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Last time you read my athletes diary I was on the beautiful island of Mallorca preparing for my first races in May. After hours and hours of endurance training I wanted to do some race-specific training sessions after I returned to Germany. Unfortunately my training looked like this: What had happened? Some years ago I dislocated my shoulder playing basketball. Some weeks later I had no more pain and started swimming again. Everything was fine for almost five years. Some months ago I noticed a sharp pain in my shoulder joint. I tried everything to get back to full strength but the pain was always there. My doc and I had several discussions what to do now but at the end surgery was the only possibility to get healthy again. After my training camp at Mallorca we decided to do surgery now. It was almost May and the season had started already. After a successful surgery my physiotherapist Erich and I lost no time to start the rehab training. We trained six days a week and always stared at 6:30 AM. Ouch… The first timetable to return to Duathlon races was set to 10 weeks. But all the hard work with ...

We’re halfway through the Giro, It’s been an exciting ten days so far. With the race kicking off in Ireland and spending three days there taking in the emerald isle. Then heading back to its normal stomping ground of the roads of Italy. This first ten days have seen some action that many in the peloton and those viewing would rather not have seen, namely these being the multiple crashes. From the first days in Belfast through to the rain soaked stages on glass like roads in Bari and the following stages riders have been falling like ten pins. Crashing is a part of cycling life, for a professional its a a hazard of the job. For a enthusiast it’ll happen now and again, either due to poor concentration,bad luck or dangerous roads. It’s never nice no hard you fall. For Castelli sponsored team Garmin-Sharp this Giro will be one that will stick in the memory of all due to one wet grid and a huge dose of bad luck. Back In Ireland the atmosphere was electric, Belfast had been gearing up for an almighty depart to the first ever Giro Grand Tour, the city was covered in pink. From ...

The racing season is well and truly underway. For many the sun has arrived, the weather’s improving (even here in north of England where I’m sat writing this). We’ve had the classics, the Tour of California, and now the Giro d’Italia is in full swing. I like a huge amount of cyclists out there, will be balancing work, getting out on the bike and catching the racing on TV. You may be running a sly second tab on your work computer streaming the latest stage of the Giro or Tour of Norway, in awe of the pros ripping each other apart in some of the best cycling locations across the globe. This viewing gets me excited, keen to hit the road and to get more miles in my legs and to top up that cyclist tan. The aim may be to replicate the actions of the professional, or at least try to. For me its nice to be finally able to pack away the winter kit (hopefully for the rest of the year) and dig out last years summer kit. The winter kits seen loads of action, in some grim weather. Now its time for my Castelli Bodypaint shorts to yet again get used, ...

I`m just back from Italy and my first race on the middle distance. After the London Olympics I made the big decision to move to longer distance and was really excited to start the new journey. I started training in January on Lanzarote island, then moved to Stellenbosch/South Africa for one month to get more millage done and finally ended the big part of my preparation in Portugal. Last weekend it was then time, to test my legs for the first time and to see where I`m on the way to Ironman Klagenfurt, my main goal for the first part of the season. I chosen the Challenge Rimini Half Distance, because I like Italy a lot and it is only a six hour drive from my home town Salzburg/Austria. When I arrived in Rimini and checked the course, I was straight away in love. A sea swim, very hilly bike with lots of corners and a nice fast run. The start field also proved to be a good test, with the current European champion and the second from last years half ironman world champs. On race day I was feeling good and after a solid swim and a good paced bike, I started the run ...

Riding bikes – especially if in a beautiful environment and/or with a good community – can be one of the most pleasant activities one can imagine. The longer the ride, the more one will appreciate a well-fitting, fashionable and functional kit. Be it ‘just’ for a short after work spin, a weekend king stage or for a Granfondo season highlight. If you ride on a regular basis, it’s only natural having a wider variety of pieces to choose from. It’s a relief to know having the right stuff for every kind of situation or weather. My new favourite kit for a summery ride is the Climber’s Jersey and Inferno Bibshort. I even found myself wearing it in cooler conditions, as we were not blessed with sunshine and warmth this May and early June. The fit for both pieces is exceptional and the combo is dedicated to deal with hot weather. Let’s get into detail. Climber’s Jersey: The Climber’s Jersey was originally designed based on needs of Team Garmin Sharp. The riders wanted a superlight jersey for hot conditions. The team is one of castelli’s test fields and it’s only natural, that most innovations find their way into the regular collection ...