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 BELOW: • Lang, Sonntag take Winter Tri in Wildhaus • Vlasveld, Ruhe winde up ITU series with wins • Ruhe, Lang win European Winter Tri Championships • Ruhe, Vlasveld New World Champs Of Winter Tri • Marc Ruhe gets a win from Benjamin Sonntag • Vlasveld, Sonntag remain unstoppable in winter tri • The why behind winter tri cancellation • Vlasveld, Sonntag repeat Winter Tri victories • Sonntag, Vlasveld, take ETU Winter Tri • Vlasveld, Sonntag take first winter tri of '02 • Vlasveld and Riva: familiar names take winter tri titles • The Langs: Martin folds, Sigrid reigns • All the Langs needed was a little snow • ETU Winter Tri moves to Slovakia • Nedly is deadly on snow, too • Black Forest not white enough, but Winter Tri goes on anyway • ETU Winter Cup round two this weekend • It’s a family affair in Oberstaufen • Snowshoes out, racing flats in • USA triathletes get a Winter Championship • Europe is where the winter money is • Italy's Riva still no match for winter rivals • Winter Triathlon: It’s a wrap • Riva in Winter Worlds: 5th was fine • Lebrun, Möbes are Winter World Champs • Lebrun upsets Riva in Winter Cup • ITU joins winter tri game, inaugurates series • Riva 3-peats on snow • Riva, Vlasveld, defend Euro titles on snow • An Ironman? No, a Snowman! • Riva, Vlasveld win again • Torino hosts the first European Indoor Winter Triathlon Challenge |
Lang, Sonntag take Winter Tri in Wildhaus January 29, 2003, Wildhaus, Switzerland (www.slowtwitch.com): Germans Sigrid Lang and Benjamin Sonntag took victory at Saturday's ITU Winter Triathlon World Cup season opener in Wildhaus, Switzerland. According to an account on the ITU website, heavy snowfall in the days leading up to the event forced race organizers to shorted the race to a 4.8k run, an 11.2 k bike and 10k cross-country ski. Lang, the newly crowned German national champ, relegated reigning world champ Marianne Vlasveld of the Netherlands to second place in the women's race. The women staged a stirring battle that came down to the ski, where Vlasveld was caught by Lang, who built up a 1:11 lead by the time she hit the tape. Germany's Jutta Schubert was third. In the men's race, Sonntag successfully defended his Wildhaus title from last year. He came off the run with Frenchmen Olivier Bulle and Nicolas Lebrun and Slovakia's Patrik Kuril, but pulled away on the technical mountain bike course. World champ Marc Ruhe of Liechtenstein moved into second place on the bike, passing Lebrun, but faded on the ski, getting overtaken by Lebrun and Norway's Frode Pederson, who was third. On Sunday, pros raced a sprint relay and age-groupers and kids also had a chance to try out the run/bike/ski combo. (RESULTS) ----- Vlasveld, Ruhe winde up ITU series with wins March 18, 2002, Canmore, Alberta, Canada (www.slowtwitch.com): World champions Marianne Vlasveld of the Netherlands and Marc Ruhe of Liechtenstein brought their winning ways to the International Triathlon Union's first winter triathlon in North America on Saturday and walked away with another pair of wins. Results on the ITU's website showed that Vlasveld dominated the women's race by more than 10 minutes on the strength of her cycling and skiing abilities, turning in the day's fastest splits in both disciplines by a large margin. Second in the run, she made up time on the bike and continued to build a gap over her rivals on the loop courses. In second was Germany's Gabi Pauli. In the men's race, Ruhe was 40 seconds off the pace after the opening run but moved from 7th place to first with a 45-second lead by the end of the bike ride. He held off a charge from Switzerland's Iwan Schuwey over the ski to keep the lead by 27 seconds at the finish line. The race also doubled as the first-ever Canadian winter tri championships, and the top Canadian woman was also on the podium overall, in third - Shayla Swanson, a member of the Canadian junior cross-country team, the website said. The men's title went to Phil Villeneuve, who was sixth overall and posted the day's fastest ski and second-fastest run split. The Nordic Center in Canmore, the cross-country skiing venue for the Calgary Winter Olympics, hosted the race, which organizers said was a first-class end to the series. "Winter triathlon started to take off at the beginning of the year and continued to climb to a cruising altitude all year," said Michel Gignoux, the ITU's technical director of the winter tri series. "We will focus on maintaining this altitude for a few years before landing at our final destination, which is a place on the Olympic Winter program." For more information, visit the ITU website. (RESULTS) ----- Ruhe, Lang win European Winter Tri Championships March 4, 2002, Achensee, Austria (www.slowtwitch.com): Germany's Sigrid Lang, who's spent part of her season studying for her university examinations, proved Saturday that the time spent with her books hasn't hampered her ability to win races. She defeated world champion Marianne Vlasveld of the Netherlands, who hadn't lost all season, to take the European Triathlon Union's European Winter Triathlon Championships in a close race in Achensee, Austria. Vlasveld built up a lead of about a minute on the bike course, a twisting and turning affair with asphalt, gravel and some patches of snow. But Lang made up time on the cross-country ski, and the pair raced side by side for a time until Lang pulled away, eventually building up a 90-second lead on Vlasveld. In third was Germany's Jutta Schubert. The men's field featured another rematch from last week's world championships, with Liechtenstein's Marc Ruhe and Germany's Benjamin Sonntag again squaring off. Switzerland's Christoph Mauch, well known for his Ironman accomplishments, also can't be counted out in winter tri. Frenchman Nicolas Lebrun, another familiar face from summer triathlon, set the early pace on the 8k run, but Ruhe passed him to build a solid lead on the bike ride with Sonntag, Lebrun and Mauch giving chase. Once on their skis, Sonntag and Lebrun continued their chase and were eventually joined by, and then passed by, Mauch. But Ruhe's lead was too great; he finished nearly a minute clear of the rest of the field with Mauch in second. The battle for third and fourth between Sonntag and Lebrun came down to a photo finish, with Sonntag getting fourth place by a whisker. The final race in the five-race European Cup series will be in Malles on Sunday. (RESULTS) ----- Ruhe, Vlasveld New World Champs Of Winter Tri February 25, 2002, Brusson, Italy (www.slowtwitch.com): Marc Ruhe of Liechtenstein, who scored his first winter tri win of the year last weekend after a season of racing in the shadow of Germany's Benjamin Sonntag, claimed the gold medal Saturday in the International Triathlon Union's Winter Triathlon World Championships in Brusson, Italy. The men's race was a tight one, with less than three minutes separating the top five athletes. Ironman Christoph Mauch of Switzerland took the silver medal, with Sonntag in third. Mauch built up a small lead into the first transition, but Ruhe's ride was the fastest of the day and gave him enough of a lead that he was able to hold off Mauch's charge during the ski portion. The women's race was claimed by the dominant Marianne Vlasveld of the Netherlands, undefeated this season. The silver medallist was Sigrid Lang of Germany, the defending world champion, followed by Germany's Gabi Pauli. Vlasveld and Lang entered the run to bike transition with just 15 seconds between them, but Vlasveld's bike leg added another couple of minutes to her lead. (The U.S. sent three triathletes to race: Neal Henderson and Rickard Mason finished 32nd and 33rd, while Jimmy Archer recorded a DNF.) You can find photos and video the ITU's website and at the Italian Triathlon Federation's website. (RESULTS) ------ Marc Ruhe gets a win from Benjamin Sonntag February 18, 2002, Jaca, Spain (www.slowtwitch.com): Liechtenstein's Marc Ruhe, after a season of second-places to dominant German Benjamin Sonntag, scored a win Saturday at the ITU Winter Triathlon World Cup race in Jaca, Spain. A heavy snowfall the night before, combined with misty conditions that turned the snow to slush, forced ITU technical delegate Enrique Quesada to shorten the bike leg to 5k. In the men's race, summer triathlon vet Eneko Llanos of Spain set a quick tempo on the run, with Ruhe 15 seconds back by the first transition and Sonntag 36 seconds in arrears. Spain's Pedro Anarbe turned in the day's fastest bike split to come within a few seconds of Ruhe, who had also passed Llanos during the ride. Sonntag made up lots of ground during the cross-country ski but wasn't able to catch Ruhe, who came home 16 seconds clear of the winter tri ace. In the women's race, Immaculada Pereiro Gonzalez of Spain established an early lead on the run, then was passed by teammate Ana Casares, who built up a minute's advantage heading into the cross-country ski leg. Gonzalez regained her lead over the course of the ski, defeating Casares by more than half a minute. The race also doubled as the Spanish Winter Triathlon Championships. Winner of the race within a race was Juan Carlos "Api" Apilluelo--his 11th Spanish championship. He finished clear of countrymen Pedro Anarbe and the Llanos brothers, Hector and Eneko, summer tri veterans making their debut at winter tri. Jaca is making a bid to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. The ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships will be staged next weekend in Brusson, Italy, with $15,000US in prize money at stake. (RESULTS) ----- Vlasveld, Sonntag remain unstoppable in winter tri February 11, 2002, Donovaly, Slovakia (www.slowtwitch.com): Marianne Vlasveld of the Netherlands and Germany's Benjamin Sonntag continued to dominate this season's winter triathlon racing as the European Triathlon Union Winter Triathlon Cup series moved to Donovaly, Slovakia on Saturday. A sudden warm spell had left the race course a bit slushy, but the conditions didn't slow the winning ways of Vlasveld and Sonntag. Sonntag moved to the front with Liechtenstein's Mark Ruhe during the mountain bike portion, and cemented his lead during the ski to come home 90 seconds clear of Ruhe. Vlasveld lost all pursuers during the mountain bike ride and finished six minutes clear of the rest of the field. Sonntag and Vlasveld have perfect 3-3 records in the series, which has two more stops. The European Championships are up next March 2-3 at Achensee, Austria. (RESULTS) ----- The why behind winter tri cancellation February 6, 2002, Fort Collins, Colorado (www.slowtwitch.com): The second USA Triathlon Winter Triathlon Championships set for Feb. 9 in Snow Mountain Ranch, Colo. were cancelled in late January when a short list of entrants forced organizers to shutter the race. Race organizer Barry Siff of MountainQuest Adventures has been producing winter tri-sport events since 1998; many of them have been relatively small (50-70 athletes) but have drawn top-notch fields, including world-class adventure racers, triathletes and duathletes Danelle Ballengee, Mike Kloser, Jimmy Archer, Ryan Bolton, Ned Overend, and Kim Bruckner. "Unfortunately, this year we found ourselves with fewer than a dozen applications just two weeks out from the race, and without a title sponsor," Siff said. "Due to our association with USAT as a championship, as well as our commitment to providing a first-class event, our expenses were undoubtedly destined to overshadow our revenue. "Last year, we had many, many people say they were coming, but had virtually zero race-day sign-ups after a storm hit the night before the race, dumping 6-8 inches of fresh powder. We could not afford that this year." Last year, mountain bike and XTERRA ace Ned Overend and Gretchen Reeves captured the first winter tri championships over a 9.7k run, 20k mountain bike and 10k Nordic ski. Siff said canceling the event may serve as a wake-up call for athletes to commit early to races like his. "The first-ever MountainQuest Winter Tri-Sport Race had 13 competitors and we had a ball," he said. "We had over 30 great raffle prizes, a wonderful course and, while we lost money, it was a start. Unfortunately, times change and we have had to as well." Siff said he plans to bring back the Winter Tri-Sport concept next year but likely as an unaffiliated race completed on snowshoes instead of running shoes, adding that he believes the sport has a growing future despite the race's cancellation. ----- Vlasveld, Sonntag repeat Winter Tri victories February 4, 2002, Stoos, Switzerland (www.slowtwitch.com): Marianne Vlasveld of the Netherlands and Benjamin Sonntag of Germany continued their domination of winter triathlon racing with victories at the second ITU World Cup race of the season on Sunday in Stoos, Switzerland. Vlasveld dominated from start to finish, crossing the line more than 15 minutes clear of Spaniard Anna Serra in second place. The men's race was closer, with Sonntag repeating his winning ways over winter tri stalwarts Marc Ruhe of Liechtenstein, Iwan Schuwey of Switzerland and Germany's Thomas Schrenk. In second place was Ironman star Christoph Mauch of Switzerland, who also raced a few winter tris last season, to good result--including a third place at the International Triathlon Union world championships and a second in the European championships. Mauch and Ruhe battled fiercely on the ski portion of the race, with Mauch crossing the finish line 27 seconds clear of Ruhe. The next World Cup stop will be in two weeks at Jaca, Spain, a bid city for the 2010 Winter Olympics. (RESULTS) ----- Sonntag, Vlasveld, take ETU Winter Tri January 15, 2002, Oberstaufen, Germany (www.slowtwitch.com): Marianne Vlasfeld of the Netherlands and Germany’s Benjamin Sonntag made it two victories in two weeks Sunday in the European Triathlon Union’s first European Cup winter triathlon in Oberstaufen, Germany. The race course featured a 5k run, 15k mountain bike and 8k cross-country ski. Sonntag and Vlasfeld were both also victorious in the first race of the 2002 ITU Winter Triathlon Series in Switzerland on Jan. 7. Sonntag repeated his victory of a week earlier over Liechtenstein’s Marc Ruhe—only this time the margin was a mere second. In third was Germany’s Zibi Szlufcik, the 2001 world champion, another 21 seconds adrift. In the women’s race, Vlasveld had a strong bike ride and maintained her lead on the ski. She crossed the finish line 1:40 ahead of 2001 world champion Sigrid Lang, with Germany’s Gabi Pauli in third, another four minutes back. Winter tri action will continue next weekend at the German national championships. (RESULTS) ----- Vlasveld, Sonntag take first winter tri of '02 January 7, 2002, Wildhaus, SWITZERLAND (www.slowtwitch.com): Marianne Vlasfeld of the Netherlands continued her success in winter triathlon—which combines running, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing—on Sunday with a win at the first race of the 2002 ITU Winter Triathlon Series, defeating world champion Sigrid Lang of Germany by 29 seconds. In the men's race, Germany's Benjamin Sonntag took the top prize by a minute over Marc Ruhe of Liechtenstein. The weather and the snow conditions were reported as excellent for racing on the 12-lap course, which featured a total of 1,004 meters in elevation gain. Vlasfeld finished the run course 24 seconds up on the pack, added four seconds to her lead over the bike and made up another nine seconds on her skis. Third place went to Karin Mobes of Switzerland, who suffered a serious bike crash during the race and was taken to the hospital for an exam afterward. Sonntag, meantime, reached transition just two seconds ahead of Ruhe after the run, then lost two seconds to Ruhe on the bike ride. The cross-country racing was tight, with ski specialist Sonntag leaving bike specialist Ruhe behind by a minute. Othmar Brugger of Switzerland passed countryman Iwan Schuwey on the bike to take third. The series now moves to the Swiss Alps town of Stoos on Feb. 3. To learn more, point your browser here. (RESULTS) ----- Vlasveld and Riva: familiar names take winter tri titles March 19, 2001, Achensee, Austria (www.slowtwitch.com): Last year Marianne Vlasveld (NED) had a nice little winning streak going leading into the European Championships. Then a funny thing happened. She ran into a German freight train named Sigrid Lang. Make that a German bullet train. This year, Lang has been literally unbeatable. She’s won each of the ETU’s four Winter Cup series races, obviously taking the points title in runaway fashion. Something happened to Lang, though, at the European Championships in Achensee, Austria. She ran into a freight train herself: Marianne Vlasveld. The Dutch woman had been nursing a foot injury all fall and appeared a shell of her former self in ETU Cup racing. But she said during the winter she’d be fit for this race, and next week’s Worlds. She made good on her prediction. Ana Casares from Spain finished the four 2.2km laps of the run course in the lead, with Vlasveld, Lang, and a summer triathlete, Ingrid van Lubek (NED), 30 seconds down. Once on the bike Vlasveld took over. She built a lead with Lang in second and Gabi Pauli (GER) moving into third. Lubek held fourth place, and Casares dropped to fifth. The athletes had to cope with a 2.2 km running lap, to be done four times, followed by a 4km bike course that proved to be quite technical, also over four laps, and finished with a 4.3km cross-country skiing part, to be completed twice. The cross-country ski leg was tailor-made for Vlasveld and she was never challenged, with Lang second and Pauli third. Juan Apiluello, third in the Euro Champs last year and known for his excellent running, opened with an extremely fast run. Only Christoph Mauch (SUI)—the lone world-class summer triathlete to compete with the winter stars—and Walter Ernst (GER) could keep Apiluello in sight. They came into transition 40 seconds down. Andrea Degasperi (ITA) and Zibi Slufcik (GER) followed in fourth and fifth. Paolo Riva (ITA), last year’s Euro champ but consistently beaten this winter, was next to enter the first transition. Mauch moved into the lead in the second lap of the MTB leg, while Riva and Marc Ruhe (LIE) followed. It took Riva until the ski leg to finally catch Mauch, and in so doing he captured his fourth European title—indeed, he is the only man to ever win a European winter tri championship. Mauch and Ruhe took the silver and bronze, while Apiluello’s early gambit stalled and he finished fourth. Italians fared well in the junior race, with gold and bronze in the men’s race and silver in the women’s. Michele Los Frizzera finished ahead of Daniel Hehle (GER) and Daniele Antonioli (ITA). Karin Bliemhuber (GER) took another junior title ahead of Paola Giacoelli (ITA) and Andrea Hrutzova (SVK). (RESULTS) ----- The Langs: Martin folds, Sigrid reigns March 11, 2001, Mals, Italy (www.slowtwitch.com): Mals is a small town in South Tyrol, close to the Austrian and Swiss borders. It plays host to the European Winter Triathlon Cup final, and has since the very beginning of the ETU Winter Triathlon Series five years ago Winter conditions have been spotty in the first three the previous ETU cup races, but the weather and conditions were great today: plenty of snow, beautiful sunshine and no wind. This was the first of three important races in three weekends. Today’s race was the finale of the four-race ETU cup. Next week is the European Championships. The week after is the world championship. On this challending course consisting of an 8.5km run, 12.5km bike and a 10 km XC ski, the fastest runners in the men’s field (as usual) were Juan Apiluello from Spain and Nicolas Lebrun, the reigning Winter Triathlon World Champion from France. A bit of a surprise was the 3rd place run finisher, Walter Ernst (GER). Zibi Slufcik (GER), Alessandro Degasperi (ITA) and Paolo Riva (ITA) followed next. Riva’s strong run was another positive sign his fitness is improving, as the run is not his strongest discipline. Martin Lang (GER), the cup leader got onto the bike in 15th place. The bike leg is horrifically hard on the legs and lungs. . It is a point-to-point, delivering the cyclists up to the cross-country skiing resort in Schlinig, with a net altitude gain of 2500 feet (750M) over 12.5km. Lebrun brake away and put more than 2:30 between himself and Apiluello, who entered the ski leg in second. Riva was gotten himself up to 3rd, Ernst to 4th position. Martin Lang, the king of the winter in the previous three races––with two firsts and a second––moved up to 7th. Lebrun was never challenged on the nordic ski leg, and skated off to a convincing win ahead of Paolo Riva, who’s runner-up finish on this day was enough to catapult him into the European Winter Triathlon Cup for the 4th time. Zibi Slufcik took bronze in the event, ahead of Apiluello. Lang’s meltdown––he crossed the line in 6th place––meant a fall to second place in the ETU Cup ranking. "Mals is always my fate," said Lang. The women’s race had less drama, as Sigrid Lang proved to be again too strong for anyone. She dominated the run, where she was ahead of Karin Möbes (SUI), the reigning Winter Triathlon World Champion, and Marianne Vlasveld (NED). Möbes started quite slowly into the winter season, and always underlined that her most important races would be the three races in these three consecutive weekends. Her strategy might be paying off. Vlasveld had a similar plan, forced more by necessity, due to a foot injury that’s lingered since the fall. On the bike, Lang and Möbes could gain valuable time, and stormed to a two minute lead ahead of Vlasveld by the second transition. The order did not change from there on. Lang took another first place––a clean sweep of the four ETU cup races––and consequently the ETU Cup crown with it. Möbes finished the series in second, with Vlasveld third. Winter Triathlon now travels to Achensee, Austria, to determine the European Champions in winter triathlon (March 18). One week later, the World Championships will take place in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. (RESULTS) ----- All the Langs needed was a little snow February 10, 2001, Donavaly, Slovakia (www.slowtwitch.com): Unlike the last ETU race two weeks ago in Germany’s Black Forest, Donovaly, Slovakia provided Winter for the third of four ETU Winter Tri series races. Good weather and a perfectly groomed course made the racing all that the overly green Black Forest could not provide two weeks ago. The men’s race started with a demonstration of running strength by Spain’s Juan Apiluello, who clocked the fastest split on the first 9km (29:21), almost a minute ahead of Martin Lang (GER). Iwan Schuwey (SUI), Emil Hrnciar (SVK) and Paolo Riva (ITA) followed 10 seconds down. On the technical and demanding bike course the order was turned Lang and Riva stormed into the lead, ahead of Apiluello and Schuwey, gaining almost 2 minutes by T2. The ski leg was staged over 9 laps of a 1500m course, where Lang put a minute between himself and his Italian rival. Ths makes Martin Lang a winner of two out of three of this year’s ETU Cup series races. On the women’s side, everything went well for Sigrid Lang (GER), Martin’s sister. This would be her third victory in as many ETU races. She was fastest on the first run, almost 2 minutes ahead of Anna Balosakova, from the local club, Gabi Pauli (GER) and Karin Moebes (SUI). Lang put another 2 minutes on her closest rivals during the MTB leg, where the best Moebes could manage was a move into second position, ahead of Gabi Pauli. It was more of the same during the run, where Sigrid Lang ran unchallenged to the finish, ahead of Karin Moebes, who is returning to top form, and Gabi Pauli. (RESULTS) ----- ETU Winter Tri moves to Slovakia February 7, 2001, Donovaly, Slovakia (www.slowtwitch.com): Euro Winter Tri moves to the Lower Tatry Mountains in Donovaly, Slovakia. All top athletes except of Marianne Vlasveld (NED) have entered. Vlasveld has given up any chance of a high series placing, and is preparing for the European Championships (March 18 in Austria) and World Championships (a week later in Switzerland). ETU Cup Ranking after Oberstaufen/GER and Freudenstadt/GER 1/ Martin Lang GER 190pts 2/ Zibi Slufcik GER 180 3/ Paolo Riva ITA 170 4/ Juan Apiluello ESP 120 5/ Mathias Holzner GER 115 6/ Iwan Schuwey SUI 95 7/ Walter Ernst GER 95 8/ Dirk Debertin GER 95 9/ Martin Soliva SUI 75 10/ Benjamin Sonntag GER 70 1/ Sigrid Lang GER 200pts 2/ Gabi Pauli GER 170 3/ Karin Moebes SUI 155 4/ Jindriska Bejstova CZE 110 5/ Marianne Vlasveld NED 90 6/ Iva Siman GER 75 6/ Britta M¸ller GER 75 8/ Angela Huy GER 70 8/ Silvia Vampel GER 70 ----- Nedly is deadly on snow, too February 4, 2001, Winter Park Colorado, (www.slowtwitch.com): There was an XTerra race on the fourth of February, 2001, and on that day Ned Overend won. But the XTerra -- the event and format Overend has claimed as his own the past several years -- was nine time zones and two seasons away from the scene of Deadly Nedly's victory. Smart money would've expected nordic ski specialists to swarm the triathletes and XTerra racers at USAT's first official National Winter Tri Championships, held in Winter Park, Colorado. That is exactly what happens in Europe, where Winter Tri is much better developed, and former national team nordic racers and winter biathletes rule. But in this race the lone nordic specialist was fourth, and the starting list -- and, to an even greater degree, the final results -- looked more like an XTerra race. U.S. Olympian Ryan Bolton ran into the lead on the first leg -- a 10k run -- but not by a large margin. "It was impossible to run fast on the snow. If you pushed off very hard, you'd just dig in. So the best I could do was just run steady and keep my heart rate down." But Bolton was also surprisingly strong on the mountain bike, an event in which he is certainly no specialist. The climbing on this 20k loop course was done on a snow-covered fire trail, the descending on nordic trails which were especially treacherous, as several inches of snow fell during the race. Overend was the only one who could descend quickly. Bolton didn't even try. He dismounted, picked up the bike, and carried it down the tough descents. Overend came into transition :30 ahead of Mike Kloser, another MTB champion turned XTerra specialist, with Bolton another :30 back. Who knew that Overend could nordic ski so well? The Durango native did most of his damage on the nordic leg as it turned out, skating to the fast split of the day by almost two minutes. Kloser's ski leg -- the second-fastest -- allowed him to remain safely in the runner-up spot, 2+ minutes behind Overend's 2:15:31. Wyoming-bred Bolton is relatively new to nordic skiing -- at least competition-style skating -- and had the sixth fastest split of the day to finish third overall. Trond Nystad, a Norwegian and the lone nordic specialist in the field, had little left in his legs and arms once he strapped on the skinny skis and couldn't move up from his fourth-place position off the bike. In a tight women's race Gretchen Reeves gave up a lot of time in the run, but pulled herself back into contention on the bike with the fastest split of the day. But she still entered the transition four minutes down on Boulder's Kimberly Bruckner -- a top summer duathlete -- with just a 10k ski to go. Reeves steadily took time out of Bruckner, who is more adept on summer terrain and could manage no better than the 4th best ski split of the day. Reeves' diligence paid off as she overtook Bruckner for the victory, winning in 2:54:50, clear of second place by 1:45. There are at least two well-developed Winter Tri series in Europe, hosted by the European Triathlon Union and the International Triathlon Union, with at least eight races in total. The U.S. lags far behind in that regard, and it remains to be seen how much ground the U.S. can make up. This sport -- while relatively new -- may be on the fast track for Olympic consideration. Should it become part of the program it would be one of the only individual mass-start events in the Winter Olympics. (RESULTS) ----- Winter tri has too much green, not enough white, but favorites still shine January 23, 2001, Freudenstadt, Germany (www.slowtwitch.com): Freudenstadt is due east from Strasbourg, the French city on the Rhine occasionally under German control during the past several hundred years, depending on fortunes of war. Kniebis is an alpine town just up the hill from Freudenstadt, in the northern reaches of the Black Forest. Just a little south and you can step across the tiny streams that are the headwaters of the Danube. A little to the west and you can knock on the door of Sigrid and Martin Lang, who’ve taken the world of Winter Tri by storm so far this year. Freudenstadt was the second of four stops this season. The first was last week in the Allgäu, a drive that would take six hours in the United States, perhaps four hours in Gemany, where the cars are better, as are the drivers who race, er, who drive them. Germany: round 2 of the European Winter Triathlon Cup series 2001 took place in Winter Tri is the hottest thing to hit triathlon since the Xterra, and perhaps even hotter. The difference? The best traditional triathletes are generally among the best Xterra racers. Winter Tri stars are less well-known among triathletes, as they are frequent retreads from winter sports: nordic skiing, winter biathlon, and nordic combined. Such is the case with last year’s world beater, Italian Paolo Riva. Also hot in the Winter Tri scene this year is Zibi Szlufcik, several times Polish Biathlon Champion (in this case, biathlon means cross-country skiing and shooting). But specialists from other sports are also joining in the fun. Damian Kallabis, reigning 3000m Steeplechase European Champion, was a surprise entry in the race. It was no surprise, though, to see him run away from the field in the first leg of the race. Szlufcik was the closest of the chasers, leaving T1 in the second spot. He took over the lead on the first of 4 bike laps. Martin Lang, last week’s winner and enjoying home court advantage, joined Szlufcik on lap two, with the Italian Riva moving up to third. Kallabis rode his bike just with his running flats, obviously blessed with strength to spare, fell no further than place on the bike. Now is where the nordic specialists take over – usually. But lack of snow has made this a run-bike-run, and Szlufcik and Lang left the second transition together, again in racing flats. Riva started 1:30 down. Szlufcik pulled away for a close victory, 14 seconds ahead of Martin Lang and another minute ahead of Riva. Damian Kallabis’ fine performance on the bike took the starch out of his legs for the second run. He neither lost nor gained a place, finishing seventh. Sigrid Lang, winner last weekend in Oberstaufen and German Champion in winter triathlon clocked the fastest running split, well ahead of her closest opponents: Gabi Pauli (she entered the first transition in 3rd position); and Karin Möbes from Switzerland. A strong performance on the bike brought Pauli in the lead, where she and Lang set the pace together. This head-to-head competition brought both athletes together into the second transition. The reigning Winter Triathlon World Champion Möbes moved into third. Lang once again turned it on during the second run, and took the victory for the second straight week ahead of Gabi Pauli and Karin Moebes. Neither Marianne Vlasveld, still recovering from a foot injury which kept her out of training the second half of last year, nor Junior World Champion Karin Bliemhuber -- who had problems with her back – started. Next stop in the European Winter Triathlon Cup is in Donovaly, Slovakia, on February 10th. (RESULTS) ----- ETU Winter Cup round two this weekend January 18, 2001, Freudenstadt, Germany (www.slowtwitch.com): Sunday the second race of the 2001 European Winter Triathlon tour takes place in Freudenstadt-Kniebis, in Schwarzwald. For those not up on German geography or language, Schwarzwald is the Black Forest. That also means a homecoming for the brother-sister one-family wrecking crew of Sigrid and Martin Lang. They hail from Freiburg, just downslope from the Black Forest, and just down river -- the Rhine, in Freiburg’s case -- from Switzerland. This is the second of four races in the ETU cup. The first race was held last week in the German Alps, and the two final races take place in Slovakia and Italy. Most all the top men and women will be in attendance. Marianne Vlasveld (NED), Karin Möbes (SUI), who is reigning World Champion, and Gabi Pauli (GER) will all challenge Sigrid Lang for the women’s title. Martin Lang won last week in Oberstaufen, but Italy’s Paolo Riva rarely loses, and will be itching to avenge his defeat,. Zibi Slufcik, former member of the Polish Biathlon National team and now racing under German flag, will also be tough. ----- It’s a family affair in Oberstaufen January 15, 2001, Oberstaufen, Allgau, Germany (www.slowtwitch.com): In the picture post card province of Allgäu, in southern Germany, country church spires lay in the meadows against a backdrop of the much larger, natural spires of the German Alps Here Europe’s great mountain range splits Germany and Austria. From Oberstaufen a distance runner could easily make it to Austria and back without much trouble. A longish bike road loop could bring a rider through Austria to Switzerland – riding along the coast of Lake Constance – and back home to Germany. Oberstaufen, perhaps the Squaw Valley of Germany, welcomed the winter triathlon elite with cold winter weather. But the spectators who lined the 5km run – 15km MTB – 8km XC ski course were served up some hot racing. Marianne Braun (GER) -- better known as strong summer triathlete (6th at the Junior World Championships) -- clocked the fastest running split, closely followed by Sigrid Lang and Heidi Jesberger, both from Germany. Marianne Vlasveld (NED), last year’s ETU Cup champion and almost unbeatable during last winter’s campaign, and Gabi Pauli (GER) followed a minute behind. Lang took over the lead once on the bike, and Vlasveld and Pauli entered the second transition head to head. Lang’s lead grew another minute on a challenging XC ski leg, and she took the first European Winter Triathlon Cup race -- as well as the German Winter Triathlon crown – on dominant fashion. Vlasveld has been hampered in recent months by injury, and is still and is getting in shape for the big races to come. Reigning Winter Triathlon World Champion Karin Moebes (SUI) was strong on the bike, but has a long way to go if she plans on repeating in 2001. A lot of drama in the menís race ! The honours for the fastest running split went to Maik Petzhold/GER, who, like the whole A, B and C The whole German National Team took part in a training camp in Oberstaufen, and the home court advantage paid off for Maik Petzhold (GER), who entered T1 first off the run. Zibi Slufcik (GER) was 10 seconds down. German team strategy called for a fast run and a strong bike. Petzold took over the lead in the MTB section and pushed hard to get away from the field. Paolo Riva, last year’s winter ace from Italy, and Martin Lang (GER), brother of the victor in the women’s race – neither of whom are particularly fast runners – showed their talent on the bike – racing themselves up to Slufcik into the second transition. Things tightened up on the last leg, where Lang could overhauled Riva and Slufcik to take gold. Silver went to Riva, less than a half-minute back, with bronze to Slufcik. Lang also secured the German Championships title. Next station in the European Winter Triathlon Cup is Freudenstadt, Germany, on January 21. (RESULTS) ----- Snowshoes out, racing flats in January 5, 2001, Winter Park Colorado, (www.slowtwitch.com): In a not-unexpected move, Barry Siff, race promoter of the U.S. Winter Tri National Championship, has altered his race's format to conform with the much better developed winter tri scene in Europe. Originally intended to be an 8k snowshoe/20k mountain bike/15k skate-ski, the new format drops snowshoeing in favor of running. Why the snowshoe leg in the first place? "We have been putting on winter tris since 1998 and have always included snowshoeing," Siff said, "so it was natural for us." But triathlon—hot off its stellar performance in the Sydney Olympics—hopes to someday soon storm the winter games as well. Europe already has both an ETU winter tri circuit and an ITU cup, and names such as Nicolas Lebrun (FRA), Paolo Riva (ITA), and Karin Möbes (SUI) are well known in Europe. (Certain of multisport’s better-known summer athletes, like Daniel Keller, join in the fun, too, and Christoph Mauch is among the best in winter tri.) European winter triathlons are contested over a variety of distances, and the male winners take anywhere from one to two hours to complete them. They’re always ordered run-bike-ski, and typical races last year were of distances such as 9k/15k/12k, 5k/15k/8k, and 7k/13k/10k. Winter tri worlds last year was contested over a distance of 10k/30k/10k. The top male won in just over two hours. The U.S. championship will be 10k/20k/10k and held in Winter Park, Colo. on February 3. It was expected that the ITU would apprise the race organizers of the worldwide trend in winter tri formatting. "Shortly after announcing our race and USAT's sanctioning," Siff said, "we became aware of the international movement of winter triathlon toward Olympic consideration, and its standard of a run versus snowshoe. The ITU helped make us aware in this regard, but it was our decision to make the change. We definitely want to support the growth of winter triathlons and believe standardizing it makes sense. In addition, ITU support for our race—now or in the future—would be a good thing. We are already planning a three-race series next year in the U.S., and not just in Colorado." ----- USA triathletes get a Winter Championship December 12, Winter Park, Colorado (www.slowtwitch.com): Triathletes who swim, bike and run in summer, can now snowshoe, mountain bike and cross country ski in winter -- in a championship format, too. USA Triathlon announced the first USA Triathlon National Winter Championship for February 3, 2001, at Winter Park's Snow Mountain Ranch. The race will consist of an 8k snowshoe, 20k mountain bike and 15k skate-ski. "Winter triathlons have been popular and growing throughout Europe for years," said Tim Yount, USAT's deputy director. "Last year's world championship in Spain drew hundreds of competitors and worldwide media coverage. We believe this championship will be a springboard for interest in the United States." Snow Mountain Ranch has long been a favorite venue for active Coloradans who want to race in winter, whether on snow shoes or cross country skis. The race will be organized by MountainQuest Adventures, which has produced winter multi-sport events for three seasons now. Said Barry Siff, co-owner of Fort Collins-based MountainQuest: "Cross-training for such an event gives needed motivation to many athletes during the cold of winter. It also helps expose the great sports of snow shoeing and skate-skiing to some who may never have competed in these disciplines." For more information on the championship, check out www.mountain-quest.com or call MountainQuest at +1 970/225-2100. ----- Europe is where the winter money is December 5, Graz, Austria (www.slowtwitch.com): The winter triathlon season, now well-developed and centering in Europe, now pays a fair amount, if you want to go and trek through the snow on five dates between January and March. The European Triathlon Union's Winter Triathlon Cup and Championships will pay out 35,760 Euros in 2001 -- about US$31,500 -- over the five races. The Cup dates are January 14 (Oberstaufen, Germany); January 21 (Freudenstadt, Germany); February 10 (Donovaly, Slovakia); and March 11 (Mals, Italy). The fifth date, the European Championships, is March 18 at a location still to be confirmed. The first three Cup races pay 4040 Euros, and the fourth, the Cup finale, pays 7600 Euros. Additionally, the overall season purse is 12,000 Euros for the season's top seven men and women. Winter triathlon involves running, mountain bike and cross country skiing. ------ Italy's Riva still no match for winter rivals November 28, Klosters, Switzerland (www.slowtwitch.com): Italy's Paolo Riva, winter triathlon's dominate athlete the last three seaesons and strong as ever, and Switzerland's Karin Möbes, lonely as the only female entrant, won the opening event of the Swiss Wintertriathlon Cup, the first of nine races. The race took on a sprint format, with heats leading to a Gundersen-method final. Coming without too much rest following the first race, the final was a 1.2-kilometer run, 6k mountain bike and 4k cross country skiing. "The race with its new format has been a good training event for the end of November," said Riva, whose season focus will be the ITU World Championship in February in Newfoundland, Canada. Riva will also race the rest of the Swiss Cup races -- the next of which is January 7th in Scuol, near St. Moritz -- plus the ETU Cup races. (RESULTS) ------ Winter Triathlon: It’s a wrap March 25, Cortina, Italy (www.slowtwitch.com): The best and most competitive winter triathlon season ended last Sunday with a pair of races that, hopefully, when next year’s races are scheduled, won’t fall on the same weekend. Italy’s Paolo Riva and Germany’s Karin Moebes won the ITU Winter Triathlon Cup at Cortina, Italy, while Switzerland’s Christoph Mauch and Netherland’s Marianne Vlasveld won the Red Bull Snowman at Lenzerheide, Switzerland, on the same day. ------ Riva in Winter Worlds: 5th was fine March 9, Arpuilles, Aosta, Italy (www.slowtwitch.com): ------ ------ (RESULTS) ------ ITU joins in the winter triathlon game The International Triathlon Union, which has staged a few World Winter Triathlon Championships but never a successful series, now is staging a series of its own. ------ Triathlon on snow: Riva, Vlasveld win again (RESULTS) ------ Riva three-peats on snow (RESULTS) ------ Riva, Vlasveld defend their Euro titles on snow ------ Riva, Vlasfeld win Euro Winter Tri Cup opener ------ An Ironman? No, a Snowman! ------ Torino hosts the first European Indoor Winter Triathlon Challenge November 7, Torino, Italy (www.slowtwitch.com): The first European Indoor Winter Triathlon Challenge -- in cooperation with the European Triathlon Union (ETU), the Italian Triathlon Federation (FITRI) and the local organising company GEPROTUR -- proved to be a very spectacular race.
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