Mucha Vida en Colombia!!

After a few days with lots of good and bad luck, which means I have been living to the fullest!!

As I said many things had been going on, in addition I also had a computer crash, so now with a new laptop and a day-off on the train schedule, I have a lot to update on the blogosphere!

Its been a while since the last race in Colombia, but I think it's worth bringing it back...

The race was in Guatapé June 18th, shortly after the Cartagena race.
I spent a week with my Colombian friends in El Retiro, a small town with excellent training conditions at 2.300m above sea level!

The Colombians are very hospitable as always and warmly welcomed me!
I had a nice time with Juan, Oscar Preciado, his family, and the epic couple Ricardo Cardeño and Carmenza Morales!

I suffered a lot training at altitude, especially swiming, once I went to a 10x300m and my lungs were turned inside out trying to finish in 4 minutes!

A day before the race, I had a problem with my bike, but with super-glue and a bit of optimism I was ready for a good race!

I started it super motivated, even though I felt the altitude, I finished the swimming leading the second group and I was feeling strong and couldn't wait for the upcoming climbs, where I knew I could jump ahead a lot of positions on the bike course.

I started leading the second peloton with 8 or 9 guys, it was my day! (Maybe)
At the end of the first climb three of us pulled away from the group. I was felling good!

Suddenly the pedals were getting heavier and I could not take another climb and stay with the other two guys. I did not understand how my legs were so heavy and so soon.  A minute later going downhill at 60km/h I found out why, my rim touched the ground and I almost fell off, the tire was flat ... :-(

I could not continue racing, with the steep climbs and descents, it would be crazyness trying to continue the race with no air in the tires.

That's life! Sometimes seems that everything is coming together very well, but there is always some unpredictability.

Unfortunately, Felipe Santos, the other Brazilian athlete, also was unlucky and we met to watch the others... Usually this leaves us really angry, but on that day before competing he told me he was nervous, and I replied that we were anxious because we would run a risk, no risks or nervousness when we stay home!  I think we both were more confident about doing our best which was the most important thing!

It was not our day, but we were resigned to do our best as long as we could...

Well, the competition ended, and I went to a barbecue with my Colombian friends. Everything was going very well ... Until  Ricardo asked me the flight times and I replied, "I leave at  12:15 and arrive at 8:00."
And he asked "The whole day traveling?" and very calmly I said "No, this was the time zone!".
"Impossible!" he replied!

Then I realized that I was not traveling from China to Brazil (when traveling for 11 hours I back in time for 4 hours!) And decided to check the ticket ... was pointing 12:15am, what for me, should be 0:15...
C&#$t! I would arrive in Bogota 9 hours late for my flight!

By that time it was 6pm, I would have four hours to get from Medellin to Bogotá, to reach the flight at 0:15 ...
While some friends dismounted my bike and others called the airlines, I was throwing my stuff inside the luggage!

In 10 minutes I was heading to the airport, and making plans how to catch another flight. After running through the airport, I was lucky and got a flight at 20:40 with a reasonable price... unfortunately I would have to pay on the next flight an extra fee of 213USD because of 10 cubic centimeters, the size of a chocolate box, which was the extra volume of the bike bag.  :-(

Anyway with lots of good and bad luck mixed and all together, right now I am looking forward to the next race, which will be the World Cup in Edmonton Canada!

14th at Ibero-American Championship

It was a hot race!
Many felt ill and all of us were struggling against themselves to resist the intense heat...
Here goes some words about the race with pictures of Cartagena!

The start with many athletes and no much space resulted in many punchs and kicks just after the horn...
I got two punches in the eye that left my gogles in an uncomfortable position the whole swim, at least did not enter salt water...

My visibility was diminished and I thought I was well positioned, but leaved the water at the end of the second group... I swam not bad, but leaving the water exhausted, I couldn't get a strong cycling in the very begining to make the group...

I did 40km time trial. Could not reach the first pack, and wasn't caught by the 2nd group...
I have not imagine myself riding alone, so I was without the aerobars, I think I could have cycled much better with the aerodinamic, the same time I was not upset and made it powerfull all the time...

Even knowing that I would be more fatigued than the athletes of the pack, I knew the high temperature, would break some heads along the course, which should be close to 95ºF, and 105ºF of thermal sensation.

I was right, after reach approximately 20 positions in the 10km, at the end was the best one!!
Just 200m from the finish line caught a Guatemalan who had written in the tri-suit the last name "Flores" so my head said "gooooooo" and the legs screaming threats of cramp pulls me up to the sprint, are running shoulder to shoulder, I won one last position!

I came wanting to lie on the floor (not like the lady above!! hehe) but I was afraid of burning myself on the asphalt that should be really hot, so I hold the legs strong for walk until the hidratation area!

Kind of sad of not having done the swim I expected, but happy to have overcome myself in another battle!

Ibero-American Championship

Tomorrow happens the Ibero-American Championship Triathlon in Cartagena, Colombia!
I confess that I hardly know why there is an Ibero-American!?

Searching on dad Google, I saw that it is a junction of Spain and Portugal and several American nations that were colonized by these countries... Very interesting! LOL
The issue is that the technical brieffing was conducted in Spanish and English ... Still trying to discover which english speaker nation was colonized by Spain or Portugal!

Well .. nevermind! lol
The mean point is that this is also a Continental Cup and its worthing points for the international ranking!

Important news on the race brieffing:
Water temperature: 82°F
temperature at 8:00 am: 87ºF
thermal sensation caused by high humidity: 102°F

Lucky who starts at 8:00... But the male professional start will be at 11:30 (109ºF thermal sensation)!!

Uhuuuu the things will get ugly!! lol

9:30 on L.A. zone time, but unfortunately will not be covered... so as soon as I can, I will update the blog!

Despite being a Caribbean beach, Cartagena, has no paradisiac beaches, the water is not that clear as when we imagine Caribbean...
But it is a historic city with churches, forts and well-preserved buildings, the triathlon course will be inside a fort castle.

After nearly one month of a sequence of bad races, I did not feel very confident, but very optimistic and ready to have fun, going as hard as I can!!!

Soon result and pictures post of Cartagena!

Training in LA has been a priceless experience!

Things are progressing well after nearly one month of training, the difference in my workouts is radical and I hope that the race results are too!

My training partners are all very focused and all aim at great results, so the climate is full of motivation! Motivation should be the second name of my coach Siri Lindley,  because she is brilliant at inspiring us even on the days we do not have the strength to get out of bed!

Besides our beautiful team, I was sooooo lucky to find wonderful people here!
With Chris Foster´s help using Twitter, I met Renata a Brazilian who lives and trains here and is a member of the LA Tri Club.  She had a great idea and sent an email to tri club members asking if anyone could host me as a homestay.

I was very lucky to be greeted by a awesome couple Mark and Crista McCain (in the picture with me on a soccer match of L.A. Galaxy). They are very athletic and such nice people and they gave me a room to stay in while training here.
Crista was a college  athlete and knows the hassles we athletes have to endure,  that is until you get a great sponsor ...

They are helping me so much, not only as friends, but  now I have a new manager, an english teacher and gourmet cook, OMG!! You can't believe the delicious gluten-free foods Crista can make!!

If I call her mother, she kills me, because she is almost my age!
So instead I have to say I have a family two new brothers and a sister. There is also Dugan,  a chocolate labrador who is always around the house wanting to play with his dinosaur!

These days I found a little piece of Brazil when we went to Cafe Brazil restaurant, where I had  a nice sugar cane drink, with yuka fries and a steak bbq with rice and beans and "farofa", a kind of toasted yuka flour! Uhuuuuuuu, that was really tasty!!! :-D

My focus is now on the two Pan American Cups in Colombia, the first one will be in Cartagena, where I am right now,  the first one will be on June 12th and next one will be on 18th, in Guatapé!!