2013 Specialized S-Works Shiv

After riding on the original triathlon specific S-Works Shiv aka 'The Red Rocket' (as seen here) for the last year I was extremely excited to get onboard the 2013 S-Works Shiv. If there was ever a bike that was built with the sole purpose of going fast and keeping you fuelled (not to mention looking good) this is it. The concept of building a triathlon specific bike and ignoring all UCI rules is something that should be seen as a major benefit to any triathlete. Put simply the Shiv in my mind is the fastest bike in production.

My setup for 2013 sees a few small extra details which will hopefully help me go just that little bit faster. On board I have the new Specialized S-Works Quarq linked to the Specialized Comp cycle computer which will be feeding me all the numbers for training and racing. For race day I will be running my traditional Zipp disc and 808 combination.

In conjunction with my new ride I had a few people ask via my Facebook and Twitter if I had canned my trademark red race kit now that I'm riding on a black bike. I've mixed it up this season with help from Scody Australia and created a new tweaked version of my 2012 race kit. Thanks again to the team at Scody for making this all happen.

Big thank you as always to Specialized Australia for their continued support.

Mooloolaba ITU World Cup - DNF

Mooloolaba is quite possibly one of the hardest ITU World Cup courses there is. The course is brutal with the bike and run scaling the infamous Mooloolaba hill a total of 24 times. Add the hot and often windy conditions into the equation and you've got yourself a real race of attrition. I did my first ever ITU World Cup at Mooloolaba back in 2009 and this would be my 4th time doing the race.

I really hadn't planned to race the ITU World Cup but was given the opportunity the week out from the race by Triathlon Australia. I really felt that the course suited me and being that there was a smaller than usual field assembled I thought it could be a good opportunity for me to race hard off the front.

On the Friday night before the race I somehow managed to pick up a throat infection and come race day I was feeling less than great. I tried to put these thoughts out of my head and get on with the job at hand and just give the race everything I had.

The swim was moved from the traditional beach start to the river due to dangerous surf conditions. It was a real shame as I really enjoy the Mooloolaba beach swim as it seems to suit a stronger swimmer such as myself. The gun went off at 3pm sharp and within the first hundred metres I moved to the front of the main swim pack. Honestly the pace felt very slow and so I moved up into 3rd with just two other athletes sitting 20 meters or so in front. I managed to have a peak under my arm and see Gomez sitting comfortably on my hip with a large group behind us. It was very different to the ITU World Cup swims I remember and to be honest it felt a lot slower than any 70.3 swim I've ever done.

As soon as we hit the ride I put the hammer down and tried to get away with no success. It seemed like the chasers would shut down any move that went away only to slow right back down when they caught back up. About half way into the race my body was having none of it and I dropped off the group with around a lap left to ride. I couldn't drink or eat on the bike because of my throat infection and was even struggling to breathe in the final few laps.

I headed out of transition onto the run wanting to run hard but with less than a lap done I was forced out of the race. Although I really wanted to push through and finish it just wasn't worth it being how sick I was. It was such a hard call to make but it had to be done to avoid any more damage to the body.

I'll have a few days off now to get the body right and then continue my training for my next block of races in the USA. It's a trip I've really been looking forward and it will be my first time racing in the USA.

2013 Specialized S-Works Venge

What you see before you is the 2013 Specialized S-Works Venge which Specialized Australia has generously provided my for my racing and training this season. Planet Cycles in Brisbane did an amazing job of building up this weapon of a bike just in time for its maiden race at Mooloolaba this weekend. I'm hopeful that I can do this bike justice this Saturday racing in the Mooloolaba ITU World Cup event.

I've only had a few rides on the venge but my first impressions is that this thing is fast.. like crazy fast. The response is instant with every pedal stroke being purely used for pushing you forward. The new Roval Rapide wheel set is truly amazing and they match the matt black paint job on the venge perfectly.

Pictures speak louder than words so below are a few for your viewing pleasure...