Clearwater!

Antwerp 70.3 went very well overall and I finished in 7th place, which also earned me a spot to the Ironman 70.3 World Championchips in Clearwater, Florida!

The day went smoothly for most of the time, although I cannot say it was perfect. Swim I managed to put in a solid effort, but still lost the main group of contenders I was hoping to stay with. Only loosing 2 minutes to the fastest was still quite ok for me.

In the bike I was flying for most of the day but when the rain started coming down, I over cooked one corner and ended up sliding across the pavement on my back/ass. Not too bad a crash in the end because it was so slippery... i really didn't loose much skin amazingly! This little incident only slowed me down by about 30 seconds I estimate, and I was not banged up so my pace continued.

The run was more average than the rest of my day. It took me 10kms until I finally hit my stride and felt comfortable. I believe this is my area to focus on next if I want to take the next step up to finish on the podium. A 1:20 run is simply not fast enough. With some more specific run and transition training I think I can easily take a couple minutes off this time.

In the end I am very satisified with my day but also see room for improvement with just a few tweaks to my training during the coming weeks.

Next up on the racing calendar... perhaps Ironman 70.3 Monaco, if my budget allows. Otherwise, a large training block to prepare for World Championchips.

But for now, I am just relaxing and preparing for our wedding this weekend! Bigger things to think about now than triathlon! This will be a great weekend and with so many family and friends attending from all over the world. It is the day we have been waiting for the past two years and also a chance to introduce our beautiful daughter to our family and friends.

I also want to send my best wishes to my friend Chris and his wife Mieke from Belgium. I hope you can gather some strength from my performance and continue to fight hard.