My Little Pumpkins

RIDE ALERT - Saturday Ride 3rd November 2007

Sam the Man says: -

"Busselton Buddies and Friends

This Saturday we are off to Bentong for a few less km’s and a bit more intensity (hills).

Meeting points will be (i) opposite True Fitness in Sri Hartamas at 0600 (ii) Mobil station on Jalan Kuching before Batu Caves exit at 0630 and (iii) traffic light at start of Genting Sempah old road at 0700.

Please let me know if you are coming or not and your chosen meeting point.

Also, all BB’s should all be planning the last long run on Sunday. I am planning to do 30k (Sri Hartamas followed by reverse Double Hill) and hopefully without ‘bonking’ this time. Cheers.

Sam"

Simon Says: - "I'll be riding from Kajang at 5:30, passing Joo Ngan's at 6:30 and meeting the troops at 7:00 at the start of Genting Sempah. If anyone is intent on joining me then let me know otherwise I'll just plough on until I get to the beginning of Genting Sempah"

Do you want to ride your bicycle?

Freddie what can I say? You are missed!

The Perfect Tri Bike

Here's my wish list for the perfect tri bike: -


Frame: - Trek TTX


(Alternative Cervelo P3C)









Bars: - USE TULA bar with carbon S extensions


(Alternative Bontrager)





Saddle: - Selle Italia Flight Kit Carbonio

(Alternative San Marco Aspide Tri Gel)






Brakes: - Zero Gravity Titatinium

(Alternative Dura Ace)










Gears: - Dura Ace


(Alternative SRAM Red)



Cranks: - Dura Ace Carbon (not released yet)


(Alternative SRAM RED)








Pedals: - Look Keo HM Carbon Ti

(Alternative Look Keo Carbon Ti)





Wheels: - Hed H3

(Alternative Zipp 999)




Bottle Sys: - Hydrotail

(Alternative Xlab SaddleWing but there is no real alternative)

Pah, to a Double Ironman! Gimme Deca Ironman

Recently Chantal sent me a link to the UK's first Double Iron distance race. It didn't so much as tickle a fancy in me as I knew there are far more deserving challenges to confront.

I clicked on the link anyway for idle curiosity www.doubleironuk.com and immediately honed in on this: -

Stand by for the Deca Iron UK in 2009!! - www.decaironuk.com - NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT - all I need now is someone as daft as me as a training buddy and then BRING IT ON.







All interested applicants please add you details to comments below. I may not be able to get back to you all immediately as I expect the response to be overwhelming.

Fergie - London Bridge

Now this is a great song. I'm feeling totally under the weather and have abandoned any training for today in the hope that I'll be up for a big weekend. This number, by the rather delectable Fergie, is great to workout to and cheers me up - so love it, hate it or be indifferent, I don't care - I'm cheered!

RIDE ALERT - Saturday Ride 27th October 2007

Sam the Man says: -

"Folks
We are off to PD on Saturday (circa 200k ride). This will be the last 200k ride before Busselton. Next week, we are heading to Bentong for a bit less distance and a bit more intensity.

Meet at Mega Mall exit off the Federal Highway at 0600 or at Cheras 2nd toll at 0640. (Simon: let me know where we’ll meet you.)

Simon and I plan to do a 42k run on Sunday, so save some energy and join us on Sunday too. Nice and easy Ironman-shuffle.

Sam"

CONGRATULATIONS - Mon and Jasmine

I just got an SMS from Mon and Jasmine which reads: -

"Today, we have been blessed with our first child, baby girl - Natalie Chin. 3.33kg. Both baby n mother are doing well. From Jasmine & Mon"

Congratulations to you both. Speaking from recent experience, being a parent is awesome and it gets better everyday. It's tough sometimes and some days don't actually seem like a lot of fun but when you consider the whole package, there's nothing better, nothing could possibly compare.

Looking forward to posting the photos.

Jan on the Ball

Here' my nephew Jan playing football. He looks a bit useful, England could do with a bit of help but I think he'd prefer to align himself with the Fatherland. Check out the last photo, how high can he jump? I'm impressed!

Paula Radcliffe lookalike at the Schwarzwald Marathon

Here's my sis storming around the Schwarzwald Marathon - she looks pretty relaxed ay!













This picture, as she pointed out in her email, is clearly the picture of her finishing. Looking pretty damn fresh if you ask me.

Nice one sis.

Very very sad news.

National cyclist Mohd Safwan Sawai, 19, was killed in an accident on Saturday.

In the incident, which occurred about 11.30pm, Safwan, who was returning home after dinner with several of his teammates in Dataran Senawang, lost control of his motorcycle. (Click here for the full report in the NST)

My sincerest condolences to his family.

The Week That Was

OK, let's keep this brief - here we go: -

1. England lost the football to Russia which probably means we're out of the European Cup.

Simon Says: - "Now hopefully someone will wake up and realise that Steve McClaren is useless and doesn't have the slightest bit of imagination - Bring back Sven or at list give big Sam Allardyce a shot - having said that Martin O'Neill is the obvious choice really"



2. England lost the Rugby World Cup final to South Africa.

Simon Says: - "The South African's were the better team on the pitch, solid clinical and they deserved the win but England were a very close second and played with great heart, determination and should be proud of themselves.

It will be interesting to see over the coming days whether England's disallowed try was a just decision. If Jonny had converted the kick we would have been a point ahead and South Africa's game plan would have to have been very different. Additionally, the referee was almost as bias as the ref in the last world cup final against England although he can't be blamed for the try decision."

3. England's Lewis Hamilton lost the F1 World Championship to Raikkonen.

Simon says: - "I read the report and it sounds like he had a few car problems but then tried a silly overtaking move and went from 3rd to 8th - silly boy. Anyway, the most important thing is that Mr. "Sour Grapes" Alonso didn't win."



4. England's Simon Cross managed his first 200+K bike ride since Ironman Lanagkawi on Saturday followed by a 4.4k run and a 1500m swim.

Simon Says: - "Nice one"

5. England's resurgent Simon Cross managed his first 42k run on Sunday morning after the previous days long ride.

Simon Says: - "I was in excruciating pain from the second kilometre onwards, it didn't get any better but spread to every part of my body - ouch. That's what a bit of Dunkirk Spirit does for you."

England beat France in the Rugby World Cup (again!)

LAND OF HOPE AND GLORY

Come on England

Now I wonder who these guys are supporting?

Here's Ian my business partner and great buddy with his kids Alasdair, Izyan and Nina all fired up for the recent England vs France clash. It's the big day this weekend with the Rugby World Cup Final with England vs South Africa.

It all kicks off at 3:00am in the morning and you can bet that any Englishman worth his salt will be wide awake and cheering the boys in white on.

Come on England...Come on England!

The Smiths - Panic

Classic Smiths for you. An amazing band usually misunderstood, easily made fun of by homophobic Eagles fans. If you don't love them you probably hate them but at least that's better than the rest of the wishy washy rubbish that's out there.

RIDE ALERT - Saturday Ride 20th October 2007

Sam says: -
"Folks

The plan is to do the Dengkil, Banting, Morib and Sepang loop again this Saturday. The route is ideal for Busselton training since it’s mostly flat and has a strong headwind cum crosswind for parts of the ride. The distance from/to the Cheras 2nd toll is 170k. So for most of us cycling from home, the total distance will be 200k plus. The plan is to stop in Banting for drinks and in either Sepang or Salak for breakfast.

Meet at Mega Mall exit off the Federal Highway at 0600 or at the Cheras 2nd toll at 0640.

Sam"

Busselton Q&A's (Between Sam and the Organizers)

See the response to Sam's queries from organizer of Busselton Ironman re swim course fyi.

Q. Has the race allowed wetsuits in past years? A. Yes, the water temperature for the previous years has been fine to wear wetsuits.

Q. When will the organizers decide on whether to allow wetsuits or not? A. The Triathlon Australia appointed Technical Delegate will take the water temperature 24 hours before race start and the reading will be displayed at Bike Check In and Gear Kit Bag Registration on Saturday afternoon. The water temperature will be taken again on Race Morning and the wearing of wetsuits will be conditional upon the water temperature. The water should be in the vicinity of 21 degrees Celsius in which case wetsuits will be optional. Water temperature above 24 degrees Celsius will mean a compulsory non-wetsuit swim.

Wetsuits may be checked for acceptable thickness and illegal flotation inserts after the swim. Wetsuits which do not meet Triathlon Australia acceptable standards in this regard may result in disqualification. Please note – long sleeved and sleeveless wetsuits are permitted.

Q. Is the sea condition likely to be calm-ish or choppy?
A. Last year the sea was very calm and perfect to swim in, although the first two years the sea was quite rough – so unfortunately it just depends on the weather conditions on race day.

Q. Will the swim course be lined with marker buoys at intervals?
A. Yes

Q. Do you ever have problems with shark attacks?
A. No, no problems, we're very used to dealing with them now. We never loose more than one or two competitors to sharks and they're normally only the slower swimmers.

Q. Did Simon add the last question and should we ignore it?
A. Yes he did and yes you should ignore it. There are no more sharks - they've all been eaten by the saltwater crocodiles.

England v France

Stirring Stuff

Angela's Schwarzwald Marathon

This is what my sis, Angela had to report about smashing her personal best at the Schwarzwald Marathon: -

"Hi everyone,

Yesterday I did the "Schwarzwald Marathon" in 4:38, almost half an hour better than my personal best! I am absolutely over the moon especially since at km. 16 I started to get a migraine and couldn't actually see much of the path I was supposed to be following. I kept on asking everybody who passed me if they had a paracetamol (I didn't think they would have migraleve with them!) eventually a supporter from a very nice lady ran to his car and met me at the next drink stop and gave me a tablet. There was no looking back then, off I went, content to hope it would eventually go away a bit - which it did. I lost quite a lot of time during the wait but once I felt a bit better I got cracking. Maybe the slow bit did me good? who knows.

I felt great when I finished anyway - I don't think I've ever been so full of energy after a race, let alone a marathon. (not that I wanted to run much though) I've got some pretty sore muscles today but I can still go up AND downstairs.

Loads of love

Angie"

Sporting Spectacular Weekend

What an amazing weekend. We had the Football European Qualifiers, Rugby World Cup Semi-Final and the Ironman World Championships in Kona Hawaii. There was cricket too with England playing Sri Lanka; we'd already won the series but got beaten yesterday so we won't bother dwelling on that.

England were playing Estonia in the European Qualifiers. England had been struggling a bit but seem to be scraping through now. This match should not have been a tough one and that's how it turned out. 3-0 by half time and that's how it finished. The big test is now to beat Russia on Wednesday.




Then came the Rugby World Cup Semi-Final, England vs France in Paris. It was televised at 3:00am in Malaysia so I'd got up at 4:30am on Saturday to get a decent bike ride in and then the plan was to sleep early Saturday evening and wake up at 3:00am, watch the rugby and then go straight off for my Sunday morning long run.



That was the plan but I'd forgotten to build the TWIN FACTOR into the scenario. The little buggers took it in turns to be up most of the night. I got an hour or two sleep before the match started BUT WHAT A MATCH. Even Shilpa woke up to watch it and was on tenterhooks all the way through.








It was nail biting stuff from start to finish. England were behind for most of the match but somehow squeaked ahead with 10 minutes left through the boot of the indubitable Jonny Wilkinson. He then slotted a drop goal in with just 2 minutes left. That's when time itself stopped! Surely the longest two minutes of my life. In the end the whistle blew and we'd won. Next stop the final and hopefully back to back world cup titles. AMAZING.

I was a little late for the run as I hadn't built in any "GLOATING" time for after the match but the guys understood. "Sam the Man" who is Welsh was supporting England but was rather misguided in betting against England with yours truly. Thank you Sam, it was a pleasure doing business with you.

Surprisingly the run went well with almost no sleep for the previous two nights. I sneaked in a 32k in 3:06 and since my running buddies had been calling me a wuss recently for not being able to go over 21k they were surprisingly difficult to find this morning, tch tch!

This brings me rather nicely onto some real hardcore triathletes competing at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. My buddy Mon SMS'd me the other day and asked me who I thought would win - "McCormack" was my reply. "What do you think?" I asked. Mon replied with a string of names, which was fair enough; predicting IM winners is tough because so much can go wrong even for the best athletes.

It turned out that I was right and "Macca" won his first Hawaii IM. The list of dramatic catastrophes that hit a plethora of title contenders was unbelievable though Click here for an overview.
















Check this guy out! Hats off to him - he's German of course - and finished 18th.

















In the women's race an Ironman newbie won. Chrissie Wellington from England! It was a good weekend for the English. It was only her second Ironman, having qualified in Korea a few weeks before and she's only been in the sport for a little over a year - WELL I NEVER!

Tomorrow is a holiday but as I'm playing golf with a 7:10 Tee Off in the morning I won't be watching the South Africa vs Argentina match at 2:30am but I'm sure South Africa will prevail.

Golly, what a great weekend!

STOP PRESS
Wow, just as we were going to print and the editorial staff were leaving for the evening we got a newsflash from Germany via SMS - We are informed from a reliable source that Angela Burkart (my sister) just completed a local marathon in a Personal Best of 4:38 - pretty fantastic in anyone's book especially as she had a migraine too. Well done Angela, that's amazing!

Kenny Rogers - his message for England v France

You've just got to love this (unless you're French of course). Nice one Kenny, I have a new respect for you.

China's top triathlete banned for 2 years for doping

OH DEAR! Really not what we want to see in Triathlon. There was a belief that Tri was a clean sport up until recently. It really personified all of the elements of endurance, speed, technique but more importantly fair play, camaraderie and sportsmanship. These elements still prevail but we have to accept that Triathlon now is as dirty as any other international sport and all because of one thing - MONEY!

Don't get me wrong, money is not a dirty word, I quite like it as a matter of fact and the more of it in triathlon the better. Remember, it wasn't the sponsors, the endorsements or the prize money that stuck the needles into the athletes, it was a conscious decision by the athlete themselves and often their coaches too.

Other than the personal damage that it is causing them physically it is no different to a Company Executive lying about his qualifications to gain promotion (money), and it certainly can be argued that it is similar to a businessman committing fraud for financial gain. A doped up athlete is certainly competing under false pretences.

In business the examples above usually result in the guilty becoming unemployable in their chosen field and often even prison sentences. In sports the athletes are banned for two years, they can then go away, work on their technique and fitness, no doubt dope as much as they like and then come back to where they left off in "better" shape! THIS CANNOT BE RIGHT, CAN IT?

They intended to cheat and to defraud in order to gain glory and the financial spoils that go with it. Not only that, they do it on the world stage, in the spotlight of the world media and worst of all they are the role models of the world's youth. These lessons of cheating and shortcuts will be taken into every aspect of society, business, family etc...

In conclusion - LIFE BANS PLEASE AND IN EXTREME CASES LET'S START SEEING SOME PRISON SENTENCES.

Finally as a footnote, just in case you think my view a little extreme then get this - I believe that drafting should be a capital offence in Non-drafting races - shot at the prize-giving, that's what I say. If you plan to draft at Powerman, be warned, the enforcer will be there!

Alpha Blondy - Sebe Allah Ye

A man probably only second to the great Bob Marley in the world of reggae!

Lee 'Scratch' Perry - I Am A Madman (Live)

Now this is what I call real music. IRIE!

RIDE ALERT - Saturday Ride 13th October 2007

Sam the Man writes: -

"Folks

The consensus is to stick with the Saturday ride and not to move it to Sunday. So and for those who plan to go “long” on Saturday, the route will be Dengkil, Banting, Morib, Sepang and return back to KL. Breakfast stop will be in Sepang. Estimated round trip from Cheras 2nd toll is 200k and adds an extra 40k for those starting in Mont Kiara/PJ. So, plan on a long day with a return time of around 3.30pm. Uncle Don is also coming with us.

Meet at Mega Mall exit off the Federal Highway at 0600 or,

Meet at Cheras 2nd toll at 0640

Sam"

Simon Says: -

"I on the otherhand am trying to stick to my periodisation training and this week is my easy week. Therefore I plan to keep my Saturday ride down to 100K but fairly high intensity and no drafting. I might go with the group and turn around at 50K or I might do the Hulu Langat loop to Seminyih and pop over to Broga and then back to Kajang. If anyone prefers the sound of that rather than a 200K+ ride then you're welcome to join me"

Nuclear Pom dropped on Australia

Warning: If you are Australian and have either a weak heart or if you're on medication of any kind please DO NOT read this as it may be damaging to your health. The information you are about to read has already seriously damaged at least 15 Australians who were seen leaving Marseilles airport on Saturday night on a flight to Australia. They were reported to be in serious need of medical assistance but most notably it was reported that most needed urgent career transplants. They looked dazed, battered and bruised and most were close to tears.

England 12 - 10 Australia








They say victory is sweet, but not as sweet as the taste of any one of the following: -
1. Beating the Australians
2. Beating the Australians after they proudly announced that everyone hated the English
3. Beating the Australians when England was written off as no-hopers
4. Beating the Australians in the World Cup
5. Beating the Australians when they didn't score a single point in the second half
6. Knocking the Australians out of the World Cup

Naturally, the fact that all off the above statements came true on Saturday night make the taste almost pure elixir.

Here are some relevant quotes by the Poms and the Aussies after the game: -

Brian Ashton, England head coach
It was a roller-coaster of emotions. I thought we were the better side, but it didn't reflect on the scoreboard and it made it a bit of a nail-biter. The players have worked so hard since South Africa and the rewards they got today were fully justified.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phil Vickery, England captain
It's been difficult and we've been under huge amounts of pressure. Today was fantastic for all the boys and England supporters.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mat Tait, England centre
Any time you beat the Aussies, in any sport, is a great time for a proud Englishman. To do it in the knock-out phase of the World Cup is even sweeter.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jason Robinson, England wing
I think everyone and his dog had written us off. But I said there was a good performance in there and today was it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Gomarsall, England scrum-half
When the last whistle went I just collapsed in total exhaustion. It was just pure relief and the most emotional feeling of my career. The forwards have been superb. They have just answered all the critics. Anything can now happen, as we have just proved against Australia.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jonny Wilkinson, England outside-half
I think this England side, since the South African match, have been very honest with each other. Not everyone was on the same wavelength. We came out of that and have played better now. We want to build on this. We'll celebrate this victory and the fact that we're playing again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Catt, England centre
Everyone was writing us off and there was abuse in the press again from certain Aussie individuals, so it's good to send them packing.










--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simon Cross, Mike Catt's mate
To be fair to the Australians, they didn't really have an equal shot at the game since their front row spent half the match digging up worms with their noses!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Connolly, Wallaby coach
England thumped us at the breakdown. It was a massive occasion and it's about handling that.

(Tired and emotional … coach John Connolly before facing the press at the team hotel in Marseilles.)







--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stirling Mortlock, Wallaby captain
It was very solemn and quiet night for the guys. For a lot of us it hasn't sunk in. To finish the World Cup with our worst performance is disappointing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sydney Morning Herald
You've got to be choking, it's a new world order.

The Boys are Back

Shilpa and the boys arrived back in Malaysia on Wednesday. Their dad was so excited to see them he took half a day off work to collect them from the airport. They arrived home fast asleep but soon woke up and got into the swing of things.

Sid break dancing in his new jammies.


















Seb doing his thing too, they love their dancing these boys, definitely not Daddy's genes.

















We had a bit of a scare when we found Seb being mauled by the cat. It was a pretty nasty tussle but Seb came out relatively unscathed although the cat did get heavily dribbled on.
















Sid chilling and giving us his huge "photo" smile.












Bath-time for the little angels.





















Seb loves climbing his ladders, he's not always as good at coming down again but if it's there, he'll climb it.

















Sid getting his PC time in good and early. Not sure this is linked to the Internet though mate.











Mummy getting over a long day travelling and dealing with overactive boys and fellow passengers with sense of humour failures.