Last weekend I raced the Premium ETU Points race in Alanya, Turkey. I felt like I was in good shape going into the race and was really excited to get another race in before the end of the season.

I went out to the race early so that I could start to taper down at the race site. I stayed at my Aunty Bette’s apartment and was shown round by friends of hers. The weather was hot and sunny.

At the start of the race we started on the beach and swam 300 metres out to the first buoy and then 1.2km straight into the harbour. I felt quite good on the swim but unfortunately lost time. The bike course was flat and on cobbles. I worked hard on the bike and particularly towards the end the group worked well together and we maintained our position. The run included a long hill which I was pleased about as it allowed me to gain places. I went out hard at the start of the run and managed to hold it well, I was really pleased with my run but unfortunately I was too far back coming off the bike and only managed to run through to 12th.

As soon as I got back from the race I got back into training and am looking forward to a hard winter and working mainly on my swim, but also racing some cross country.

All the best,
Ritchie.

Wiggle and Focus sponsored triathlete Staurt Hayes went “from ER to finish line overnight” as he recovered from a swollen knee to win the Accenture Chicago Triathlon across the pond.

Stu spent over 2 hours in the Emergency Room on Saturday night and then took the gamble to race the next day… it paid off as he crossed the line first in 1 hour 48 minutes 9.2 seconds.

“The doctor told me to take off two weeks, I guess he’s not going to like that I didn’t listen.”

Read more about the race on the Chicago Tribune site and we will have Stu’s full report in his latest diary entry later this week.

We’ve just had a bunch of blogs from Andy as he finally found some solid reception around the Rockies so apologies for it being quiet the past few days. There’s Monday - Thursday below and we’ll hopefully be getting the weekends round-up shortly.

I’m sure they all really appreciate your comments and kind words so keep them coming and hopfully Matt will be back riding full days soon…. :-)

Cutting to the chase… Matt had to pull out after 22 miles into todays ride. We have been having pee tests every day and matts haven’t been looking very good for the last 3. He had a kidney problem last Autumn and it is the aftermath of that… He wasn’t bonking yesterday it was to do with this issue. Dr De has been concerned since the weekend and she said that matt’s body would ultimately answer the question. So very reluctantly he withdrew from today’s ride at the first water . We were all gutted. Matt needed to rest, he had no choice.

I got myself together and we worked out a new strategy which meant that the rv would follow me as opposed to leapfrogging ahead. The route took us 100 miles up to the bottom of wolf creek pass. I felt strong ( I think the rationed budweisers the night before helped, plus my new infatuation with alphabet spaghetti) so although going solo, I was actually looking forward to the 22 mile climb. The gut wrenching thing about matt missing this ride is that we have been talking about this specific challenge since we planned the route. Anyway I just had to get on with it. Apparently the scenery was stunning, I didn’t see much of it as my head was down for almost all of the assent.. It proved to be a massive test of my mind and body, averaging somewhere around 7 miles an hour for 22 miles is not much fun.
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Feeling poorly still so am in bed again… We had a good morning and hard afternoon… We are in a place called Parker, Arizona.. Matt had another puncture today just as we were going to start the pm ride… It was a test of temperament changing the inner in 120 fahrenheit. The rv got stuck in the sand on the hard (soft) shoulder.. Had to wait 2hrs to get it pulled out… We were in the middle of nowhere… Quite a few americans stopped to see if we were okay.. - wonder if that would have been the same scenario around the South East, UK? Anyway it was very reassuring. Total mileage was about 100…. Its just the heat that is affecting us.. We need to catch up so please pray for cool westerly winds across Arizona… Lights out, sorry its brief, hopefully will be better tomorrow..
Andy
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With only a week before we left, myself and Andy went a final long ride on Saturday. The forecast wasn’t great, but in the end it was a lovely day and we stayed dry, which is always a bonus (especially this summer…).

We weaved our way through the county lanes down to Hastings, then returned via Bexhill, covering about 140 miles or so. It was a long day, no doubt about that. The undulating Sussex/Surrey countryside is beautiful to look at but you struggle for rhythm on a bike, grinding your way up a hill for 20 minutes then spending the next 2 minutes doing 60kph down the other side.

Anyway, we got back to Bletchingley (about 2 miles from Andy’s home) at about 9pm, it was getting dark fairly rapidly and, as is the way with this summer, the temperature was dropping.

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We are very pleased to announce that we have added premier backpack and luggage company Eastpak to the site. Specializing in backpacks, courier bags and holdalls there is bound to be one that will suit your needs.

For the full range we carry simply click here.

It’s as if Christmas has come early. We have yet another competition for you, this one is in collaboration with Elite and their hugely popular Ozone Elite Muscle Rubs. We are giving away an Elite Real Axiom CT trainer worth £600 as well as more unmissable prizes.

Simply buy any item from Ozone Elite Muscle Rubs on the Wiggle.co.uk site before 31st July 2008 to be in with a chance of winning.

Just a few simple techniques will help you enjoy all the benefits of sport. Massage and the use of specific creams are today essential allies not just of professional athletes, but also of anyone practising sport to stay in shape.

The Prizes

How to enter

Buy any Ozone Elite product from wiggle.co.uk to get entered into the draw for a chance to win these great prizes. Every product you buy will count for one competition entry each. Therefore, the more you buy, the greater your chance of winning.

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Mike sent throught some more photos in relation to his last blog entry and in preparation for next weeks installment.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Mountain Bike UK Magazine Felt will shortly be releasing the Limited Edition MBUK Compulsion 2. The bike will have Mint Sauce Decals and come with a Mint Sauce Certificate, created especially by Joe Burt.
It will also be an upgrade of the Compulsion 2 with new components:

There is only 300 of these bikes going in to production but you can be one of the elite few to own this limited edition machine - they are available to pre-order from wiggle right now, but be quick as they are going to fly! The only problem is you are not going to want to get it dirty….

Full details and spec guide for the Felt Compulsion 2 SE 2008 Mint Sauce Ltd Edition