My last trip to Australia was in 2000 for the Sydney Olympics Games. The triathlon, but also the entire Olympic experience was just awesome. One of the fondest memories of my life.  14 years later, XTERRA is finally taking off in this country where triathlon is a main stream sport and where kids are born with the Triathlete gene.

Finally XTERRA is gaining traction in Australia, the XTERRA Australia organizers and New South Wales put on a great event, with good prize money (a rarety) and TV and press coverage. The Aussie Pros also stepped up, “roadies” crossing over to XTERRA, which is great to see. Notably Courtney Atkinson, Brandan Sexton and Kiwi Braden Currie.

Eager to follow through on my win in New Zealand the previous week, Princess Hotstuff and I made our way down the coast to Jarvis Bay.

As quite the meat pie connoisseur, I made sure to sample liberally of what Australia had to offer.

All the while enjoying the cultural experiences. Like car jewellery…

The course was really good. Fast, furious and fun in all 3 disciplines, even though a bit (3km) long in the run. Hats off to Ben Allen who put a whole lot of work into helping this event take off.

The scenery along the course was also quite entertaining. Towards sunset you could hear them crash through to woods as they jump around with those huge feet and tree trunk tails.

Like I said- fun, scenic and entertaining all in one.

Princess Hotstuff and I got “roped” into a snorkel trip for the NWS / XTERRA travel show. The TV show is geared towards tourism in the region- which and helps pay for the hosting of the XTERRA event.

Not that we werent thankful to go snorkeling, but after a fair bit of traveling and a couple of late nights, I started catching a cold on Tuesday. I was doing everything I legally could to not get sick. Stayed in bed as much as possible, mega doses of all kinds of vitamins, drank “Hot toddies” with Cayenne pepper, throat spray without stimulants and the good old snorting of salt water / bicarb of soda mix…

Also tried to learn the course without overdoing it. A bit of a tight rope walk.

To make matters worse there was the matter of our accomodation…

I”m the Caveman because I can sleep on train stations, or in my bike bag in a police station foyer, eat baked beans out of a tin and still perform on race day.  We live out of bags just about 7 months of the year, and if I pay real money (wasnt cheap) for a vacation rental (when I’m at work) I dont expect my wife to live like a Caveman as well.

The level of false advertising with this “Vacation Rental” was absurd.  We’ve come across it (false advertising) a number of times, this being the most blatant.

I cant remember the precise wording, but the photos were taken by a genius (wide angle lens/Photoshop/creative angles) and the ad included “Spacious house near beach”, “large garden with fruit trees” and conspiciously: “Sleeps 5”

It was basically a garage underneath the owners house, converted to a windowless bomb shelter where the bedroom has a view of the bathroom and where you can cook AND do the dishes AND sit at the dining room table WHILE sitting on the toilet.

For a few hours we didnt have the guts to unpack, not knowing if we’ll be able to move around.

Not a happy place when you’re sick in bed. We’re TV handicapped and couldnt even get more than a blue screen.

Bedroom of our happless 3 friends- Russell Kennedy (ZAR/AUS) James Walker (UK) and Craig Evans (USA). Also, the cutlery and kitchen utensils (by show of cheese grater) musta been left over from a Barbie doll house.

Princess Hotstuffs’ internet free office. And bedroom. And kitchen. And living room. And TV room. Another chapter in the “The Glamorous life of the traveling wife” book.

The basin in the bathroom couldnt even take a cycling jersey and chamois at the same time. Gotta love the one legged microwave oven support and cheery plastic dolpins everywhere…

And of course, the institution had a strict “bikes sleep outside” rule. My poor bike had to cuddle with the BBQ/braai.

We were lucky to find a motel room (everything was packed and crazy expensive over ANZAC weekend) for a few nights, but by then I was properly sick.

Then the icing on the cake: On my one and only run of the week (supposedly a 15min jog) I pull my calf muscle the night before the race. 10 minutes in. I walk home with my blinders on. “Dont think, just do.”

“When the gun goes and the adrenaline pumps- it will be all good…”

At home I text a photo to my guru in LA. “This is where it hurts. How do I fix it before tomorrow?” BTW- there is no app for that

The gun went, I chose the clever line to the left, running along the sand bar. I think I felt some pain. “Dont think, just do.” I rounded the 1st bouy in 2nd. Nice. But the beach run between the two 750m swim laps was interminally long. At least 200m. This time there was no mistaking the stabbing pain every time my foot hit the ground. I eased up a bit, lost the tail end of the lead pack, but not to worry, this bike course has my name all over it- flattish with a good mix of open and tight, smooth and rougher trails.

Once on the bike, (with Craig Evan here) I pushed the “Launch control” button, but nothing happened. More like “Cruise control”. I crawled past people I usually blow by. Had to swerve wildly to avoid a roadie crashing  spectacularly through the first mud puddle. It was funny, I wanted to laugh, but something was feeling eerily off.

Long story short, I kept pushing and slowly passing people, but the further I went, the heavier I felt.  I moved into 2nd and Roger Serrano climbed on my wheel. I couldnt shake him. A week ago I rode about 5minutes into him on a climbing course.  (Roger loves climbing)  The real single track started at 20km, but by then I had reached the proverbial cross roads.

Reality started clawing at my blinders. “Dont think, just do” wasnt working so well anymore. I had to face the facts: I have a cold, I feel terrible, I’m only halfway through this race and its going to get exponentially harder from here on. Remember Cameron Jones. Friend, pier and pro triathlete who died from a heart attack while racing in South Africa in ’96. Cameron was sick the week before and tragically raced against doctors orders.

By pushing more, I’m about to ruin my health. Its a long, 13km run. Speaking of running, there is the calf issue. Running on the beach earlier, it felt like it was going to tear.

Its not worth risking the rest of the season. I pulled the plug. Rolled to T2. Picked up my shoes and started riding down the road.

“Dont think.”

“Learn what you can, and forget the rest.”

I manage to not think for a while. But no amount of hard headedness will make the dull ache inside go away.

Princess Hotstuff pulls up alongside with the car. We hug for a long time. Always supportive. Understanding. Love conquers everything.  She has been through cruel sporting highs and lows herself: “Live to leave a legacy”

Where is the flow?!

Why is 2014 such a nightmare?

– Dont pick travel schedules where you dont get to bed till 1am?

– Dont fly fish in the rain?

– Did someone wipe a snotty hand  on an elevator button?

– Why now? Why me? Why here? What is wrong with 2014?! Its not like I’ve not been in race winning shape since January. I traveled to the other side of the world for this race. This event is perfect- I failed to rise to the occasion because of my health- just like XTERRA Grabouw.

$10 000 is a huge paycheck when you’re used to $1800 for winning.  I dont have another 10 years’ racing to get this right.

In the meantime, you have to eat the elephant one bite at a time. In search of internet, we got a glimpse of the Australian love for lawn bowls

And the tools required to measure close calls….

We had a day or 2 or 3 in Sydney. Cant remember- was getting more and more sick because of the race. In hindsight- it was almost inevitable for Liezel to not get sick as well. Only now – 4weeks later- is she getting over it.

Stayed with friends in Balmain- my moms host family from 2000 Games- was good to bring back memories of the Olympics, (and their subsequent visit to Africa) – our farm and my dad. He was a tourist attraction all by himself.

Stunning city. View from the zoo.

Last time I saw this view of the Opera House was when I took the ferry to the start of my Olympic event…

“Get better soon food” at Circular Quay.

Even got to see a ballet at the Opera House.

and more Aussie car art.

Headed for Los Angeles- 11,813km away.

1) get healthy

2) get my injury sorted with my guru #Mojo

3) get my mojo back

4) bring the house down at XTERRA Brazil

“Good athletes dont become bad athletes overnight”

Caveman wins XTERRA New Zealand.
I cant believe that after 22 years of pro racing this was only my 2nd race in NZ. Last time was ITU World Cup in Auckland in 1995 or 96. Draft legal road triathlon.

After a rocky start to 2014 (2 punctures in 2 races, a biomechanical at XTERRA South Africa, a random injury, and some minor health issues- eye & skin cancer surgeries) its good to finally get the monkey off my back with a good win in Rotorua.

What a phenomenal course and venue! Beautiful blue lake called “Blue lake” surrounded by green mountains covered with dense tree fern growth 20ft tall.

I was out the swim in 5th or 6th, about 35” behind some Kiwi roadie, followed by Roger Serrano (ESP) and Ben Allen (Aus). After a fair bit of climbing Ben and I filed into Billy T neck in neck- some of the very best and unique single track I’ve ever ridden. Rain

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Above foto by Jeroen Tibbe.

My 7th World title. It didnt sink in till the last kilometer. So proud. Happy. More like exstatic. I’m blessed with an amazing career. Wonderfully supportive sponsors. Genes- I’m turning 40 in October and still winning. (thanks Mom and Dad) Rocket scientist coach Ian Rodger. My wife Liezel. So much goes into this job/life/career, its hard to phantom and acknowledge all in a paragraph or even a blog. It really reaches deep.

For example- the guy in the purple shirt with the big smile- his name is Andre de Beer from Pretoria, South Africa. (raced AG earlier in the day) From when I was 14 and onwards, (thats 1988) my dad and I did douzens of triathlons in Verwoerdburg (now Centurion) organized by Andre de Beer. We also raced together back then. (I still remember pacing advice he once gave me.) He is one of the many many people who helped form my career. Seeing his smile and shaking his hand in thanks afterwards is just one of the many things which give me shivers and makes me realize the intricacy of  life, never mind success.

A quick race recap- full blog coming soon:

Thanks to some “specialized” equipment, (pun intended) #aeroiseverything Specialized Evade helmet,  TT bars (on a mountain bike?!) crazy wheel/tire setup, a few clever lines, some skills, some luck and a lot of hard pedaling and serious suffering, I caught the leaders (Ben Allen in pic above) on the 1st lap of 4 and made some good time on almost everyone.

Beach racing is much tougher than I expected. My legs were broken towards the end of the bike, and looking at the bike splits behind me, everyone was broken.

More pix on Beach Challenge.

Barging into the long soft, deep, sandy sections, you need all the speed you can get off the stairs. With 12 psi in the tires, it becomes a circus act. Remember Caveman-ism, “Speed is your friend…”

I did have to keep my eye on 2008 XTERRA World Champ, Ruben Ruzafa, who was 1.15 down going into the 9km sandy slog through the dunes. Also referred to as “the run leg.” After one lap (of 3) I only gave up 5 seconds on the lighter Spaniard, and knew I had the race in the bag. The last few km I made sure to enjoy the people and especially the emotions. I thought of Burry Stander (his mom, Mandie sent a special message “remember Burry is there with you” the night before) I thought of my dad who would have LOVED my 7th World title. I thought of my Creator and the way He has blessed my life, and I thought about my wife Liezel who often puts even more into my career than I do…

Like this pic above. More about my equipment and “how many knobbies on a 2.3 Specialized Renegade tire?”,  tire cutting and strategy in the next blog….

In the meantime, hats off to Ruben, Brice and everyone who did battle on the dunes of Kijkduin, Holland.

Interesting how the podium is a mixing pot of athletes from various disciplines:

From L to R: 2nd- Ruben Ruzafa- long time professional Mountain Bike racer, now 70.3 and off road triathlete. 1st long time Caveman from Duathlon, ITU Olympic dist, Olympic non drafting, off road triathlon and some MTB background. 3rd Brice Daubord– ITU Olympic dist athlete.

Pos	First Name	Last Name	Country		Time	Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run
1	Conrad	Stoltz	RSA		02:01:38	00:10:05	00:01:03	01:11:08	00:00:29	00:38:54
2	Ruben	Ruzafa	ESP		02:01:52	00:10:21	00:01:07	01:11:56	00:00:29	00:38:02
3	Brice	Daubord	FRA		02:02:37	00:09:48	00:00:57	01:14:43	00:00:25	00:36:46
4	Kris	Coddens	BEL		02:03:04	00:11:36	00:01:13	01:12:32	00:00:25	00:37:20
5	Gonzalo Raul	Tellechea	ARG		02:03:15	00:10:10	00:01:03	01:15:20	00:00:32	00:36:11
6	Tomas	Jurkovic	SVK		02:03:30	00:10:20	00:01:10	01:13:50	00:00:24	00:37:48
7	Victor Manuel	Del Corral Morales	ESP		02:03:53	00:10:51	00:01:04	01:15:06	00:00:25	00:36:30
8	Ben	Allen	AUS		02:05:18	00:09:22	00:00:50	01:14:15	00:00:31	00:40:22
\9	Paul	Embrechts	BEL		02:07:06	00:10:44	00:01:06	01:14:49	00:00:31	00:39:58
10	Diederik	Scheltinga	NED		02:07:15	00:10:38	00:01:03	01:14:51	00:00:32	00:40:13

Click here for full results.

I’m writing this from Rome. I’m racing XTERRA Italy this weekend. We traveled somewhat Caveman style last night- Princess Hotstuff caught some winks in Zurich- with the podium flowers refreshing in a ClifBar water bottle on the side.

More adventures (and a proper Cross Tri blog) to come…