Author Archives: simondc

10 Miles of Antwerp

Tags :

Category : Belgium , Racing , Running , topsportdefensie

I have ran the 10 Miles of Antwerp this weekend.

My sponsor/partner Sportoase asked me to participate with their team, in order to win the Team Ranking. It was the first time that I competed in this race, and a first time that I would tackle a longer distance runrace… I am not used to running more then 10k at a high pace, but it would be a good training in order to prepare my next goals (WTS Yokohama, Leeds).

I ended up in 9th spot, just under the 51 minute barrier (50:59). A bit disappointed of my running split, but after two weeks of good training it was not easy to go any faster today.

Sportoase won the Team ranking. Many thanks to them, they had a very good organization for their runners so all went wel.

It was a great event, so maybe till next year!

Greetings,
Simon

Results: http://www.chronorace.be/Classements/Classement.aspx?eventId=1186579204860344&mode=large&IdClassement=14983

World Cup Miyazaki: 4th place!

Category : Japan , Racing , topsportdefensie

One week after the Tongyeong World Cup in South-Korea, Simon improved his 5th place with a 4th place at the Miyazaki World Cup in Japan. Not enough to get on the podium, although he was racing in the front of the field for the whole day. In the end, three guys were faster then him when they went down the last finishing straight.

The season is over now! After a lot of health issues (mononucleosis) in 2015 and at the beginning of 2016, Simon could work his way back to some great fitness. Improving his world ranking to a 55th place at the end of the season! He is already looking forward to 2017! And racing with the best in the world in WTS races again!

Many Thanks for supporting him!

Video Report World Cup Miyazaki

Tags :

Category : Japan , Racing , SMO-Specialized , topsportdefensie

A 4th place finish for Simon in the Miyazaki World Cup. A good way to finish the season on a high. But it’s a pity that he didn’t meet the criteria for his status as an elite athlete in the Belgian Army. He needed a podium finish on a World Cup and got pretty close with a 4th and 5th finish in the last two World Cups of the season.

World Cup Tongyeong: 5th place!

Category : Racing , SMO-Specialized , South-Korea

Another day of racing in the World Cup circuit. I had a strong day here in Asia and was happy to race at the front of this race, but in the end I got beaten by four stronger guys!

Swim wasn’t so good, and I was more time behind then I was hoping for after the swim leg. No other option then putting the hammer down on the bike! Some other strong riders and me worked hard on the bike, and after 18k we could bridge up with the front of the race! I felt strong on the bike and I knew there was still some energy left for a strong run!

Thanks to a good second transition I could start running at the front of the group and so I tried to get out and set a fast pace to get some pressure on the other runners. After 2,5k on the run, the Americans took the game in their hands and put down the gas! So, on the last hill of the run course the pack would get ripped apart… I could not stay in contact with the leading five, and was struggling! Somehow I found some extra energy and bridged up to the front and with 200 meters to go I tried to surprise them and attacked just before the finish. They could easily counter my move, and so I got dropped again and finished in 5th position!

Happy to be racing at the front in the World Cup series, and having a good result!
Next will be Miyazaki next week, hoping to improve this result!

Greetings,
Simon

results: http://www.triathlon.org/results/result/2016_tongyeong_itu_triathlon_world_cup/281603

Video: T3 series Lille

Category : Belgium , Racing , SMO-Specialized

Simon wins the Belgian Championship Olympic Distance!

Category : Belgium , Racing , SMO-Specialized , topsportdefensie

Simon wins the Belgian Sprint Championship!

Category : Belgium , Racing , SMO-Specialized

Strong race, and gutsy performance! Simon wins another Belgian Title, his first one since 2013.
Great joy, and proud to have an other “trocolore” jersey around his shoulders!

Start of the season in Mooloolaba.

Category : Uncategorized

Today the new season could finaly get underway, with the itu World Cup of Mooloolaba. Last week I was watching the races in Abu Dhabi, as I was on the waitlist, and I felt a bit sad that I could not race there myself. So I was happy to have the chance to race here!
Mooloolaba provided a sprint race with a choppy beach swim, a technical, hilly but fast bike course, and a hilly run. A lot of strong athletes, and hot temperatures would definitely make it a hard race.
I had a good beach run to start the race, and felt confident in the swim. I managed to get to the first buoys in a good position, but lost a lot of places over there beceause of the aggressive behavior of some other athletes. Part of the game of triahlon, but not good for me today. I could keep in touch with the bunch and exited the water 30″ behind the fastest swimmer. A fast transition got me into a good group with some strong riders after the first transition.

We were riding damn hard, and were closing the gap to the front really fast. In the first 5k we took back 20″ of the lead, and got really close to catching the first group in the narrow streets near transition after one lap on the bike. On this moment, I was having a hard time, and when we were all riding on a long string I couldn’t keep up with the pace on the hill. I got dropped and stayed behing with a smaller group when my group closed the gap with the front group. A big disappointment for me, and a moment of mental weakness when I was suffering on the bike costed me a good result.

I knew the race was over now. We rode on with this smaller group but lost a lot of time. And motivation to dig deep on the run was not there anymore. Finished on a 50th place is not a good way to start this season.
Next will be World Cup New Plymouth in 3 weeks. Time to do some extra training and work on the weak points, and be positive about the things that went ok in Mooloolaba.

Greetz!
Simon

Winter update

Category : Training


January and February are always the hardest training months to endure , during preparation for the international season triathlon . Normally the season starts in the month of March.

November and December are usually the month’s when I train my technical skills as if in January and February I turn in to increasing volumes of intense training.

During the preparation stage I decided to make only one altitude training in January in Font-Romeu (France). I always respond positively to the altitude and during this training I appeased my mileage for the following 3 weeks .
The social isolation is sometimes hard, however by meeting other athletes during the preparation stage it mitigates the burden.
All went well in the following 3 weeks , and what I saw was a lot of snow and sun. After this stage it was time to go back home .

After a few days I left again for two weeks towards sunny Spain with my regular training group and coach. I’ve trained hard the first week and the presence of my training partners makes the intense workouts even a lot harder. But for the long bike stages it’s very helpful to crawl into the wheel of somebody else and sit out of the wind…

At the moment it is still unclear for me whether I will be on the list for the World Triathlon Series race in Abu Dhabi on 5th March but certainly you can see my at the start of the World Cup in Mooloolaba (Australia) on the 12th of March.
Sincerely I hope to be able to test my condition in one of those races.

Kind regards,
Simon

Sylvester Run Leuven

Category : Belgium

I may not be there yet, but I am closer than I was yesterday.

My season 2015 ended today with the sylvester run in Leuven, my hometown. It is a tradition for many years to finish the year with this great run in the city of Leuven. As every year, many people I know on the side of the course, or even competing themselves. It makes the atmosphere unique!

Offcourse, I still had to run 12k, and I suffered a lot. First k’s went good, but after 4k on 20k/hr pace I had to choose my own pace and let the leaders go. Jesse Stroobants, Jelle Geens and Dennis Laerte were to strong for me today. But I was satisfied with the pace I could run for the twelve kilometers, and I did my best run of the year. So I am improving, and looking forward to 2016! First some extra months of training before the next competition… I hope to be ready by then.

Results

I also like to thank my employer, Belgian Defense, for deciding to support me for the next year. After a difficult season 2015, I am lucky that they are still on my side and keep supporting my career as an athlete. So I can stay focussed on the things that matter: training and racing.

Best Wishes for everyone in 2016! Stay healthy!
Greetings,
Simon

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