Victory IRONMAN Cozumel

Yesterday was a fantastic day to me, maybe I would better start this newsletter with "WAW". I really had a good day and raced smart. "Experience" and "mental strength" were the keywords.
 

I entered T1 as 6th in a group of 8 athletes. The first transition went rather slow, but from the start of the bike I felt strong. The new P5X makes it very comfortable to transfer my power, a feeling that I already experienced in Hawaii. Soon I was able to take the lead together with Amorelli, only during the last lap we were overtaken by Michael Weiss.
 

The desired advance after the bike leg was there, but wasn't that big. So the marathon would be decisive.  From the start I was able to maintain a comfortable pace for 21 km, the new Cloudflow running shoe was another added value. During the 2nd part of the marathon I had to maintain a decent pace to defend my lead of three minutes. This worked well, though the heat and humidity didn't make it any easier.
 

Ending my season, after some bad luck, in this way is therefore a serious boost. And actually it does not feel like ending my season but as a fresh start. 2017 is on the horizon but first a well-deserved rest.

Frederik Van Lierde

Picture: Nick Morales