Misc on chrisgross.was.racing

ready, set, go

Sat, 11 Oct 2014 05:24:24 +0000

Rain on Hawaii — a first for me... Good that the bike is already checked in, not so good that the helmet is hanging on the bike completely wrong:

Impressions

Thu, 09 Oct 2014 21:03:49 +0000

Aloha

Sat, 04 Oct 2014 00:29:50 +0000

Finally here….

Challenge Roth: Ready to go …

Sat, 19 Jul 2014 08:24:38 +0000

The moment …

Thu, 19 Jun 2014 20:25:37 +0000

… when you realize you have a flat tire and 20 minutes before this happened ….

The Rest of the Season

Thu, 05 Jun 2014 18:04:44 +0000

Questions upon questions — still no clear answers on the remaining races for 2014. A look at the already (or not-so-already) confirmed schedule:

Ironman Lanzarote Preview

Sun, 11 May 2014 14:03:26 +0000

In 6 days the first season highlight arrives — Ironman Lanzarote. Bags are packed, Tuesday we head to the Canary Islands for the second time this year. What can we expect?

Lanzarote Downhill Special

Sun, 23 Feb 2014 09:58:25 +0000

After two weeks of training camp on Lanzarote I'm back in cold Germany. The camp went really well — better than last year — but was also pretty exhausting. For all those who stayed home, I put on my cameraman hat and filmed the best sections of the route.

Gone with the wind

Tue, 18 Feb 2014 09:35:59 +0000

Lanzarote extreme. It's Sunday, February 16th, 2014. It was to become one of the most memorable riding days of my life...

Back in business

Thu, 02 Jan 2014 09:11:20 +0000

The lazing-around phase is well and truly over... it was nice, but after 5 extra kilos and a complete loss of fitness, enough is enough. For the past three weeks I've been back in regular training...

Let the games begin!

Fri, 11 Oct 2013 22:34:53 +0000

One last update before the race: Nations Parade: √ Triathlon Expo: √ Underpants Run: √ Pasta Party: √ Bike Check-In: – Race feeling: getting better by the hour, excitement building fast Expectation: it's going to be hard

Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway: How to Survive the Ride from Hawi to Kailua-Kona

Mon, 07 Oct 2013 09:18:18 +0000

After yesterday's rest day (= watching fish at the pier for a bit), today's last longer session was on the schedule. At 7am we headed out together with the rest of the crew toward Hawi...

Bye Bye Vegas … Aloha Hawaii

Sat, 05 Oct 2013 06:47:04 +0000

The days in Vegas went by faster than expected — a few more impressions to close out the chapter:

Vegas, Baby!!!

Mon, 30 Sep 2013 19:56:14 +0000

The first leg of my US trip takes me straight into the Nevada desert, to the gambler's paradise of Las Vegas. Here are a few impressions:

Ready to go

Fri, 27 Sep 2013 07:48:49 +0000

IM Hawaii registration done …

Thu, 22 Aug 2013 19:06:19 +0000

Time to Say Goodbye …

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:38:02 +0000

… see you in 2013 … Season's end 2012 — somewhat unplanned and unexpected, but the alternative was too tempting.

Congratulations …

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 10:18:40 +0000

… Your registration for Challenge Roth 2013 was successful. We look forward to welcoming you on July 14, 2013 in Roth. See you at the finish line. First hurdle cleared … and to raise the bar right away I checked the 'Sub9' box 😉

First Race of the Season: Challenge Kraichgau

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 09:10:46 +0000

Two days to go until the first race of the season, the Challenge Kraichgau. It's always been a preparation race for me leading up to the season highlight — this year even more so than in previous years.

Changing Brake Pads: Advanced Level

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 20:27:04 +0000

Early this year I got a new wheelset from Zipp, the Firecrest 808 Carbon Clincher. The main reason was that I wanted to go back to clincher tires. OK, aerodynamics also played a big role in choosing this specific model.

Gear Wars, Part 4: What Breaks Next?

Sun, 20 May 2012 18:05:34 +0000

Something's gone wrong lately … one by one, my cycling gear is failing or not holding up to the load.

Welcome to the Club …

Sat, 19 May 2012 07:36:12 +0000

I only wanted to change the derailleur jockey wheels on my winter/wet weather bike … I'd successfully destroyed one of them on my last ride.

Bike Fit: Or How Do You Actually Put Me on a Bike Properly?

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:43:50 +0000

A few days ago I went to Cyclefit in Bensheim to get a saddle position analysis done and to sort out my discomfort on the bike. Let me say upfront: it was worth it in almost every respect.

Season Planning 2012

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:56:12 +0000

Planning for the new season is mostly done — here are the races I'll be doing: Jan 6, 2012 – Three Kings Run Dielheim (10km), May 20, 2012 – Heidesee Triathlon Forst, and more.

Changes to My Bike Position

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:50:58 +0000

There was a change to my bike position yesterday, and the next one will probably be due in two weeks. 1. new extensions — the old S-bends were swapped out yesterday for straight extensions

Back on Track

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 07:35:02 +0000

After exactly 8 days and 74 minutes I couldn't take it anymore without sports and relapsed. It was my longest sports-free stretch in over 5 years — a weirdly peculiar time.

Off-Season: Or Maybe Not??

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 09:27:01 +0000

A look at my stats has revealed something surprising: as of today I'm only 1,011km short of hitting the 10,000km mark on the bike this year. I should take advantage of this — who knows when I'll get the chance again.

Off-Season

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 09:20:53 +0000

...or what do you do with too much free time?? I was genuinely looking forward to this period even before Wales, but somehow I'm already not enjoying it. After 6 days completely without sport I'm seriously considering starting back up again.

T-2: Check-In and Stuff

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 19:31:23 +0000

So, tomorrow is the big day — the tension is slowly building. The last training session was swept away by the wind, garnished with rain showers and lots of wet, dirty roads.

T-3: Travel Day Part 2

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 09:43:02 +0000

Yesterday was part 2 of the journey — the last 350km by car from Reading to Tenby in Wales. Thanks to Jan's driving we made good time, though I did occasionally have to retrieve my luggage from wherever it had ended up.

T-4: Travel Day Part 1

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:31:48 +0000

Part 1 of the journey is successfully behind us. From home with a fully loaded car to Frankfurt Hahn airport, then Ryanair to London Stansted, and from there by rental car to Reading, west of London — our first stopover.

T-37 ... or the Wheels Are Turning Again

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 19:25:22 +0000

Since Frankfurt I've mostly been eating a lot, sleeping, and being lazy. The last 10 days included 4 complete rest days, topped off with plenty of chocolate, ice cream, fried food, brownies, steaks, cake, and even more chocolate...

Next Challenge: Ironman Wales

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 07:40:10 +0000

On short notice I've decided to race the Ironman in Wales on September 11th. To be upfront: this will be an experiment — I have no idea how it'll go.

The Hawaii Dream, Shattered — 13 Seconds Too Slow

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:07:12 +0000

...and Groundhog Day strikes again... Last year I missed the World Championship qualification by a laughable 96 seconds — this year it would be an even more mind-blowing 13 seconds.

T-1: Show What You've Got

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 22:39:04 +0000

Today the schedule called for a 30-minute bike session and a 15-minute run, each with 2 very short intervals. After that the bags were packed and it was off to check-in. Always a fun spectacle — 90% of the people there have top-end gear and look like they're about to win the race tomorrow.

Travel Day

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 06:38:56 +0000

Yesterday at noon we finally headed off to the race — together with my training buddy Tobi I made my way to Frankfurt. The drive went smoothly and traffic-free, so we arrived right on time for the race briefing.

Ironman Frankfurt: Start Wave 1, Bib Number 216!!!

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 20:28:44 +0000

Probably the best news after a very hard training week: I get to start in Wave 1 at Ironman Frankfurt!!!! Only about 500 people swimming at once instead of 2,000. Best possible setup for a good race.

Bad Omen: TT Helmet Fails Inspection

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 21:14:45 +0000

The race marshals at the Challenge Kraichgau bike check-in were very thorough — and they found something. My TT helmet is defective and I'm not allowed to race with it tomorrow.