Stephen Bayliss’s Blog

Blimey I’ve just previewed this blog, I’m getting the hang of this photo lark on the blogs. Sometimes I can’t get the photos on but this time I’ve gone wild.

From the top,
The Champ after the race
Then The Champ on the bike.
Then me on the bike.
Then Me running.
Then Me coming first out of the swim
And some little pics of me on the bike that have somehow worked there way in!!

Thanks Bob from Club La Santa for the great photos!

Well another 5th place I won the swim I lead for 15km of the bike I then killed my legs trying to ride with the Jammer Got caught by the guys I dropped out of the swim

Ran the best I could and finsihed 5th!

I was 45mins faster than my first ever Ironman finish, which was this race in 2005

I am starting to feel like an Expat that has moved out here and lives on the Island. Everything is very familar now, actually maybe at some point we will be as we are entering a raffle and the prize is a luxury house by the coast here in Lanzarote, that would be nice

Training is good here, the 50m pool is great , if we wanted we could swim up and down all day, although today there was a strong wind and it seemed to make it really cool for swimming, I think it was just the air on our back and arms cooling us off so much as the water was a fine temperature.

1 week till Ironman Lanzarote, it is a very spectacular course, with a very challenging bike ride which is basically 1 lap of the Island and it is normally extremely windy and always very hilly, then for the run the sun is normally out and it is unshaded up and down the beach front in Puerto Del Cramen, the best guy and girl will certailny win!

I have just fished 2nd in the Volcano International triathlon here at Club La Santa, Lanzarote. It is an Olympic distance non drafting race.

It was a good race, well organised and a good course, they had a record number of entrants, 420 I think. Their were numerous professional athletes racing, many who will be competing in the Ironman in 3 weeks time.

I had a good start and was leading the swim with Luc Van Lierde, he took over for the second half but I nipped by him exiting the swim, and led onto the bike with him just behind, he put the pressure on on the bike, by the end he opened up a 1min 20sec lead. I came of the bike with Bert Jammer(last years Ironman Lanzarote winner) he caught me towards the end of the bike. We ran out together. I tried to push the pace and took the gap down to 1min to Van Lierde but it stayed around 1min and so I finished 2nd with Jammer in 3rd not far behind.

Was great to see Bella wizzing along on the bike then on the run, she can run a fast 10km as some found out today:)

So a good days work, some decent price money for this fantastic event, great enthusiasim, organisation and support from Kenneth Gasque(the race organiser for 25years) and the ever helpful Green team, maybe the 2nd best team in the world after Team TBB of course:)

Bella and I packed up all our worldy possesions and have arrived in Lanzarote. All our worldy possesions must consist of 20kg checked baggage and as much hand baggage as we can get away with, around 10kgs if we are lucky.

From Subic bay to Port Elizabeth, South Africa no baggage fees. Mission accomplished. But a slightly tight neck from carrying a heavy ruck sack around

Then Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg. A small baggage fee. So before the next flight we had to reduce the weight in our bike boxes. We throw out some more clothes, take out our wetsuits, some tyres and some other bits and pieces so now we are really heavy on hand baggage but not too bad on checked baggage

Check in at Jo burg, all is good. No excess. But next stop is to get through departures with all our hand luggage; 1 massive ruck sack and another smaller bag with clothes and wetsuits in each. But yes we got through, all the way to Lanzarote with no more excess baggage fees:)

Although on a taxi trip to a hotel in Lisbon we got double charge, by a smiling crooked taxi man, we only realised on the taxi back to the airport! Well you take the good with the bad.

So my travel tips for Triathletes include:

. Always smile at the check in person (also if a man then send Bella up first, if a woman then I use my irrisistable charm:)

. If the baggage allowance is 20kg, then you should be ok with 23kg but once you get over 25kg they will probably charge.

. Always check the meter before getting out of a taxi!

.Hand baggage, well this is luck of the draw, if you flying out of a UK airport they will be very strict on handbaggage, any where else in the world it seems you can push your luck a bit with the hand baggage. Ah yes another tip with hand luggage, hide it from the check in staff so they don’t ask to weigh it. Down in front of the check in desk is good.

It is the day after IM South Africa. It was great to be racing here as defending champion. This year however was not to be as comfortable a race as last year.

It was a hard slog from the very start. I hoped at some point I would start to feel better, unfortunately that never happened and so I just slogged on and somehow managed to come home in 4th place.

A very tough day at the office for me.

A really big speacial thank you to Craig, Leisel, and their 3 wonderfull children; Connor, Jenna and Danielle for looking after us all week and being such warm and loving people and welcoming into your house. We really do appreciate all that you have done for us this week.

What a great training camp. I was speaking to my brother Mark the other night, and we were talking about training and the team here in Subic. The main thing we realised is that 5years ok I was dreaming off a training enviroment like this. With plenty of other determined, motivated and hard working triathletes to train with every day, while in the UK I ran to the pool in the morning, dodged the old folks breastroking up and down, then cycled on my own in the dark after work.

I read once, that it is important to surround yourself with the right people and put yourself in the right enviroment. So however I have ended up here, either by luck of some smart decisions. I am very happy indeed.

Well there is someone to thank for creating this enviroment, so thanks boss.

It is the morning after the race. I feel a little stiff and tired but I have had a decent sleep and am not too bad really.

The race for me was ok, I had a decent swim coming out in the front group although the fast swimming Brent Foster had about 30sec on the rest of us. I had a super fast transition and so was first out of our group onto the bike. Then after a few kms it was a group of Bozzone, Brown, Boeckl, Rapheal and my self, we were together till 50km to go when Boekcl opened up a lead then the last 40km Brown opened up a gap too.

At the end of the bike I was pleased only be 5mins down on 1st and 2min down on 2nd. I knew I was pretty tired but thought I could still run well, but straight off the bike my legs were not there and had a bit of a struggle and a lack of calories so in the end finished up 6th.

It was interesting to see Cameron Brown race, the main thing is, he is fit fit fit, he rides very solid then gets off and is in good shape and ran a 2:42. He has obviously put in years of very good training and it shows.

For me I knew I was not in top top shape, but the race was a good workout and I’m not far off.

Great to see Lisbeth out there leading for such a long time.

Bella gave it everything she had on the day.

We have had a great time here in Taupo, thanks to the organisers for looking after us.

Meticulous planning by Bella as always, including a pre paid bus ticket from KL budget terminal to KL international all organised. But sometimes the best laid plans can still get messed up when in Asia.

We asked at check in and on the plane where do we collect our Air Asia bus ticket? We were told to go to a desk just outside baggage reclaim. So out we walk and there it was, they say “just go to the bus at bus stop 3 and get on”

So off we trot to the AIr Asia bus at Bus stop 3, show him our ticket and on we get. Great I am thinking, just relaxing enjoying the ride, but after about 20mins Bella says we are going the wrong way and just before we turn onto the Motorway heading for KL city she makes the bus driver stop and we get off on the side of the road and hope we can get a taxi with us and our luggage back to the KLIA. After a while a nice minivan taxi comes along and picks us up and so we are back on track.

Other than that bit of excitement the journey was very smooth.

We are now in beautiful Taupo and have been put up in a fantasticly nice and comfortable Motel close to the lake and town centre, which is great. We are happy and enjoying our time here.

Getting ready for the race with swim bikes and runs, it is good to have been here a few times before so we know the best places to do our training.

Ciao for now!

It has been about 1month of training here in Subic Bay and 2weeks or so with the rest of the team here.

It is a great thing to have other strong athletes to train with, it really helps to push the threshold of the sessions up to where it needs to be. The first week I have to admit to joining in on some of the “organ” measuring competitions that a few of the sessions turned in to, maybe partly instigagted by myself:)

I remember arriving the first time to the squad 2 and a half years ago now. For me it was an incredibly exciting time, to walk on pool side with the likes of AJ, Tim Don, Liz Blatchford, and more and then getting to train along side them was both exciting and intimidating.

I guess I am now, somewhat, on the other side of that experience. Which is strange to think just less than 3 years on. I see all the new guys and girls and I will share with you, I am sizing them all up and have been impressed and worried by many of them. When I say worried, I mean(well in most cases) by their ability, be it in the pool, on the bike or on the run. There are some good girls and boys here giving it their all and I can all ready see will be pushing us all to be the best we can be to just be the best in the team:)

Better get back to resting:)