2022 Xterra World Championship - travel and race week

On Monday morning, we went for a swim at the aquatic center and then packed up the car to head to Atlanta, Georgia. This trip to Europe felt a lot less stressful than our last trip as it was only a week and logistically, a lot easier than our month-long trip in August.

We made the ~2.5 hour drive to the Atlanta airport and parked in the Park n’ Fly lot. I reserved a parking pass for the lot for only $88 for the week, which was very affordable compared to the other parking options. Logistically it's a bit more complicated as we have to take a shuttle from the parking lot to domestic and then to the international terminal. But instead of using the parking lot shuttle for our luggage and bikes, we parked at the hourly parking, checked our bags and bikes in at the airport, then drove to the parking lot so that all we had to bring with us to the airport was our carry-ons. We had to then take the domestic shuttle to the international shuttle so having only our backpacks was a lot easier than 2 bikes + 2 suitcases. 

I like to give us ~3 hours at the airport for international flights so that we aren't rushed, so once we went through security, we had ~90 minutes before our flight was boarding. Our flight was a little delayed but we had plenty of time so we had a small meal at the airport before heading to our gate. We got a bit of work done before our long flight to Milan. The nine-hour flight left around 6:30pm.

I was able to book a very affordable one-way flight to Milan (MXP) and comfort plus seats. After being served dinner on the plane (I requested a lacto-ovo vegetarian meal in the Delta app), we tried to get some sleep. I was able to sleep a bit better than Karel as his back was bothering him.

We arrived to Milan around 9:30am and after getting our bikes and luggage, we walked to the car rental (Stix). I heard great reviews from this rental company and it was in Terminal 1 – just a short walk from baggage. We were surprised how nice the agent at the car company was to us – she was worried that our bikes wouldn’t fit in the car we reserved so she had Karel bring a bike case to the car just to make sure. This was just our first trip introduction to the kindness of the Italians. 

Karel did all the driving throughout our trip as we had a manual car (I don’t know how to drive a stick shift). Shortly after leaving the airport we made a stop at a gas station for the bathroom and coffee and we were once again, delighted by the kindness of Italians (and the great coffee from the gas stations). The gas stations in Europe are not like what we have in America and you can expect great coffee (in real cups if you choose) and delicious bakery goods and sandwiches. I got an egg plant and veggie and cheese sandwich and it was amazing.

After loading the car, we decided to make a slight 1 hour detour and visit the Ghisallo Cycling museum. I found this museum online prior to our trip and after telling Karel about it, we knew it was something we needed to see. Our museum tour had a radio guide (English) to walk us through each of the 20+ exhibits. For only 6 Euros each, it was well worth it! We even bought a few souvenirs and had lunch just outside the museum. Compared to France, the food was much cheaper, better quality and there was much less smoking. We were already falling in love with Italy.

If you'd like to see more pics from our museum tour, you can check out all my pics on my Facebook page from September 27th.

We had a long 4-hour drive to Molveno and although the sites were beautiful, we were getting really tired after being awake for over 30 hours. Although we usually stay in Airbnbs during our race-cations (for the kitchen and extra space), the Airbnb that I booked for our stay was only available from Thurs – Tuesday. I booked two nights in the Apotel Dolomite in the town of Molveno and we instantly fell in love. The staff was so nice and helpful. When we arrived, they gave us the option to “upgrade” our room for only 10 euros – a bigger room and lake/mountain view. They gave us two key cards to check out the rooms so that we could decide which room we wanted. The hotel was already very affordable at only $120 euros a night – which included a buffet breakfast and 4 course dinner (for both of us!). Of course we took the nicer room 😊 We couldn’t believe how kind and helpful everyone was in the hotel. After we parked our car in the tiny garage and unloaded our stuff in our room, we made our way to our hotel dinner (which started at 7:30pm). We assumed we were getting a few appetizers to make a small meal but after enjoying our appetizers, it was time to select our 2nd course…and then 3rd course…and then dessert. We didn’t finish dinner until almost 9:30pm but it was absolutely amazing. The chef even prepared me my own special vegetarian dishes. They were so accommodating and nice.

And if you've never been to Europe, the food is extremely tasty. Meals are celebrated. Stores shut down for lunch. Meals are not rushed. There are several courses and it often takes 2+ hours to complete a "meal." The desserts are not sweet and leave you feeling satisfied, not uncomfortable. It's a very different food culture compared to the US and after a few trips to Europe, I can see why American's can often struggle with their relationship with food. 

It was nearing 10pm and we were so tired. We cracked the windows as it was a cool 50-degrees outside and we slept amazingly well (a big difference from the warm temps and no AC from our Czech/France trip in August). We ended up sleeping for almost 12 hours and woke up around 9:50am. Oops – we were going to miss breakfast which was from 7:30-10am. We hoped to get some coffee so we hurried downstairs for some coffee and they kept the breakfast open for us (and a few others who were still eating in the restaurant). The breakfast spread was incredible – although it was something that we had gotten used to from the Haute Route Alps. The breakfast options at hotels in Europe are incredible.

After a delicious meal, we decided to get on our bikes to ride one loop of the 30K bike course. With it being in the 50’s, I was a nervous about the cold water and I was not quite ready to be cold. Plus, I was feeling a bit anxious about a new bike course so I wanted to ease my nerves and check it out.

It was nearing noon when we headed out for our ~10 mile ride. There was a lot of climbing, a lot of fire roads and a few technical sections with roots. After making our way around a drained pond, we approached a steep downhill with a 90-degree right turn and then left turn. I really struggled with this as it's something I am still learning and as much as I tried to face my fears, I wasn’t able to conquer it – so I slide my way down the hill with my bike. Karel showed me what to do but I was still too nervous.

We then approached the “downhill” part of the course which started off with several berms – it was a lot of fun. We then got to a more technical section with rocks and tight turns and although I wasn’t afraid for this section, I wanted to be careful not to hurt myself. The end part of the course was a steep gravel road into town and then onto the cobblestone roads of the town. I bravely went down the stairs without thinking twice – which was my first time tackling something like that.

After riding the loop, we headed back to our hotel, got cleaned up, had a snack and made our way to the race venue to get our stuff. Here's a video from our ride. 

  

After checking in, it was time to brave the cold water. We heard the water was 17 degrees Celsius which is similar to St. George – which is a venue we have a lot of experience with. I was very nervous about getting cold as the air was cold (50’s) and the water was cold. I was also upset because I forgot my booties in the hotel room.

Karel made his way to the water first and when I saw him get into the water and submerge himself to his neck without moving, and then he gave me a thumbs up. Karel’s feet hurt him in cold water so I knew if he was ok, I would be ok.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t as cold as I imagined and although it was a bit cool, it was a beautiful lake to swim in. The water was blue and clear and very fresh. We swam along the buoys that were set up to get familiar with the course.

After the swim, we bundled up and walked back to our hotel. We had a little time before dinner so we made a quick stop at the local store for a few items and then met our friend John for dinner at our restaurant at 7:30pm. We had another amazing 4-course meal from 7:30-9:30pm and then it was time for bed. We didn’t sleep as great on Wednesday evening as we did on Tuesday but it was still a good night of sleep.

On Thursday morning we set an alarm to get up at 7am as we needed to check out of the hotel at 10:30am. We were really sad to leave the hotel as it was in the perfect local in town, it was super cute, the staff was so nice, one of the staff had a dog (which I loved on) and the restaurant food was amazing. After breakfast, we went for another swim in the lake and then finished packing up our stuff to load our car. The hotel let us keep our bikes in the bike room in the garage since we didn’t have room for luggage, bike bags and bikes. With the city being very safe, we left our luggage in the car and parking at the on-site event parking and went for a run on the course.

I learned my lesson from Xterra Czech not to do too much before the race so my run was a combo of running, jogging, walking and hiking. The first and last part of the course was on gravel/road but the middle was very technical on dirt, over roots and rocks. There was even a rope to help climb up a 30+ % hill. After the ~3 mile run, we checked out the expo, bought a few things (we couldn’t believe how affordable everything was – from food to clothing!) and then went to check in at our Airbnb, which was less than ½ mile from the venue, right on the lake. After our run, it started to rain so we warmed up with coffee and strudel at a cafe near the venue. 

With the grocery store not open between 12-4, after unloading our stuff we drove back to the grocery to pick up some food for our place. Once again, wow – the food was really affordable and we bought a lot of local and fresh food for less than 40 euros! The weather was getting cool and it was starting to rain. The rain continued from Thurs until Friday evening.

After we ate dinner in our Airbnb, we watched a few YouTube videos from pro athletes in Kona, finished up some work and then went to bed. The next morning we tried to time our ride for when it wasn’t raining as rain was predicted all day. It was barely 50 degrees out and I bundled up for our shake our ride. I was very nervous and feeling anxious about the conditions after/during the rain so Karel thought it would be a good idea to ride up the paved path to the “downhill” section to get more familiar with it. We reversed the route on the path (which included several miles of climbing) and then made our way to the pond and steep technical downhill. The trail was muddy and slippery and I couldn’t get myself to ride the steep downhill with the two tight turns so I made the decision that I would just slide down it on race day (I wasn’t able to walk it as it was too steep and I was sliding anyways). The rocks and roots were challenging so I rode only the sections that I felt most comfortable with as I didn’t want to hurt myself. There were other riders on the course and we were all getting a bit muddy. This was my very first time riding in these conditions so it was all very new to me. My biggest worry on race day was slowing other people down or getting in the way of other riders.

After our ride, we rode to the bike wash to clean off our bikes and then went back to our Airbnb. We ate lunch at one of the (many) local pizza places with our friend John (it was amazing – just like all the food in Italy – so fresh!) and then got our stuff ready for the race. With the weather predicted to be 48-52 on race day (and cloudy), I wasn’t sure what to wear so I decided to wear a two piece kit (to put on a dry jersey after the swim). I also packed shoe covers, arm warmers, “hot hands”, a piece of a space blanket, glove, knee warmers and a vest just in case (I ended up only using the gloves and jersey).

After dinner, I laid down around 7pm to watch a show on Netflix and really struggled to fall asleep. I could feel my heart beating hard and I felt a lot of anxiety about this new, unknown experience. Whereas I’m normally really confident going into triathlon events, this one had me extremely nervous – the weather, the course, the cold, the other athletes. On one hand, I wanted to embrace this new adventure but on the other hand, I wanted to be on the sidelines (warm and safe) and just cheer for Karel. I had a lot of inner dialogue going on in my head but eventually I felt asleep. Thankfully, Xterra races start later in the morning so I woke up feeling rested to my 7am alarm. 

I had to modify my typical pre-race meal as there was no waffles, bagels or peanut butter in the town so I had bread with hazelnut spread and jam. Karel had his normal oatmeal. We ate around 7:30am and then each went for a short jog around 8am. It was nice to get the blood flowing and to warm up a bit. I bundled up to ride to the venue as I didn’t want to be cold before the race. We left our place around 8:45am and rode on the gravel road (which was also the start of the course) and followed the reverse of the course to the transition area. We arrived just after 9am, which was when the pros started (Men at 9am and Women at 9:03am). The transition closed at 9:30am so we had around 30 minutes to set up our stuff. They were very strict with the transition set up and only gloves and helmet were allowed on the bike and everything else needed to be in the box or on the ground. We each had our own box and we were required to put our previous used gear in the box, otherwise we would get a penalty. According to Europe/Xterra rules, no booties allowed for 62 degree water temps but thankfully, we had gotten used to the water and we were ok to be without our booties.

After setting up my transition, I met Karel outside of the transition area. We did another short jog and bathroom stop before putting on our wetsuits. We dropped off our bags at the bag drop and then Karel told me to have fun and to be safe. I told him the same. I could tell he was much more calm going into this compared to myself. Karel’s wave went off at 10:05am and my wave went off at 10:15am. I decided to wear my Hoka sandals on the rocky ‘beach’ as I didn’t want my feet to get cold. I put my sandals in a plastic bag and left them to the side of the corral (I felt safe leaving them there as Molveno is a very safe area). We lined up by the water and I put a few handfuls of water down my wetsuit to adjust it and then the official gave the 1-minute countdown.

Whereas in an Ironman and half, I can’t wait to get on my bike, I was really nervous about the bike. Once the gun went off, I stumbled over the rocks, made a shallow dive and started swimming. This was really happening. My second Xterra and first Xterra World Championship.

Race Report coming soon......

Xterra Oak Mountain Off-Road Triathlon Race Recap (Karel)

 

On Friday morning, Karel drove from our hotel to the race venue at Oak Mountain state park (~5 miles away) for his pre-race workout while I stayed at our hotel (Homewood Suites) to do a run (and to not be gone too long from Campy). Around 9am, Karel did a ~1000 yard open water swim followed by a ~1 hour mountain bike followed by a 2 mile run. He said the trails were pretty quiet and he really enjoyed being out in nature. He did just enough movement to move some blood and test out the new gear. Karel was having so much fun on his mountain bike that if it wasn't for the race, I'm pretty sure he would have spent all morning out on the trails. As for my run, I ran around our hotel area (which was very beautiful) on the hilly roads for ~50 minutes and included 5 x 20 sec strides at the end. 

As for the rest of the day, we worked for a bit in our hotel room and then went back to Oak Mountain State Park around 3pm so that Karel could get his race packet and for me to register for the 20K trail run on Sunday. The overall race vibe was pretty laid back and was a refreshing change from the 2000+ participants at an Ironman branded triathlon event. We met new people and saw a few familiar faces. 

I was craving an open water swim in the beautiful lake and with the buoys set up for the race, I swam the 1500 yard race course (~21 minutes) that Karel would do for his race on Saturday. The water was the perfect temperature in the low 70's (wetsuit legal) and I loved being in the murky waters surrounded by nature. After my swim we made a quick stop at Publix so that Karel could pick up some chicken to go along with the rice that we brought from home and then we headed back to our hotel. We had a nice kitchen in our hotel room which made it easy to prep food. 

As for the rest of the evening, we got a bit more work done and then we were in bed around 8pm. 

Race Day

The alarm went off at 5:45am, which again, was a wonderful change from the typical 4am wake-up before an Ironman distance triathlon. With the race not starting until 8:25pm for Karel (Full distance of 1.5km swim / 33km mountain bike / 10km trail run), it was nice not to feel rushed in the morning. We left the hotel around 6:45am and arrived to the race venue around 7am. Karel did a short jog before an open water swim warm-up and as we neared 8am, it was getting closer to the race start. 

As a first-timer, this was the first time that Karel set up his transition area for an off-road triathlon. He did a few looks around to see what other people were doing. Karel was not nervous but instead, super excited. 

He kept telling me how excited he was that he gets to ride his mountain bike and run on trails for a race. It was refreshing to hear the excitement coming from Karel as I knew this change of scenery would be so good for him - mentally and physically. The athletes were so nice and welcoming and Campy even got a few butt rubs from athletes. Although Campy can get rather feisty and protective, he was very chill and calm (likely due to being a bit tired from all of the adventures). Still at 13.5 years old, Campy is staying strong and lives for his adventures with us. It was great to see our athletes Eedee and Josh at the race venue and to see a few more familiar faces. 

After the shorter distances went off, it was time for the professional field of men and women, and then it was time for Karel's race start. Xterra did a great job keeping athletes staff and following CDC guidelines. This was the first race back in the US after COVID so the race staff was really happy to be back and to welcome the athletes back. There's something about these smaller races that make athletes feel so welcomed and cared about.

1.5K Swim - 21:10 (1:25 min/100meters)

Karel was a little worried about how the trail situation would be with slower/faster riders and having to pass or be passed so he lined up near the front of the swim. Karel was able to settle into his race rhythm pretty quickly and felt really good in the water. With just three turn buoys, it was easy to keep that rhythm throughout. Karel got a little bothered as another athlete was swimming right next to Karel and kept running into him. After several minutes of this, Karel made a surge to get away and to get back to swimming in clean water without disturbances. The air temperature was perfect - cloudy and in the 60's. 

T1 - 1:38

After exiting the water, Karel ran into the transition area and to his bike (racks were first come first serve and not assigned by bib number. This transition was a bit new to him with his camelback, mountain bike shoes and cycling gloves. He opted not to wear the cycling gloves but put on his hydration back, shoes, helmet and sunglasses and then made his way out of the transition area. He buckled in his camelback as he was riding as the first few minutes were on the paved road before getting on the trails. He felt like his transition was a bit slow so he will practice it to get it a bit smoother.

33K Bike - 1:38.43 (12.03mph)

Karel had a blast. He was able to shake off the swim pretty quickly and get into his element of having fun off road on two wheels. Karel is loving his new Specialized full suspension mountain bike (which he picked up on Thursday at Bob's Bikes in Alabama) and he really enjoyed not having to be in the aerobars (and "only" riding for a little over 90 minutes). The course was technical and included some water crossings, climbing and descending. There was a very rocky section that Karel pre-rode on Friday but opted to get off his bike on race day and run down the rocks instead of riding just to be sure he didn't make any silly mistakes. Karel's worry was being too aggressive on the mountain bike (aka having too much fun) but after not really riding a mountain bike in almost a year, he minimized the risks as he wants to practice a bit more to get the feel of choosing the right line and better handling his bike on the sketchy sections. The course was really well marked and the volunteers were great. Karel never looked at his computer but just stayed hyper focused on the terrain. He was really happy that he had the camelback as it made it much easier to stay hydrated and fueled. He did have one gentle fall as he was trying to pass two riders and asked to pass a few times but they wouldn't move over for Karel to pass. So Karel tried to squeeze by but he slide and fell. He was finally able to get by. Karel was by himself for a while and then got passed by another rider who finished just in front of him at the finish line. Karel actually liked having the guy in front of him on the bike as he could watch the lines that the guy took on the bike. Some guys were riding super hard and Karel was very impressed with the competition ahead of him. After dismounting the bike, Karel was wondering what his legs would feel like for the run. With so much torquing on the mountain bike, his entire body was tired as he ran in the transition area. 

T2 - 1:26
The bike to run transition was a bit quicker and Karel put on his new ON trail shoes (and socks), grabbed his flask of his sport drink and stuck it in his kit pocket and put on his hat and he was out. As he made his way out of the transition area and then on to the pavement, he instantly felt his quads. He said he never feels his quads when he runs but this was an entirely different run-off-the-bike feeling. With no specific training for this event, Karel was just learning as he went along. 

10K Run - 48:46 (8:08 min/mile)

The run course had a bit of everything. There were some short steep climbs but overall it was rolling. There were some technical sections with rocks, trees to jump over and wooden bridges but for the most part, it wasn't rooty. Karel was focused on the ground under him but his legs were aching from the bike and his entire body was sore and tired. He totally underestimated the difficulty of running after mountain biking but he also had fun experiencing something new. Normally the run is where he is able to run down the competition ahead of him but this time around, he was just trying to not get passed. Some of the guys ahead of him were running really fast and again, he was in awe of the fitness and skills of the other competitors. The run course had about 600 feet elevation gain (the bike course had about 1500 feet) and it went by really fast. Aside from the first few minutes of running on the pavement and the last few minutes of the pavement, the entire run was off-road, tucked under the trees and one exposed section by the lake. 

As Karel made his way to the last off-road section before the finish line, he was relieved that he was about to finish his first off-road triathlon - but more surprised with how much fun he had during the race. He had no idea of his finishing place or time so he was shocked to hear that he won his age group and was 5th overall amateur male. Total time - 2:51.41. Full results here.

With no expectations or pressure, Karel found himself in his element - being competitive and having fun. This was a welcomed change from the road as he is normally in a world of hurt during a long distance triathlon but this was a different type of hurt. It was such a joyful way to be competitive and there's something special about racing in nature (and loving what you are doing in the moment). 

With his first place age group finish, Karel qualified for the 2021 Xterra World Championship in Maui, Hawaii in December!

Here's a recap video of the event:        

 After receiving his awards, we made our way back to the hotel (with an exhausted Karel and an even more exhausted Campy), a quick stop at Arby's for Curly fries and a Rueben Sandwhich for Karel and then to watch the Giro. It was then time for me to recover from the morning and gear up for my first trail run on Sunday.

My race report coming soon....