Happy Birthday!

February and March are big months in the V. world. I want to dedicate this post to the people I care the most.

February 13th: Buon compleanno Saverio. 30 years my brother congrats

We will never make a normal face but We get along now... more than we ever did before!

February 14th: Valentine's day. Kimmy and I skipped it and our pure nonchalance fashion...

Our new Sunday morning routine?

February 21st: Got the pleasure to celebrate with a packed house of awesome friends

How to fit 20 people in a living room made for 4 ... very cozy moments LOVED IT

March 5th: My love turned 26. I am so in love words cannot describe

Oh Perbacco che Donna!

March 8th: My super Nonna Rolanda turned 80. I am so proud of you Nonna!

Uncle Edilio, super cousin Davide and my Nonna 80 years old young! 

Now back to work

Vi voglio bene

V.


ps Tizio I still need to get you a bday gift....I know I know

Snelling Road Race 2013 (E5) - My 2nd bike race!

Writing this race report mostly motivated by 3 major factors:

- this is the start of a great race season
- I got to read a few lines of some other race reports/emails of last Saturday where some cyclist talked sh*t about me and I have the hitch to reply
- I found a ton of pictures online ( which I might buy as well ) and need a place to post them

Here we go:

It all started on Friday morning ( the 22nd ).... "Yo brother, how about you come with me to see my first race of 2013? It will be fun, You can take some cool shots and enjoy a piece of my life for once..."

His reaction

Still He decided to be supportive ( probably because it was the day after I turned 32! ) and came along.

We shared the drive and the motel room with Chad ( a fellow M2er, Tri guy with a special passion for cycling ) and Tiz and I shared the tiniest bed.... ( where I had the non-pleasure of sleeping ZERO hours according to the FitBit dongle )

Here a cool pre-race shots:

New racing look? Or a sleepless night?

Olivia before getting abused

Chad, my special domestic 

The bloody compression tights... 

Italian cap!

Ready to go

My brother is bored 1

My brother is bored 2

Poor Titsiano, We left him to get a warm up done before the start and We told him to walk to the finish line where We will be lapping 4 times before the finish.... too bad We forgot to mention It was a 3 miles walk :-)

8.25am Start! -- switching to present tense --

The first few miles of neutral riding into the first lap are extremely slow, first 20 mins pretty much to understand that my legs are completely dead, I do not have a good vibe and I am mostly disappointed for the way I spent the last week ( fake tapering and way too hard running ).

A tiny video of the neutral start:

Onto the first lap with my man ready to battle :-)

First lap seems way too chill, I am letting others doing the work and apparently this guy ahead (200yards or more) is completely ignored by the pack.

I am enjoying some wind protection and trying to figure out how strong are the guys I am riding with.

First lap is finishing and I am excited to see my brother....

Yes I am standing to make sure He will recognize me :-)

Second lap and my legs are still dead.... I do not feel like I am even warming up... all of a sudden I start seeing some movements at the front and I decide to be a part of it, I am sincerely quite bored and want to see if legs are actually going to wake up.

This is where I start noticing the 3/4 Dolce guys and the 2 Fusion big ones... they are working better and their riding/pedaling looks a lot more legit than the rest of the attackers.

Between lap 2 and 3 I am starting to realize how all these little surges to catch up on the mini-attacks are getting me warm and fired up. 

Getting pissed a few times to see the usual cyclist BS (one guy attacking the other/s slowing down the pack and me or some other volunteer to push hard to get us back together ).

Loving it

end of 3rd lap

After some nice efforts upfront I feel my legs getting a bit tired, somehow I find myself at the front way too often and in a weird position where I d love to get some help but even me slowing down does not make others to step it up ( especially when the wind is nastily blowing ). I finally get the trick.... I swerve to the other side and fake my need of spiting something :-)

Lap 4 begins and we are just 20/25 left. 

The strong riders are coming up front more often

The pace seems still under control and I am trying to think where and how I take this last 11 miles.

Sincerely I feel like my TT watts here could do a lot of damage but I have no idea how much of a factor the wind and the pack will be. ( This is where some racing experience would be nice ... It will come ).

I am staying calm and let the first half of this lap go as chill as possible ( although little attacks are still coming and I am the one volunteering for the catch up ).

Going into the last miles the pace increase, I move myself to the front and I am 2-3 guys behind.

A few 90 degrees turn and We have this 2 miles straight line before the finish.

At this point I am looking at the faces of my competitors, most of them look tired and sweaty... I am not really, I feel good and I decide that I should try an attack.... Booooom I am going all out for some 20/25 seconds and my legs are already screaming... this is not me and I am pretty disappointed I decide to give up and sit back.... 

As soon as I slow down I hear the Fusion guy telling me to keep going, I created a gap and carried with me 5/6 guys ( Dolce+Fusion+Velo ). 

Allright, I get to the side and get the wheel of the guy next to me. 1 mile like this and the group behind is closing on us....

A Dolce guy attacks again.... and I got no response... my legs are finally telling me that all those surges in the last 4 laps where actually taking a toll on me....DUH....

I see the 1K to go mark, passed.

Final 90 degrees turn in front of us and the finish will be less than 400yds up hill.

Although my legs are dead I decide to go before the turn... If I want a chance against this big-legged-dudes I need to avoid a sprint finish.

I jump on the pedals, pass the Dolce guy up front and get ready to turn..(I am already going all out here and leading the rest but I am doing this big bluff and hopefully It will scare most of them :) )...

Ohhhhhhh crap I am coming way too fast... I can't corner... damn it..... 

Uff.... I managed to turn.... I see the finish.... go legs goooo.... too bad the more I talk to them the slower I get.... I am experiencing my first Zone 5++++ effort on a bike and it ain't pleasant... 

I hear some mess in the back... someone crashed and my move after all made sense... I could have been caught into that!

This is where my legs where still pushing watts

50yds to go and although I am this close to win I know I got nothing left and I am just waiting to be destroyed by whoever managed to follow me all the way there...

Thank God just 1 guy managed to pass me but I swear to god another 5 yds and I would have been smoked by the other dude too.

LITTLE MESSAGE TO THE SMART DUDE (Dolce Vita cycling chatting on some forum/mailing list ):

1) Yes I am a triathlete and I race with extra stuff on ( "for extra wind protection" )
2) I love leading whoever dude could stay on my wheel at the end ( btw money to charity really?? Cat5 mate... Cat5!!!  )
3) Time and Money spent at M2? Yes and It showed on the field.... came pretty much SOLO and smoked your dudes!
4) See u next time around

I am starting to love bike racing.... oh dear.

V.

Big Kahuna Half Ironman 2012 Race Report

If you are not into endurance training and/or Triathlon and/or suffer-fests readings.... don't bother going past this line.

Finally a new good reason to write on my blog I raced my first Triathlon for 2012 and for the first time in my life I am starting to feel FAST.

Race: Big Kahuna 2012, Santa Cruz (California)
Distance: Half Ironman 1.2miles swim, 56miles bike, 13miles run.

Introduction: This 2012 Tri Season started out great ( meeting M2 and the M2 crew was a blessing! Training with power and a more stable life style somehow gave enough time to be more consistent with my TRI passion. Too bad this year was also the injury year. Plantar Fasciitis kept me from running, hamstring got pulled left and right trying to show off at track and just a month ago I managed to sprain my back muscles jumping on a freaking Trampoline for a little over 2 hours :-).
This race at the end of the summer was a way for me to get back into the multi-sport racing scene and get a feel for what 2013 would look like.
The race weekend with the GGTC and M2 folks at the vacation rental in SC was looking perfect from the day we arrived.... but enough with the introduction...

Report

4am
I am awake, just slept in the same room with Kahn ( my personal cheerleader and spare bike components lender ). The house is still asleep but I know I need my time to have breakfast and stretch a bit. Geoff is already up and almost ready to head to the race.

5.45am
Most of the house is ready to go and we all head out with our fancy TT bikes, a backpack full of TRI-geeky gadgets... leading the convoy of TRI commuters are Sexy Mama Lauren Skinner and Trophy Wife Wacey... ( apparently I was nominated part of the Trio with the amazing nickname: Sugar Bear ).

6am
Transition area is packed already... pretty much everybody set up their bikes, I can't bother finding a spot for everyone... all of a sudden I feel like I am alone and there are no friends or jokes or wasted energies to let go... while I am preparing my bike and all the Tri-geekery I can feel I am in the zone.

6.15am
Huge line at the bathrooms..... I don't get why people need to wait inline for 20 mins when they can warm up with a little run to the closest cafe' at 5 mins from the transition area...

6.45am
Pep-talk from the race organizers on the beach, my wetsuit is on, visibility is perfect and the hundreds of crazy of us, looking literally like penguins on crack, are waiting to start!

7am to 7.15am
While I study the elite athletes swim strategy, I am happy to see Vince, Wacey and Lauren ...somehow familiar faces in these situation are REALLY appreciated. Big shout to Erika, first Half Iron distance for her, she looks pretty tense and I am not really good at inspiring calm... I am pretty tense myself too.

7.16am - The Swim
BOOM... I am sprinting since the first 5 yards... swimming way faster than I should be but somehow I am in this weird hyper confidence zone that will never abandon me for the whole race.
The swim  is awesome. Water is a lot cleaner than AP and this, even if it is my first open water swim since February, feels completely under control. I am swimming with the second pack.
Half the way and I can see a few more yellow caps passing me... that's fine, I can't become a swimmer in one day... just keep a decent stroke, decent turnover and don't go in circle...

500yds from the end... I can see the finish for the swim and while I am trying to pass the slow youngsters ( 20 to 29 left 8 minutes before us ), I keep thinking about the next leg. Need to move my legs a bit faster... need to warm up my feet... On this last 100yds I am going to kick it hard.

It works, running off the swim goes well. Swim time 28minutes and some. ( PR and 24th time overall).

WTF

7.46 - The Bike
It took 2 minutes to reach the transition area running barefeet but I managed to avoid getting passed. My goal is to start the bike without too many ass*oles in front ( bad assumptions... I did meet ass*oles later :( ).

This first mile on the bike is freezing, I am still wet from the swim and I can't really press the buttons on my Garmin to switch to bike mode.
A couple of miles and I manage to switch to bike mode...... Danggggg no power reading... I forgot to set my watch to read Brett's powertap.... damn it... I went through so much trouble to get that wheel.... and I will be racing the bike with no power..... oh well time to think ahead... I ll just hammer it.

OOOPs little bump on the road... here we go I lost my front bottle... that's 50% of the sodium I got for the day... cr*p! Oh well... keep going...I can't go back.

First 5-6 miles feel great, I am looking so fast with the brand new aero Helmet Kimmy got me... M2 kit is on and Brett's wheel rolls fast! Just passed 5 people in the 30-39 wave but this last one with the TriForce kit looks like a fast one and as a matter of fact he keeps passing me. Mile 10 is gone. The TriForce dude is right behind me .... blatantly drafting ( I can hear him costing once in a while ) but I guess it is fine.

The bike is going great. I can feel I am putting a good deal of pressure on the pedals and the pain is manageable. Not sure of my wattage (estimating in the 280-290sh ) and I am not 100% confident I can sustain this.

Mile 20sh and I pass Vince... so awesome to see him out there crushing it in his AG.

On to the next pass... this guy must have been a great swimmer to be still in front of me  at mile 20sh :-)...let's do a clean pass..... wait a minute, as soon as I try to pass him he accelerates....
I am trying again.... I am pushing quite harder than I should and this time the pass is complete.... oh wait a minute the guy tries to pass me again ( WTF ).... DUDE you have got to wait for me to complete the pass and go back 3 bike lenghts before trying again..... WTF....

I let him go and for a couple of rollers I try to stay on my pace. I am starting to get mad... the guy was totally going slower before seeing me and now he stepped it up... good for him.

Mile 24sh.... the guy is slowing down again I am getting close... let's do another pass. Nothing the guy jumps on his pedals and pass me again... at this point I am ready to shout at him something.... I start the pass again and while I am preparing my sentence here I hear the USAT official motorcycle slowing down behind me F*CKKKKKK ... I complete my pass at supersonic speed without shouting a word to the Idiot.... but the worst just happened. I can see the referee writing my number down on her notepad.

Oh well focus on the ride ... ( I am mad inside at this point. The dude with this yellow/blue kit, full carbon disc... and way too much ego managed to get me real pissed!!!! ).

Turn around point, my legs are hurting for that stupid fighting that actually got me a penalty most likely... but now the wind is on my side. At this point I have the yellow/blue kitted idiot past me (from now on the IDIOT)... and the TriForce still on my ass.

Here we go mile 30... the IDIOT is back he passes me again and He slows down..again???.. this time I am mad tho... I am ready to get rid of him and start racing this thing.
The hammer is down.. I pass him at 2x the speed and now I am in my own pain cave.
Mile 30 to Mile 50 are one of the best TT experience of my life... steady ... strong ... and good wind... averaging 27/28mph.

At one point going down hill I had to slow down for a truck that decided to enter the road at the last second... and here we go the TriForce guy passing me downhill. He says something like 'sorry man I did not mean to... something'... I guess He is referring to the fact He has been behind my wheel for most of the ride. My answer: 'no problem man... have fun!'

Mile 50, I am in front... I have been drinking mostly water and I am afraid of getting a bit dehydrated. For now I am good and actually in huge need of peeing.... My memory from the race last year at Vineman comes back.... last year I had to stop on the run and lost about a minute ... this time I feel I am in PR zone... big time maybe even up for a podium.. allright I am going to pee on the bike.

A light downhill is in front of me I start coasting and the TriForce guy and all of a sudden an EMJ guy pass me... I look behind and no one... good... I can "let it go" :-). Pretty disgusting 30seconds .... anyway... now I feel a lot better no more pressure down there I can finish the bike... and hopefully 5 miles of fast biking left will be enough to dry up the "wet spots" :-)))))

Mile 55... I can hear people cheering a few turns here and there and the bike is done....

2h19m, 7th time overall.

No guts no glory ... LOL

10am The Run
In the last 2 miles of the bike I had the EMJ guy and the TriForce one in front of me at 200/300yds. I did not know how fast they would run after that but I was happy to be in the top spots at least.
As soon as I start running tho, a very old feeling comes back in me.... something that reminds me the most important thing about my TRI life.... I am a runner!

Mile 1 to 3 I am running at 6.30 pace, way too fast than I should but I am just so excited somehow. EMJ guy passed, TriForce guy passed. This time I know that I am doing damage... there is no drafting, aero, hills or bike setup that can make a difference here. The run does not lie.... and I am running well.

From Mile 3 to Mile 6 I feel invincible... I am pretty much alone... I am passing once in while the youngsters of the early wave, I see Nick from M2 leading his AG.. so cool!

Mile 6 and finally some 27yrs old guy pass me on the run. This is a reality check ... I am running barely 6.50 now and I know there must be better runners out there..... not a worry for the overall classification ( he started earlier ) nor for AG.

Turn around and here the symptoms of dehydration start.... mostly stomach/intestine 'discomforts'.

At this point I am not sure about the race, my goal is to get to the next mile and make sure to be running on pace for a 1.30sh... I keep repeating myself. EXECUTE... FOCUS... EXECUTE...
Mile 7 to Mile 11 somehow go ok... The closer I get the more confident I get... no one behind me... good sign!

Mile 11.5, I see Christophe and his daughter Marina... they rented a bike Tandem and they are here just to cheer me... It is exactly what I need! Chris keep telling me how Happy he is to see me so much at the front... I am too tired to tell them How happy I am to see them... keep going... run run run..

2 miles from the end

Mile 11.5 to 13, I am in pain, legs are not bouncing much but pace is still there, Chris and Marina keep talking to me and that keeps my mind far from the pain... now down to the sand portion.

400yds of beach running... such a grueling yet awesome finish... dodging the random/completely clueless beach folks that do not give a damn cr*p... and I am done.

Run time 1:30:47. Overall time 4h21m. 3rd place overall ( if the USAT officials approve my protest ), 1st AG.

My plan at this point is to stay at the finish and wait for all my friends to finish as well....... but not taking enough salt on the race has his side effect and the next 2 hours are not worth sharing :-0

Post Race

A list of things I learned:

• Sharing the house with a bunch of triathletes on race weekend is a lot of fun!
• I can run. Next year will be a big PR year
• I can finally bike with the big guys
• I can't swim yet... 
• Salt intake IS important
• Tri friends can be very cool... no matter if GGTC, SFTRI, EMJ, M2
• There are some huge EGOs out there. Dedicated to the IDIOT: learn how to race my friend. Pace yourself and next time let me pass clean!
• Keith of EMJ is awesome ( He got me to step on top of the podium knowing that my drafting penalty was unfair )
• Peeing on the bike is gross...but totally worth it!

Triathletes have a terrible sense of 'fashion'

Thanks to:

Even though this wasnt the Worlds Championship... to me It felt like an important one ( the only race for 2012! )... I gave it all and I want to thank a few folks... in no particular order

• Stefan... to kick my ass 10 times out of 10 we go out for a bike ride
• Mike V. to remind me every day how much faster a real runner should be ( btw while I was showing off in Santa Cruz he was rocking the real Worlds in Vegas! )
• Brett... the most chill yet super fastTriathlete dude I have ever met ( Thanks for the wheel again.. I washed it after the race:-) )
• Kahn, BC Mike, Geoff, Tommy, John, Dario, The Team Espresso, Christophe, Kaba, Vince, Dan and other M2ers to have joined a bunch of my randomly scheduled weekly workouts.
• M2 ... to be M2!
• Ah and super Kimmy. Babe, no matter how fast I go the few AG podiums or the few prices here and there will never re-pay 1/1000th of what you do for me to support this craziness of mine.

2013 will be the race season... but I bet my next post won't be about Triathlon.... trust me!

My first bike race! (Pescadero RR 2012 )

What do you do when you don't feel like sharing much on your blog?
Easy sign up for a Race... execute and here it comes a new blog post ready to be written ;-)

Training wise this year started with highs and lows. Very happy to have found the M2 community, a great mentor in M2 himself, consolidated a bunch of TRI-related friendships and got to know some amazing/fast/crazy people like me ( and worse ).
On the downsize finding out that my foot (PF) needed a 2 month rest period from running was not planned ....  oh well ......2012 ought to be a non-TRI-focused year ... 

While I was in Italy, visiting family, relaxing and of course riding the mountains around my house I decided that I was ready to sign up for a real biking race and that I was wasting my time by just competing with Strava leaderboards...

For almost a year I dreamed about this possibility but never felt ready, never felt at easy to get into road racing. I left my old and quite broken road frame in Italy, took a week to shop for a new one ( BMC TeamMachine SLR01 ) and got super Mike at M2 to build it up with my components I brought back from the old continent.

Bike was ready on Thursday... Race was Saturday.... I guess the only test ride I had was the commute to work on Friday ( a big 6 minutes bike ride! )

Saturday 6/23/2012 Pescadero Road Race - The newbie in action

6am
I wake up with an email for M2. He gave me a plan for the race.... inside myself I am really uncertain about the possible outcome...but I have to maintain the Stallion status... so my reply to his email is "I ll follow the plan, stay in the pack and on the last climb I will release the KRAKEN!"

7am
I am having my PBJ bagel and drinking the best coffee ever made by my Breakfast Angel (Il mio amore Kimmy). Breakfast is so delicious that I get convinced to stop by the Farmers Market on our way to the race in Pescadero....bad idea.

7am-8am
I am following my lady in the crazily packed fruit and veggies stands.... big problem: "How do I explain my love that in this moment I don't care about which Zucchini looks better?". All I am thinking is the race in a couple of hours and the fact that I am losing precious energies to get from the guy with the awesome tomatoes to the lady with the sweetest oranges...argh.

9am 
After 1 hour of driving with a car full of veggies and my Olivia (that's the name of the new roadie), Kimmy and I are in Pescadero. The place is full of riders, a few minutes and I am all registered and all.
Surreal when compared to a Triathlon atmosphere. These bike racers are all about business. No music, no glorious stands or nothing.... people are either warming up on their trainers or gathering to start the next race or even strategizing for some team effort.
Pressure is on.... I feel this race is no joke and of course the porto potties are my best friends.



10am
15 minutes before the start of my very first road race. Category E5 ( Elite 5 )... there is no age group here. If you are a newbie you race in E5.
I am all kitted up, bike looks fast, I look M2 fast, ready to rock. 15 minutes of warm up, enough time to adjust my saddle and the fitting of this brand new bike.

10.15am
The race starter is giving us a little speech.... be careful...yada yada.... rules, etc. etc. Of course my bib number is not in the right spot but too late to change it. The speaker is asking how many of us never raced before and out of 80 people we are only 3-4 raising our hands..... NICE.

THE RACE (47miles, 1.7 loops):

I am starting at the very bottom of the pack  and while super Kimmy is taking tons of pictures I am trying to relax and get to know my bike neighbors... I want to make some friends in the pack :-)

First 2 miles we get to follow the motorcycle and nothing exciting here. Right after the Cat3 racers went by ( they were already on their second loop ) we get to start the real race.
Pace is ok, I am at the very end and my goal is to save energies and see if I can survive my very first race. No one is willing to do much work in the front.... there a couple of SJBC guys and the Taleo rider ( Tim ) that keep pulling ahead but the group stays together.

Stage road has 2 strong/short climbs and some ugly descent, I am tense, I dont want to waste energies on the hills and dont want to get drop on the downhills.... the uphills are fine... I am actually climbing ahead .. but on the downs... I lose so much terrain.

Bottom of the first descent I am behind 100yds... Bottom of the second descent ... I lost another 200yds.

Turning on 84 towards la Honda and race is full on. I am leading a second group of riders to catch up with the leaders... in a mile of extreme pain we are back together.

Mile 20sh and the first climb of Haskins hill is on. This is the moment were M2 told me to size up my opponents. Apparently we are all climbing at a brisk pace and I can totally see at least 20 riders with me fit and ready to battle.

Top of the climb, I see the finish line ( but will have to wait another 30miles (1 more loop ) ). Apparently the 20 of us made it to the top with some 200yds advantage, who knows this little attack might have already put me in a good position ....

The long descent towards Pescadero goes pretty smoothly.. I am losing terrain again but this time the road is wide enough and the peloton from the back is catching up.

First loop is over, legs are OK and I am having fun. At the end of this first loop I am starting to feel more comfortable... I feel like I am going to finish the race for sure... I feel like they are not going to drop me and I feel like my GF will not be disappointed.

Second time around on Stage Road. This time my goal is to stay in the first pack. I don't know if there will be another attack and I feel like I can take it if it comes.

Stage road is gone, 84 towards La Honda again. I am in the first group... about 10 of us, but the whole pack is compact behind us.

80 people all together... ready to battle for the win... at this point I am happy, I know I made it and that the last 10 miles will be hard but fun no matter what. I am way more relaxed.

5 miles to the end... we are still on the false flat/uphill. Pace is brisk 24/25mph but nothing too fast.
I am trying to do the least amount of work.
Every body looks so fit around me but we are so close.... maybe I have a shot to place well?

3 miles to go, leaving 84 to take Pescadero rd and climb to the finish.

As soon as the climb starts we are all going hard... very hard.
M2 words come back to mind "... people will go nuts at the start... take your time they won't be able to keep it up".

I am pushing it. 4 guys in front take off, I am hurting badly but cmon 2 miles to end... I can take pain.

The hill is steep, the 4 leaders are always in front of me ( maybe 20yds ), I feel in a good rhythm but hurting. I look behind me... the whole freaking field is still here... argh... they are going to destroy me.

1 miles to go... the last 4 minutes were hard, I keep looking at the altimeter 800feet.... we are 300feet from the end... I am close Cmon PUSH PUSH...

I look behind me again... OH SH*T... I am alone... the rest of the riders are far.

In front of me 4 guys... oh wait one is dropping... I am 4th now.
Oh wait another one is dropping I am 3rd.... I see the mark... 500mts to go.

Cmon V.  something cool is about to happen.
At this point my mind loses it, I don't remember exactly what happened. The body takes over and I am all about sensations ( breathing is over the roof, HR... most likely too ).
200mts to go... crap I am 2nd.
100mts to go .. I am standing ... I am pushing... I reach the first guy... we are both full on... DANG.

Race is over. I got 2nd place.... SO freaking close.

Post race


I am smiling a lot, super happy and relieved. The result was unexpected and I would have loved to see my love at the end (apparently cars were not allowed to be close to the finish line).
I rode back to the car all out... I was happy.... Kimmy was waiting for me at the same parking lot and I could not come with any smart line than just say "BABE I GOT 2nd!"

So glad I did this. Pescadero is a classic road race and apparently attracts a lot of talents. Other riders were telling me how good was my result.... in my mind I was kinda hard to think that I actually lost the race to someone else (again great job Tim)

Now I am hooked.... 9 more races and I will upgrade to Cat 4 :-)

Auguri Sara

Not sure if Sara will ever read this, hopefully the google/blogger service will still serve pages when she will be old enough to read my broken english.

After so many months of blogging silence I struggled to find some good motivation to start writing again. Love life is awesome but private ( even though nowadays social networks are an amazing tool to screw up privacy... ), Work is a great fit for me, Triathlon training got some awesome turns and some terrible ones (more posts to come) but this post is dedicated to my special and only niece SARA.

Sara, My Mom and I @ my grandma house Xmas 2011

Today April 22nd, while america is celebrating Earth Day Sara got her baptism done and for the pictures I saw on Facebook she managed to get around her my family, Elisabetta's family but most importantly a bunch of others ( Uncles, Grandparents, Family friends ). Everyone on the same room.... It did not happen for Christmas and for sure my presence there last year did not make it happen either.... but Sara made it!

Sara, nipotina mia, you must be real special! I am bummed I had to spend a week in bed when I was in Italy instead of coming and see you. Kimmy and I keep looking at your pictures as you grow up and we are impressed on how beautiful and sweet you are week after week.

Big kudos to my brother (Your Dad), he did such a great job choosing the right woman!!!

All this ..... and I am planning with Kimmy to come back to Italy for some more family time + a well deserved cruise in the eastern mediterranean.... let's if thing will get more concrete in the next days.

V.

IM 70.3 World Champs Recap

It took me 8 weeks to digest my last race and everything that happened before during and after it. Here it comes the recap of my last Triathlon for 2011.

Las Vegas, 9/11/2011 Ironman 70.3 World Championship

Number 624. Representing Italy

5am,
I wake up with absolutely no stress whatsoever in our hotel ( Sunset Station in Henderson, NV ), outside is still dark and Kimmy, now used to the drill, jumps right off bed and start putting things together with me to make our way to the resort where the race will take place. After a few minutes, we both realizes It is VERY late, no much time for breakfast, kisses or hugs... I need to get there before 6am or they will close the transition area ... but I keep looking at the bathroom with the hope that my nerve d*mp will kick in before we leave :-).

6am
2000 athletes involved, each one with family and/or friends watching, press, organizers, volunteers. The Lake Las Vegas Resort is literally full, hard to find a parking spot and god knows how long the line will be for the bathrooms...I am getting a little anxious. My race will start at 7.45am ( 15mins after the PROs ).

7am
Everything is in place, I went through all the possible chores, bike is in place, pitstops done :P, one last kiss to my lady and I am off to the starting line where all the other athletes are already lining up in their waves spots. The swim is a non-wetsuit one, temperature is 85F outside and the water is already higher than 78F... it is going to be an HOT and LONG day, but I am happy to be here. I have never seen in my life so many fit athletes around me, all of a sudden you look around and you feel the biggest, chubbiest and inappropriately dressed among all. ( 99% of the racers had some sort of speedsuit on and my biking short did not really look PROswim at all ).

7.30am
The PROs are off, right after the national anthem, but I can't see much, I am way back in my wave area ( very close to the bathrooms...umh why not take advantage of it and get a lastminute super fast pitstop ...).
Back in the line, we are all walking towards the start, the excitement level is rocket high. Photographers, people cheering from everywhere, I can hear 10-15 different languages spoken around me...it seems like everybody around us became extraordinarily  vocal...but the athletes. WE ARE NOT TALKING... each one of us is checking each other moves, getting our goggles ready, trying to maintain focus and group all the energies needed 5 minutes from now.

7.44am
We are all in the water, aligned under what it seems like the perfect copy of "Ponte Vecchio" in Florence(ITALY), we are less than 200 in my age group and It does not seem too crowded in the water considering how wide the start is. I can see Kimmy in the bushes with her cameras, screaming for me... I am happy to be here, let see if I can swim hard and make it the best swim of my career.

7.45am
BOOOM... and we are off, I am in front, swimming so hard that I am surprised of my own cadence. The navigation should be easy, it is an out an back course following yellow buoys north for 1Km and orange buoys coming back.
After few minutes of glorious ( apparently ) swimming... I decide to take a quick look behind me to see how to check out my opponents... umh weird... let me look again.... daaaaarnnn I am the last one... I am officially the last one of my wave, I can't believe my own eyes but in a few seconds of depression I start swimming again, this time a little more relaxed to let my mind think about what's happening and how to emotionally bounce from this
I keep repeating to myself: "... this is unfair... it must be my biking shorts.... nope I am simply a slow swimmer at the Worlds...it must be the current... nope every body is facing the same current.... it must be the navigation... nope the buoys are there on my right... etc... etc.." and so on.
After 15 minutes or so I can see the turning point... I am half the way.... the swim race begins now, goal: avoid the girls that started 5 minutes after me to catch up.

8.15am
After 30 minutes of painful swimming I am still in the water (bad sign), still 5 minutes before the end... this is the slowest swim I have ever done and ...dang here they come... the first 2-3 elite 40-44 women are coming... let's see if I can finish with them.

8.20am
I am out of the water, sporting my bare skin and pumped upper body muscles... too bad I am coming out of the swim with a bunch of girls (which by the way are running faster than me to the transition area)

I am alone out of the water.... ( not a good sign )

TRANSITION TO BIKE
Wow, this is first class treatment, I get to the changing tent and I get one kiddo all for me to help me out with the transition... I feel honored, I am rushing it and my heart is pounding try to transition as well.
Socks+Shoes+Helmet+GGTC t-shirt, good I am ready to fly.
I am so excited to run to my beloved TT bike that I forget my sunglasses .... oh well it is going to be a fun ride in the desert :(.

I wish I was that relaxed during transition

8.23am
I saw Kimmy for 1 second right before jumping on my carbon lady ( My Cervelo ), I am happy but totally worried about the next 56 miles of biking. Temperatures are going to be in the 90s and I don't know if my San Francisco trained body can take the Las Vegas desert-like conditions.

8.23am-11am
The first few miles seem pretty easy, I am passing easily people ( maybe because I was one of the last ones on the swim? )... this time though after mile 10 I am already getting competition, I am really having an hard time to pass riders, every one looks fit, fast, aggressive and pretty much immune to pain. After the poor swim and the reality check with the level of fierceness out here... I better put my in peace and focus on the enjoyable day.
I am riding in the desert, fast, free and at the Worlds ... can't complain... and for the first time during a race I realize how much I want to finish it to hug my love again.
Not even at the half point and I am looking at the PROs coming back, they are all out here ( either prepping for Kona or just trying to win the 70.3 Worlds ), Craigs Alexander, Chris Lieto, Andy Potts .. I can count at least a group of 20-30 of them and what impresses me the most is their FACE.

They are racing a 56 miles bike leg but their face is the one I have when I am VO2Maxing at 1000watts for a 5 seconds effort.... I cant believe at the level of intensity these guys are..... oh well one day :-)

Not much to tell on the bike leg, everything is going smoothly... prob too smoothly, I am trying to save myself for a good run and just take it easy to avoid some crazy breakdown... I keep repeating myself that a slow overall time is better than finishing cramping/walking/puking etc.

2h37 minutes after I am back in Henderson (Las Vegas).... I did suffer in the past 5 miles.... and kinda mad at the organizer to have left 5 miles of pure climbing at the end!

11am-11.01am
Second transition is smooth as well, somehow I start to have this weird feeling of accomplishment that I have never had before during a race. I am just so proud to be here, having Kimberly screaming and cheering like I am winning it, having family and friends following me and virtually supporting me.... BOOM off to the run.

Lovely downhill

11.01am-12.32pm
The 13 miles run is split in 4 laps and each one of them is built with an '8 shape' (lol it sounds like an elementary school math problem).... this is great, I will basically get to run through the cheering crowd and Kimmy for 8 times.... Love it.
Going flat and down hill is great, I can sustain a sub 7min/mile pace but going up hurts. I never raced such a hilly long distance triathlon, I guess the Worlds this year have been built in purpose to do selection in the field.... for sure it worked against me.

Passing people can give you that extra push sometimes

I am saving it though, somehow so happy to just run and be so close to be done to this accomplishment.. the run goes by so fast that during the last lap I realize I am just 1 mile to go.... and it is flat.... oh well.... let's sprint it... why not.... 1 mile to go and I am running at 5.50 pace....LOL.... so happy.... I have a smile on my face and when I see the end in front of me (300yds) I just cant help it accelerate even more ( inside of me I know I saved way too much energy during the whole race ..but whatever it is not relevant )....and DONE.... while I hear my name called with the worst pronunciation so far ... I am DONE and ready to give Kimmy the sweatiest, saltiest hug ever!

4h47 minutes is not a Worlds-level performance but for the first time in my 2 years of Triathlon life I get it.... this is not THE POINT... the point is to be proud of every single small accomplishment made and enjoy the journey, wherever, whatever and whenever.

A good way of closing the 2011 season and make sure the motivation stays straight for the next year to come.

V.

IM70.3 World Championship (less than 1 day!!!)

Oh my god, what a relaxing Saturday after all.

I Slept like a baby, chilled in the hotel room for the whole morning with my special someone and had 3 small breakfasts.

It is quite surreal to think I am relaxing and resting in Vegas but It is really up to you how you want to leave this arid, hot, drunken, huge and desert-like American on steroid city.

Let's quickly talk about the run before I keep my sandbagging strategy:

The Run from the site

The run course consists of three laps that will go through some of America’s fastest growing city’s beautiful neighborhoods. The course will consist of rolling hills and challenging climbs.

3 laps of this... feels like a lot of pain and no much to see...

Nice... even the run will be hilly with some extra climbs.

Yesterday evening we attended the mandatory athlete briefing, the only words I remember from the speaker were about how different and hard this experience will be for the athletes. The organizer said to add a 20-30mins on top of our PRs regarding our possible performance on Sunday and he bet with us that there will be no PROs going below 4hrs.

Oh well.... enough sandbagging (I keep using this word learned from Scotty...love it ).
The heat is a factor, the desert is a factor, the swim without wetsuit is a factor, my weight is a factor, the fact that I race without tire replacement kit is a factor, the crazy transition areas IM style with changing tents and hilly runs to get out of it... could be a factor... BUT AFTER ALL.....the truth is: I am ready, as ready as I can be. No injuries, bike seems smooth, gears are all in place, Kimmy knows the drill and won't miss a spot ( I have to admit I love her story reporting skills on FB. I bet my parents love it too! ).... more ... I am rested, I am well.... very WELL nourished and on top of everything I am confident I am going to have a lot of fun and push as hard as my body will let me.

Now dinner ( CheeseCakeFactory :-P ), then sleep, then... I will try to keep the GGTC name as high as possible.

V.

p.s. I feel so happy looking at the amount of virtually cheering for me. Facebookers, Twitterers,
Goodreadsers, bloggers, emailers, IMers, SMSers, Skypers, GGTCers... Gotta love you all.

p.s.s. guess the book I am reading now?

Once a Runner

by John L. Parker Jr.

IM70.3 World Championship -2 days

6.15am after digesting an expensive eggs and ham breakfast at the SFO airport.... here it comes the countdown. Less than 48hours.

First, let me start saying the US Airways sucks!
200$ to carry my bike bag ( one way ) plus they make you sign a document to release any possible responsibility for damage or loss. This is outrageous, If I had a little more time in the past days I could have shipped it with a private courier and paid the same but at least got the full deal ( pack, unpack, tune up, insurance... etc. ) Hugging Kimmy and thinking I will enjoy some time with her in Vegas makes up for this morning sadness :-)

Oh well, this is the very LAST time I am carrying my bike with me!

Now talking about bikes, here it comes the Bike course description:

56miles, hills, wind and dry hot weather...

a lot of climbing

I see just one thing here, A LOT of climbing, especially at the end and the ugliest part I am riding with an 53-39<->11-23.... not the best gears for a race involving more than a few hundreds feet of hills.

I am taking off from SFO now and while I look at my bracelet saying "Harden the F*ck up" I keep reminding myself how much I love what I am doing. Suffering.

V.

p.s. I just realized I filled the max quota for live tracking. Thanks to all of you :-) I feel the support

IM70.3 World Championship -3 days

Thursday 8th, just 3 days and I am way too relaxed than than I thought I would be. It must be a good sign.

The last 3 days have been full of errands to make sure everything was ready for this weekend, the fact that I am tapering and training less than 2 hours a day makes the day a lot longer. Unbelievable how much you can get done when you don't have to do power intervals around the city :-)

Thanks to a fellow GGTC athlete (huber biker Falk) I have got some reading to do here and if what they say it is true, the race is going to be favorable for athletes on the "strong" side.... good I have got plenty of fat and strength.. let's see!

Ok, let me open the race guide and check the SWIM details:

My swim wave will start at 6.45am ( 15minutes after the PROs )

From the site:
The 1.2 mile swim will take place in the breathtaking waters of the Lake Las Vegas resort, located in Henderson, Nevada. There will be wave starts just beyond the Lake Las Vegas bridge that is adjacent to the Montelago Village Resort. The course consists of one loop that goes out and back in clockwise fashion. There will be a number of lifeguards, kayaks and safety craft throughout the course of the swim. The normal water temperature for this time of the year is 78-82 degrees and clear.

78-82 degrees??? Damn this means no wetsuit ...thx God I waxed :-P

The temperature will be higher than 76F. so no wetsuit for us. This means a slower swim and definitely an advantage for the good swimmers... ( which I am not .. ). But who knows... maybe the extra bagels with almond butter and jam will help my belly and butt to stay up and floating :-)

Now before I forget:

to follow the race live: go here
to follow myself live: go here

Life is good, work is cool, love is at its best... now I just need the perfect race :-) ....again :-P

IM70.3 World Championship -6 days

----- Triathlon craziness -----

I am officially less than a week from this bloody race.

Few info, collected here and there:

- My BIB number 624
- 30 something fellow Triathletes from Italy qualified (5 in my age group)
- 1760 something qualified athletes from around the globe
- Nearly 50 countries represented
- 2500 something volunteers involved ( WOW )

From the stats collected on last years results, If I pull my best performance ever.. ( 4h30m ) I would get 50th in my age group and 350th overall..... oh well this is going to be fun.

These past 6 days I am going to have to stay put with my training, no more hard efforts, no more long sessions, just wait and hope everything will pay off.
To stay sane I will keep posting every day and get into more details for each portions of the race, they say that having a good tapering period and plan the race properly usually helps... Let's see.

------ Life ------

Now, back to important stuff.
This long week end started perfectly ( bike rides with good friends ) in sunny Marin

chill afternoon with super Kimmy and painful waxing, Sunday errands, plus run, plus awesome BBQ with co-workers which by the way ended up accepting the crazy proposal of biking down to San Carlos... NICE

Michael (downhill sprinter),  Myself (domestique1), William (climber), Daniel (domestique2)

Kimmy and Andrea drove down too and we all shared some exquisite food from Brian's and Mary's extra organic never been so healthy BBQ!

Need to go to fix my TT bike now

Have a good Labor Day y'all

V.

Vineman 70.3 ( when random becomes FAST )

Pre-race looooong preamble.... and yes reporting about a race happened 1 month ago.

Pretty much after my trip to Italy, where everything was planned months ahead and did not go as well as I thought, I tried to take some time off and rest up my mind from all this Triathlon craziness.

I have to admit I did really struggle on following my coach advises and I did find joy only on my bike rides. Cheetah was fabulous, waiting for me every morning and taking me around the bay area to get ready for the Death ride 2011. I rode with the Espresso crew, the HTFU crew, solo, indoor, with Pa and GranPa ( Dario&Diego ),

Proud to be a cyclist for one day... ( Kimmy thinks I look like a dork...I have to admit... she is right! )

Death ride went surprisingly well, 129 miles and 15000ft of climbing where smooth and fast (7h50). Osvaldo, Stefan and Jim... great companionship and hilarious regroups on top of the different mountain passes where the food feast was the theme of the day.

At the end of this monster ride I started a new tapering week leading to Vineman 70.3. Another qualifying race for the world championship but with a super competitive field.

Vineman 70.3 THE RACE REPORT:

The race of the first times!!

11pm-5am

First time I managed to sleep right where the race starts ( right behind a gas station in the crappiest motel of my life )

6am

First time I am not in a rush to get down to the transition area, Dario spent the night awake and he still using the bathroom

7am

First time I completely enjoy the start of the swim for a friend of mine. Dario's wave starts about 45 minutes early than mine. After his start I even have time to go to Starbucks, get one last shot of caffeine and sand bag with Kimmy one more time....( ya ya ya I am fat ya ya ya I am not ready..ya ya ya .. I am just going to have fun... ya ya ya... I will take it easy and enjoy the journey... etc. etc )

7.41am

4 minutes from my start. I got my wetsuit one, swim cap, all ready to go....OH wait a minute where are my Goggles?????... Shut... cant find my goggles... First time I forget such an important race component.... and I am only 4 minutes from my start... damn.... I am sweating cold blood in my wetsuit... what do I do now..

7.41.05am

5 seconds and here it comes, my brain is pessimistic but my body reacts differently... I am sprinting without shoes back to the hotel hoping to find my goggles on the bed or something.

Running with your wetsuit on, the swimcap and no shoes... AINT FUN... I get to the hotel in less than 2 minutes... Nada, niet, no, nessun, goggles in the room... oh well.. I will swim without... the race is "effe"d up... I am running back to the start line on the russian river.... OH wait a minute... what is that black object in the middle of the street?? My goggles!!!! Damn I am lucky! I basically grab them on the fly ... sprint to the river start, wave one more time to Kimmy and friends, step on the Timing Mat and jump in the water.

30seconds to the start... 29, 28, 27.... I here the voice from Michael: "...yay ya the italian stallion over there... ya ya .... 4h40 target...". I am happy to hear its optimism and I am glad to start after this first incident. 10, 9, 8 , 7.... Oh no... My mind is switching...from let's enjoy the sunny day to RACE mode... oh no... this is going to be a painful day.

7.45am-8.15am THE SWIM

First time I race in a river. 3 major differences: 1) You swim against the current for half the way, 2) water is shallow... sometimes people standup and I have got to pass people standing around me, 3) water is warm and savorless... Almost drinkable... BLEAHHH :-)

8.15am

First time I swim the 1.9Km in 30minutes sharp... this is the fastest swim I have ever done in my life ( the river conditions were ideal ).

8.15am-8.17am TRANSITION 1 (Swim->Bike)

First time I get my wetsuit off without incidents, I hear Kimmy screaming and looking at the number of bikes around me... I should be in the first 20 for my age group... not bad for a non-swimmer.

8.17am-10.46am THE BIKE

First time I am riding a bike course I had the opportunity to try before. I am going as fast as it gets from the start. I drink every 15 minutes, I pass people every 30seconds ( a lot of age groupers that started before me ) this is fun. I feel strong, positive and looking at my watch I seem cruising at a pace I would have never thought I could stay at.

I have to admit, 2-3 faster rider pass me... and they do have my age .... but this time I don't have any pressure and I dont feel like pushing more ( not that I really can )...40miles in and my legs are doing very good. Drinking a lot despite a foggy weather... I might be drinking a little too much, I feel like peeing... never happened before in a race.... oh well better too much water that not enough.
The infamous hill at mile 40 something is gone in few pedal strokes and I feel very good...awwww wait a minute I recognize a guy on the side of the street.... oh no... he is Dario.... he just had a flat and he is working on his wheel.... I feel bad for him... but I cant stop... I will understand.... I know he will.
Not even a word between us... just a look.

Shouldnt I look in front of me?

Few miles to the end, I can see Windsor and the pavement is getting cleaner and faster..... Woooow one guy passes me and he is 55yrs old!... This time I am almost close to the end and my instinct tells me I can push the bike a little faster. I end up battling with a 55yrs older monster biker for the last 5 miles.... 26/27mph on the flat.. It feels good when I see the transition area... time to run! 2h29 minutes for a rolling 56miler... not bad... NEW PR

10.46am-10.47am Transition 2 Bike-Run

This transition in the Windsor High School parking lot is absolutely smooth and perfect. I am in and out in a minute and my legs are not dead after all. Temperature is ideal it has not been too sunny and hot so far. I pop a GU and gooo

10.47am-11.00am Run ( part1 )
13 miles to run, I have got my coach's voice in my head ("take it easy at the beginning ... the race starts after mile 6..."), looking at my watch... I am not really following his plan... but I am not suffering this 6.30/mile pace... I just have something ... something that hurts ... damn.. I need to peeeee.
Almost 3 miles done ... and I cant take it anymore. First time I have to stop in a race. I disappear in the bush for what it seems to be the longest bathroom stop of my life.

11.01am-12.13pm Run ( part2 )
I am a lot lighter now, I feel like running again and looking at the watch again... I cant believe myself I am back in the groove... 6.30 pace. The run is gorgeous, I do remember the course from last year marathon, most of it I am protected by shades, the road is rolling, hills are not aggressive and flats .... are not really flats. For few miles I get to share the run with Dan Ross (my age group), a new Tri-acquaintance. I feel great to be able to share the pain for a while with someone else... but It seems like the 6.30pace is killing me more than him. I give up and I let him go..... Mile 6, I see the GGTC crew cheering on the street.. they recognize me.... and I do feel their support.. adrenaline is going through in a rush and while I hear Tommy screaming I look at my pace and I am sub 6..... eaaaasy dude... take it easy or you will die.... Mile 7... turn around point in the vineyards...I can feel the pain now... I am focusing to the next time I will cross the GGTC tent.. one goal at a time.... here they are mile 9 and their support is stronger than ever. This time the adrenaline rush is contained and I am stuck on my 6.30sh pace...

Flat means I can still bounce a bit

Big flat portion in front of me ... mile 10 is gone 3 to go... push push push push.... hey wait a minute... I see Dan ( the guy the went past  before... ) he is few hundreds yards in front of me and we are kinda running at the same speed...who knows maybe I can catch him. First time I am actually RACING
11miles... and he is close.... 12 miles and I can hear the crowd... he is 200 yards in front of me... I am racing as hard as I can.. I have been doing it for the whole day and my legs are still there... 5.55/mile is my pace... the running style is terrible but I am racing for my last mile... I am passing Dan 500yards from the end... I am alone now... no one around me... just the crowd.. and few hundred yards.... I see the end... WOW so many people, the big Vineman arrival stage and NICEE.... Kimmy, Diego, Katie, Marco are there few yards from the end...13.1 miles in 1h26minutes... I touch their hands while I am flying to the fastest Ironman 70.3 of my life. 4h30m04secs.

Team Triple Espresso...aka my best italian training buddies

What a race, what a perfect amount of conditions and random events... what a great Sunday... speechless.

This was one of those days where you are blessed and you have to enjoy the ride ( literally ).

In a few hours I got to hear I was 8th in my age group and qualified for the World Championships by just 30 seconds ( 9th spot was Dan ... 30secs from me ).. thank God I did not know how close I was to this awesome result while I was running ... or I would have screwed it.

I know I promised Kimmy this was the last Tri for the season... but now the Worlds are there... 6 weeks from this race and I have to go for it :-). She is so proud of me... She does not know there are other 2000 in the world that qualified with similar performances.... we ll see how it goes!!!

Stay tuned

The awesomest cheerleader ever ( Hawaiian version )