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Bart Aernouts wins the Bruges triathlon; Sofie Goos third, Axel Zeebroek fourth, Bert Jammaer sixth

Published: 18/06/2011 | Posted in News | Tagged

18 June 2011 – Bart Aernouts has won today’s Bruges OD triathlon for the third consecutive time. Finishing in a time of 1:47:44, Bart was more than a minute faster than Pieter Heemeryck (1:49:02) and Stijn Goris (1:49:42). Axel Zeebroek and Bert Jammaer came in fourth (1:50:51) and sixth (1:52:13) respectively.

Sofie Goos, the women’s defending champion, finished third in a time of 2:03:37. Sophie De Groote (1:59:52) won the race; Marjolein Truyers (2:00:33) came in second.

Bart Aernouts was pleased with a good race that saw him overcome a difficult start, “This win didn’t come easily. Swimming is generally a challenge for me, but today my swim was really awful. I had a significant gap to close in the bike ride, but once I had the lead, I wasn’t too worried. I was able to wrap up the 10K running my own pace.” This first win of the season is a boost for Bart, “For the past two years, Bruges has been the start of a good summer. Let’s hope it is a positive sign this year as well. On Monday, I return to Switzerland for a few weeks of solid training. Recently my training results, especially in swimming, have shown marked improvement. My main objective is to carry through that training momentum into races, starting with the Ironman 70.3 Antwerp.”

Defending champion Sofie Goos had a bit of an off-day, “There is not much to it, really. Sophie and Marjolein were simply better today. I wasn’t terribly surprised. I felt tired all week; I had a hard time completing my training sessions. But race day adrenaline can change everything. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case today. I did try to make the best of it. But especially in the cycling leg, I just wasn’t strong enough. The run was alright, but at that point I was already too far behind.” Next up for Sofie is altitude training with the goal of getting her 100% fit for the Ironman 70.3 Antwerp.

Axel Zeebroek reflected back on a tough race that challenged from start to finish, “I am happy about my swim. I left the water in a leading group of four. But a bad transition left me chasing the group. I managed to catch up eventually, but it did cost me. At the end of the day, I am happy with my fourth place. It is a good training result for my long distance races.”

In light of his goal to qualify for the Ironman Hawaii, Bert Jammaer’s main objective is a good showing in July’s Ironman Frankfurt. The Bruges triathlon proved a successful test, “As a long distance triathlete, I look at my OD race results in light of my next Ironman race. In that sense, I am happy with my performance today, especially because I had been training hard this week. My swim and my run were really solid. I left the water in a chase group. My cycling was more up-and-down. There were moments I felt really strong only to fall behind again. I also fell, which cost me some time. Still, if I can continue training like this for a few more weeks, I should be in good shape for Frankfurt.”

Bruno Clerbout 10th, Bert Jammaer 11th in Ironman 70.3 Switzerland

Published: 05/06/2011 | Posted in News | Tagged

5 June 2011 – Bruno Clerbout and Bert Jammaer of the Uplace Pro Triathlon Team finished tenth and eleventh respectively in today’s Ironman 70.3 Rapperswil-Jona (Switzerland). Bruno clocked a 04:04:37; Bert’s final time was 04:05:12.

Andreas Böcherer (Germany; 3:46:56) won the men’s race, beating Ronnie Schildknecht (Switzerland; 3:51:23) and Matthias Hecht (Switzerland; 3:54:36). Defending champion Caroline Steffen (Switzerland; 04:15:10) was the strongest woman of the day; Karin Thuerig (Switzerland; 4:18:31) and Sonja Tajsich (Germany; 4:24:58) completed the podium.

The Ironman 70.3 Switzerland served as Bert’s official return to competitive triathlon after a mid-March diagnosis of mononucleosis. As a result, the question of the day was how Bert’s body would hold up in his first post-mono race. The start of the race was promising with Bert leaving the water in fourth position. But the tough bike course quickly became a real test. Bert fell back and started the run in thirteenth position. Running a comfortable half marathon, he moved up two spots to end the race in eleventh place.

The Ironman 70.3 Switzerland was most of all a consistent race for Bruno Clerbout. He left the water in twelfth place and managed to maintain that position in the bike segment. In the half marathon, Bruno moved up to finish tenth.

For Bert, optimistic before the race after weeks of solid training, today’s race proved a reality check: “I probably underestimated the mono. But I felt so good before the race that I had expected a better result. My swim was excellent, but after 13k on the bike, the power I can usually count on in cycling, was just gone. I am not yet the athlete I was before the mono. That realization is frustrating, but I have to be realistic and look at my progress as a step-by-step process. I have that first race under my belt, I have a half Ironman to build in terms of race conditioning and I can look back on a solid swim and run. Those are the positives I can take into my next race.” Bert’s next race will be the Bruges triathlon on June 18.

Bruno added the Ironman 70.3 Switzerland to his schedule with the goal of building his race fitness as he prepares for the Ironman France on 26 June: “I am happy I did this half Ironman and I am pleased with the way I completed this training race. It was a consistence race, in which I paid special attention to my cycling. My running felt good too, after a hesitant first round. I don’t run fast enough to compete with the top players in the half distance, but I need this type of half distance Ironman races to run faster in a full Ironman. All in all, this race has been a ‘mission accomplished’ training-wise in these last weeks before Nice.”

 

Complete results: http://ironmanlive.com/tracking.php?race=switzerland70.3&year=2011

Rutger Beke retires from triathlon

Published: 31/05/2011 | Posted in News | Tagged

UPLACE ATHLETE MADE BELGIAN TRIATHLON HISTORY WITH FIVE TOP-5 HAWAII FINISHES

Brussels, Belgium, 31 May 2011 – Uplace Pro Triathlon Team athlete Rutger Beke is retiring from professional triathlon effective immediately. The Belgian athlete announced the news himself in a press conference in the Uplace team headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. “The last few weeks I started to realize my triathlon story has come to an end,” Beke explained. “The time has come for me to start a new chapter in life.” Rutger Beke made Belgian triathlon history by finishing second in his first Ironman Hawaii. He claimed four top-5 finishes in the next five times he raced in Kona. Uplace Pro Triathlon Team chairman Bart Verhaeghe thanked Rutger for the enthusiasm he brought to the team: “The Uplace Pro Triathlon Team will miss Rutger, but we will stay in touch. We wish Rutger the very best in his new endeavors.”

Rutger Beke (08/08/1977) will be remembered as one of the best Belgian triathletes ever. Aside from his five top-5 finishes in the Ironman Hawaii, the eight-time Belgian champion triathlon made his mark with international wins in the Arizona (2007) and Cozumel (2009) Ironman and the Ironman 70.3 Monaco (2005). After eight years as a professional athlete, Beke is ready for a life after triathlon.

Rutger Beke explained his decision as a realization that grew gradually: “The drive to prove myself in races is gone. I have always considered myself a person who thinks in terms of black and white. There is no gray area for me. You either give it a 100 percent or you do something else. For a long time, I gave my all to triathlon. Now it is time for something new.” Beke has yet to decide what those new challenges will entail. One option is going back to school.

Rutger Beke’s decision to end his triathlon career comes regardless of his enduring enthusiasm about the Uplace Pro Triathlon Team: “I was, and still am, really excited about the team. Very few winters have I trained as well and as hard as I did the past few months with Bert, Axel, Bruno, Bart, Tine, Sofie and the entire support staff. Even without me, the Uplace Pro Triathlon Team is a powerful project that will improve and empower Belgian triathlon.”

Rutger Beke looks back with pride on an impressive career: “I am especially proud of my second place in the 2003 Ironman Hawaii. That result came out of nowhere. Nobody knew me. My third place in Hawaii in 2008 is memorable because I never felt stronger. Winning the Ironman 70.3 Monaco in 2005 meant a lot because it capped a very tough and demanding year.”

Uplace Pro Triathlon Team manager Ben De Wolf praised Beke’s illustrious career as well as his support for the Uplace Pro Triathlon Team. Verhaeghe described Beke’s retirement as a goodbye marked by friendship and respect: “Triathlon is an important sport in Belgium thanks to Rutger’s achievements. The team will surely miss him. But making this tough personal decision despite the safety of a contract that would only expire at the end of 2012 is a sign of Rutger’s courage. We wish him all the best. Despite this unfortunate news, the Uplace Pro Triathlon Team will continue its hard work. The Uplace athletes have made significant progress as part of the team over the past few months. They are eager to record top results during the rest of the season, much like they did last week in the Ironman Texas.”

Bart Aernouts 45th in ITU Brasschaat; Sofie Goos wins OD triathlon, Bruno Clerbout tenth

Published: 29/05/2011 | Posted in News | Tagged

29 May 2011 – Bart Aernouts finshed 45th in today’s Brasschaat ITU Triathlon Premium European Cup, recording a final time of 1:49:38. Richard Murray (South Africa; 1:44:22), Pierre Le Corre (France; 1:44:40) and Vincent Luis (France; 1:44:47) took today’s top three places.

Sofie Goos won the recreational OD triathlon of Brasschaat in a time of 2:07:44, beating Heidi Veramme (2:08:17) and Anke Matthyssen (2:11:02) for the win. Bruno Clerbout (1:50:46) finished tenth in the men’s recreational OD triathlon; the men’s podium consisted of Matthias Laureys (1:48:06), Tom Mets (1:48:33) and Lander Dircken (1:48:41).

The ITU race in Brasschaat presented Bart with the opportunity to test whether his work with Australian top coach Darren Smith would already translate into race results, especially in the swimming segment. Unfortunately, Bart got struck in the face with an elbow, reducing the swim to a futile chase. He left the water trailing by more than three very decisive minutes. During the run, the main question was whether Bart’s foot injury, which had hobbled him for weeks, had healed completely.

“Not great”, Bart reflected back on his first European race of the season. “In order to compete with the top athletes who were racing in Brasschaat today, my swim start had to be perfect. The last few weeks, my swimming has shown marked improvement during practice. I was hoping this progress would show in the race, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. After getting hit in the face, I was really reduced to chasing. I will have to give my new swim technique a little more time before I can benefit from it in races. After the swim, I focused on making the best of the race. Biking and running felt good. I started the 10K cautiously to not aggravate the injury, especially because I have not been able to run for a few weeks. My foot passed the test, which is reason for optimism. We will now take our time to evaluate this race and will then determine the training and race schedule for the coming months.”

Defending champion Sofie Goos just wanted to have fun in the OD triathlon of Brasschaat: “I enjoy racing in Brasschaat because it is a chance to see family and friends roadside. A lot of friends also compete in the race.” Brasschaat came only a week after the tough Ironman Texas, but that didn’t turn out to be a problem for Sofie: “My body is still recovering from the Ironman, but ultimately that didn’t factor into today’s race. The swim was surprisingly tough though. I really had to swim hard to stay with the leading swimmers. But luckily I didn’t have to dig deep during the cycling leg and the run. And a drafting race is always fun for a change.” Sofie now gets to enjoy a few less hectic weeks before her next race, the Bruges OD triathlon on 18 June.

For Bruno Clerbout, the OD triatlon of Brasschaat served as a race training session as he prepares for the Ironman France on June 26th. His next race is upcoming Sunday’s Ironman 70.3 Switzerland.

 

Complete results: http://www.triathlonbrasschaat.com/page/92/Results

 

Sofie Goos 3rd, Tine Deckers 5th, Axel Zeebroek 6th in Ironman Texas

Published: 22/05/2011 | Posted in News | Tagged

22 May 2011 – The Uplace Pro Triathlon Team walked away with three top-ten places in a tough and hard-fought Ironman Texas yesterday. In the women’s race, Sofie Goos finished third in a time of 09:12:53; Tine Deckers (09:19:27) came in fifth. Axel Zeebroek crossed the finish line in sixth place, recording 08:28:07.

The Ironman Texas, which served as the US championship Ironman, featured one of the strongest participant lists this season. The hot and humid conditions in The Woodlands turned it into a real battle of attrition. Axel threw up during the marathon. Sofie and Tine had to dig so deep, they barely made the end of the race. Collapsing as they crossed the finish line, both had to be taken to medical to recover.

Catriona Morrison (Scotland; 08:57:51) won the women’s race, beating Kelly Williamson (US; 09:07:54). The men’s podium consisted of Eneko Llanos (Spain; 08:08:20), Timothy O’Donnell (US; 08:09:50) and Luke Bell (Australia; 08:12:22).

The Uplace ladies made their mark early on in the bike leg. After a good swim, Sofie start biking in third position. Tine was three minutes behind, in seventh position. Despite crashing around kilometer 20, Sofie surged ahead to the head of the race in no time. She managed to maintain that position until Tine took over the lead at about kilometer 80. An impressive Deckers went off on her own, starting the marathon six minutes ahead of Morrison, who had moved into second position. The marathon turned into a free for all. Despite a charging Morrison, Tine was able to stick to a nice running rhythm. Just as she seemed to be cruising to a second place finish, it was lights out for Tine. She somehow willed herself to complete the race, walking and stumbling her way to a fifth place finish. Sofie felt the effects of the crash in the marathon, struggling with a painful hip and falling to sixth place. In the latter half of the run, she found her running legs again and with her last few ounces of strength, she managed to pass Tyler for third place in the last kilometer.

Axel completed a strong race that had him part of the lead chasing group in the swim and the bike leg. Unfortunately, Axel started the race feeling nauseous, making the swim a little more labored than he had hoped. The stomach issues threatened to become much more of a problem in the marathon. Axel even had to stop to throw up. With the top-5 now out of sight, Axel pushed through the discomfort for a solid sixth place finish.

Sofie Goos was really happy with her third place finish and the way she fought for it, “This is one of my best races. I have never had to fight this hard. I fell managing a turn in the bike course and landed on my hip. That didn’t bother me in the bike leg. I was even in the lead for a while without feeling I was going into overdrive. But in T2, I felt that running would be a problem. I even started running thinking I would have to give up. But the team coaches talked me into staying in the race. Girls in front of me and behind me started to struggle as my running started to improve. In the last kilometer, I even passed Stewart. But she kept close, so I had to keep running on strength I really didn’t have anymore. I felt so miserable when I reached the finish line. Now I am just happy with how my teammates and I did and the Kona points we have earned. With this result, we should have secured our Hawaii slot.”

Tine Deckers never had to dig this deep in a race: “I have never felt this bad. The world was spinning and I was so nauseous. The last two miles I couldn’t even see where I was going. I was just shuffling along, taking strength from the crowd’s cheers. There was a sign somewhere along the way that said ‘Y’all are nuts’. They are so right.” For a long time, it looked like Tine would do better than a fifth place finish. “I am disappointed because I was in second place for so long. I felt good for a long time too, even when Morrison passed me. Maybe I did push myself a little too hard? On the other hand, I am happy I was able to fight through the pain. I could have easily collapsed before reaching the finish line. At least now I have a good amount of Kona points.”

Ironman Texas proved a physically demanding race for Axel Zeebroek too: “I had a headache and problems with my stomach from the very beginning. That is why I didn’t do as well as I had hoped in the swim. Luckily I came out of the water in a good position. On the other hand, I felt good on the bike, like I was really in control. But in the heat and humidity of the marathon, the nausea got worse. You just switch to finding a way to finish the race on willpower. After I threw up in the second loop, I felt a little better. In the end, I am happy with my sixth place finish and the perseverance I showed. And I reached my goal of having 4000 Kona points after Texas. And yet I feel I can do better. How and in which race I get to prove that, we will take a look at later.”

 

Complete results: http://ironmanlive.com/tracking.php?race=texas&year=2011