Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

  Stage 6: Gold Dust  31 miles  3660 feet elevation gain  3:01 19th (40-49) 8th GC (40-49) Video Recap  The last day. Karel woke up wondering how he would move the pedals with his exhausted body, let alone gather the energy to get on his bike. Ever since the first stage, he's been struggling but somehow he finds the strength to give his best. Compared to 2023, he is actually performing better overall (and on each stage) thanks to improved skills and having prior experience at this event. However, today was rough for Karel. Although "shorter" in terms of time, distance and elevation, he had no more fight left in him. He tried to give his best but his body had other thoughts.  I dropped off Karel's bag at the aid station 2 drop off at Beaver Run Lodge (although he didn't end up stopping for it) and then I drove to the rec center. I swam from 6:45-7:45 and managed to get in 3000 yards. I was very tired this morning. Although I can't compare to what Karel is go...

Stage 2: The Colorado Trail 43 miles 6500 feet elevation gain  4:28 8th AG (40-49) 8th GC (40-49) Results  Race Recap Video Today was my "recovery" day and I was really looking forward to a break from training. The altitude makes everything so tough!  I woke up a little before 5:45am and Karel got up shortly after 6am. Around 6:45am I drove up the street to drop off Karel's aid station #2 bag w/ a bottle inside and then drove 1.2 miles to the rec center for an easy swim. I once again wore my snorkel for most of it although I did feel better with short intervals without the snorkel. I swam a total of 2500. I drove back to our Airbnb and then walked to Main Street to watch the start of stage 2.  Karel was feeling pretty good this morning. He took some extra time to do mobility and sit in the normatec boots to help his body warmup. He then went out for a 16 minute warmup. He was hoping to get a bit closer to the back front of the corral but ended up further back than h...

   If you'd like to skip the blog post and listen to the recap, you can check out Karel's post race report from stage 1 HERE . Stage 1: Pennsylvania Creek  Start time: 8:30am 36.4 miles 5700 feet elevation  3:44  10th 40-49 RESULTS I woke up at 6am and Karel got up around 6:35am. A little after 7am, I walked up to the Beaver Run resort (~8 min walk) to drop off Karel's bag (bottle of sport nutrition) for transport to aid station 2. I then started my run. My plan was to run ~10 miles while spectating Karel but I ended up running a bit longer (and a lot more elevation than planned).  It was another cool morning in the upper 40's but as soon as the sun comes out, it warms up quickly. Karel did a 25 min warm-up around the ice skating rink/stage start and I ran to the point on the course where I would be seeing Karel for the first time. I continued to run on the trails and road for the next 40 minutes. I then ran to the start to see Karel. I then ran back up the...

On Saturday Feb 22nd, we participated in 6 Hours in the Ridge. After Hurricane Helene, we weren't sure if our favorite mountain biking trails would ever open (or be the same) again but local organizations and volunteers have worked tirelessly to get the trails back in great condition.  However, over the past few months, our winter conditions have not been in our favor for staying consistent on our mountain bikes. We've had a lot of rainy and cold days which means closed trails. I've done very little mountain biking in 2025 following not being on my mountain bike since May 2024. Although we registered for 6 hours on the ridge a few months out from the race (it sells out at least a month out) I was feeling very unprepared. Karel and I did a 2:20 hr ride at The Farm (a great new trail system a few miles from where we live) on January 5th and then I did a panic recon ride at Pleasant Ridge (race venue) on Tuesday of race week. We also did a 1-hour pre race ride at The Farm the ...

We enjoyed our experience at  PE Plett . Instead of writing a recap of each stage, I'll provide some thoughts on our overall experience from this 4-stage MTB event.  COST Total cost: $2171 Event: $690 per person (includes 4 days of riding, 3 nights luxury tent accomodations and 10 meals) No hassle package: $134 per person (shuttle pick up/drop off at Port Elizabeth airport, pre-event luxury tent accomodation, dinner and breakfast) Hotel in Port Elizabeth (Courtyard Port Elizabeth): $93 Hotel airport shuttle: $12 each way  Bike transport: $96 one way (bikes and bike case transferred from Cape Town Giant Bike Store so we didn't have to fly with the bikes to the event) Flights (Cape Town to Port Elizabeth): Safair $280 ($140 per person, round trip) Safair Bike fee from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town: $30 ($15 per bike) LOGISTICS As with most stage races, the start and finish are in different locations. I would say that most people who were local had someone drop them off a...