Tim Berkel

Just a quick update to let you all know I won the Challenge Copenhagen race to back up my win in 2010. First time to go back to back with wins. 3 time Ironman-distance Champion. I like the sound of that. More information to come, when I get back to Boulder.
Cheers,
Tim

The moment has arrived for me to defend my 2010 Challenge Copenhagen title.

Here are some comments I made during Friday’s press conference.

This is such a great race and I had an amazing experience last year. The way we got looked after and the way it was organized was great. I have never defended a title before and it will be tough but I look forward to it.

Leading off the bike was great and the run was amazing taking us through the city and huge crowds and I’m looking forward to that again. It will for sure be a tough race and I’m going into this race with a big target on my back.

So stay tuned via Twitter for all the action.

I just got back to Australia after spending the summer in Boulder Colorado, and man am I missing the sunshine. So far, it’s been nonstop rain every day I’ve been back. Of course, that hasn’t interrupted my racing. I just wrapped up the Gold Coast Half Ironman in Brisbane, and although I couldn’t finish because of a leg cramp, I did manage to get top four in bike position. That’s got me smiling.

So with all this rain, I’ve decided to take a quick trip over to Hawaii to watch the Ironman World Championship in Kona. I’m partly going so I can do some recon for future contests, but I also just love the atmosphere of a good competition. And seriously, what better place to compete in an Ironman? Kona is stunning!

I plan on catching up with Bill Rudell, the [intlink id="109" type="page"]Cannondale[/intlink] crew and all the guys over at Compressport. I’ve been really excited about my bike lately. I just got a first-rate tune over at [intlink id="109" type="page"]Godron Street Cycles[/intlink] and I’m very patiently awaiting my new 2011 Cannondale Slice. I can’t say enough about this bike. I’ve ridden lots of other bikes, and the Slice just puts me in the right position to get prepared for the marathon section. I seem to hop off of it refreshed before every run.

For those who haven’t seen what this awesome machine will look like, here’s a peak at what’s to come.

I’m also going to run the Kona Energy Lab race. It’s kind of funny. Most people think the energy lab race was started by some energy bar company, but that’s not so. It’s actually a real natural energy lab where scientists are testing all kinds of new technologies. And this place is incredibly hot. It gets as high as 37 degrees celsius, enough to wear down any contender. If history repeats itself, we’re going to see a lot of people laying low and barely making it through this one.

After my trip to Hawaii, I’ll be right back here in Australia to ride a 227km bike race on Clayton Fettel’s team. It’s a little longer than what I’m used to in the Ironman races, and it has two big climbs that I’m a little concerned about. That aside, it will be excellent preparation for the Port Macquarie Ironman that’s going to take place the week after.

So even with a little vacation to Hawaii, my schedule is still looking pretty full. I’m not sure what’s better, pounding rain or 37 degree weather. I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

Wish me luck!

It’s been a beautiful summer here in Boulder CO – and an excellent chance to train with my friends. Now it’s to time to pack it all up and head back to Port Macquarie Australia to prepare for one of my favourite events of the year. The Gold Coast Half-Ironman will take place on Sunday, October 3rd at Calypso Bay in Brisbane. It will be a race to remember.

Boulder is such a fantastic place to train, and it’s a bit of a shame I have to leave (although It’ll be great to see my family). You get the high altitude exertion and a fun community with lots of friends who lead very active lifestyles. I spent most of the summer hanging out with Tyler Butterfield, Matty White, James Hadley, Matty Reed, Joe Gambles, Mitchy Robins, Tim Reed, and Adam Hoborow. You guys are the best, and I’m sure we’ll keep crossing paths.

What a rush these last few months have been. I still can’t believe I made away with the [intlink id="456" type="post"]Copenhagen win[/intlink]. It’s really exciting because it’s going to set me up pretty good for next year. And what a fun competition. You almost never see an Ironman that goes through a city, with one monument right after the next. Team Challenge did an awesome job of making us feel relaxed and at home. I rarely go to an [intlink id="21" type="category"]Ironman[/intlink] where I get to let down my hair and party like a rock star afterwards. I’m definitely looking forward to this competition next year!

So after about a month and a half in Australia, I’ll be back in the United States for the World Championship 70.3 Ironman in Clearwater Florida. It’ll be nice to get a bit of a recharge back home before tackling this race. I can’t wait to take my bike into Gordon Street Cycles to get it tuned. I’ve noticed it hasn’t been running quite the same, and they always do a banger of a job. I can’t thank them enough for what they do.

If all goes well, I’ll get my 2011 Canondale Slice in time for the Clearwater race. The Slice has a whole new design this year, and it’s performing better than ever. I would say my win in Copenhagen had a lot to do with this bike. My best mates were getting punctured tires, and I somehow made it through. But what can I say? I’m a sucker for that new bike smell.

I love this time of year. I travel so much I barely get a chance to be in a place I can call home. If you’re going to be in the Port Macquarie area, I’m sure I’ll run into you.

Here’s to seeing you on the other side of the world!

Well, Matty and I began our journey for New Hampshire on Friday morning. For the past two years, I’ve been traveling on my own, whilst staying in North America. It’s great to have Matty as a training partner, but also as a travel partner.

We had heard that the weather forecast was not looking very good for the weekend, but on Saturday we didn’t get the rain they were expecting. It was actually really hot, and I was looking forward to that as I like racing in the heat.

But when Sunday morning rolled around, we got the bad weather they were expecting. There was a wave start, so we didn’t have to contend with any age grouper’s trying to swim over top of us. The professional field wasn’t huge, but there were several really good names to look out for. I came out of the water in eighth place, in 25:20. Matty was with me as well as two other guys, and one guy was about 30 seconds ahead of us.

This was the first year they had the Mooseman 70.3, so all of us professional were in the same boat in terms of knowing the course. The bike course was tough, and there were a lot of hills. The hills themselves were not all that difficult but it was raining the entire time which made the descents pretty hairy. It was cool weather, and with all the rain, I was freezing. I’ve never been that cold during a race before, and I thought I was going to die.

One of the guys that came out of the water with us, was the eventual winner Maksym Kriat (from the Ukraine). He took off early in the bike, and we lost sight of him. Another American that came out of the water with me was Tyler Butterfield, and he rode along with Matty and I throughout the bike leg. We were going along at a really good pace, and about two thirds of the way through the bike leg, we could see that we are closing in on Kriat. He must have spotted us, because he really kicked up the pace, and ended up coming in nearly 5 minutes ahead of us at T2.

I typically have a good transition at T2, however I struggled getting my socks on, and Tyler and Matty got a bit of a jump on me. The boys were holding a really good pace in the early part of the run, and Matty started to pull away from Tyler. After my deficit that I had created in the early part of the run, I started to close in on Tyler. Once the numbness had subsided a little bit, I started feeling my legs again, as I overtook Tyler. Not long after overtaking him I picked up Tim O’Donnell, who I thought was going to be the race favourite.

Matty was setting a blistering pace through the middle portion of the run, but I was starting to make up some ground on him. At one stage he had a 40 second lead on me, but I was able to get within 7 seconds of him as he crossed the line to take third place. I was happy to take fourth, in my first hit out in North America.

Matty clocked the fastest run of the day in 1:15:22, and I was the second fastest only 2 seconds slower. Not a bad result for the two of us considering the conditions we were racing in.

Well, Sunday afternoon we took off to head down to Boston. We didn’t have to fly back to Denver until Monday afternoon, so we were looking to get into some mischief. We only have a few days back home, then we will be heading off later in the week to go to Boise Idaho to do the 70.3 there next Saturday. I will keep you posted…

Cheers,

Tim