Goodbye Europe

We got up casually this morning to get ready to go home. Our flight wasn't until four in the afternoon but I know we all kind of wanted to get going and have plenty of time to deal with any thing that came about. We had a quick breakfast, checked out and were on our way. We took the tube to Heathrow Terminal 5 which was very easy to use and we got there surprisingly quickly. One thing I am very jealous of with European cities is that everywhere we went there was fantastic public transportation. Once we arrived at Heathrow we were informed that you could only check in three hours in advance which meant that we had over an hour to kill. We decided to get a snack at a cafe in the terminal that may very well be the most expensive breakfasts we will ever have in our lives. It actually wasn't that bad but for what little we got it was pretty pricey, once for being in an airport and twice for using Pounds. After checking in we spent the rest of the time perusing the shops and duty free stores scattered throughout the waiting areas.

So all throughout our trip we heard two songs quite a bit. One was Big Girl (You are beautiful) by Mika. The other is American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West. I have included the song with video on the right. The latter song we heard so much that it became our European theme song and fittingly heard it at the electronics store next to our departure gate. Take a chance to listen to it. It was fairly catchy and man did we hear it in Switzerland, France and England. Is it played so much in the States?

On our flight back I tried to remember all of the cool things we did throughout the trip like pasta and Gelato in Venice, Fondue and prosecco in Switzerland, Bangers and Mash and Fish and Chips in London and thought to myself, a lot of the experiences were around food. I am a big fan of the food and love that that is how I like to experience culture. I also enjoyed how they served us two meals on the plane and it was almost all you can drink wine.

People always ask what the best part of the trip was and I tend to copy Dave and say the race in Rapperswil. I don't ever want to forget the cows with huge bells on the climbs (I don't need more cowbell) or the lady who I saw eating an awesome looking icre cream dessert at a cafe on the way up to the "Stairways to Heaven." There was also a cool team camaraderie that I may never experience again. I especially enjoyed all of the worldly historical monuments that we visited. I'm not the biggest history guy so hearing about Napoleon and the relationship the French had with Great Britain was very interesting. I'm sure you can school me more on it later.

Thanks for reading about the trip. I hope you find it entertaining in some way.

London! Day 3

Actually it's only day two and a half but it's the third calendar day we've been here. We ate breakfast in the bar today which is lit by green fluorescent lights. Although it makes for a great atmosphere at night when there's music and drinking, it just makes the plain breakfast even worse. After the glowing meal we waited for Amanda and Geoff to pick us up in their rental car. Even though they had a Tom Tom GPS I had a hard time following directions and getting a feel for the driving on the left side and the round abouts.

The drive out to Windsor Castle only took 20 or so minutes but we had to stop for refreshments. English countryside is really pretty and the lead up to the town surrounding the castle was interesting. After parking we decided to take the tour which is a self guided audio tour that you get with admission to the fortress. It was very clean in and around the grounds and a really quiet nature. The whole tour, which included inside and outside areas took us about two hours to complete and along the way we saw some of the common areas, the older ceremonial rooms, the gardens surrounding the main keep and the church that is still in use today with three daily services. I met an interesting guard when we first arrived. He asked what my nationality was and when I told him Filipino he started speaking in simple Tagalog in a British accent. I asked if he knew a lot of Filipinos and he said no. Fascinating. For all I know his wife is Filipino and he's just showing off. There was a deep sense of history walking around the grounds as the Castle has been around for over 900 years. St. George's chapel has the burials of several royalties and has been the site of several royal weddings. It was a beautiful day and we all took tons of photos.

After this tour we had lunch at a local stand where I had... fish and chips again. We thought about getting ice cream but decided against it. then we drove back to London taking side streets that were an adventure. Amanda was hoping the route would take us past old historic towns but they were simply smaller towns with modern furnishings. It did take us a while to get back due to traffic and when we arrived we were all happy to be out of the car.

This was to be our last night in London so we walked around again to find a place for dinner. We walked a while and didn't find anything so we ended up at a Japanese Bento Box place that was inexpensive and just okay. On the walk back home we decided to have a Guinness in a local pub. Our last hurrah before getting on a train then plane tomorrow.

London! Day 2

Maybe it was the beer we last night had or just that this has been a long trip but we slept in a little bit today. Not too long though as we had to walk back to Piccadilly Circus to go on our free walking tour and meet up with Amanda and Geoff. Man it's hot here. We stopped to get some water along the way.

The walking tour was really interesting but really hot and the walking took a lot out of us. Our guide Marceau was a Canadian gentleman who was getting his Masters in History. He was very energetic but almost too much as he would often get cotton mouth and I would want to offer him a drink of water. The tour itself was really good and informative. We saw the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, the house where the young Princes live when they are not out flying helicopters and stuff. We also went by the house of Parliament and Big Ben again but also saw Westminster Abbey. By the end we were really tired and hungry. I almost passed out on the grass as we sat during the guide's final talk.


After the tour we went to a pub for lunch. Jess and I got bangers and mash. It was really tasty but of course all we could think of was how expensive it was. Oh well. After lunch Amanda and Geoff went back to Carly's house to rest while we went to the National Museum where it was air conditioned and the admission was free. They had a lot of great paintings in there. Not as glorious as the Louvre but it was a large collection and hey, it was free. We killed a little time hanging out by some fountains to people watch, write post cards and enjoy the London atmosphere. We also took some dumb photos.


Dinner was at a restaurant called Med Kitchen. It was really good and the 3 course meal came with a nice Bellini (peach puree and Italian sparkling wine) which is kind of like a Mimosa but different. We met up with Carly, Amanda's friend from New York, and her man who was very nice. We talked about joining Amanda and Geoff on a drive to Windsor Castle instead of the second walking tour. I think we're going to do it. We want to see what's out there besides the big city and who knows, maybe the Queen will be there and she'll see us and invite us in for tea and trumpets.

We simply walked back to "The Generator" and although we could have eaten again we decided to just lay low tonight.

London!

Pack everything up and we're outie 5000 e turbo. The one star Hotel Sophia wasn't the worst but we were happy to get out of Paris and I think France in general. We caught the second train out of Paris du Nord to London but we had to wait a while in the station as there was a security issue that delayed everything going out this morning. Needless to say we got hungry and I made several trips to the restaurant car on the ride. I'm not sure about the others but I took a nap and next thing I know we have arrived in Kings Cross station in London. It was considerably warmer and sunny in London. I was sweating something fierce as we walked to our Hostel just a few blocks away. If you've ever been in a coed college dorm then you know what it's like to stay in a Hostel. The only difference here was that not everyone spoke English, though many did, they had a full bar, and people don't bathe as much. We checked in, threw down our stuff into the luggage room because once again our room was not ready, and then killed time in the lounge. Once we got our room we again dropped off our stuff and then took off to go eat- Hungry! Of course what was my first meal?- fish and chips! Not bad, good size portions. You just don't want to think how much it is since the pound is worth $2 USD.

We just started walking. We hung out in a park that was having a choir performance, some social group gatherings and a trailer promoting biking in London. We were waiting to hear from our Aussie friend Amanda who was in town on her way to the Bingham Cup Rugby tournament. We killed some time in a Starbucks talkabout who we would want to see in a perfect concert and them more time in a Lillywhite sporting goods store where I got this cheesy red white and blue London jacket. We crossed the River Thames and walked all the way to the London Eye which we should have gone on but didn't. Next time. After taking a ton of photos we made our way back across the river to see Big Ben. After all the time killing we eventually didn't meet up with Amanda and Geoff tonight because they got too hammered last night but have plans to go on a free walking tour with them tomorrow. Man, it's hot here. It's nice at night though.

Dave and I got hungry again so we walked across the street to grab something. I was going to do a pizza feast but opted for hotwings. Afterwards we went to the hostel bar for a drink and watched Godzilla. Tomorrow it's more Londontown!

Paris! Day 2

We had to catch up on the z's we lost in Aix en Provence so we slept in today. In doing so we missed breakfast this morning (coffee and bread for 4.50 Euros, no big) and so we decided to go to a market close by. We should have done this sooner- so much cheaper food here! It was interesting to see the different types of products they have from alternative meats and cheeses to styles of water. We got some sandwiches, meats, cheeses, tasty treats, fruits, juice and stuff. Sometimes it was hard because we couldn't read all of the packaging. They charged us for plastic bags since we left ours at home. We got a late start but we didn't mind so much. We had been going so quickly that I know we wanted to take it slower. Today our only real plan was the Louvre. We headed out and caught the tube.

We arrived to a rainy pyramid but still there were relatively long lines. A lot of the museum is underground but also cool how they hide it all. I had seen the Da Vinci Code but didn't really know what to expect, either way it was exciting just waiting to get in. We only had two hours or so to get though as much as we could with the unofficial priority being the Mona Lisa. Once inside we took our time getting through the exhibits and then didn't have too much left to explore all the other parts of the Museum. It could have been a whole day affair. Maybe longer depending on how you want to analyze each piece. Oh well, the Mike Lin version of the tour would have to do. We did get to see the Venus de Milo statue. On the way out we walked through a garden that had some statues. I wanted to get Jess and Dave doing stupid stuff but it was hard to encourage. Dave did a pose and Jess eventually did something with an exclamation, "I was touching her boob."

Jess wanted to go back to the Concord, an obelisk monument in a roundabout near the Louvre, to find a plaque we missed earlier. Apparently it was where Marie Antoinette was beheaded. I could care less but Jess is into that history stuff. We walked back up the Chaps Elysee but on the other side of the street this time. Similar Romeo shops. We decided to eat dinner in a more touristy area so we would be treated better. We ate at a busy place, had expensive cokes and deserts and enjoyed our last night in Paris. It was really cool and quite an experience. Tomorrow we will take a train to London, England.

On a side note- Joey took the train up from the South of France to hook up with some friends in Paris. We didn't see him. Maybe he got lucky.

Paris!

The train to Paris was fine though as soon as we got off we went straight to the office of tourism to book a hotel room. A one star Hotel Sophia! We had no idea where the hotel would be and what sights would be around it but luckily Paris has a fantastic subway and bus system that easily allowed to get everywhere. Our room wasn't ready when we arrived so we just checked in, dropped off our stuff and then went out for breakfast- omelets! We had trouble pronouncing stuff and ordering but we made due. I got jambon- delicious. We needed to kill some time so we decided to go to a church on the map which just happened to be the Sacred Heart Basilica of Montmarte. Steeped in history this massive church is on a hill that oversees much of Paris. I lit a candle for mom as we walked around the inside. It was awesome and very moving. The view from the front steps was a great sight as you got to see the almost the whole city of Paris from the north.


After a few pictures and videos we went back to our room, took showers and did a little sink laundry. The nap we had was well deserved. After some pizza slices and a sandwich made from that meat spinning on a spike while it's cooked and cut, we walked down the street and just happened upon the Moulin Rouge theater. It was kind of dirty and in an area with a lot of Adult stores but I guess that's not a surprise. As I mentioned earlier the subway system in Paris is great and you don't need a car or taxi to get around. We easily found our route and were quickly on our way to the Arc de Triomphe.


Wow. When you get out of the subway station you walk up some stairs and there it is. It is really impressive and surprisingly unprotected. We didn't want to go on the tour to the top but I don't think we missed much. The Arc is at the elevated end of the Champs Elysees so we could see down the avenue. It was cool to be at the monument that you catch on TV while watching the Tour de France. My camera was running out of batteries so I had to be a little efficient with my photos but we did take quite few. We walked down the Champs Elysees which is kind of like the Magnificent Mile in Chicago but they have car manufacturers showing off new models and concept cars and formula one stuff. We didn't stop at any except for the Swatch watch store. They had a few Rolland Garros limited edition stuff (The French Open was finishing while we were there) and some red clay in a display that was cool. It's kind of a long walk and when we got to the end we decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower. We walked along the river and it was really pretty.

The Eiffel Tower is really big. Almost as big as the one in Las Vegas. There were quite a few people there and long lines to go to the top. We weren't really feeling it and it started to get cold so after a while it got dark and we decided to go back to the hotel. We did get to see the lighting of the tower and then at 10:00PM, when it wasn't really dark yet, it lights up again with sparkly strobes from the base to the tippy top. We have a full day ahead of us tomorrow. It's interesting how we didn't really go out to see the nightlife in any of the places. We ended up being too tired. Maybe that was a good thing because David really likes to get drunk and dance and stuff.

South of France

It rained a little on the train ride west but we slept for most of it so it really didn't matter. When we woke were in the South of France city of Nice. We saw Monaco along the way but I'm glad we didn't get off there because although it looked really pretty it was small and just had rich people, beaches and stuff. Maybe we'll stop there when the band gets big and tours Europe. We decided to eat breakfast in Nice which worked out well because we were really hungry. I think all of the walking and lugging the bags made us wanting food all the time. More so than we are normally. We had crepes ( I had a nutella flavored one) and cafe-creme which were all tasty but could have been more filling. After that we were off to burn a few calories. We walked with our backpacks and bags down a main street to a large fountain and then to a local market. No one spoke English so we didn't really talk to anyone. We made our way to the beach which was really blue and we would have so went in the water if it wasn't 9:00 AM and overcast and we had beach towels and beverages and stuff. The strange part was that there wasn't any sand, just little rocks covering the ugly dirt only a few inches beneath. I took a small stone as a memento. We walked up a big hill to a lookout called Lou Casteu, again with our heavy bags, which was strenuous but worth it when you got to the top. The viewpoint of Chateau de Nice was a former castle in the 13th century but was gone by the 17th century. Too bad. We were there a while taking photos of the beach city of Nice and the dense buildings that comprised the downtown area.

We headed back on the train and them stopped in to Cannes for lunch. It would have been more impressive if it hadn't been raining. The film festival ended but a week or so earlier but the town was quiet already, maybe the weather did something with that as well. Not much to see here except expensive shops, lavish hotels on beautiful beaches. Don't get me wrong, it was nice but I'm sure much more impressive when there are tons of celebrities and paparazzi around. At least walking around this time we didn't have our bags with us as we had checked them into a locker at the train station. Our next stop was to be Marseilles but Tesfa had recommended steering clear of it so we just went directly to Aix en Provence which is where our friend Joey was staying for work.

We caught a later train than expected and by the time we got into town all of the rooms had been booked up. Change in plans. So we had dinner with Joey and walked around a lot, again with our packs, and then when Joey went home we decided to pull an all nighter at a cafe and take the first train out to Paris. The night was a much longer ordeal but it will be easier to tell you in person all that happened then write it all here. I'm just glad it worked out fine, even after getting kicked out of the casino. Not much to do in Aix. Small French town that might have been explored more but we would need a car. Off to Paris!

Gelato Time

The breakfast at the hotel wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The coffee was really good and it seemed as if they were extra creamy. Maybe I put too much milk. I made a few ham and cheese sandwiches using croissants and thought about taking one for the road. After we got our fill we checked out and stored our bags then set out to do some sightseeing though it was supposed to rain on and off.

The streets were packed with vendors and shoppers. David and I were taking photos left and right and acting like real tourists. It did start to rain a few times and we ducked into some covered walkways for shelter. I think the rain helped rinse the streets and canals because we didn't really smell the garbage that we were warned about. It is surprisingly clean. The rain did dampen the clothes that some people hung from their windows but it didn't last long. We tried to find another ATM to get some Euros which was a little hard thinking that the dollar was so weak but once we had the Euros in our hands they were so easily spent. We found our way back to St. Marks Square and it was a totally different experience. It was packed with tourists this time (darned tourists!) and the light revealed the majesty and glamour of Venice's landmark. I took many photos and a few videos so I would have a lot to remember it by. Although much of it was under repair it was still a glorious sight.

I think we did pretty well killing time today. We had lunch a cool little Italian eatery. We found more gelato. Stopped into a church where they hold concerts. We walked around- a lot. We found the water, strolled along some Italian fishing boats and had to take some photos for the Adamo's. At the end of the day we found an Italian cafeteria that was pretty cheap and had good pasta. We also did a bottle of wine and surprisingly finished it between the three of us. Did we do gelato again? All I remember is that we did gelato three times while we were there. We never did go on a gondola ride but we did see a lot of people doing it and it's just like in Vegas but outdoors. Our overnight train took off around 10:00 PM so I wanted to milk everything out of Venice as we could. This is the only sleeper car we would take and I know all three of us will take advantage of it. We have a long day ahead tomorrow in the south of France.

Venezia

Today was our last day in Switzerland and this morning we took a train down to Italy. After Tesfa left for work, Fati was kind enough to show us the bus to the train station before she went to the library to study. Since we had to wait some time for the next train we decided to catch a meal at the cafe just inside the train station. It was our longest train ride, so far, with a brief stop in Milan to switch trains on the way to Venice. I do have to say that this ride through the Swiss countryside and the mountains that boarder on Italy are some of the most picturesque we've seen. The stop in Milan was uneventful. We took a walk outside the train station and it was just blah. So much for the fashion capital of the world.

Almost seven hours. By the time we arrived in Venice it was already early evening and we needed to find a place to stay. The first hotel on our list was booked but the front desk attendant found another hotel for us conveniently close to the train station. We had been getting hungry on the ride and all David could say was pizza and gelato. The cobblestone streets seemed to be out of a Disneyland theme park. Everything was perfect and life size and it felt weird thinking that people live and work here. We found a pizza place that would take credit cards, surprisingly a lot of them didn't, bought a few slices and some water and found a place to sit. What a nice end to a long travel day but it wasn't over. Tonight we were to start looking for David's wife who was supposedly living in Venice. We looks fairly hard but found quite a few Americans running around acting like... Americans. "Can you make it half and half?" we heard a girl say with a SoCal accent and attitude to a gelato attendant. I couldn't forget that and I would repeat it whenever we would see any sorority girls ordering in restaurants or haggling to souvenir cart owners.


It started to get dark and by 9:30 the sun was setting. We bumped into an older couple who were trying to find their way back to their hotel. They had found a bar where glasses of wine were only one Euro (approximately $1.50) and the wife definitely had a few. She was very talkative and we couldn't decide if the husband was annoyed by her talking to us or if he just wanted to get to their room to take advantage of her in that state. We eventually found Piazza San Marco and the way the narrow pathway opened up into the square was magical. There were three small orchestras filling the open air with classical music and people milling around, some dancing others trying to avoid the water that seemed to be creeping up from somewhere. I tried to take some photos but they all turned out dark. Jess, David and I got some gelato and had to say to ourselves, "We're eating gelato, in Venice, in St. Mark's Square." It felt really special. David called his mom to tell her we were having a good time.


The walk back to our hotel was cool even if we got lost a few times and I almost walked into a canal. The city at night was just as spectacular as during the day. We have a full day tomorrow to go exploring. We'll have more Italian food, probably more gelato, try to find the Piazza San Marco again, maybe ride a gondola and just spend time people watching. I can't wait.

Start of the Holiday!

If you didn’t guess, we slept in a little this morning after taking the bus back late last night and not getting to bed until 1:30AMish. We had breakfast at the Swissotel one last time before frantically trying to put the bike back together before we were to catch a train to Lausanne. Negotiating three bike boxes on trains is a pain and a half! Steve and Nicole were to accompany us to Lausanne, Nicole was checking out more of Switzerland and the Hoff was headed home to visit his family and go in to “the office.” We were going to visit Tesfa, a PowerBar Berkeley alum now working in Orb, and his new ladyfriend, Fati. We also talked Fabienne into helping ship our bikes back to the US so we agreed to bring them to Vevey so she can ship them from her office. Thank you so much, Fabienne!

Fati incredibly found us on the train midway through our ride to Lausanne and we proceeded to catch another train to Vevey with David and my bike cases. Did I mention how cumbersome it is to deal with those bulky things? We eventually got them to the Nestle Nutrition building, and I really felt like our vacation started at that moment. We took the train and bus back to Tesfa and Fati’s place in Prilly (pronounced Pree) to wait for Tesfa to get home from work. I was able log on which was very helpful but my laptop is not working properly so I am unable to check work emails- maybe that’s a good thing.

Tesfa and Fati took us to the city center of Lausanne, showing us a church with awesome views and then treating us to dinner at a popular fondue place called Fondue Fromage in Cafe de L'Eveche. Nicole met up with us and after dinner we waked to a british pub for a drink. Cool place but small and smokey- the Euros love their cigarettes. We walked through the shopping district to drop Nicole off at the train station back to her Nestle Hotel and then we drove to an African theme bar. Very interesting! Tesfa mentioned that we were hearing 5-6 African language conversations at one time. It felt sketchy at first but Tesfa and Fati are somewhat regulars and the owner Lady came over to greet us. It was really cool. On the drive home we passed by the “red light district” and saw a few ladies of the night. I loved how Tesfa slowed down so we could get a good look at the women working legally. Very interesting. Super big thanks to Tesfa and Fati for hosting David, Jessica and I in their cool home. Tomorrow we are off to Venice. We’re definitely looking forward to that.

Rapperswil Race Day

I woke up before the alarm as I do sometimes just before 6:00 AM Sunday Morning. I had taped the nips and prepared the Endurance beverage the night before so all I had to do was get into the cool 2XU kits PowerBar Europe made for us, grab our bags and meet down for Breakfast at 6:30. I don’t get so nervous when I first wake up and I was excited to see everyone else with their pre-race attitude and introduce everyone to Jessica. After enjoying the VIP tent at Wildflower I knew that a hearty bacon and egg breakfast was great race fuel and the Swissotel buffet had a special juice blend that I had been enjoying all week. We got on the bus just before 7:00AM and headed down to Rapperswil- the 45 minute drive would be very relaxing.

We arrived in Rapperswil and already started sweating on the walk to the transition area. It was going to be a hot one today. I’ve done enough of these now that my transition area set up is fairly simple. I’ve checked a lot of pro set ups where all you see are sneakers and sunglasses since the bike shoes are attached to the pedals already. Two minute transitions? I’m not that hard core, I would be happy with five. We gathered as many PowerBar people we could for a few pre-race photos and then one last trip to the port a potty. I was thinking about dropping off the kids but there wasn’t any TP so there you go.

The course consisted of a one lap swim, a two lap bike and a two lap run. The swim start area was surprisingly calm and everyone spread out nicely. I spoke briefly with another American who did the California 70.3 and said that the water there may have been colder. He was a nice gentleman who I saw a few times on the run. They don’t have a countdown to start the swim just an announcement of “One minute to go” and then “Go!” I couldn’t get into a rhythm early on like I normally do. I was worried that I would have to deal with that for a while but then I slowly got into it and started to wonder when my wave would thin out and I would be swimming by myself. It wasn’t too long. I remember thinking that the first leg out was taking a long time. I would occasionally switch my breathing to the right side so I could glance at the snow capped Alps in the distance. I thought that if I was going to be out there a while I might as well enjoy it. The swim altogether was fine though as I swam into the exit area I caught my arm on a pole and earned some remarks from a few Germans who were right there to see it.

The run to the transition was fine and per the usual my bike was easy to spot. I counted maybe five other bikes in my area so I thought maybe I wasn’t last out of the water from my age group this time. The bike out to the main road was fine and I got a cheer from Emma and Samantha (The Australians) right outside the transition area. What lay ahead may be the most difficult bike course I’ve faced. At about 10K into the bike you hit the first hill called the Witches hill. Scary, in more ways than one. You cross a road and quickly it turns into an uphill that is filled with spectators. Think “Mountain Stage” of the Tour de France. I immediately shifted down into my granny gear and found myself breathing heavily- almost struggling. The cool part was that the spectators were very supportive and made it feel like a real Tour de France stage. “Hop, hop, hop!” is the cheer as you cycle by. I heard it quite a bit with an added “Hop, Zho-well, hop!” when they read my name on my bib. It was cool but I also felt like they were berating me in German. They had people dressed up as witches with big masks and burlap cloaks that were really intimidating. I was definitely the slowest one except for a Swiss gentleman named Patrick who had to walk the Witches’ hill both laps. He would eventually overtake me later but we saw each other a few times and I made a point to give him a shout of support. The second hill of the course was called the Beast and it was pretty well named. There was pain in thinking that we had to do it twice. Would I be able to do it twice?

Other than the two hills everything else was fantastic. I used to think the Donner Triathlon near Tahoe was the most beautiful race I’ve done but this beats it on so many levels. Besides swimming in scenic Lake Zurich and then biking in the hills with the Swiss Alps in the distance, there were cows with huge bells right next to the road, fields of who knows what growing in pretty rows, houses and building that making you think you are in Disneyland. It was just wow. My only regret is that I could not take any photos during the race itself to capture the views.

After the second lap it was definitely warm and I was glad to be out of the saddle. The two laps of the run were split up in two areas, one through town and the other through countryside. The town part was really cool as you felt like a pro racing through a major city. The aid stations were all very well stocked and the volunteers were top notch. Midway throughout the city area you have to run up to a castle that they call the “Stairways to Heaven.” When I got to it most people were on their second lap but I enjoyed the cheerleaders strategically placed at the top. The cobblestone streets weren’t so bad and winding through back alleys was actually a pleasure in getting to see all the nooks and crannies of an old European city. I started to take sponges at every aid station to deal with the heat, grabbing one for each shoulder and then another one to squeeze on my head. Heat management is another thing I need to deal with on most courses and this was no exception. The second half of the run lap through the countryside is a little more boring and equally as hot. The fields are pretty to look at but I need something a little more dynamic if not populated to help. At the run turn around I saw Joel, Chad and Todd cheering us on and taking photos which was really cool. They helped send me back out for lap two which I wasn’t looking forward to.

I had been calculating all day how fast I would need to go to finish before the final cut-off and I had some doubts on the run if I could do it. I would need to finish under 8:00 hours which would be a personal best. I had decided that I really could only stop running briefly at the aid stations and keep it consistent throughout to be successful. What helped me going was that I found my Swiss friend Patrick from the bike going at about the same pace as me on the run. We greeted each other and gave encouraging remarks each time one would pass. When he or I would get too far ahead we would turn around to see where the other was at. It was really cool, especially since I didn’t know any French and he didn’t know much English, I think. It was a special friendship that would last only a few hours. I saw David on the run a few times, Nicole several times, some of the Europeans occasionally and we would all give a thumbs up or words of encouragement. It really did feel like a team. Zibi and Asker, who had finished HOURS earlier found me on the end of my second lap and ran with me for a bit. We chatted and it helped keep me consistent which Zibi confirmed was a good thing. When I felt better I thought I could possibly increase my pace but didn’t want to anger my calf that had been teasing me with cramp possibilities since the start of the run.

The finishing shoot was fantastic and as I’ve mentioned somewhere before, all that matters is getting to the end. The finish area was packed and I was able to spot Jess in the final straightaway which was a treat. The cheerleaders were there to welcome me back as were Phil, who just finished himself, Zibi and Asker. I was hoping to find some food at the finish as I was really hungry but found only empty beverage bubblers where a chocolaty shake used to be. I tried an ice cold Red Bull but it did nothing for me. I eventually found Fabienne who offered some strawberries- delicious. A cold shower was just what I needed to get me going until the next happening that night.

At the PowerBar after party it was great to hear everyone’s experiences. Zibi beat everyone with no training and a sore throat. Eric Zaltas scorched the course on a borrowed bike as his never showed up from his flight. Sanchez was so powerful he broke his pedal off and crashed though conveniently meeting a cute doctor in the process. Several people completed their first triathlon and a few of us PR’d. There were a few awards given out by Phil including the grand prize of a Suunto heart rate monitor watch to Zibi for the fastest time. At the end Zibi came back up to say something about someone being deserving of working the hardest on the course by being out there the longest and proceeded to call me up there to give me his gift. I reluctantly accepted and blew kisses to my adoring fans. Although I was called out for being the slowest of the group- hey, at least I was getting a cool prize. There were tons of grilled meats and in classic Phil style, unlimited beverages. If only all of my races could be like that.

Check out a great video of the race here. You can get an awesome view of what the race was like. You might also recognize someone's back just past the 7 minute mark.

Pre-Race Jitters

Saturday was the first night we were able to sleep in so we took full advantage of it. We have all been experiencing a little jet lag, some more than others, and with the late nights of dinner and drinks we needed to start thinking about the race the next day. The surreal part of this morning was waking up to a high-school-like band playing on the plaza next to the hotel. They were playing everything from what sounded like national anthems to Steve Wonder's I Just Called to Say I Love You. I couldn't see the band from my window but could hear them fine. After I did a little in room laundry, I met David for breakfast outside while another town band was playing. It was so beautiful with a farmer's market going on (although they just called it a market), it was pleasantly sunny and just a perfect morning. I tried to get Dave to notice the lovely Euro ladies but the sun was in his eyes. After breakfast we needed to look for some CO2 canisters since most of us heeded the airlines warning not to pack them.

Nicole and Steve "The Hoff" Betrisey decided to do a little sight seeing today. Steve is from Switzerland so he is fairly comfortable with going around but he's from the French side so he says that's very different. He speaks German and French anyways so it doesn't matter where he is. Last night their cab driver thought Steve looked like David Hasselhoff so we're going to see how long we can milk it with the KITT references.

After finishing putting the bike together we met the group to shuttle back down to Rapperswill to register, check in our bikes, and attend the required pre-race talk. While we were in the race expo it started to rain which made everyone scramble to cover their bikes as well as fear that we'd have to deal with more rain tomorrow. It quickly went away though and we were able to check out the transition area, the swim start and swim exit. One thing everyone noticed was that all of the athletes there looked very fit and ready to race, not like in the US where at every race there are a huge range of shapes and sizes. I'm starting to worry that I'll be the last one to finish, if I am able to finish in time. Due to the timing cut-offs, for me to finish in time I will need to PR. Fantastic.


So the bike transtion is right next to the very small town zoo. Not the biggest selection of animals but they had giraffes, camels and random birds running around and you could smell them often from where ever you were near the expo. One of their town mascots is a guy in a giraffe suit who must have been really hot. Nicole got a picture with him but I couldn't get him to pose with me. He was being offered beer but three guys playing traditional horns and by the end of the day he had to be walked around by the arm.

At the pre-race pasta party they had some funky Euro dance troup which was more of a dance class preformance than a show like you might see at the larger Ironman races. The food was decent and filling but the shocker was they had free beer and everyone was drinking- a lot! The Germans love their beer, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. I took the shuttle home knowing that Jessica was hopefully at the hotel. I arrived back to the hotel with a Jessica passed out on the bed. We walked around a little looking for food for her and ended up at the McDonald's across the street. She got the most expensive meal combo she will ever get in her life. It was like 11 CHF. Royal with Cheese. Got to get to bed to wake up at 6:00 AM.

Bring On The Race

Friday was my presentation day which went fine. Not much to say here except that I spent some time worrying about the deck and talk but it went by so fast that it really wasn't worth the worry. The day ended shorter than yesterday as one of our executives had to catach a Kylie Minogue concert that evening. I hear she puts on a good show.

Dave and I swam today which was really cool. The edgeless pool had fantastic views of the countryside, the city of Zurich, the Swiss Alps and the airport. You could also see how very involved the train and trolly system are here as tracks went everywhere and there was always a train coming or going, even though you might not be able to hear them. The pool wasn't really big enough to do real laps but long enough to stretch out a 5-6 strokes if you didn't push off too hard from the wall. The hot tub could have been hotter but then we would have been soup.

So the plan for tonight was to go to dinner at the official race hotel down near Pfäffikon which is the town directly across Lake Zurich from Rapperswill (where the race is on Sunday.) Dave, Emma (one of the Australians) and I decided to take the train down which was as pretty as a train ride could be. Lots of countryside again, with the Swiss Apls in the distance. When our train stopped at the Rapperswil station I got really worried that we took the wrong train because we were on the wrong side of the lake but after the next stop the train went across a bridge and we were in the right place. Don't worry so much! So dinner was at a restaurant called Punto and hosted by Joel from one of our interactive agencies. As usual the food was really good and we met two more cool Auzzies- Liz and Danny. There was an impromptu wine tasting that was really cool but since I don't know wines at all it was wasted on me. I was also trying to take it easy as I had pushed it the first night and was planning on tapering my drinking leading in to Sunday. Man, they enjoy their adult beverages here. I spoke to Jessica on the phone tonight as she was leaving that afternoon to meet me here tomorrow. She sounded really nervous. The cab ride back was almost 150 CHF- good thing we're expensing that.