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4 MARCH/APR IL 2014

March/April 2014Contents

JOHND

AVIDB

ECKE

R

FEATURES

28THE FULLSPECTRUMStrengths and shortcomingsof one of every tri bike style

under the rainbowBy Aaron Hersh

38SECOND ACTAfter 19 years of workinghis way to the top intriathlon, Luke McKenziestarted completely over, did

things his way and had aprofessional breakthrough.All he had to do was sufferlike he never had before.By Adam Elder

46THE UPSIDE TODOWNTIMEIf you already train hard,extended recovery can be

the key to peak performancethis season.By Torbjrn Sindballe

52THE NEWCOLLEGE TRIGrowth in numbers and themove to NCAA status for

women expands the Olympic-development pipeline.By Kim McDonald

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FACEBOOK.COM/INSIDETRI |@INSIDETRI5

BEYOND THE MAGAZINECOLLEGIATE RUNNING CLINIC

Learn how to put a spring in your step onpage 68 from running guru Bobby McGee.Then check out the photos of the drills he putrecruits through at USA Triathlons CollegiateRecruitment Camp to improve their run form.Insidetriathlon.com/Usatcamp

GEEK OUT

Want to test your aero speed without going toa wind tunnel? Turn to page 22 for a step-by-step guide for conducting your own at-homeaero test. If youre still dying to know moreabout how it works, you can find a completeexplanation from the scientists (in excruciatingdetail) at Insidetriathlon.com/Chung .

COACHED

Get coach and Xterra world champ LesleyPatersons advice for building core strength

on page 64, and then look back on all ofour Coached articles for more swim/bike/run advice from the sports top experts.Insidetriathlon.com/Coached

MEET THE GOLDEN BEARS

Read about collegiate triathlon and theNCAAs recent vote to include women as avarsity sport on page 52, then watch membersof Cals triathlon team featured in the storydiscuss the future of their sport in college.Insidetriathlon.com/Caltri

Page12

Page46

Page18

Page28

Page 52

Page68

Page

66

FACEBOOK.COM/INSIDETR I @INSIDETRI @INSIDETR IATHLON

06Welcome11At the Front

COVETED |Tacxs cycling simulatorTRENDING |The power of beetrootCOURSE TALK |Leadman Tri TempeNOTABLE |From substance abuser to Ironman devoteeINSIDE TRIATHLON |Safety-minded gearTRAVEL |Canary Islands, SpainTECH|Homemade wind tunnelRECALLED|Mark Allens Kona curseCHASING THE SUNRISE|Second thoughts

63How ToHARDEST WORKOUT |Victor Del Corrals run workoutCOACHED |Core principlesFAST FOOD |The 30-minute recovery window

THE BIG IDEA |Short-course running technique

72 Parting Shot

IN EVERY ISSUE

ON THE COVER

After his impressive runner-up finish at the IronmanWorld Championship, Luke McKenzie wasphotographed by Rob Hammer in La Jolla, Calif.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES

Our editors snapped these photos while we were creating the March/April issue. From left, Cal Berkeleys triteam poses for the story The New College Tri (page 52); pro Luke McKenzie laughs at fellow beachgoers

during the cover shoot in La Jolla, Calif.; and in studio with the Cannondale Slice 5 105 for Full Spectrum (page28). Follow @InsideTriathlon on Instagram to see more photos from making the magazine.

p.18

Threeendurance

sportscompanies

areemphasizing

safetyintheir

newestcycling

products.

PLAYITSAFE

STAY CONNECTED

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6 MARCH/APRIL 2014

What changes will you make in the upcomingseason? Will you challenge yourself with a

longer distance or take a different approach in yourtraining? Have you set your sights on a new race orfigured out a way to prepare differently for an eventyou did last year to achieve a better result? Its easyto fall into the same routine year after year, think-ing youve discovered a tried-and-true formula thatworks. But our bodies and minds thrive on noveltyand challenge.

Just ask Luke McKenzie, the Australian pro triath-lete on our cover. He scored the breakthrough of hislong career at last Octobers Ironman World Cham-pionship after deciding he needed to make majorchanges at the start of the season. McKenzie moved

to San Diego last spring and trained here for mostof last year. I saw him at 6 a.m. swim workouts andobserved how he used local races after long trainingweeks to gain speed and mental toughness for Iron-man Cairns, which he won last June, and in his build-up to Hawaii. Then I watched him lead the marathonin Kona for 17 miles and nearly steal the show beforefinishing as the runner-up, his best result on theBig Island to datehe came in ninth in 2011 and 24thin 2012. How this long-course veteran achieved hisdream race in Hawaii after so many years in the sport

is the subject of Second Act (page 38) by managingeditor Adam Elder. He discovered that McKenziesdivorce last year forced him to reassess everything inhis life and led him to plan differently and more me-ticulously for a peak performance in Kona. He sortof stripped everything down, examined everything in

his life and reassem-bled it, with a single-minded goal, rather

than sort of bouncingaround from littlegoal to little goal,Elder says.

Sebastian Kienle,last years third-placefinisher in Kona, whosuccessfully defendedhis Ironman 70.3World Championshiptitle in Las Vegas the

month before, alsohad a breakthroughbut not by design.After a lacklusterfirst half of his seasonwith little racing dueto a ruptured liga-ment, a month-longbacterial infectionand knee inflam-mation, the German

berbiker beat theodds in Vegas againsta world-class field

of competitors with a course-record win. The reason for hissuccess is something many ofus neglect, says former long-course pro Torbjrn Sindballe,whose feature The Upside toDowntime (page 46) explains

why recovery is so important to athletic performance.Sindballe also provides some useful tips for how youcan use rest and recovery to improve your chances fora breakthrough race of your own this year. For thoseof you thinking about changing up your ride in 2014,senior editor Aaron Hersh provides his take on thestrengths and shortcomings of four tri bikes in FullSpectrum (page 28). And in The New College Tri(page 52), I examine how triathlon has grown rapidlyat colleges and universities over the past decade andis about to begin an exciting new era, after the NCAA

voted to make draft-legal triathlon a varsity sport forcollegiate women this fall. With the opportunity fortriathletes to finally obtain athletic scholarships andmore funding and recognition within their universi-ties, its a new beginning for triathlon, one that willbring more talented triathletes into the U.S. Olympic-development pipeline and further grow the sport.

1

RACE

a unique distance atLeadman Tri Tempe

(page 14).

2

CHISEL

your six-pack withthese functionalcore exercises

(page 64).

3

TRAVEL

to this exotictriathlete playgroundin the Canary Islands

(page 20).

4

RECOVER

better after your next

workout with thesenutrition tips

(page 66).

5

MEASURE

your own aero dragwith a homemade wind

tunnel test(page 22).

Kim McDonald, Features Editor

@kimamcdonald

Its now my goal tobe proof that not onlycan you change, but

you can turn yourselfinto something great

in the process.Lionel Sanders

(page 16)

QUOTEWORTHY

FIVEACTION

ITEMS INTHIS ISSUE

TO-DO LIST

WELCOME

JOHND

AVIDB

ECK

ER

A New Beginning With 2013 USATCollegiate NationalChampionship

runner-up Erika

Erickson and her

coach, Dean Harper

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8 MARCH/APRI L 2014

EDITORIALFEATURES EDITOR Kim McDonald

SENIOR EDITORS Aaron Hersh, Jen ShawMANAGING EDITOR Adam Elder

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Bethany Leach Mavis

EDITORIAL INTERNKatlyn SharronCONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Bob Babbitt, Scott Boulbol, Ian Buchanan,Tim DeBoom, Dean Phillips, Torbjrn Sindballe

GROUP CONTENT DIRECTOR Kurt Hoy

ARTART DIRECTOR Bridget Durkin

PHOTO EDITOR John David BeckerCONTRIBUTING ARTISTS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

Oliver Baker, Polly Becker, Rob Hammer,Hunter King, John Segesta, Lois Schwartz

CIRCULATION, MARKETING & PRODUCTIONPRODUCTION MANAGER Meghan McElravy

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Cassie ChavezMEDIA MARKETING MANAGER Rachel Schwimmer

DIGITAL MEDIAVP, DIGITAL MEDIA Dan Vaughan

SENIOR VIDEO PRODUCER Steve GodwinWEB PRODUCER Liz Hichens

WEB DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Scott KirkowskiWEB DEVELOPERS Joseph Hernandez, Ellen Jones

WEB DESIGN DIRECTORJohnny YeipWEB DESIGNERSLester Cacho, James Longhini,

Matthew McAlexander, Thomas Phan

ADVERTISINGSVP, SALES MANAGER Doug Kaplan 312-421-1551, [email protected]

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Gordon Selkirk 858-768-6767, [email protected] SALES, EAST Rebecca McKinnon 212-634-3393, [email protected]

VP SALES, WEST David OConnell 310-251-3505, [email protected], NATIONAL ENDEMIC SALES Ian Sinclair 860-673-6830, [email protected]

DIRECTOR SALES, MIDWEST Scott Nenninger 312-421-1126, [email protected] ENDEMIC SALES

Alex Jarman 858-768-6769, [email protected] Sands 858-768-6747, [email protected]

MARKETPLACE SALESJeff McDowell 858-768-6794, [email protected]

CLIENT DEVELOPMENTVP, SALES DEVELOPMENT & ACTIVATION Sean ClottuDIRECTOR, CLIENT DEVELOPMENT Jennifer Sugarman

MANAGER, CLIENT DEVELOPMENT Erin ReamCLIENT SERVICES GRAPHIC DESIGNER Marc Mejia

FINANCECONTROLLER, MEDIAGretchen Alt

ACCOUNTING MANAGER Lorrie Hall

A PUBLICATION OF

INTERIM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERPaul F. WalshINTERIM CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICERGeorge W. Gresham

CHIEF MEDIA OFFICERAlex Baxter

CHIEF REVENUE OFFICERBill PedigoSENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, SALESJohn Smith

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONSJosh FurlowSENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTDana Allen

GENERAL MANAGER, CGI EUROPETom Godfrey

9477 Waples Street, Suite 150, San Diego, CA 92121 858-450-6510

Subscriber Customer Service: US & Canada: 800-888-6700 International: [email protected] Digital issue support: [email protected] carry Inside Triathlon in your store, please call 800-381-1288.

No part of this issue may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher.Editorial contributions are welcome but a stamped self-addressed envelope is necessary for the return

of all materials. Inside Triathlon is a registered trademark of Competitor Group, Inc.

A 150-mile slog fromBoulder to the topof Mount Evans, a

14,000-plus-foot peak,and back. Burritos and

beef jerky were mynutritional foundation

that day.

www.NormaTecRecovery.com

R

We asked our staff,Whats the longestor most epic bikeride youve ever

done?

My longest plannedone-day ride was 213

miles. Was shooting for180200 and overshot

it a lot. My longestunplanned ride, time

wise, was well over nine

hours as I got lost andended up home wellinto a dark night.

When I blew bothtires on the ChicagoLakefront and had towalk/train it home

through the St.Paddys Day parade.

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COMMENTS

We want to hear from you! Send your letters to the editor to [email protected] your name and city. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. If you have a question aboutyour subscription, email [email protected] or call 800-888-6700.

On the Safe SideEvery month or so you review bicyclehelmets noting the number of vents and, of

course, how aerodynamic they are in orderto ride faster. Not once have you mentionedsafety. Bicycle helmets do not preventconcussions. Football has finally begun toaddress this issue, and their helmets cer-tainly have more padding than bicycle hel-mets. Several months agoBicyclingmaga-zine had a great article about bicycle helmetsand how they do not prevent concussions.Concussions are caused by the brains rota-tion during impact, which has a shirring

effect on the brain. You should be ashamedof yourselves that the only thing you desireis for triathletes to ride faster and so what ifyou get a concussion from a crash.

Maryann Zounes

San Marcos, Calif.

Maryann, we agree that staying safe whiletraining and racing is much more importantthan going fast. Check page 18 for an updateon new products that are helping to make cy-

cling a little safer, including a new road helmetdesigned to better protect the head. Editor

Weighted DebateA few readers took issue with the advice fromPerformance and Nutrition Coaching pro-prietor Krista Austin, Ph.D., in Jen Shawsarticle Gym-Free Strength from the Nov./Dec. 2013 issue.

Unfortunately nothing replaces actual gymtime. I agree that you can build strengthdoing the activities you love, but to indicateto an athlete that you dont need to do thework in the gym I cant agree with. Keep inmind I am saying functional strength (notbench press, leg curls and abs) that includesupright three-dimensional exercises withproper resistance. I think it would be thesame as saying a soccer player can justpractice more sprinting after the ball on the

field rather than do work in the gym/track.Often injury is associated with the lack ofinjury prevention, strength and condition-

ing work, and overutilization of the actualactivity that takes place in a typical trainingprogram. I would strongly recommend doinggym strength in conjunction with a strengthblock on the bike, run or swim as well. Forthe record, I am a huge fan of low-cadencedrills on the bike and utilize strength blockswith all the triathletes I coach and programdesign for.

Bryan Hill , PT

CEO, Rehab United

For so many reasons I couldnt disagree withyou more on this. Im quite astonished thatInside Triathlonwould print such utter non-sense! Bryan Hill hit the nail on the head,and if youre just doing more of the samemovements with bad form in the first placewith even more resistance, then how are youactually going to change movement pattern

dysfunction and get stronger? Single-legpedaling is great but will not correct imbal-ances in supporting musculature. ... Juststicking a pair of paddles on and telling atriathlete to swim long bouts of 800 metersor more is asking for rotator cuff or othershoulder injuries.

Paul Howell

While I can agree with concerns regardingthe need to move the body through multipledimensions, there are better ways to developthese general sport characteristics than to usefunctional resistance training. Using activitiessuch as multi-direction agility and mobilitytraining can greatly enhance functionality andprevent injury. In terms of strength develop-ment, functional strength training in the gymis not a necessity if you have the right techniquewhile training for your sport. Should an athletechoose to strength train, the greatest gains

will come from big-muscle activities such asdeadlifts, squats, single-leg squats, bench pressand pull, etc. Athletes should first optimizetechnique in all sport disciplines before everimplementing any form of strength trainingfor the best chance at preventing injury. Usingpreventive techniques (core training, bandexercises such as monster walks, proprioceptivetraining) can further minimize injury as long asthe athlete doesnt ramp up his or her triathlontraining too quickly. Krista Austin, Ph.D.

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Subscribe to our digital edition atInsideTriathlon.com

Go Digitalwith Us

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TECH RACING GEAR TRAVEL TRENDSATtheFRONT

JOHND

AVIDB

ECKER

Execution:The i-

Genius package in-cludes a resistancetrainer with a powermeter, steering unit,wireless remote,and Tacx Trainersoftware package.Many courses arepreloaded, and alot more legend-ary routessuch as

Mont Ventoux, Par-is-Roubaix and theWildflower Long

Ahead of the GameTHIS POWER-METERED CYCLING SIMULATORCAN KEEP YOU TRAINING EFFECTIVELY ALL YEAR.BY SCOTT BOULBOL

Course Triathlonand Nice Triathlonbike legscan bepurchased. Throughthe BikeNet socialnetwork, riders canpost their rides anddownload others

efforts to add somecompetition to theirsolo workouts. Picka workout, choose afew opponents, andstart riding. As theroute unwinds onyour screen, the re-sistance unitoneof the smoothest,most realistic resis-

tance trainers wevetriedimmediatelyadjusts effort as

the route climbs ordescends. Also dis-played and recordedare power output,heart rate and otherdata. The steeringunit creates a rudi-mentary simulation

of bike handling invirtual reality andmultiplayer modes,integrating somestrategy into thesessions.

Result:The films,while not quiteseamless, conveysome of the feeling

of outdoor riding.The resistance unitis outstanding. Itramps up slowlyand feels espe-cially fluid at highcadences. Therewas a notice-able irregularitybetween down-and up-strokeson especiallysteep ascents, butstronger cyclistsmight not noticethis. The steeringunit was adequatelyresponsive to keep

things interesting.Have fun with it,but dont expectlifelike sensation.A slew of softwareupdates seem tohave the systemworking reliably.

During setup it stillcrashed occasion-ally (althoughnever during aworkout), butmostly the glitchesthat plagued earlyversions are gone,the video seemssmoother and theconnections are

much quicker andmore user-friendly.

Verdict:Thei-Genius is anexcellent train-ing accessory forthe rider who haseverything exceptperfect year-roundweather. It makesindoor trainingeven for this peren-nially uninspiredindoor riderasrealistic and closeto enjoyable aspossible. But moreimportantly, it cangenuinely improvetraining qualityduring the summeror winter throughin-depth data,progress trackingand motivationalworkouts.

array of virtual

courses allows youto ride against yourprevious times (onthe road or trainer)or other Tacx usersefforts on legendaryroad routes, pre-setcrits, MTB routesor over free coursesusing GoogleEarth, or one of a

variety of its estab-lished catalystworkouts.

Concept:Can

indoor cycling everreally be fun? Andwill you have themental determina-tion to sufficientlychallenge yourselfon a trainer? TheTacx i-GeniusMultiplayer T2000aims to be the toolthat helps you to

answer both ofthose questions af-firmatively. A wide

TACX I-GENIUSMULTIPLAYER T2000

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JOHND

AVIDB

ECKER

Theres more to the ruby rootvegetable than meets the

eye, and working some beetsinto your pre-race diet couldgive you an advantage come raceday. Multiple studies in recent

years have linked consumption ofbeetroot juice with improved ex-ercise performanceboth fromingesting just hours before test-ing and daily for the week leadingup to an intense effort.

The studies credit the highconcentration of nitrate foundin beets, which is converted tonitrite and nitric oxide in thebody. Nitrite has been found to

protect the blood vessels frominjury while nitric oxide wid-ens blood vessels, thus allowingmore oxygen and nutri ents tobe delivered to muscles. Con-sequently, muscles can createmore energy and last longerbefore exhaustion. Some re-searchers even surmise that ni-trate may cause muscles to useoxygen more efficiently, thus

requiring less during exercise.Several studies linking nitrate

supplements and exercise havecome to similar positive con-clusions about its effect. In one2012 study published in the In-ternational Journal of Sport Nu-trition and Exercise Metabolism,researchers investigated the ef-fect of nitrate on 10K time-trialperformance in trained cyclists.Twelve male cyclists ingested140 milliliters per day of con-centrated beetroot juice or aplacebo (nitrate-depleted beetjuice) for six days. After sup-plementing on the sixth day,the subjects performed an hourof submaximal cycling followedby a 10K time trial. After a 14-

day washout period, the partic-ipants were given the oppositebeverage and the trial was re-peated. The cyclists performedbetter during the time trial,both riding faster and producing

higher wattage, after consumingthe nitrate-rich beet juice, andtheir oxygen uptake was reducedduring the submaximal cycling.

Another study, published inMedicine and Science in Sportsand Exercise, also investigatedthe effects of beetroot juice oncycling, but with a different load-ing strategya larger dose (500milliliters) once about 2.5 hours

before a 4K and 16.1K cyclingtime trial. The participants werenine competitive cyclists whoeither drank the beetroot juice ora nitrate-depleted placebo beet-root juice. The researchers foundthat the acute loading strategydidnt cause oxygen uptake tobe significantly different be-tween the beetroot and placebo,but the nitrate-rich beetroot didsignificantly increase the poweroutputs during both time trialsfor the same VO

2levels4K per-

formance improved 2.8 percent,and 16.1K performance improved2.7 percent.

The general consensus frommultiple studies is that supple-menting with beetroot juice be-fore a race can improve exerciseperformance. The most ben-efits were observed when thejuice is taken over several daysleading up to an event, but tak-ing a large quantity once a fewhours before a race does have aneffect. Just make sure you ex-periment in training before raceday, as it may not agree with alldigestive systems.

Turn Up the BeetTHIS NITRATE-RICH ROOT VEGGIE COULD

GIVE YOU AN EDGE IN YOUR NEXT RACE.

BY BETHANY LEACH MAVIS

12 MARCH/APRIL 2014

BEET ITIf youre looking to add more beets to

your diet, beet products are starting to popup everywhere. Options include a 2-ounce

Beet It shot of beetroot cut with lemon juice(Beetitamerica.com), Biotta 100 percent BeetJuice (Biottajuices.com) or a mix-your-own shotwith BeetElites NeoShot crystals, which evencome in a black cherry flavor (Beetelite.com). If

youd rather go the whole-food route, tryroasting beets; juicing them with otheringredients such as lemon, apples and

ginger; or grating rawbeets for salads.

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Speed technology has defined Zipp. And while many of our latest innovations, like the 188v9 hubset, are barely

perceptible to the eye, their performance is perfectly visible to the clock. Our professionally proven Zipp Firecrest

wheels helped drive Luke McKenzie (AUS) to his personal best result ever at Kona, including the second fastest bike

split (4:22:27). Redefining speed for career defining results. Congrats Luke, on a performance that inspired us all.

LUKE AHEAD.

Photo:n2photoservices.com

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14 MARCH/APRIL 2014

ATtheFRONT COURSE TALK

COURTESY

OF

LEADMANT

RI

BY THENUMBERS

86Average hightemp in April

125KTotal racedistance

Low 60s70sAverage watertemps in April

Swim:Just likethe Ironman Ari-zona course, theLeadman 125 starts

Leadman TriTempeTRY THIS UNIQUE DISTANCE

IN THE DESERT TO KICK OFF

YOUR SEASON.

BY JEN SHAW

are prevalent,you can expect afast, calm swimin waters rangingfrom the low 60sto low 70s on raceday. Note that youcant swim in thelake prior to raceday.

Bike:The 109.5K(68-mile) bikecourse includesfour loops, whichmeans a lot ofturning. Practiceyour 180-degreeturns during train-

ing rides so youreprepared to cornersafely and regainmomentum asquickly as pos-sible. The course

is extremely flat.Expect some fastmoments in theaerobars. Warn-ing: Be cautiouswhen the shorter-distance athletesenter the courseas the road canbecome crowded.

Run:The 13K (8.1-mile) run is a high-light of the course,as you run along acanal and throughPapago Park on amix of challengingtrails and mixed-

use paths aroundTempe Town Lake.The run is very ex-posed, so remem-ber sunscreen anda hat!

Leadman Tempewas a good early-

season barometer inpreparation for longer

races ahead. The bikecourse was physicallychallenging with the

late addition of manyU-turns, but mentallyeasy with the constantneed for navigation. Iwish I had done more

reconnaissance ofthe run course, as itwas much hillier andhad more trail thanI expected. The flat

out-and-back sectionalong the reservoirwas hard! It was a

tough, and hot, butalso a really fun run.Age-group athleteAnabel Capalbo

Weather report:

Tempe typicallyexperiences highsin the mid-80s inApril, so you canexpect a dry, warm-weather race.

Best for:Strongcyclists lookingfor a bike-focusedrace. It also servesas good early-season practicefor athletes doingIronman Arizonain the fall, as muchof the race takesplace on the same

course.

Relay option:Youcan also enter asa two- or three-person team.

Leadman Tri offers unique race distancesthat are a refreshing change from standard

triathlonsif youre a strong swimmer orcyclist, youll be rewarded with proportionallylonger legs and, unless youve done the samerace before, you dont have to worry about set-ting PRs. The marquee 125K event in Tempe,which is made up of a 2.5K swim, 109.5K bikeand 13K trail run, is complemented by interna-

tional- and sprint-distance options.

off with a 2.5K(1.5-mile) swim inTempe Town Lake.Unless high winds

RACEDIT

REGISTER AT

LEADMANTRI.COM

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ATth FRONT NOTABLE

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16 MARCH/APRIL 2014

ATtheFRONT NOTABLE

FINSIHERPIX,JIM

MacDONALD

At a very young age, Lionel Sandersrecognized he had an addictive

personality. The 26-year-old playedpractically every sport possible whilegrowing up in Windsor, Ontario, find-ing early success in running. But bythe time he hit high school, he had runso much he started to hate it. Which is

when he discovered partying.I was drinking often, smoking ciga-

rettes, smoking pot and experimentingwith other substances, Sanders says. Iwas still identified as an achiever, so Iwas boastful and proud of the fact that Icould still do really well yet I was party-ing hard on the weekends.

Once he got to college, Sanders quitrunning altogether. The next coupleof years led him down a drug-induced

spiral. He smoked marijuana everyday, then progressed to cocaine, ecsta-sy, mushrooms, methamphetamine,and even resorted to sniffi ng glue andtaking shots of boiled-down Nyquilfor a cheap high.

He would stop for months at atime, but then inevitably relapse.At his lowest point, he had lost 40pounds, was having intense halluci-

nations and attempted suicide. OnNov. 5, 2009, Sanders decided it wastime for a change.

So he went for a run.The next day, he went for another,

then another, until he hit a monthstraight. He got the crazy idea todo an Ironman, despite never havingraced a triathlon, and his goal becameIronman Louisville in 2010.

He convinced his mom to pay for his

registration fee, and he started goingto the gym to swim laps, ride a spinbike and run. He saved up $1,000 andbought a used time-trial bike from theclassifieds. His penchant for fixationhad a new outlet.

Finding

a NewCourseFROM SUBSTANCEABUSER TO IRONMANDEVOTEE, LIONELSANDERSFOLLOWED ANEXTRAORDINARY PATHTO BECOMING A 70.3

CHAMPION.BY JEN SHAW

I thought, I wonder if I can winthis race, Sanders says. I printedthe results and a picture of Craig Al-exander when he won Ironman Hawaii

in 2011. I would put the photo on thetreadmill and use it as motivation tokeep going and go faster.

After he panicked and came out of

the water in almost last place at a localtriathlon, he realized winning wasntgoing to happen. He still finished Lou-isville in a respectable 10:14. WhenI finished, I felt like I could do any-thing, Sanders says. My foundationwas strengthened.

When he got home, he had a Face-book message from Barrie Shepley,the former Olympic coach of Simon

Whitfield, who had been followingSanders as a runner since high school.Shepley invited him to come meet histraining squad, C3 Training, in Hamil-tonsix hours away. Long story short,Sanders wound up moving to join thegroup, and in the past couple years,hes earned national duathlon titles inCanada and the U.S.

His most meaningful accomplish-

ment came last September at Ironman70.3 Muskoka. It was his first race asa pro and, until he saw the start list

a couple weeks before, he thought he

could win. The final list held someworld-class names, including one ofhis triathlon heroes, German Andreas

Raelert. As a surprise to most, Sandersout-biked the field and ran a 1:10:58half-marathon to win by more thansix minutes.

I cant desc ribe what it felt like,Sanders says. Its not the end result,but just to realize a dream, and to see

it. I was glowing for a week after.His ideal end result, of course, is to

win Kona someday. I picture runningdown Alii Drive in the lead, and itsthe motivating factor for everything Ido, he says.

With new financial and sponsorshipsupport, Sanders main 2014 goal is theIronman 70.3 World Championship.

Do I regret everything? No, be-

cause it made me who I am today,Sanders says. My motivation isthat I remember a [past] girlfriendonce said to me, Youre a drug ad-

dict youre not going to change.I remember that clearly to this day.Its now my goal to be proof that notonly can you change, but you canturn yourself into something greatin t he process.

In his first race

as a pro, Lionel

Sanders (left)

beat one of

his triathlon

heroes,

Andreas

Raelert, at the2013 Ironman

70.3 Muskoka.

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ATtheFRONT INSIDE TRIATHLON

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ATtheFRONT INSIDE TRIATHLON

In addition to the Crash Sensor, ICEdot also produces identification products (a wristband and stickers) that haveindividualized PIN codes linked to an individuals ICEdot profile. First responders can send the PIN in a text to the phonenumber specified to receive a response message with the individuals name, relevant medical information and emergencycontacts. POC has partnered with ICEdot to make sure every Octal helmet will ship with an ID sticker to allow anyoneapproaching the victim of an accident to easily alert that persons next of kin.

Safety FirstMEET THREE MULTISPORT

COMPANIES THAT AREPRIORITIZING SAFETY

FEATURES IN THEIR NEW GEAR.

BY BETHANY LEACH MAVIS

Standing for incase of emer-gency, ICEdotis an emergencyidentificationand notificationsystem that hasthe ability todetect a crashand send geo-graphic location

informationover SMS text.The first-of-its-kind CrashSensor mountsto any helmetand contains anaccelerometerthat can detectmotion andcritical impacts

(forces that arestrong enough

to cause serioustrauma, such asa concussion).The sensoris linked to acompanion apprunning on thecyclists smartphone over low-energy Blue-tooth, and after

possible trauma,it initiates analarm. If its notdisabled, theapp will alertthe cyclistspre-specifiedemergency con-tacts with a textmessage that in-cludes a link to

his current GPScoordinates.

Known for mak-ing ID wrist-

bands for ath-letes in case ofemergency, RoadID has takensafety one stepfurther with itsnew app. The appincludes threegreat featuresfor triathletes:eCrumb tracking,

a stationary alertand a customlock screen. Thetracking featuregives your familyand friends peaceof mind duringyour workoutsthrough the appyou can send asimple text mes-

sage (e.g., Goingfor a three-hourride) to anyoneon your contact

list, and the mes-sage will include

a link to trackyou on a map inreal time. Theoptional station-ary alert notifiesselect contacts ifyou stop movingfor more thanfive minutes. Inaddition, youcan customize

the lock screenon your phoneto provide vitalinformation tofirst respond-ers in case of anaccidenttheyllbe able to accessyour name, city,up to three emer-gency contacts

and importantmedical informa-tion even if yourphone is locked.

Swedish compa-ny POC origi-nally producedrevolutionary skihelmets and hasmore recentlybranched intomountain bikingand now roadcycling andtriathlon. Asevidenced by thenew Octal roadhelmet (the com-pany also makesa semi-aeroversion calledthe Octal Aero),POC prioritizes

impact resistanceand safety overventilation andweight. Octalis the flagshipproduct of POCsAVIP line(standing for at-tention, visibil-ity, interactionand protection).It is set apart byits shape, whichprovides greatercoverage over thetemporal areasand the back ofthe head. It alsoapplies a lower

density EPS foamin higher quanti-ties throughoutthe helmet,allowing thehead to deceler-ate more slowlyin the event of acrash. The hel-met comes onlyin bright colors(no black) basedon research thatdetermined thecolors that callthe most atten-tion to motorists,pedestrians andother cyclists.

ICEdot Crash Sensor$149 (membership is freefor first year and $10 peryear after), Icedot.org

Road ID appFree (download from the

iTunes store), Roadid.com/ecrumbs

POC Octal helmet$270, Pocsports.com

Road ID

ICEdot

POC

NEED TOKNOW

JOHND

AVIDB

ECKER

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ATtheFRONT TRAVEL

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ATtheFRONT TRAVEL

KURT

HOY

This small chain of islands afew miles off the west coast ofMorocco has become a center forendurance athletes of all kinds, play-

ing host to pro triathletes, cyclingteam camps and dedicated amateursseeking the perfect training spot withan exotic twist. Crossing a pro athleteis a common occurrence when ridingon Tenerife, one of the more lush is-lands in the chain, or on drier Fuerte-ventura. Javier Gomez is among themany world-class racers who flockto the Canaries for uninterruptedtraining. The islands are a territory of

Spain and have a distinctly Europeanflavor without the crowds typicallyfound on the mainland.

On the island of Fuerteventura,the Playitas Resort(Playitas.info)serves as a home base for manytriathletes in search of idyllic train-ing opportunities, especially in thecooler months.

Just up the beach from the oceanis Playitas Olympic-size 50-meterpool with an underwater observationdeck that offers the perfect view tocritique stroke technique. The more

IslandHopperTHE CANARY ISLANDSHAVE BECOME A

TRIATHLON HOTBED,WITH PERFECT TRAININGGROUNDS ANDCHALLENGING RACES.BY AARON HERSH

adventurous can forgo the pool in fa-vor of the Atlantic. The island shieldsthis spot from the open ocean, sowaves are minimal.

For a solid three-hour-plus long ride,head north from the resort along quiet

and mostly desolate roads to the townof Pjara. There starts a challengingbut doable 4-mile ascent that aver-ages 4 percent, twisting up a rockymountainside. The narrow one-laneroad with nothing more than a row ofblocks separating the pavement froma dramatic cliff feels reminiscent ofthe legendary climbs of the Europeanmainland. Toward the top of the climb,the ocean comes into view. Flawlesspavement inspires confidence on thedescent, but take caution: There isntmuch separating the rider from a spillover the edge. Stop to refuel in theCafetera Los Deportesin Pjara for

CANARYISLANDS

Flight Time

10:05: Time inthe air flying

from New Yorkto Fuerteventura,with a connection

in Madrid

a cane sugar Coke or other sustenanceon the way back.

Snaking east of Playitas is afive-mile stretch of uphill pavementending at the Entallada Lighthouseoverlook. Andreas and Michael

Raelert harden their legs with tempoand bounding workouts in this quietpiece of the island.

The Canary Islands are morethan just a training location. One ofthe most daunting Ironman racescrisscrosses the island of Lanzarote.On top of the 8,000 feet of climbingon the bike course, the May 17 race isinfamous for the intense winds thatsweep across the island. Simply fin-ishing Ironman Lanzaroteis a wor-thy accomplishment. Club La Santa(Clublasanta.com) on the northerncoast plays host to the race.

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ATtheFRONT TECH

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ATtheFRONT

Homemade Wind TunnelMEASURE YOUR OWN AERO DRAG USING A POWERMETER AND A (FAIRLY) SIMPLE TEST.BY IAN BUCHANAN AND DEAN PHILLIPS

JOHND

AVIDB

EC

KER

If you have a power meter onyour bike, you can replicate

a wind tunnel with a little pa-tience and a free program youcan download from the Internet.Aerodynamic field testingmea-

suring your drag while riding onthe roadcan be even more re-alistic than wind tunnel testingas it takes the human mechan-ics of riding into account. TheChung Method, named afterits inventor, Robert Chung, is thesimplest and most effective wayto conduct an at-home aerody-namic drag (CdA) test.

It works like this: Find a quiet

stretch of road with a dip in itand ride down one side of thehill and up the other side in theposition you want to test, turnaround at the top without hit-ting your brakes and repeat afew times. Thats it. The hill al-lows you to slow down withouttouching your brakes or changingyour position.

Record data on your original

position and then make a singlefit or equipment change and re-cord data again. Altering morethan one thing for each test willobscure the real cause of any aerochanges you measure. Once youhave the before-and-after data,the rest is crunching numbers.

Free Golden Cheetah share-ware (Goldencheetah.org) has atool that does all the math for

you. Download your test sessionresults into Golden Cheetah andopen the data from your baselineposition. Go to Aerolab ChungAnalysis view (currently locatedin the + pull-down in the up-per right) and enter the followingvariables:

Combined bike and riderweight (Total Mass): Dressedfor riding, step on your bathroomscale with your bike.

Air density at the time of thetest (Rho): Find temperatureand pressure data during thetime of the test session from

Wunderground.com and plugthose two numbers into GoldenCheetahs Air Density Calcula-tor (located under Tools).

Coefficient of rolling resis-tance (Crr): If you are not certain

of your tires Crr, enter a valueof 0.004 if you tested with racetires or 0.005 for training tires.

Once these variables are en-tered, you are ready to calculatedrag. You will see that the low-est dip points on the blue linein the data gradually descendin elevation as you go from thefirst half-pipe run on the leftto the ones on the right. The de-

scending blue line labeled V-Elevation represents the ridersaero drag. Adjust the CdA sliderbar beneath the graph until thelowest dips of the blue line alignhorizontally. It is helpful to notethat clicking your mouse on anypoint of the blue line will showyou the elevation at that point,making it easier to compare allthe dips.

When aligned, you will seethat the CdA number will havechanged. This aligned CdAnumber is the aerodynamic dragof the tested position. Analyzethe data from your second testthe same way. Lower CdA num-bers mean less drag and thus bet-ter aerodynamics.

Once youve nailed the ChungMethod testing process, you can

repeat the steps for your fit andgear selection to unlock yourown aerodynamic puzzle.

For the complete explana-tion of why the test works fromChung himself, go toInside tri-

athlon.com/Chung.

Ian Buchanan and Dean Philli psare fit and technology specialistsat Fit Werx bike shops in Vermontand Massachusetts, respectively.

Aerodynamic field testing

should not be used to

determine major positioning

changes. Before diving into

drag testing, start with a

well-fit, biomechanically solid

riding position and only test

changes that do not affect the

sustainability or efficiency of

your position.

Crr 0.004 Total Mass (kg) 90

CdA 0.300 Rho (kg/m^3) 1.2

Eta 1.000 Eoffset (m) 0 eoffset auto

Elevation

Elevation

Distance

Before After

Distance

Drag the V-Elevation line so the bottom points arealigned horizontally, then check CdA.

V-Elevation

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ATtheFRONT RECALLED

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24 MARCH/APRIL 2014

attitude toward himabruptly changed.

At the pro meet-ing, Allen rememberssitting on the floorlooking directly atScott. Dave was sit-ting sideways, lookingaway from me, recalls

Allen. He knew I wasthere, but he neveronce looked at me.

On race day, Allen got a hint that some-thing was wrong during the ride when hisnose started to bleed. Later, he suddenly feltsick to his stomach and threw up.

Coming off the bike with Scott, Allenbuilt a five-minute lead on the run. I wasntpushing it to any crazy limit, Allen insists.

From the marathon turnaround, it was 10

miles to the finish. About one mile past theturnaround, I knew something wasnt right,Allen remembers.

With a few miles to go, Scott passed Allenand went into the lead. I stopped and wentto the bathroom and realized I was bleedinginside, Allen says. I crossed the line and gavethanks that I was alive and still in second.

After the disappointment of the 1987 race,

Allen came back in 1988 and thought he wasonce again ready to win the Ironman World

Championship, especially after Scott pulledout of the race the night before with kneeissues. Allen had two flat tires and finishedfifth. But his first title wouldnt have beenas poetic without beating his nemesis in theprocess, anyway.

Before the 1989 Ironman, Allens step-mother told him she had a premonition about

the race. She said, I have a good feelingabout this year, Allen remembers. What hedidnt know was that years earlier, she had

taken a piece of lava rock home as a souvenir.There is a legend on the Big Island of

Hawaii known as the curse of MadamePele, the goddess of fire, lightning, windand volcanoes. If you remove lava from theisland, you and your family will be penal-ized with bad luck. Before the 1989 race,

fearing that she might have angered Ma-dame Pele, Allens stepmother brought therock back to the Big Island and returned i tto the lava fields.

Sometimes, things are meant to be. Thatyear, Allen ended the curse by finally defeat-ing Scott during the defending champs bestever Kona performance in a race for the ages,now simply referred to as Iron War. LO

ISSCHWARTZ

The first time Mark Allen raced the Iron-man was in October 1982.

He came out of the water with the 1980champion, Dave Scott. Just after the bike turn-

around at Hawi, when Allen went to shift intoanother gear to stay with Scott, his derailleurmalfunctioned and he was forced to drop out.

That was the first of many physiologicaland mechanical malfunctions that dogged

Allen throughout the 1980s on the Big Islandof Hawaii.

In 1983 he took third. The following yearhe built a 12-minute lead over Scott off the

bike, but by mile 13 of the marathon, Allenwas walking and Scott was on his way tohis fourth title. In 1986, Allen decided toreturn to Kona only two weeks after hisfifth straight win at the Nice Triathlon, the

second biggest long-course triathlon in theworld at the time.

He ran into Dave Scott one evening duringrace week and there was very little tension.Dave congratulated me on Nice, remem-bers Allen. It was a nice exchange.

Scott had peaked for Kona while Allen washoping for a good day, but he certainly didntexpect to win.

1987 was different. Allen decided to

skip Nice to focus on Ironman, and Scotts

Breaking

the CurseA KONA LEGEND ENDUREDYEARS OF FRUSTRATIONBEFORE WINNING HIS FIRST

OF SIX TITLES.

BY BOB BABBITT

Miles after

breaking away to

a substantial lead

during the 1987

Ironman Hawaii

marathon, Mark

Allen slowed to

a walk and Dave

Scott left him

behind yet again.

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ATtheFRONT CHASING THE SUNRISE

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HUNTERK

ING

Knowing that Luke McKenzie was goingto be on the cover of this issue, one

thing popped into my head: Second placestinks. Stink is hardly the word that filled

my mind when I crossed the finish line ofthe Ironman World Championship in secondplace in 2000. Youd think that I wouldhave been overjoyed, but the opposite wastrue. The profanity-laced diatribe that wentthrough my mind upon crossing the finishline is definitely not suitable to publish.

Mike Pigg, Christian Bustos, Pauli Kiuru,Jurgen Zack, Cameron Brown and ChrisLieto are all amazing triathletes who ac-complished more than most could ever

hope to in their careers. They are stars of thesport and deserve praise for their incrediblepalmars. The one ignominious similarityamong them is that they placed second onthe Big Island but never moved up to the top

step of the podium. Why?Why is it that some athletes can reach that

second step, and then trade up for the vic-tors crown, while others miss the summit

and descend the ranks never to challenge forthe title again?

I certainly dont have the answer, but Ido have personal experience. Second placewas not easy for me. There was no celebra-tion, and the congratulations I received weredifficult to accept. I had failed at my goal andwas angry. I needed to get back to work.

The emotions I felt in 2000 resurfaceevery time I watch the second-place fin-ishers in Hawaii. What thoughts are going

through their minds? Of course, most lookhappy (especially to be done for the day!),but is it true surprised to be secondhappiness, or is it a temporary happinessthat will be quickly replaced by a year-

long torture of missed opportunity?In 1999 I placed third after being 10th

twice before. I knew I was better than a10th-place athlete, but jumping all theway to third was a surprise and a relief.The two men in front of me were betterathletes, so I was truly happy to get thirdas it was the highlight of my career so far. Icelebrated third.

Placing second was a different beast all

together. I had the benefit of getting thirdthe year before, in my breakthrough race.But was it a fluke? Was I really a legitimatecontender for victory? Not only was I askingmyself that question before the 2000 race,but most people in the sport were prob-ably asking the same thing. I can guaranteeathletes who have a breakthrough race askthemselves that question the following year.How they answer it can define the rest oftheir careers.

Instead of believing in myself completelyin 2000, I made mistakes. I scheduled anIronman too late in the summer beforeKona. I missed some calories during the raceand did not make them up. These mistakesand more made me stall and watch as PeterReid ran up the road and captured victoryaway from me.

As I crossed the line in second place, byjust over two minutes, I was not surprisedor relieved, and I did not celebrate. I did

not feel fortunate or lucky to be there. I wasangry, and that anger carried me throughan entire year and back to the starting linein 2001. I did not ignore one day leadingup to the race. They were all important.And I won. I discovered what it took forme to move from third, to second, to worldchampion.

What will it take for Luke McKenzie andRachel Joyce to do the same? What areAndreas Raelert, Eneko Llanos and Caroline

Steffenwho have all teetered away fromthat top step but continue to racedoingto regain ground? Is it even possible? Weremistakes made in their second-place racesthat are motivating them toward victory, orare they celebrating and satiated with whatthey have already accomplished? Surelythere is no concrete answer to why one ath-lete wins and why another loses. However,their legacies, world champion or secondplace, will be very concrete.

Good luck, Luke. Good luck, Rachel.

Tim DeBoom is a two-time winner (2001 and2002) of the Ironman World Championshipand the last American to win in Kona.

Second ThoughtsWHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GO FROM FIRST LOSER

TO THE TOP OF THE PODIUM?

BY TIM DeBOOM

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STRENGTHS AND SHORTCOMINGS OF ONE OF

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T

he most technologically advanced bike isntnecessarily the best. Each individual rider

dictates what he or she finds valuable in a tribike, and many personal lists do not align with thecutting edge of innovation. Fundamental attributeslike ride quality and fit can easily get lost behindflashy nose cones and dramatic aero tubes, but func-

tionnot flairwill keep you happy with your tribike years after rolling it out of the store. Start your

search for a tri bike by listing the characteristics thatmean the most to you (and by getting a bike fit). Tribike design has split into many directions, and thesefour bikes cover the complete range of fit, ride andconstruction styles to choose from.

EVERY TRI BIKE STYLE UNDER THE RAINBOW

BY AARON HERSHPHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN DAVID BECKER

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BIKE

PROFILE

KEYED TO THE

WANTS OF

DEMANDING

CYCLISTS

30 MARCH/APRIL 2014

Orbea Ordu M30

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Suited to the values of road time-trialists with a twist oftri-friendly fit, the Ordu shifts instantaneously and has amean-looking integrated front end suited to aggressivepositions. It jumps at every inputsteering or sprintingand responds with aggression. For a forgiving fit, this bikeisnt the one, but immaculate component function (exceptfor the rear brake) and compact fit make it an ideal choicefor the hard-nosed and discerning rider.

FITAs the sport has grown and welcomed athletes of everybody type, tri bikes have become increasingly friendly tomoderate and upright positions. The Ordu is not part ofthat trend. Orbeas integrated front end is shaped to dropthe bars into a demanding, aero-oriented position. Flataerobar extensions provide ample leverage through thewrists to yank an extra couple of watts out of an intenseeffort. These bars, however, do not create a relaxed gripsuited to long riding or offer the ability to reshape into adramatically more conservative fit. Make sure your posi-tion is suited to this bike before pulling the trigger because

it is best for an ambitious riding style.

FUNCTIONForget the notion that Shimano Ultegra is a mid-levelgroupsetit functions at the absolute pinnacle. Derailleursget the glory, but its the full kit specd on the Ordu M30crank, cassette and shiftersthat separates this groupfrom most tri bike builds. Every piece of this 11-speed kitis designed to work in unison, and the difference is tan-gible. The external Shimano front brake controls the bikebeautifully, although the hidden rear caliper lacks stopping

power and is a challenge to adjust.

RIDEResponsiveness trumps stability with the Ordu. The bikefeels dynamic in all situations, and the under-foot stiff-ness of this frame seems to outdo the others, yet mostroad vibration melts away. Moving quickly is the bikesnatural inclination, which places more responsibility onthe rider to hold a straight line from the aero position. Asteady cruiser this is not. Its stiff and snappy constructionmakes riding it a blast.

Orbea Ordu M30$4,999| Orbea.com


Ten-speed kits have had a decade-long run that is comingto an end. Mid-level 2014 SRAM and Shimano kits are both11-speed, and the most price-conscious Apex and 105groups are likely to follow in the near future. These compo-nent kits are not technically compatible with their prior-genpredecessors (although some pieces can be crow-barredtogether), so replacing parts and swapping between bikes

will become increasingly difficult over the next few years as11-speed becomes ubiquitous. Ten-speed parts wont dis-appear, but having an 11-speed kit will become an increas-ingly valuable convenience in the next few years, irrespectiveof shift performance.

IT GOES TO 11

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BIKE

PROFILE

MAXIMIZES RIDERPOTENTIAL,

SACRIFICES NEWTECH

Cannondale Slice 5 105

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FACEBOOK.COM/INSIDETRI|@INSIDETRI33

Techie upgrades can help squeeze the last few drops ofspeed from a well-trained athlete, but cycling perfor-mance ultimately comes down to human ability. Thisbike has all the attributes needed to exploit a riders fit-ness, and the sticker price is reasonable. Transcendenthandling gives the bike a seemingly innate sense of theriders intentions. A luxuriously appointed machine thisis not, but the components can be upgraded to matchthe frames prowess.

RIDEFeel free to push the boundaries during a technical de-scent on this bike. It can sweep through broad curveswithout ever feeling twitchy or unstable. And its justas suited to going hard in the aero position. The Slice5 105 grips a straight line and barrels down the roadwhile absorbing any small agitations without skippingoff-course. Many frames of this age (read: older design)have an old bottom bracket standard that isnt as stiff asthe current tech, but this bike has an up-to-date BB thathelps the frame feel responsive to a hard kick.

FITCannondale was ahead of its time when it crafted thisbikes geometry more than six years ago. It is con-structed to fit a plethora of age-group riders insteadof the people at the top of the triathlon pyramid. Theframes fit accommodates realistic positions, not a Tourde France time-trialist. Vision TriMax aerobars can beelevated above the bars with a spacer kit for a taller po-sition, but they cannot be drawn back toward the rider.The lack of reach adjustment is the bikes biggest fit

limiter, but the swappable standard stem helps mitigatepotential issues.

FUNCTIONA downgraded parts kit is one of the reasons why theSlice 5 105 costs much less than the Cervlo, Felt andOrbea. Just about every piece was selected for price, notfunction, and shifting performance suffers as a result.Microshift levers feel loose when flicking through gearsand lack the solid and decisive feel of Shimanos bar-end set. Changing gears is also slower in the front and

rear than the other bikes in this review. The frames sim-ple design helps allow the brakes to live up to their fullpotential and makes travel and maintenance as easy aspossible. Pull on the levers, and the calipers scrub speedwith increasing immediacy.

Cannondale Slice 5 105$2,270 |Cannondale.com

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BIKE

PROFILE

FUNCTION OVER

FLASH

Cervlo P3 Dura-Ace

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While most bike designers equip tri models at this pricelevel with a flashy front-end system, Cervlo insteadelected to build a near-perfect version of a non-inte-grated tri bike. In that sense, this bike is a throwback.Shifting is crisp and immediate; hydraulic brakes areimmune to the typical spew of sports drink that clogsmany traditional calipers; fit specs work for most tri-athletes; the bike thrives while twisting through tightcorners. And the Cervlo engineering crews hard-earned reputation as aerodynamic wizards builds con-fidence in the P3s straight-line speed, even without theadded drag savings of an integrated nose cone.

FITOf all the triathlon bike frames, this one might fit themost athletes. With sizes stretching from microscopic(45) to gargantuan (61), there is a P3 for just about ev-ery body type. And the frame shape is crafted to matchrealistic tri-specific fits. The 3T Aura Pro aerobar of-fers limited adjustment. Stack height adjustment rangeis minimal and, while the extensions can move in andout, the pad position cannot be drawn far backward toshorten the reach length. Mounting the aerobar with astandard stem and steerer tube instead of an integratedsystem provides about 6 centimeters of stack adjust-ment range (from stem position and orientation), whichhelps counteract the limited aerobar but with a penaltyto aesthetics and stiffness.

RIDEAlong with changes to geometry, the handling feel ofCervlos tri bikes has evolved in the past few years.

The P3 retains the nimble touch of the prior-genera-tion Cervlo tri bikes and boasts a few notable improve-ments. This bike calmly holds its course without anyover-exaggerated movement and feels more stable whenreaching for a bottlealthough it still requires more in-put than the Cannondale. Overall stiffness is better. Jamthe bike through a corner, and every part of the framemoves in unison, inviting the rider to press harder andtake advantage of the bikes agility.

FUNCTION

Forgoing integration isnt just a cost-saving measure;it simplifies a bike and reduces mechanical complexity.Combined with Cervlos livable cable routing system,the P3s basic housing path makes trouble-shooting,traveling and routine service relatively easy and rapid.Component performance is outstanding. Gear shifts areswift and precise (11-speed), and the hydraulic MaguraRT6 TT brakes provide ample yet predictable stoppingpower. ISM saddle popularity has rocketed upward eversince it was first released because its two-tong designhelps the majority of riders get comfortable in the aero-

bars. Including this valuable saddle is a big upgrade.

Cervlo P3 Dura Ace$5,400| Cervelo.com

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BIKE

PROFILE

FULL-BLOWN

INTEGRATION

WITHOUT FIT

LIMITATION

Felt DA4

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FACEBOOK.COM/INSIDETRI|@INSIDETRI37

This is not the bike that Mirinda Carfrae rode to herKona title last October, but it is still a damn good one.The sleek front end is the headline feature, but ridequality is tr uly its most valuable attribute. For thecombination of confidence-inspiring stability and re-sponsive agility, the DA4 strikes the mark. Componentquality is mostly excellent, but one (easily upgradeable)weak link thwarts shift performance.

FITWant to stretch the limits of your hamstrings and tuck

into a suicidal fit that would make time-trial world-record holder Chris Boardman proud? The Felt DA4can stretch you long and low. Prefer to stay upright andshelter your muscles for the run? Thats no problem ei-ther. The frame geometry itself is demanding and bestsuited for a person looking to push his or her fit to theextreme, but its bevy of adjustment options can stretchand extend the bike to match even upright fits withoutmortgaging ride quality or its sleek look. The aerobaris clamped to the frame with an integrated piece thatextends directly off the frame. Several different versionsof this piece extend the fit options, and an aerobar shimkit can prop the bike farther beyond a typical fit range.Elbow width is the only real limitation. Felts own Bayo-net aerobar cannot splay the arm pads out far to the sideof the extensions to provide relief to tight shoulders ora constrained chest.

RIDESet this bike on a straight course and it sticks reso-lutely on track. Its stability helps inspire confidence

when grabbing for a water bottle or when fatigue takesyour focus off the road. It doesnt exactly skip throughcorners, but its predictable demeanor builds the trustneeded to steer from the aerobars without fear. Assem-bled with one of the compact stem pieces, it respondsimmediately to any accelerationevery part of the bikeseems to move in unison.

FUNCTIONThis 11-speed component kitshifters, derailleurs,chain, cassette and crankis ready for the future. Its

backbone will stay current for many years, so if you de-cide to buy a road bike in a couple years, this kit will becompatible, enabling wheel swaps and other handy syn-ergies. One element of this bike disappoints comparedto the rest: the Microshift bar-end shifters. These off-brand levers lack the precise feel of Shimanos shiftersand seem to degrade more quickly. As a result, the top-tier Shimano Dura-Ace 11-speed derailleurs lose theirpop. Relegating these levers in favor of the real deal is aworthy $130 upgrade that would significantly improveoverall shift performance. Stopping power is serviceable

but not outstanding.

4$3,700|Feltbicycles.com

SECOND

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SECONDACT

BY ADAM ELDERPHOTOGRAPHS BY ROB HAMMER

Luke McKenziespent his first 19 years in triathlon working his way to the top. Then last year,facing a stalled career and the end of his marriage, he started completely over, did things his wayand had the professional breakthrough he sought for nearly two decades. All he had to do was

suffer like he never had before.

The crowd is roaring on the streets of Kona as Luke McKenzie stridescalmly out of transition into town. He holds his shoulders high,with great purpose, into the first steps of the marathon in the 2013Ironman World Championship. He just pedaled a furious 112 miles

through the Hawaiian lava fields, leaving nearly all the race favorites 10 to15 minutes behind. Most of them are having a bad day at the office, mired inthe humidity and having been left for dead early on by the top cyclists. Yethe feels fresh. Several minutes later, Luke overtakes super-cyclist Andrew

Starykowicz as the two are still shaking the four-hour bike ride from theirlegs, and is all alone in front.

Luke considers giving Starky a bit of encouragement on his Kona debut,admiring the way Andrew pushed the bike so hard. But he thinks betterof it, looking straight ahead as he blows past, choosing to keep his tank asfull as possible.

He remembers last year, when he finished a disappointing 24thafter alabored 3:20 marathon. And 2011, where he again smashed the bike leg yetleft himself with nothing for the run.Hold back, he thinks to himself. Savesomething. Be patient. He glances at his watch.If I hold this pace, theyllhave to run a 2:45 marathon to beat me.

He speeds out of town on Alii Drive at a six-minute-four-second milepace and is back on the Queen K Highway to endure the heat and desola-tion of the lava fields once again, one shoe in front of the other for 26.2miles. Even among all the bold race-day kits worn on this most-watchedday of the triathlon world, Luke stands out. His hunter green, wind-tun-

nel-tested kit (with sleeves) envelops a muscular yet sinewy, racing-tunedphysique, with a broad swimmer-like torso that looks precariously bal-anced above two legs in constant motion. Atop his clean-shaven head isa tall green truckers hat made by PowerBar, a sponsor of his, which readsGO LUKE. Sports sunglasses shield the tropical sun from his pair ofpiercing blue eyes, which rest above a prominent nose that, in the contextof triathlon, makes him look all the more aerodynamic.

Everyone is elated for him. Luke McKenzie leading Kona is a feel-good

story. The one-time teenage phenom blessed with a speedy swim and adevastating bike is a fixture in the triathlon world as the outgoing Aussiewith an easy smile whos got time for everyone. The guy who trains ultrahard but also surfs several times a week. The 32-year-old six-time Iron-man winner who maybe, just maybe, is putting all the pieces together inhis seventh try on the biggest stage.

Today, hes poker-faced while in motion. He restricts his thoughts tothe mechanical.Nutrition? On track. Pace? All good. Meanwhile hes do-ing everything in his power to outrun that dark placethe all-consumingcondition in which overtaxed muscles, extreme physiological strain, Ha-waiian-islands humidity, the pressure of the occasion and the toxic effects

of self-doubt all conspire to overtake an athletes head.As helicopters buzz overhead and an NBC crew rolls alongside him, hes

staying within himself. But hes also got his entire year on his mind: keytraining sessions; mental and performance breakthroughs; a year that be-gan in the middle of a stalled career and at the end of his two-year marriage

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to Australian pro Amanda Balding, in which he moved continents, partedways with his coach of 18 months and started everything over. Yet now herehe is, leading the biggest race of his life. The question now was: Could he Luke was never scared of hard work and

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hold on for 26.2 miles?

AS WITH SO MANYgreat athletes, Luke spent his entire childhoodaround sports. In the late 80s he would assist, starting at age 7, at an aidstation at mile 24 of the marathon at Ironman Australia near his homein Forster every year, along with his entire family. Just when his parentsstarted wondering where he was the first year, they turned and saw himrunning down the last kilometer of the race with the top athletesguyshed recognized from watching the Hawaii Ironman on TV. Luke was thetype of kid, his father, Peter, says, who would mimic every sport he saw onTVcricket, Australian-rules football, golf and especially triathlon. Onetime, after the 12-year-old Luke saw a race on TV, he decided he neededto go on a long bike ride. His parents assumed he was at a nearby friends

house until they got a call from the mom of another friend of Lukesonewho lived 15 miles away.

He was always into sports, and, after his family moved to AustraliasGold Coast when Luke was 13, he was surrounded by greatness: He went tohigh school with future pro surfers Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson, whohave become two of the most dominant surfers in the past 10 years. Andit just so happened that Australias triathlon epicenter at the time was onthe Gold Coast. All the top athletes, guys like Chris McCormack and MilesStewart, came to train with local coach Col Stewart. They were swimmingat our local pool, Luke says. Youd see them out on rides. Id be gettingdropped off at school and see Cols group ride by. I was so jealous. I wantedto be out there riding with them, you know? Not going to school! At thesame time, Luke, busy in the uniquely Australian surf-club culture, was akeen swimmerpromising enough, in fact, to train with an Olympic coach.Right away, though, he realized he wasnt cutting the mustard. But therewas a triathlon club that trained at the same pool at the exact same time.I was into my running, and Id always wanted to do triathlon, Luke says,so I went over to the lady running the session and said, Jenny, Id love tojoin your squad. She said, Ive been watching you swim, and I think youdbe a great triathlete. From then on, I was hooked.

Luke was not only in the right place; he was growing up at just the right

time, too. In hindsight, the late 90s turned out to be triathlons golden agein Australia: Greg Welch had recently won the Ironman World Champion-ship, the first non-American male to do so; domestic triathlon race serieswere on TV nearly every weekend; and with the sport soon to debut atthe countrys own Olympics in Sydney in 2000, Australias Olympic com-mittee and plenty of sponsors were investing heavily in triathlon. ThoughLuke played almost any sport he could, including soccer, cricket, football,water polo, basketball and BMX, in an environment like this, it was triath-lon that naturally stuck.

It helped that he won the very first race he entered, a junior sprint thatlasted no more than 15 minutes. Coming from swimming, where there

was lots of following the black line and I was getting my butt kicked, toactually winning, was awesome, Luke says. So I continued doing it.From there he kept going up. Australia had created a national perfor-

mance center for triathlon (similar to those in Colorado Springs, Colo.,and Clermont, Fla.) and handpicked Luke to train there, alongside notablefellow juniors Mirinda Carfrae (future two-time Ironman world champ),Emma Snowsill (future Olympic gold medalist) and Annabel Luxford (fu-ture ITU World Cup winner). He reached his first world junior champion-ships, for duathlon, in 1997 in Germany. One week later he was called up asa reserve to Australias junior triathlon team at the world championships inLausanne, Switzerland. Although he didnt get to race that year, he was the

youngest member of the team, at 16. By 19, he came third at the ITU WorldJunior Championships at Edmonton, Canada. It was there he met a youngAustralian triathlete named Craig Crowie Alexander, along with one ofthe top stars at the time, the Ironman, Xterra and ITU world championMichellie Jonesboth of whom were on Australias senior team.

His road looked to be paved, and in lieu of university, during the gap yearbetween high school and college in which most other Aussies choose tobackpack throughout other corners of the world, Luke spent the summerof 2001 racing for the Mont Lausanne team on the French Iron Tour. Hewas 19 years old, racing two to three times in a week, traveling all day until2 a.m., then waking up at 6 a.m. to compete against his idols: McCormack,Alexander, Simon Lessing and others. I learned to harden up, Luke says.Everything from that point was easy if you can get through those years of

basically racing like racehorses! But as a 19- or 20-year-old, I was livingthe dream. I was fresh out of high school, and I got to see the world andmeet all these people. Theyre the good old days.

He was putting in his timethough getting his butt kicked, he admitsand impressing all the right people. He raced the televised Australian GrandPrix during the tail end of triathlons gravy train in Australia (where his fam-ily remembers watching him sprint out of transition one time with his run-ning shoes on the wrong feet). He was Olympian Craig Waltons trainingpartner, and followed along with the top dogs whenever he could on rides.He was wise enough to realize this opportunity was one that not every ju-nior had access to. And they didnt seem to mind. They never saw me as a

threat back in the day! Luke says. I was just that young kid who would tagalong on rides.

Eventually in 2002 he reached a point where he realized that stay-ing on the ITU, draft-legal, Olympic-distance path might not leadhim to the Athens Olympics after all, which were two years away. He

stepping out of his comfort zone and his

perceived weaknesses, says his mentor and

former roommate, three-time Ironman worldchampion Craig Alexander. I saw the work

ethic and desire in him to work very hard and

be good, and he was patient.

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was still living on the Gold Coast, and training often with MichellieJones during the Australian summer. He was weighing whether to go

the non-drafting routea path that eventually, for almost everyone,leads to Ironman. Jones suggested to both Luke and Crowie that theyspend the American summer in Carlsbad, Calif., just north of SanDiego, where she and her husband at the time, coach Pete Coulson,lived part of the year.

And so in 2003, Luke and Crowie, the future three-time Ironman

world champion yet then still on the cusp of really emerging, movedinto a two-bedroom apartment in a sketchy neighborhood of Carls-bad. When they werent training by day or sleeping on inflatable Wal-Mart mattresses, they were cruising the neighborhood for abandoned

furniture on the side of the road. Its their own just-scraping-by talethats central to the making of so many great athletes. We lived righton the Amtrak lines, Alexander says. That train would come throughand blast its horn and wake us up every day. It certainly wasnt thePGA Tour. We were trying to cut our teeth in the U.S. and make ournames for ourselves. Wed often have other Australian athletes comingthrough town staying with us. At one point we had seven people in our

little two-bedroom apartment. Yeah, very fond memories.It only lasted a summer, but they trained every day, their hand-to-

mouth existence providing extra motivation in races. For Luke, it was a

chance to spend a whole summer watching and learning from a guy whosestar was on the riseand went on to become one of triathlons all-time

greats. Luke wasnt known as a runner, Alexander says now, but hecould more than hold his own in our tougher run sessions. He was neverscared of hard work and stepping out of his comfort zone and his perceivedweaknesses. I saw the work ethic and desire in him to work very hard andbe good, and he was patient.

To hear Luke tell it, he gave it his all. I raced as hard as I could, butCrowie was always that one step better, Luke says. I got a couple on

him back in the day, but he was the more dominant athlete. I ask how

Alexander took losing to his roommate. Was Crowie competitive backthen? Luke throws his head back in laughter for a second, then gets cagey.I think the first race I ever beat him in sort of made him stand up andtake note. But theres no bad feeling at allhes always been encouragingof everything Ive done.

To this day the two consider the other among their closest friends, andfrequently keep in touch. They often do a training session together in Ha-waii, and get their families together for a pre-Kona barbecue prior to raceweek. Luke also remains an eager student, and Crowie, in his elder states-

man status, duly offers advice.And so it was in the 2013 Ironman, deep into the marathon. Alexan-

der, with his final race in Kona having gone up in smoke, tried to revivehis old roommate, who was momentarily falling to pieces on the loneli-est stretch of the run, as the two passed each other near the turnaroundin the Energy Lab with 10 words: Luke! Youre gonna have to suffer ifyou want this!

AS IS ALSO THE CASE with so many great athletes Luke has an

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AS IS ALSO THE CASEwith so many great athletes, Luke has anultra-supportive family. Athletics are literally in his genes. His father, Peter,is a former professional Australian rules football player and cricketer. ButPeter gave up the promise of a sporting life (or what promise of it there

was; back then, it wasnt considered the profession it is today) and be-came a high school teacher when it was time to start a family. Yet he stillremained a coach.

This is what Luke was born into. If he and his sister werent in school,they were involved in some sporting event. He remembers hanging out inthe dressing sheds with his fathers team before theyd come out onto thefield. And when Peter wasnt teaching science, agriculture and sports (Astrange mix, but it all works! Peter says in a deep, raspy Australian purr)or coaching football, hed be involved in his childrens athletic pursuits.

Hed drive me to Sydney every weekend, for swimming, water polo, anysport, Luke says of his dad. Four hours each way. I owe him a lot because

those were hard years for him. He was working his butt off, and all his sparetime revolved around giving his kids an opportunity in sport.

Peter recognized Lukes burgeoning interest in triathlon with all his in-stant success. So he did what came naturally to himhe became a triathloncoach, and remains one to this day. Its a different role, Peter says aboutcoaching Luke versus his other athletes, more of a mentoring role, beinga sounding board for ideas, helping him wherever I can with the mentalaspects of the sport.

Peter charged head-on into coaching triathlon. The teacher by trade isa voracious learner, and constantly sends Luke studies he finds on the In-ternet, books he reads, and all sorts of inspirational and scientific informa-tion. Hes most interestedand of most use to Lukein sports psychology.

Luke talks at length about his fathers importance to him and his career.As coaches and advisers come and go, hes the one person whos beenthere the whole time. No one knows me better than my father. He knowseverything there is to know, how everything has evolved to this point. Hesmy biggest supporter and I cant do it without him.

In early 2013, Luke sure needed the help. His entire life had seeminglyentered one of those dark places that athletes endure on the race course.Though he experienced a fertile professional period starting in 2008, inwhich he racked up five Ironman wins in three years, his last victory was atIronman Brazil in 2010. Shortly after that race, he began battling chronicsacral pain. It seemed to have ripple effects. Over the next two years, withnearly 20 years in the sport under his belt, Luke found himself increasinglygoing through the motions, and distracted by details. Hed travel to a racein Sardinia, then get invited to a training camp, then onto a race in Chile,becoming progressively apathetic. As most pro triathletes necessarily keepa fastidiously organized life, things had fallen out of order. With persistentpain and an unfocused mind, the race results were worsening. And thingswere spiraling out of control in his personal life: By February of 2013, hedseparated from his wife for reasons he keeps to himself.

Luke trudged on. A month later, on St. Patricks Day, he lined up at Iron-

man Los Cabos. Predictably, it did not go well. He had trained hard for thisrace yet was mentally and physically drained. With no desire to competethat day, he pulled the plug early in the bike leg. It was there, standing onthe side of the road, alone and miserable, that he felt he had finally, trulyhit bedrock. As he watched the race literally pass him by, he questionedwhat he was doing, and what he wanted out of triathlon.

The next couple of weeks were no easier. His misery was compound-ed by his guilt at giving up on himself in the race. But slowly, with thehelp of his dad, he began to see daylight. Questioning everything in hislife, Luke was talking to Peter every day on Skype. Luke was quite con-fused and emotionally down, his dad says. We adopted the approach

that the best thing that could happen was we had to examine where hewas and what he wanted to do in the future, draw a line in the sand andsay, From this day forward, Im gonna concentrate on being the bestI can be in the sport. My view of it was that the best thing he could dowould be to get on with his life, not dwell on what had happened, but

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Luke was on a mission to prove a

point that he wasnt done and dusted

in the sport, his father, Peter, says.

That he had a lot more to give.

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work on being better at what he was doing from that point forward.Luke vouches for his fathers effect. Hes my ultimate motivator, he

says. The football coach in him really comes out. I ask about his fatherscoaching style. Another spontaneous laugh as his eyes light up. Hes

Gerdes, who also traveled to Australia in June and came in fifth atCairns. They had known each other for a couple of years, and over thesummer had started hanging out as more than friends. They traveledtogether to Bend, Ore., in July for a six-week build session in the high

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a g y e e p a e a g a eye g p epretty unforgiving! He doesnt want to hear the sob stories. Hes toughlove. At the same time, hes very sympathetic.

Though he was adrift, Luke was also in the unique position of being able

to scrap everything and start over. He assessed all parts of his life. With aclean slate, he was able to choose exactly how and where to apply himself,and make decisions based on what his 20 years of experience and thou-

sands of hours spent learning from top coaches and fellow athletes toldhim would work. His ultimate goal, ever since he was a boy, was Kona.He thusly put all his energy into producing his best effort for Kona, andnothing else.

He decided to move full-time to the funky San Diego beach suburb ofCardiff to live among some of his familiar friends and faces there, wherehed previously been splitting his time. And he parted ways after 18 monthswith acclaimed coach Siri Lindley, relinquishing the squad environmentand daily guidance in favor of training himself. That was a tough one forme, Luke says. I enjoyed everything. Im not a selfish athlete, I feel likeIm very giving within a squad environment, but I enjoy my own spaceand training by myself.

Now that he was doing things his way, he decided to put cycling backfront and center into his training. Its always been the ace up his sleeve, buthe felt in 2012 that hed lost his bike strength. He also shed a lot of trainingsessions he considered junk, focusing only on quality. He ate better. And

he became fastidious about doing his strength sessions.Hard knocks toughen you up, Peter says he would tell Luke. They caneither toughen you or they can crush you. Theres an old saying that its notwhat happens to you that matters, its how you reactwhich is somethingI said to Luke a few times. And I think he was on a mission to prove a pointthat he wasnt done and dusted in the sport, that he had a lot more to give.

By June, Luke touched down in Australia for Ironman Cairns as anoutsider. Nobody could have guessed what he had in store. He was fastout of the water, pedaled to the lead in the early stages of the bike andproceeded to leave everyone in the dust. By the time the chase pack hadtheir running shoes on, Luke had put 20 minutes between him and them.

If there remained any lingering doubts, he eviscerated those with a 2:44marathon. Afterward, the always-candid McCormack, who finishedthird, told the media when asked about the winner, Luke, take that toKona. That is the way you win an Ironman. Very impressive.

Back in Cardiff, Luke had started dating local pro triathlete Beth

toget e to e d, O e., Ju y o a s wee bu d sess o t e gelevation without the extra noise and distractions of the San Diego tri-athlon scene.

I love running on the trails up there, Luke says of Bend. The en-

vironment is very rugged. You wont see cars for five hoursits a re-ally good environment to get training done. You can ride one directioninto the mountains, or the other direction is high desert, which is very

similar terrain to Kona in some areaselements that get me in themindset when Im training for Kona.

Gerdes says that, free of distractions,Luke was able to focus on all the little ex-tra things. They were diligent about hit-ting their strength sessions twice a week,and eating right. She saw how organized,detailed and farsighted Lukes training

plans were. And she saw that his run-ning was improving. Just from runningtogether day in and day out, hard bricksessions and hard sessions at the track, Ikept telling him its gonna be impossiblefor him not to break three hours in Konathe way he was running, she says.

The self-coaching also meant Lukecould spend his time in a couple ofother crucial ways: With the blessing

of his shoe sponsor, Saucony, which de-

signs his kits, he went to the Los AngelesVelodrome to test and determine the mostaerodynamic race apparel; and he soughtthe help of a nutritionist in Oregon. He wasfocused and looking at his ability to per-form from every angle.

His confidence in his training might havebeen put to the test with two wildly disappointing results at the Olympic-distance Hy-Vee 5150 Elite Cup in August, and at the Ironman 70.3 WorldChampionship in Las Vegas in September. But instead he stepped back,wrote off his results as simply bad days, thought no more of them, andremained assured he was on the right track for Kona. In late September,he arrived with Gerdes on the Big Island three weeks before the race, as hedoes every year. His parents were already there. As the two former room-mates do annually, Luke and Alexander talked every day while they wereboth in Kona, and completed several key brick sessions together, just asthey did in their broke summer together 10 years before. (Lukes parentscame out and handed them drinks along the highway.) As they both pulledup at the end of one grueling workout, Alexander looked Luke in the eyeand said, Luke, you can really have a good crack at winning this race.

ALL THE BUZZon race morning in Kona involves super-swimmerAndy Potts pulling out at the last minutewhich for Luke and everyoneelse means they could save a little more energy than usual for the ride.Sure enough, the swim is slow and cautious. On the bike, Luke starts a bitfarther back than normal, but the first 20 to 30 miles, he says later, feeleffortless. Everyone waits for the breakaway. Starykowicz, holder of theIronman bike leg world record, pulls away early in the ride. Several mileslater at the base of the courses biggest climb, 2012 and 2013 Ironman 70.3world champion Sebastian Kienle, another strong cyclist, does the same.

Now Luke is faced with a choice: Let them go, measure out his own effortand cross his fingers that Kienle blows up later in the race? Or commit, rollthe dice a little and ask the sam

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