Castelli | InsiderNews – Tagged "challenge" – Page 2

challenge, ironman, Ironman 70.3, matthias knossalla, Triathlon, World Championships, Zell am See - October 4, 2015

From Mallorca frustration to satisfaction in Zell am See

Wow, some crazy weeks are left behind me. There have been major Up’s and Down’s this season but let me start at the beginning of my summer season with Ironman 70.3 Mallorca. This should have been my first big race of the season. I was in peak shape on the bike and the run, smashing my 10k personal best two weeks before. I was more than happy to get my customized Castelli Free Tri Suit just in time for the race. Come one, this one looks so great with my Felt IA ;-) For my relations I had a good swim with a new PB for the 1,9k in the water. After exiting the water I jumped on my bike and made a strong push. At the monastery of Lluc I already passed 11 other professional athletes. While descending suddenly a goat jumped on the street. I managed to get around it but crashed…..that was it. Although I wasn’t injured seriously, I had to skip running for almost eight weeks and couldn’t ride my bike for five weeks. Even swimming wasn’t possible for two weeks due to all the scratches. I had to cancel my next two races, which should ...

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challenge, Duabi, Michael Raelert, Raelert, Triathlon - February 28, 2015

Michael Raelert impressed with powerful season opener

Michael Raelert started into the triathlon 2015 season with a strong result at Challenge Dubai. He took third place behind Terenzo Bozzone (New Zealand) and Tim Reed (Australia). “Of course I would have loved it to win here after my victory at Challenge Bahrain, but two guys were just a little bit better today. My warm congratulations to them.” said Michael Raelert after his finish. Due to strong winds the first edition of Challenge Dubai was a tough job for all of the athletes. A huge group with a lot of favorites already made themselves going fast in the water. This group including four-time Olympic-distance World Champion Javier Gomez from Spain, US-American Andy Potts, Pete Jacobs from Australia and Michael Raelert immediately tried to break away from the rest of the field. “On the bike there was nothing to expect but an absolutely hard pace,” Michael Raelert described later. Strong cyclists like Terenzo Bozzone, Martin Jensen from Denmark and Manuel Küng made an early move from the top group together with Michael Raelert. Although there were strong head winds and the new non-drafting-zone of 20 meters, the average speed was always around 45 km/h. “It was the first race of my season. ...

Michael Raelert closed season with Challenge Bahrain triumph

With a magnificent race at the Challenge Bahrain, Michael Raelert has ended a phenomenal 2014 season for Castelli. The 34-year old won the first edition of the half-distance event in the Kingdom of Bahrain on Santa Claus day in 3:36:04 hours. Michael Raelert took the win ahead of his fellow countryman Andreas Dreitz (3:38:23 hours) and Australian Tim Reed (3:39:26 hours). As all year Michael benefited from the aero and performance advantage of Castelli’s FREE tri collection. “I’m totally happy. I’m absolutely over the moon. This is a fantastic end of the season. When you win a race, it always feels good, but if you can even win a big race like this one, it’s just overwhelming. And the most important thing is: I’m back after my injury.” In the past few weeks there have been many rumors about the new event in Bahrain. It was not only the flat race course which promised a superb race, but especially a stellar pro field. “If you read all these names, you are anything else but cool when you start into such a race,” said Michael Raelert after the finish on the Formula 1 circuit of Manama. He came down the finish ...

Michael Raelert 3rd at comeback race

After a long break from competition Michael Raelert has successfully returned to the racing scene. The Rostockian finished third at Challenge Walchsee-Kaiserwinkl in a very competitive race. Under rainy and extremely challenging conditions, the 34-year old crossed the line in 3:52:18. He finished close to the title and was beaten by just a few seconds. In 3:51:34 Italian Giulio Molinari celebrated the victory ahead of British Ritchie Nicholls (3:51:55) and Michael Raelert. “It was an incredibly tough race, but despite all that hard work it was great to be back into racing again.” Already during the 1.9 km swim in Lake Walchsee, Michael Raelert was leading his way. Although German Lukasz Wojt dominated the swim in 21:16 minutes, it was clear that he would not be among the best pro athletes at the end. On the bike, Michael Raelert took over the lead early and then dominated the race for the first third of the 90 km long course until Giulio Molinari passed him. “His pace was extreme, especially regarding the cold and wet conditions,” said Michael Raelert, who was riding on his own in the cold and rainy weather behind the Italian for the race of the challenging bike ...

Mirinda Carfrae triumphed at Challenge Roth

Triple Ironman Hawaii world champion Mirinda Carfrae never did a long distance race in Europe before. For her first appearance she decided on racing the 30th anniversary of classic Challenge Roth, a triathlon with a long history and probably one of the most popular tri events all over the world. The whole region of “Landkreis Roth” is celebrating this race year by year and the support of locals and volunteers is unique. More than 200.000 spectators cheered for the athletes and the slogan “We are Family” isn’t just an empty platitude. Conditions were Kona-like with temperatures up to 35°C as the day progresses. But one thing at a time: Athletes were released in 16 waves starting at 06:30 with all the Pros and some top age group athletes. What’s special about this is that the swim is held in the canal of Main-Danube. Orientation – sometimes a challenge for open water swims – isn’t a big issue. Mirinda – who arrived about ten days before race day – was a bit in doubt about her shape at this time of the year since she never did a long distance race at that moment. Understandably enough her training is absolutely focused on Kona ...