MERRY CHRISTMAS

I would like to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a happy new year. I'm celebrating Christmas with my family at home in Timaru.

My brother is in Holland this year for Christmas so he will not be with us, but we all wish you a Merry Christmas Wayne and your present is on it's way.

Timaru Christmas Parade

Last Saturday the South Canterbury Skating Club took part in the Timaru Christmas Parade. The theme this year was TV and Movies, so we choose Snow White and the 8 Skating Dwarfs. Here are a few pictures.

NZ Update

I have been back home in New Zealand now for over a month and you could call this the "off season" but it's still full throttle for me. Here's a quick preview of what I've been up to over the past month.

Halberg Trust
I have attended two Celebrity Sporting Functions held by the Halberg Trust since my return. The Halberg Trust is an organization which honors sporting excellence and gives people with disabilities the opportunity to be involved in sport, recreation and leisure activities. These were fantastic events which I attended in Nelson and Dunedin that raised funds for a great organization.

Aoraki Secondary Schools Sports Awards
I was the guest speaker at the Aoraki Secondary Schools Sports Awards dinner held in Timaru on the 31st. The event celebrates the sporting talent from the Aoraki region.

Mountainview High School Sports Awards
I was the guest speaker at Mountanview's schools sports awards, which is a local Timaru high school.

Radio, Radio, Radio
I have had plenty of radio interviews since my return and even recorded a radio ad for Bob Driver Autos/kia.

A picture taken last year with Bob Driver

Learn to Skate
Last year Cheryl and I started learn to skate leasons on Sunday afternoons in Timaru. It gave me a chance to give something back to the community and rejuvenate the South Canterbury Skating Club which has lacked number for quiet a few years. We have continued learn to skate again this year on Sunday afternoons from 2pm. We now have a group of budding young speed skaters who I am also coaching on Friday afternoons.



Bike Racing
I am back on my bike and racing three times a week.

Up & Coming
*21st November I am speaking at the Active Health Services Volunteer Breakfast in Timaru.
*27th November the filming for Top Town starts up in Christchuch.
*6th December is the Timaru Christmas Parade with the theme Walt Disney so I think I am going to be a skating Snow White.

My apologies to the Timaru Fire Department for not being able to judge their Movember contest coming up on the 30th of this month (Movember). Also to the Timaru South Cosmopolitan Club for not being available for their Sports Cabaret event on the 29th.

On the Hunt for Top Town Team

The Top Town show is making a return to New Zealand TV in December this year. It involves 15 teams from different towns around New Zealand competing in a range of fun challenges. Teams must have 12 members including a mix of male and female in different weight categories. I am a member of the Timaru team and this week there will be trials to determine the other members. Yesterday Timaru mayor Janie Annear and I had the pleasure of tipping cold buckets of water over Steve Kotua for a photo for the Timaru Herald. You can view the article online "On the Hunt for Top Town Team" here.

Latitude Magazine

This month I am featured on the front cover of Latitude Magazine's 2008 Spring Issue. There is a three page spread with a great article and plenty of pictures.

NZ Speedskater Second in World Series

The Timaru Herald has an article "NZ Speedskater Second in World Series" which can be viewed here online. It talks about the last WIC race in Berlin and my accomplishments this year.

I will be flying out of Switzerland today and heading back home to Timaru. I have around 24 hours worth of flying to get back to the land of the long white cloud.

Season Finale

They say the best is saved till last, well that certainly was the case with the final World Inline Cup race for the 2008 season. The Berlin WIC marathon was spectacular. With good weather this year there were spectators lining the streets of Berlin to see thousands upon thousands of skaters zoom or in some cases roll by. There was actually live coverage on a Berlin TV station which could be viewed by those awaiting the skaters at the finish line. There was atmosphere, crowds, thousands of skaters and press.


The Bont Wheels Team finished off a successful season with Cecilia winning in Berlin, myself 5th, Alexandra 6th and Tamara 15th.


The team also took out the top 3 in the World Inline Cup Individual Overall Ranking. Cecilia the overall WIC Champion, myself 2nd and Alexandra 3rd. Tamara who sacrifices herself in a lot of the races by doing the initial long lead out finished in the top 10 ending up 7th overall.

Individual WIC Overall
Photo - Niki Neck

To top off the season we also won the World Inline Cup Overall Team Ranking with over 1500 points to spare.

Overall WIC Team, Bont Wheels

Photo - Niki Neck


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Photo thanks to Niki Neck

Pontarlier

With no WIC race on last weekend Alexandra and myself headed to France early Sunday morning to compete in the French Inline Cup race at Pontarlier. The race started at 10.30am under clear skies but it wasn't a very warm day and the wind chill factor made it even colder. I started the race with a set of socks over my hands to try keep warm. Alexandra had that many layers on under her skin suit that she said on the start line "I feel fat".

The 34km course snaked through three valleys starting in the city of Pontarlier and ending in Mouthe. It was predominantly up hill but nothing too steep just a lot of long gradual climbs. It was a beautiful race if you were able to admire the views.

The course sorted out the womens field with skaters slowly dropping off the pack one by one. There was a sprint at around half way and I think nearly the whole village must have been out to see it, there was quite a crowd. We weren't too sure what the prize was for the sprint but when we saw the 1km sprint signs and we were both at the front of the pack we decided to go for it. I ended up winning the sprint and the prize was a set of ski's. Ironically Alex and myself have never skied before.


With around 10km to go the pack was down to just five skaters. No one tried to attack but Alex and I increased the pace a little each time we hit the lead. With around 3km to go we headed off the main road into Mouthe and onto little side roads which were rough and really patchy. Anne Sophie Petitprez was the first to make a move and started winding up the pace with around 1km to go. Jessica Gaudesaboos came from behind to take the lead with around 500m to go and we jumped on her wheel as she came through. Alex and myself both came past her down the final straight whilst trying to dodge the pot holes in the road. I won the race for the 2nd year and Alex came in 2nd.

1/ Nicole Begg - BONT WHEELS
2/ Alexandra Vivas - BONT WHEELS
3/ Jessica Gaudesaboos - Cado Motus
4/ Karin Widmer - x-Tech Crocs
5/ Anne Sophie Petitprez - ASEB


This was the first long road race that I was able to wear and test out the Bont 100mm wheels. After the race the first thing I done was cheek out the state of my wheels as the road was quite rough and I expected to wear out my wheels. I was surprisingly pleased that the wheels had hardly worn at all. They still all have their center lines and have hardly been touched.

Photos from Spain

Senior Womens 10km points elimination race

Photo's - MundoPatin


Senior Womens 15km elimination race





Photo's - MundoPatin

Silver

Last night I was 2nd in the 10km points elimination race at the World Championships. I now have a full set medals from this event 2006 gold, 2007 bronze and 2008 silver. Hye Sook Woo from Korea won with 16 points, myself second with 13 points and Hye Mi Kim also from Korea taking 3rd place with 12 points. Tonight I have the 15km elimination race on the track.

World Championships

The World Championships which are being held in Gijon, Spain finally get underway tomorrow. The 300 meter time trials will be held on the first day as well as one of the long distance races. For the seniors this will be the 10km points elimination race and the juniors the 15km elimination.

There will be 8 web cams set up around the track and you should be able to view the videos online at PatinCarrera. On the same site there will be live timing and updates, photo's, results, news and schedules.

Quick Update

I have been quite busy the last few weeks preparing for the World Championships and traveling which has also meant limited internet access. Here is quick update to let you know what I have been up to and what I will be doing over the next few days.

World Championships Gijon, Spain
Last Friday I arrived in Gijon to start preparing for the World Championships. I drove from Switzerland with Scott Arlidge and Reyon Kay in the Zepto team van (well actually Scott and Reyon drove and I slept). The rest of the New Zealand team arrived yesterday after an epic 40 hour journey from NZ to Gijon.

Jaw
Last Wednesday I had my last appointment at Luzern Hospital regarding my jaw which I broke on the 4th of May. I had a final x-ray and there was no sign of the fracture, it is now fully healed. The doctor suggested I get another x-ray taken in a year just to make sure everything is fine.

WIC X Race Berlin
Tomorrow morning I fly to Berlin for a class one World Inline Cup race. I will meet the rest of the Bont Wheels Team in Berlin as they are currently racing in Padova, Italy. The race is on Sunday around midday. On Monday I will fly back to Gijon and continue to prepare for the World Championships which start on the 4th September.

Sports Unleashed
I am featured in this months issue of Sport Unleashed (NZ sporting Magazine). Unfortunately you can not view it online but I will be sure to scan it when my copy arrives in the post.

Latitude Magazine
Next month I will be in Latitude Magazine. Latitude is a Canterbury lifestyle magazine and it will be quite a big feature.

Tamara Wins the Inline One Eleven

This morning Tamara Llorens from the Bont Wheels Team won the St Gallen Inline One Eleven. It was the first time Tamara competed in the grueling 111km event and she crossed the line alone in 1st place in a time of 3 hours and 39 minutes. With the event being quiet close to the World Championships Tamara was the only member of the Bont Wheels Team competing. You can view the full results on the Data Sport website.

Begg still on a roll at WIC in Zurich

Here is an article published in The Timaru Herald "Begg still on a roll at WIC in Zurich". Click here to view online.

WIC Zurich

Sun shine and high temperatures where on the draw cards for the 11th round of the World Inline Cup and they delivered. The marathon started at 3pm right in the center of Switzerland's biggest city, Zurich. The race was held under clear blue skies and a temperature of around 32 degrees. The race was intended only to be 34km long but after a unanimous decision at the technical meeting the night before an extra lap was added on to extend it to 5 laps equaling 43km.

The course was 8 km per lap snaking through the city with two u-turns at each end and finishing next to the Opera House and beside lake Zurich. With the course in the center of a big city there were a lot of hazards and obstacles to be aware of things including tram lines, tar snakes, pot holes and generally a lot of uneven road. The course is not dead set smooth and is quite rough in places so the girls opted for a full set of Bont Mint wheels with a hardness of 85A.

Unlike a lot of the races early on in the season attacks were launched throughout the whole race in Zurich. With our team, Bont Wheels dominating the sprint finishes so far this season there were a few teams determined to break away and not let this happen. Nathalie Barbotin and Elma de Vries tried very hard to escape on numerous occasions but our team not only chased a lot of these breaks but countered them as well. All the members from our team where in some sort of break throughout the race. The attack that looked most likely to get away was made by Tamara Llorens who I then joined. We were away for quiet a few kilometers but were caught by the pack coming down the final finish straight with one lap remaining.

Womens Pack
Photo -Jorg Dietrich

The pace slowed down quiet a bit over the last lap once Tamara and myself were caught which allowed skaters that had dropped off the pack to catch back up. Tamara and myself tried to recover in the pack while Cecilia and Alexandra covered anything that looked serious. About 5km out from the finish the attacks started again with skaters trying to sneak away in the last few kilometers. Alexandra chased a couple of these breaks but they just kept coming so Cecilia also had to step in with about 3km to go and help bridge gaps. Just after the final u-turn with only about 2km to go Elma de Vries attacked and tried to escape like she did in St Moritz. I didn't hesitate and chased straight away. Before I could position myself with my team before the sprint she attacked again with only about 1km to go, again I chased her down.

The pack caught us and I didn't have time to get back into a good position for the sprint. Jana Gegner came to the front and started to wind up the pace and I positioned myself behind her. With about 250 meters to go Brittany Bowe started the sprint with Cecilia Baena on her wheel. Once I saw them coming I tried to move out and pass Jana to get on the train but there was not a lot of room and they came past with a lot of speed. Cecilia passed Brittany with about 150 meters to go to take the victory, with Alexandra lunging at the line to take a close 3rd. Once I was able to get out from behind Jana and build my speed back up I started catching those in front of me and lunged at the line to take 5th place. Tamara Llorens was sitting in a good position heading into the sprint behind team mates Cecilia and Alexandra but unfortunately crashed with about 700 meters to go. She caused some damage to a ligament in her arm in the crash and is in a soft cast for 4 to 5 days.

Womens Finish
Photo - Niki Neck

The race didn't go quite to plan for our team but we proved we can still pull out the results when things don't go right. At some point in the race we all had to chase breaks and couldn't save anyone in the team for the finish. We were not all together and organized for the sprint finish, and one member short but we were still able to get the results.

Womens Podium
Photo - Niki Neck

WIC Suzhou, China

The Suzhou World Inline Cup marathon got underway at 10am under the hottest conditions we have experienced so far this season. It was not only the heat but the humidity, it felt like you were trapped in a sauna. The course was pretty straight forward 21km along Taihu Lake up to a u-turn and then 21km along the same road back to the finish. The road was predominantly smooth and flat apart from a slight incline over a bridge.

There wasn't a huge womens field compared to the European races but there were a lot of local Chinese skaters present. The pace was pretty solid from the start and the attacks started pretty early on into the race. The attacks early on were made by the Alessi team but Tamara and Alexandra from Bont Wheels done a good job controlling the pack and didn't let anything get away. After the u-turn half way into the race a few skaters started to struggle with the heat and constant surge in pace. The attacks started again not long after the turn around but nothing quiet eventuated. With about 10 km to go the pace slowed down dramatically. With the finish nearing and skaters suffering no one was keen to push the pace. At this point Tamara and myself took turns to slowly drift off the front of the pack, by about the 5th attempt Tamara nearly escaped.

With about 2.5 km to go Alexandra made an attack, she gained a reasonable gap from the pack but had towed another skater through with her. The pack didn't react straight away because the skaters were both from two of the stronger teams, Bont Wheels and Alessi. It was a tricky situation because our team was stuck at the front, we didn't want to go too slow and get swamped on the fast finishing straight or go too fast and catch Alexandra. With about 700m to go the Chinese skaters were starting to move up and the two off the front trying to escape from each other. Alexandra had done a heap of work throughout the race and had led for quiet a while on the break so we were unsure if she was going to be able to hang on. Cecilia had saved herself and was fresh for the sprint finish. So at this stage Tamara went to the front and started winding it up so Cecilia and myself were not swamped. We caught Alexandra and Cinzia with about 250m to go. I passed Tamara just after this with Cecilia on my wheel who came past me with about 150m to go. Cecilia took the victory and I came in for 4th. Alexandra finished 14th and Tamara 15th after both working really hard during the race and sacrificing themselves towards the end.

What was surprising this year was how involved the Chinese skaters where throughout the race. They not only tried to escape and chase breaks but they also featured towards the end of the race in the sprint.

Top 5 Women
Photo - Official Website

Photo - Official Website

The Winners, Cecilia & Max
Photo - Official Website

Entertainment at the Welcoming Banquet

Visas Visas Visas

Today the spirit within the Bont house lifted tremendously when we were finally issued our visas for China. About a month ago when we first went to the Chinese Embassy and applied for visas we were denied and told that it was impossible unless we were residents. The only other option was to fly back to our home countries and attain visas. Trying to fly back to New Zealand in between races and the cost of a flight really wasn't an option at all.

But Bill Begg doesn't believe in the word impossible. He got in contact with Rex the president of the Chinese Skating Federation and together they worked really hard to try and improve the situation. After weeks of phone calls back and forth between China and Switzerland, tons of emails and hours on msn we started making progress. At the end of last week it looked like we would get them but needed just a few more final documents from the Chinese Authorities.

At the start of this week with the departure date closing in and still no final papers from China we decided to drive to Frankfurt and try our luck in Germany. We lined up outside the Chinese Consulate after driving four hours only to be told again that it was impossible. It was frustrating because we have been able to attain visas without all this hassle the previous two years, but now with the Olympics in China all the policies have changed.

With Bill being at the Junior European Championships Cheryl Begg toke over the case and chased everything up. Cheryl had an appointment at the Chinese Consulate in Zurich this morning to drop everything off with the final papers and hopefully attain the visas. At midnight last night the final documents had still not arrived nor when we woke up this morning. Running out of time she made a few frantic phone calls to Rex and the papers finally came through just before she left. We all finally have visas one to two days before departure.

It was not only the Bont Wheels Team in this situation, ten other international skaters from various teams were in the same boat and the boat was slowly sinking. So I think we would all like to thank Rex, Bill and Cheryl for all their hard work.

Engadin World Inline Cup

Engadin is probably one of the most beautiful races in the world if you have time to take in the views as you speed down the valley. The 42km is course is predominantly down hill with one 2.6km stretch of up hill and then a reasonably flat run to the finish. There is one nutoriously fast down hill stretch where the mens pack reached a top speed of about 95 km this year even with this section of the race being neutralized.


The womens race started at 4.55pm and with the first section of the race snaking down the valley the pace was pretty solid right from the start. From the start I felt that this was a race where 110mm wheels did have a great advantage over 100's. The first attack was made only after a few kilometers into the race but with the weight of the pack going down hill the few skaters in the group were quickly swallowed up.

The big down hill is about half way into the race and this section was neutralized. I went to the front of the pack before this section because I wanted to lead the down hill. There are quiet a lot of new skaters this year in the WIC that have never raced this course and the hill can be a little intimidating the first year. I didn't want to get caught behind skaters that weren't too confident and may drop off the pack in this section so the safest place to be was the front. After the down hill the course headed up to Pontresina which is the only uphill section of the race. The gradual hill went on for about 2.6km then there was a u-turn at the top and we headed back down. In the womens race this is were the attacks are usually made and in past years a few of these breakaways have lasted until the finish. The first attack was made by Cinzia Ponzetti from the Alessi team but myself and Liana Holguin slowly reeled her in. The next attack was made by India Kuhn from X-Tech, I also chased her down and caught her just before the u-turn. There were about four skaters slightly ahead of the pack at the top of Pontresina including myself but we were caught by the pack on the way back down.

With about 2 to 3 km to go Elma de Vries escaped from the pack. Our team did not realize she had gotten away as we were trying to position ourselves in the pack for the bunch sprint. By the time we realized it was too late and Elma had drifted well up the road, all we could do was wait for the bunch sprint and concentrate on winning that. The Alessi team started the sprint followed by our team, Bont Wheels. Tamara Lorens made the first move for our team with about 500 meters to go. The finish in Engadin is tricky because with about 150 meters to go the road narrows due to a traffic island. I had to hit the front earlier than planned just to make sure we didn't get trapped in and get Cecilia in the clear for a straight run to the finish. Cecilia won the bunch sprint, finishing 2nd and Alexandra coming in for 6th. I was getting rolled by skaters a few meters before the finish and hung on for 9th and Tamara coming in 15th after starting the sprint for our team.

T Track Video

There is now video of the womens T Track relays held last Friday night up on Bont TV. Click here to view.

Double A Visit

Cheryl and myself went to Frauenfeld Hospital today to visit Aaron Arndt otherwise known as double A. He still had a smile on his face and cheerful as usual with the usual greeting "hey guys". Ed Dimmock kindly lent Aaron his PSP to keep him entertained but with no adapter Aaron was unable to play it. So before leaving we found an electronic shop in Frauenfeld and brought a swiss plug then Aaron's eyes really lit up.


I don't know about all the technical terminology but there are two breaks that will need to be operated on and probably have plates put in. On Saturday he had an operation to put the screws in to stabilize his foot so the swelling can go down before they operate again.

Weinfelden World Inline Cup

The sun came out to shine over Weinfelden on Saturday for the World Inline Cup race. It was still around 30 degrees at 5pm when the race started, a water bottle in the back pocket was crucial.



The race started smoothly with not too many problems but coming down the hill for the first lap we were told to slow down and take care. There had been a big crash in the mens pack and still around ten to fifteen skaters on the side of the road plus gravel and stones everywhere. It looked really bad and I wish all the skaters involved a speedy recovery.

Some of the teams changed their tactics this week in an attempt not to let the race finish in a pack sprint. The Alessi team made quiet a few attacks but everyone was quick to jump on them including me. With a few little sharp hills, the heat and rough roads there were quiet a few girls hanging off the back of the pack throughout the race. The race still came down to sprint finish with about 25 skaters left in the pack.

The road narrowed to one lane with about 2km to go which meant you could only skate two abreast. Most of the teams wanted to be near the front including us so we were constantly chopping and changing to get on the right train that was moving through. With about 300 meters to go Giovanna Turchiarelli hit the lead. Tamara towed our team up equal to Giovanna but couldn't quiet get past she then moved over so Alexandra could come through. After a few meters Alexandra moved to the outside so Cecilia and myself had space to move up the inside. With 200 meters to go I ended up being slung by two hands from the hip and then slung from my skin suit as the skater was coming off me. I lost all my speed and went from being behind Cecilia in about 4th to 25th in the space of a few meters. Cecilia hit the lead not long after this and took the victory comfortably. Alexandra came in 10th, Tamara 17th and myself crossing the line in 22nd but moving up to 21st after the skater that slung me was relegated.

Womens sprint with 200 meters to go.
Photo - Nadine Benz juka linthline


Womens Finish
Photo - Niki Neck


Womens Podium
Photo - Niki Neck

There is also video of the race on Bonttv with footage taken by Niki Neck and Cheryl Begg.

T-Track Victory

Tonight our team took the victory in the T-Track relay. In the final we attacked and formed a gap with about 9 laps to go and stayed well clear of the field for the remainder of the race. World Inline Center Matter came in second and Cado Motus third. Bont IDRD skated well in the heats and could have contested a podium place but Martha Ramirez fell with 6 laps to go in the change zone.

T-Track & WIC Weinfelden

This week the World Inline Cup is in the town Team Bont Wheels calls home, Weinfelden. We are based in Weinfelden for the World Inline Cup season and live within skating distance to the course and the bank track.


Tonight the T-Track racing gets underway at 7pm with relays held on the bank track. Each team is allowed to enter 3 skaters each for the 3km relay. There are no World Inline Cup points allocated but every team is still determined to win for the prestige. The ladies will have heats and a final and the men 3 rounds, heats, semis and a final. At this stage the Bont Wheels Team will have Alexandra, Cecilia and myself lining up to compete.

Tomorrow the marathon starts at around 5pm about 1km from the team's house. The course has changed slightly from last year with the big up hill being taken out. We will skate 3 laps of the course this year as apposed to 2 last year. The course is a real mixture with rough and smooth road, corners, long straights, slight rises and a fast downhill stretch.

Finally what will the weather do? Last year it looked like it would rain until about an hour before the start. This year it should be a clear day and very warm.

Incheon World Inline Cup

The first World Inline Cup race in Asia this year attracted huge numbers, with reports of over 10,000 participants. The womens race got underway at 9.30 am under reasonably clear skies and like every year in Incheon warm weather. The course was the same as in 2007, two laps of the road running along the coast and then branching off for the final finish straight. The last 2km of the race was held on reasonably new road that was smooth and very fast, however the rest of the course was the total opposite. The road that ran along the coast was rough and bumpy. Heading out away from the start we had a head wind and heading back towards the finish a tail wind.


The womens pack kept the pace steady for the first quarter of the race. With a head wind heading out to the turn around point no one was keen to push the pace or attempt to breakaway. After the turn with the wind now behind us our team decided to test the water and see if a breakaway was viable. Tamara, Alexandra and myself all made a couple of attempts each but none turned into anything serious. The Alessi Powerslide team didn't hesitate in sending Nathalie Barbotin to chase us down before the gaps had time to grow. Sara Ervetti from Bont Bacata and a few Korean skaters from the Anyang Club were the only others that tried to instigate breakaways.


With about 3km to go two Korean skaters tried to breakaway. With the pack going quiet slow and the two skaters coming through from the back with pace they easily created a sizeable gap. Alessi Powerslide were the first team at the front of the pack, they hesitated and didn't chase. After we saw this our team reacted quickly before the gap grew any bigger, Alexandra went to the front and reeled the two Korean skaters in. At this stage we were leading the pack and it was a position we did not plan and did not want to be in that far out from the finish. Our team reposition ourselves in the pack behind Alessi Powerslide ready for the sprint. Many skaters were fighting for our teams wheel in the end Sara Ervetti got it. Brittany Bowe was behind Sara and then the Rollerblade MPC team. With about 1500m to go the Alessi team took the lead passing the four Korean skaters in the front and started winding up the pace for the sprint. With 500m to go the Alessi team broke their formation and started spreading across the road. We knew we had to make our move soon so we didn't get trapped in and have teams coming over the top and swamping us. At 400m to go Alexandra found a gap between the Alessi skaters and our team hit the lead. With around 300m to go I passed Alexandra with Cecilia on my wheel and Tamara protecting her. Cecilia came through with around 150m to go to take the victory. I hung on to take 2nd place, Tamara 5th and Alexandra coming in 11th (not official) after doing a lot of good work in the final kilometers of the race. Rounding off the top five was Sara Ervetti coming in 3rd and Brittany Bowe in 4th. It was another great result for our team and another World Inline Cup victory making that the 4th so far this season.

For more photo's from Incheon WIC
visit www.bontwheels.com/team

After the race to finish off a great day Alex, Soo and some of the Korean Bont crew took us into Seoul for a typical Korean meal.