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.