We Recap the weekend in Women's Triathlon & Cycling
What a weekend for our triathletes. There were so many Coeur Girls racing that it was hard to keep up with them all but we sure tried. As usual, the weekend started early for us as Renata Bucher grabbed a top five finish at Xterra Malaysia. Renata continues to show some amazing results and we think she’s a real threat to take the top spot in Maui.
Speaking of top spots, we were jumping up and down on the couch cheering as we watched IM 70.3 Busselton. Coeur Athlete Kate Bevilaqua took the top spot and Katy Duffield joined her on the podium. It was Katy’s very first pro race and she came through with a third place finish! Michelle Duffield grabbed 8th to put three Coeur Girls in the top ten.
Podium Shenanigans from Kate and Katy
A great shot of Katy as she powers her way to a podium in her first pro race
A big congrats also goes out to Sarah Jarvis who made her pro debut at IM 70.3 St. George. She put in an impressive performance and clocked a 4hour 40 minute time on an incredibly tough course.
Sarah takes on the tough IM St. George 70.3 Course in her pro debut
The Coeur Elite Amateur team was also represented on the podium this weekend as Debbie Fritzer won her age group at St. George. Debbie adds her name to the growing list of Coeur Girls who will be at IM 70.3 Worlds in Canada this year. Given that the similarity in the terrain between the two courses, Debbie should be considered a podium contender for worlds.
On a sad note, Kelsey, who is one of our sponsored athletes, was hit by a vehicle while riding this weekend. We’ve checked in with Kelsey and she has several broken bones and is pretty beat up. It appears she did not sustain any life threatening injuries and that is some consolation. This topic definitely merits a longer post but something just has to be done about safety. I haven’t validated this statistically but it seems as if we hear about someone being hit by an inattentive driver almost every week. Clearly there can be fault on both sides but (again, not validated statistically), it seems as if more often than not, the driver has been at fault.
We moved from San Diego to L.A. about a year ago and we have transitioned to the point where 95% or more of our riding is done on mountain bikes because of the drivers and road conditions.
On a positive note, the Texas Tri Series which is sponsored by Coeur, kicked off this weekend with the Rookie Triathlon. Approximately 900 people competed in this event and by all accounts it was fantastic. We love this race for many reasons. First, it is produced by High Five Events which is owned by Jack Murray from Jack & Adams Bike shop in Austin, so you know it is top notch. Second, it is part of a progressive series of races that ends with a big party. Not only does this provide incentive for people to race more frequently but it also gives them a venue for celebration and story swapping at the end of the season. Finally, we love the fact that this race goes out of its way to welcome new entrants into the sport. Everyone at High Five and Jack & Adams goes out of their way to remove fear from the equation and encourage participants to have fun.
Can you name another triathlon that mentions "formal wear" as an option?
We’re thrilled to be partnering with Jack, Stacy, Dan and the teams at High Five and Jack & Adams and we can’t wait to the next race in the series.
Finally, on a fun note, while Eddie, Andrea and several of our Ambassadors were working away at IM St. George 70.3, four of us got to dress up and had some fun. Hailey and Mark transitioned from spandex to wedding attire, while Kebby and Reg went “formal” for a Pet Rescue Benefit in San Diego.
It's not spandex all of the time for us at Coeur
So there’s the brief recap of the recent Coeur goings on. Hope you have a great week.
Happy Training and Racing!
Your friends at Coeur