GearLink Racing News

Senior Olympics National Results

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Written by Bob Lecznar | 27 June 2011

IN CASE YOU GUYS MISSED THE NEWS, Joe Becchetti just got back from Houston where he represented the Sunshine State and GearLink Racing in the National Senior Olympics.   Nationals are held every two years when the top five athletes in their respective states are invited to compete against the best of the best from all over the country. 

Despite the heat (Texas IS really hotter than Florida, according to Joe) and the relentless wind (these were the windiest conditions that Joe says he has ever cycled in – a steady 30 to 35 mph, with even higher gusts for four straight days), Joe more than held his own and if not for a little bad luck, he surely would have brought home a medal.

In the first race of the four-race series Joe lined up against 50 racers in his age group, including a former Belgian pro racer who later claimed to have raced with none other than Eddy Merckx himself.  During the hot, tough, windy race, and despite his efforts to get a rotation going to try to chase down the Belgian who had slipped away up the road, no one seemed to want to work with Joe, so he was resigned to finish with the lead group, crossing the line in 8th place overall.   At first Joe was upset at himself for what he considered to be a sub-par finish.  But I reminded him that his finish made him the 8th best racer in the nation in his age group.  Not too shabby at all.

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Morton Plant Mease Aquathlon? WTF!

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Written by Ken O'Day | 26 June 2011

Today was supposed to be the Morton Plant Mease Triathlon, consisting of a 1/3 mile swim, 13 mile bike, and 5k run starting and finishing in Sand Key Park. But due to weather the race format was changed into an aquathlon. You are probably wondering, "What the frick is an aquathlon!?" Well, in case you are not an ardent follower of aquathlon it's a swim followed by a run. However, in Russia aquathlon is apparently underwater wrestling. Seriously, I kid you not!! You must check out this hilarious video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0kn8KdBrmE  If you really are interested in aquathlon (anyone?), here is a link to the USA aquathlon website: http://www.usatriathlon.org/disciplines/aquathlon

So why an aquathlon? Well,apparently it was too much rain for the triathletes to stay upright on the bike course, but the lightning in the area made it a great day for a swim and a run! Certainly not the best situation for our GearLink teammates racing today as we had NO opportunity to crush the competition on the bike as we usually do. Okay, okay, I admit it I'm a little peeved by the decision, but such is life. We made the best of a bad situation and still managed some respectable results.

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Ironman Texas and Madeira Beach Results

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Written by Ken O' Day | 23 May 2011

Ironman Texas

Saturday, May 21 was the inagural edition of Ironman Texas in Houston. They say that everything in Texas is big and so was this race - with a 2.4 mile lake swim, 112 mile bike through rolling wooded hills, and 26.2 mile run. It's the whole enchilada with a big dash of hot sauce. The weather was about 90 degrees for the high and humid - think of your worst Tampa day and how drained you feel after a 50 mile ride, now double it and add a swim before and a marathon after. Ugh!! Who would be insane enough to do this!? David Szen and his wife Brandi signed up last year and have spent the past six months in hibernation preparing for David's third and Brandi's first Ironman. 

 

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Overall Victory at the FIT Sprint Duathlon!

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Written by Ken O'Day | 16 May 2011

Saturday was the FIT (Florida International Triathlon) at Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota. The race has the option of an international distance tri, sprint tri, or sprint du. Ken O'Day represented the team in the sprint du, which consisted of a 1 mile beach run, 13 mile bike, and 5k beach run (the first run course might have been a little short given the fast times). The weather was hot and humid but a beach breeze helped to keep things in check. At race time it was high tide which made the run extra challenging since there was little hard pack to run on, making for wet shoes.


My race strategy was to mark the fast runners on the first run and then take off on the bike. It worked perfectly! It's really nice starting the bike in the lead rather than having to chase after losing ground on the swim. This enabled me to set my own tempo and control the race. Unfortunately they did not separate the transition times from the splits so it's not possible to calculate pacing, but my bike time was fastest and run time was 2nd fastest. And my mom was there to cheer me on!!

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GearLink Multisport Athletes Award Winners at National and Regional Events

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Written by Ken O'Day | 01 May 2011

This was a huge multisport weekend with the Duathlon National Championships in Tucson, AZ on Saturday and St Anthony's Triathlon (Southeast Regional Championship) right here in St Pete on Sunday. GearLink had four athletes competing in these events and all of them won awards!!!

Duathlon National Championships

For 2011 the Du National Championships moved to arid Tucson, AZ. Celia Dubey competed in the event consisting of a 5k run, 35k bike, and 5k run. The run featured a tough hill for the final mile, while the bike course went over rolling hills and up long drags (Memorial Causeway grade but longer). Celia had the misfortune to find out that her tri bike frame was cracked just before heading off to Tucson. But Chainwheel Drive came to the rescue and quickly set her up with a new Specialized Transition that she only got to test ride once before the event. Unfazed she stuck to her plan and book-ended an awesome ride with two strong 5k runs to get 4th place in the women's 35-39 age group!!! The top 5 finishers in each age group received awards and with her great performance she qualified for the World Duathlon Championships in Gijon, Spain in September!! Congrats!

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