and Cado Motus (Bianca, Mannon, Mariska). We all stayed in contact for most of the race but going into the last change Powerslide managed to get a slight lead. I came out for the final lap and we were in 3rd position. I passed Bianca off of Brooke's push and then chased Mareike. I caught her during the last corner and skated wide to get next to her down the final straight. We both lunged and it was close but I had the momentum and our team won.
They packed 8 teams onto the start line for the mens relay and the first few changes were pretty dodgy with so many skaters. Powerslide 1 (Dobbin, Munoz, Nam) controlled most of the race but the comeback kid done it again. Bart Swings got Munoz with a final lunge yet again.
I won the women's overall, Mareike 2nd and Katharina 3rd. Bart took out the men's overall, Munoz 2nd and Scott 3rd.
The relay heats were cancelled as there were not enough teams in both men's and women's so we started at 11am with the elimination races. The women's race distance was shortened to a 5km elimination so this totally changed the dynamics of the race. It was fast right from the gun and the pace was pretty high the entire race. Powerslide and Cado Motus both had strong teams and both teams were trying to control the race but in the end it was the two individual skaters that came out on top. I hit the lead with two laps to go with Mareike on my wheel. I built up my speed and coming around with one lap to go accelerated off the corner and never looked back. I wasn't challenged in the final lap but Laetitia managed to pass Mareike to take 2nd.
The men's elimination was fast and with so many strong teams out there it was always going to be tough for those individual skaters like Joey Mantia. Early on Bart Swings had a fall, his team mates dropped back to collect him but in the end he was the one towing his mates back to the pack. This guy is talented and it was fantastic to watch him overcome the odds. There were two Bont Arena skaters, two Powerslide and one Cado Motus in the final five. Munoz had the lead coming around with a lap to go and looked like he had it in the bag, Bart then passed on the back straight up the inside but Munoz wasn't ready to give up. He went high in the final corner, built his speed up and tried to duck back under Bart on the final straight. Bart had the momentum and managed to hang on to win but it was very close with both skaters lunging at the line. Rosero came in 3rd, Bastidas 4th and Scott 5th. This is what Joey had to say on Twitter "Hats off to bart swings, the kids got talent- just fell down and made the rest of us look silly".
The relays didn't count towards points but everyone was still serious and wanted to win of course. I joined up with Laetitia and Brooke to form an MPC Wheels Team, as we all skate for teams sponsored by MPC. There were only two other teams, Powerslide (Tina, Mareike, Katherina) and Cado Motus (Bianca, Mannon, Mariska). We all stayed in contact for most of the race but going into the last change Powerslide managed to get a slight lead. I came out for the final lap and we were in 3rd position. I passed Bianca off of Brooke's push and then chased Mareike. I caught her during the last corner and skated wide to get next to her down the final straight. We both lunged and it was close but I had the momentum and our team won.
They packed 8 teams onto the start line for the mens relay and the first few changes were pretty dodgy with so many skaters. Powerslide 1 (Dobbin, Munoz, Nam) controlled most of the race but the comeback kid done it again. Bart Swings got Munoz with a final lunge yet again.
I won the women's overall, Mareike 2nd and Katharina 3rd. Bart took out the men's overall, Munoz 2nd and Scott 3rd.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Geisingen WIC 500m & Points Race
Racing has just finished for today and there are a lot of tired people, it seems I'm not the only one being woken up by the church bells.
At around 5 the senior racing started with the women's 10km points race first up. I haven't had a really hard work out on my skates for a while so I was unsure going into the race how my legs would hold up. They didn't let me down too much I won with 24 points, Mareike 2nd with 17 and Laetitia 3rd with 13.
The senior men's points race was up next and a group of 4 men broke away early and ended up lapping the field pretty quickly. Bart Swings proved too strong for the field and went on to win comfortably 10 points ahead of second place getter Scott.
There wasn't much of a break and then the 500m finals got underway. I didn't get a good start and ended up at the back so I decided to start passing early before the pace picked up. I moved into second position going into the second corner and with a lap to go I passed Mareike up the inside on the exit of the corner. I managed to form a gap between myself and the other 3 skaters and went on to win comfortably. Mareike was 2nd and Bianca 3rd.
Andes Munoz won the men's 500m, Joey held off Bart's huge lunge at the line to take 2nd, Bart 3rd and Najib 4th.
Tomorrow we have the 15km elimination and there is also a relay but I'm unsure if it counts towards any type of team points.
At around 5 the senior racing started with the women's 10km points race first up. I haven't had a really hard work out on my skates for a while so I was unsure going into the race how my legs would hold up. They didn't let me down too much I won with 24 points, Mareike 2nd with 17 and Laetitia 3rd with 13.
The senior men's points race was up next and a group of 4 men broke away early and ended up lapping the field pretty quickly. Bart Swings proved too strong for the field and went on to win comfortably 10 points ahead of second place getter Scott.
There wasn't much of a break and then the 500m finals got underway. I didn't get a good start and ended up at the back so I decided to start passing early before the pace picked up. I moved into second position going into the second corner and with a lap to go I passed Mareike up the inside on the exit of the corner. I managed to form a gap between myself and the other 3 skaters and went on to win comfortably. Mareike was 2nd and Bianca 3rd.
Andes Munoz won the men's 500m, Joey held off Bart's huge lunge at the line to take 2nd, Bart 3rd and Najib 4th.
Tomorrow we have the 15km elimination and there is also a relay but I'm unsure if it counts towards any type of team points.
500m Final
This morning we had the 500m heats and semi finals. I won my heat and semi and will be joined in the final by Bianca Roosenboom, Mareike Thum and Katharina Rumpus. The men's final consists of Joey Mantia, Najib Tobon, Andres Munoz and Bart Swings. The racing starts again at 4.40pm with the points races being run before the 500m finals.
Friday, April 16, 2010
WIC Geisingen
Tonight was the opening for the WIC in Geisingen and a chance for the locals to see the new Arena in action. There were a few showcase events on tonight, they didn't count towards the overall WIC points but they gave the spectators a feel for our sport.
The highlight of the night was the DobbinSprint an event similar to F1 qualifying. There is a 30min time slot and in that time each skater has a chance to throw down a flying solo lap time, skaters can go as many times as they want. The top 5 women and top 8 men then qualify for the finals. In the final you only get one shot though, one person on the track at a time and run in reverse order.
In qualifying I done a 15.9 and had a bit of a stumble. The flying lap didn't feel great but I had the fastest qualifying time so I opted not to do another run. By the time the final came along I felt like a zombie. I'm still not sure which time zone I'm in, it's definitely not Europe and not New Zealand time either. My run didn't feel good but I managed to hold on and take the win with a 16.030.
Andrez Munoz was lightning tonight winning with a 14.369.
Racing starts tomorrow at 10am, hopefully the 3am church bells don't wake me up tonight.
The highlight of the night was the DobbinSprint an event similar to F1 qualifying. There is a 30min time slot and in that time each skater has a chance to throw down a flying solo lap time, skaters can go as many times as they want. The top 5 women and top 8 men then qualify for the finals. In the final you only get one shot though, one person on the track at a time and run in reverse order.
In qualifying I done a 15.9 and had a bit of a stumble. The flying lap didn't feel great but I had the fastest qualifying time so I opted not to do another run. By the time the final came along I felt like a zombie. I'm still not sure which time zone I'm in, it's definitely not Europe and not New Zealand time either. My run didn't feel good but I managed to hold on and take the win with a 16.030.
Andrez Munoz was lightning tonight winning with a 14.369.
Racing starts tomorrow at 10am, hopefully the 3am church bells don't wake me up tonight.
7th Season
I'm back in Europe yet again and this will be my 7th season. This year I start a new journey with a new sponsor and I'm really looking forward to it. I will be skating for X-Tech co sponsored by MPC Wheels, Uvex, Twin Cam and X-Tech I.S. Let the season begin!
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