Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

With our Trimarni athletes in town (both first time IM Kona athletes), we planned their first workout on the big island with a ride to Hawi.  Justine and Leigh Ann both wanted to experience the winds in Hawi, which we really appreciated as they want to be as physically and mentally prepared for the many elements that they will encounter on race day. We drove to the Mauna Lani shops to park the car, before making our way out on the Queen K before turning off, on to Kawaihae.  We love our Alto Cycling wheels!  Before heading out on the ride, Karel gave our athletes a bit of a refresher for how to ride in the winds.  No, you do not lean your bike against the wind. You let your bike go with the wind direction and then you counteract the wind by shifting your weight toward the wind while counter-steering to keep your bike riding straight without feeling like you are getting blown off the road with your bike.  Thinking that we would get some strong ...

  If I had to describe Greenville cycling in one sentence it would read "Beautiful, hilly, hard, bumpy, nature, country, farms, bike-friendly." We absolutely love our cycling playground but easy riding doesn't get mentioned much, outside of the Swamp Rabbit Trail.  (SRT). From downtown (where we live), you can find a side-road or jump on the SRT and in 6 miles you reach the first mountain, Paris Mountain, which sits right next to  Paris Mountain State Park.  (where Karel does his Mountain Biking). In about 7 miles, you are out on some of the most beautiful country roads, with hardly a car in sight. The roads are not always paved well so  a smooth ride is always a treat when you can find one. Turn after turn, hill after hill, every ride requires concentration and focus and strong legs and a strong heart...and a very well-fueled body.  The endless farm-like and nature-views that extend for miles make Greenville, SC absolutely magically fo...

While on our long "foundation" building ride this morning, we made good use of our time on our bikes by enjoying the mountain views on top of Cedar's Head.  As we were climbing the 6-miles to the top of the mountain, I couldn't help but think about my progress as a swimmer, turned runner, turned triathlete, turned cyclist. Although my love for swimming has not gone away, I absolutely love riding my bike. And now  that we live in beautiful, bike-friendly Greenville, SC we love riding our bikes even more! We leave from our doorstep on the Westend of downtown and in less than 7 miles we can climb Paris Mountain and in 45 minutes we are on challenging roads and hilly terrain on beautiful country roads. There was a time, not too long ago a few years ago, that I was not very skilled on my bike. By no means, am I an expert now but my riding skills have improved dramatically over the last few years and I owe it all to Karel helping me learn how to be a better...