BBB Challenge 2009

Baselbieter Bike Challenge er et årligt mtb-arrangement hvor alle med en cykel med nubrede dæk kan køre ruter mellem 50 og 259 km rundt i Basel omegn. De to strørste ruter på hhv. 259 og 149 km startede med fælles start tidligt morgen med udgangspunkt i Muttenz ca 10 km syd for Basel. Jeg havde valgt den mellemlange distance, runde 100 km med knap 2000 højdemeter og for at deltage i det løb skulle man bare møde op mellem 9 og 10 om morgenen. Efter at have betalt startpenge og monteret chip kunne man starte enkeltvis. Perfekt for mig, alt hvad jeg trængte til var et par timer alene på cyklen i det gode vejr. Jeg havde endda medbragt ipod'en så jeg kunne koble helt fra og køre kilometerne ind i mit eget tempo.













Ready to go.

De knap 100 km gik over officielle cykel- og vandrestier i området, primært på grus og asfalt, men også med enkelte singletrail-afsnit. Jeg startede med vilje først halv ti så jeg regnede med at kunne starte alene og forhåbentligt køre folk ind istedet for at starte først og blive overhalet. Der var flere depoter undervejs, og jeg stoppede 3 gange for at få fyldt flasken med vand og lommerne med energibarer. Jeg havde også et utæt bagdæk, så der skulle skydes lidt luft i med mellemrum.













Efter 4 timer og 39 minutter var jeg igen i mål og kunne konstatere at min tid rakte til en 6-plads blandt de 100-nogenog-50 startende. Jeg var glad for at have valgt mellemdistancen, dels fordi jeg ikke gad stå tidligt op, dels fordi godt fire timer på cyklen var et fint niveau for at man kan få noget ud af resten af dagen.

Lørdag aften lavede vi lasagne for vores newlyweds gæster Henna og Juan, der er tilbage i byen efter deres honeymoon. En anden ting vi skulle fejre er Anjas nye job, hun netop i denne uge har fået tilsagn om.













Tirsdag starter Anja som assisterende lærer på den internationale skole her i Basel, kun 5 minutters gang fra vores lejlighed. Præcis hvad det drejer sig om får hun fornøjelsen af selv at fortælle i løbet af ugen mens jeg er ude af huset.













Sommerdagene er nok snart forbi, så det er med at nyde de sidste lyse aftener på terassen. Alt i alt var det nu en meget god lørdag.

Summerstillhere

August og dermed sommeren synger på sidste vers, men heldigvis har vejret ikke trukket stikket ud på os endnu. Vi er blevet glade for at svømme i Rhinen, selvom vi begge har været forkølede efter en tur, der til sidst blev for kold.













Hver aften man cykler hjem fra arbejde er Rhinen fyldt med folk der flyder afsted med deres tøj og egendele i en speciel vandtæt pose. Når temperaturen overstiger 25 grader er der run på de gode steder langs bredden og på stierne langs floden.
Alternativet til at køle af i flodvand er et glas hvidvin og en god bog på terassen, der ikke burde medføre snottet næse og blanke øjne.













Det er også ved at være sidste chance, for om en uge står der Eurobike på skemaet og derefter flyver vi til USA for at tilbringe to uger på ferie, arbejde og hvad der ligger derimellem.

Summer Holiday Part V

We left Helsinki to see family and friends in Copenhagen greater area before heading back to Basel. First we spend a couple of days with Mortens family before moving to down town CPH to spend a day of shopping and visiting old friends.
As typical for the Danish capital, the weather were a mix of sun, clouds and occational rain. It's really hard to dress, one minut it feels like summer, the next you need to wear a jacket.













We walked from Morten's brother's apartment on Frederiksberg to the city center and on to Nyhavn. Having not been in the city for almost a year, you realize that Copenhagen is actually a very scenic city.













Not only is it beautiful, it is also modern and contemporary due to the massive amount of new architecture, here the Copenhagen Opera House designed by Henning Larsen.













We finally made it to our friends apartment near Langelinie. We did not feel like walking another step that day so after a drink on the balcony we went to a nice italian place for dinner.













That's the end of the holiday photo album. We did eventually make it back to Basel, celebrating the last holiday by a swim in the Rhine of which we do not have any images. Thanks to everyone who offered their help and a bed to sleep in, thanks to the Spenish delegation in Keuruu and the sun for being our for almost all of the holiday period.

Summer Holiday Part IV

After the wedding we enjoyed two days of Finish summer mainly by the lakeside and the Keuruu local ice cream shop. We were really lucky with the weather which was sunny, warm and with just a light breeze to keep the sweat off our foreheads.













Summer night in Keuruu.













We did do a little recreational training, I did a little open-lake swimming and Anja did a couple of good runs. The area is known for great cross country skiing during winter, and during summer you can walk/run on the marked slopes and paths. Its tough terrain, but excellent training.













Tuesday we travelled to Helsinki and spent two days seing the sights and shops of the capital. The biggest tourist attraction is the Sveaborg fortress, which was definitely worth the visit.














Big guns facing the water side.













Sveaborg consists of four Islands connected by bridges, originated from the middle of 17th century.













Tomorrow - the fifth and last part of our holiday sequel.

Summer Holiday Part III

The end result of Anjas preparations was definitely worth the wait. I call it the Marilyn dress, not sure if Ms. Monroe ever wore this kind of red outfit, but striking it is.













Inside the church the groom was getting slightly nervous due to a late best-man. Luckily Anja stepped in to kill the time giving Juansi the last kiss as a bachelor.













The bride and groom left nothing to be desired in style and elegance, and the ceremony was equally beautiful. The church was big and bright, fabulous weather and enough rice and rose leaves to go around.













The wedding dinner was arranged at Keuruu down town in an old wooden boathouse by the lake, big enough to accomodate the almost 100 wedding guests. Balloons with happy thoughts and wishes was sent up by the arrival og the newlyweds, and then it was on to the dinner table for a nice buffet.













Everything went really well and it was a day to remember. Unfortunately the bride were not happy with all the arrangements, which I guess was why she all the sudden started throwing things around.













The party lasted until late at night, luckly there was plenty of food to keep the party people fuelled for the wee hours. Apparently Finish night cuisine is the best you can get before a long wedding night!













More to come tomorrow where we'll show you how to enjoy summer holiday in Keuruu area and Helsinki, not to mention our great days with family and friends in Copenhagen.

Summer Holiday Part II

The day of the wedding we woke up to great weather and a great view from our hotel room. The Keuruu area is dominated by lakes, lakes and more legs with narrow strips of land between. The water is fresh and clean and when the sun is shining and the birds saluting you good-morning, there is not much to do other than start the day with a smile and a deep breath to take it all in.













Since I do not need the same amount of preparation as Anja, I was able to investigate the wonders of the Finish beaches while she was busy showering and getting her dress ready.













Don't you just love being a man?!

Eventually I did however mount my suit and we were off to the church. The handsome gentleman on the right is actually the groom which often features on this blog wearing tight lycra. What a change a shirt makes!













Join us tomorrow for part III where we will reveal the bride's dress, wedding vows in no less than three languages and a couple of intimate details from the wedding night...

Summer Holiday Part I

10 days of excitement, relaxation and joy is over. We are back in our little Swiss home after having toured Scandinavia for our summer holiday.













First and foremost we were in Finland to celebrate our friends' wedding. We took a day of sight seeing in Helsinki before heading towards Keuruu, a small village 250 km north of the capital.
Friday night we were invited to a barbeque in the Viinikka summer cottage, which was a really idyllic place by the lake side.













Doing a traditional Finish saune is mandatory when you visit the country of 1000 lakes, so after having heated up, you cool down with a gentle dip.













Tomorrow we will bring you part II which contains the day of the wedding, the beach of Keuruu and more people in swimsuits... stay tuned!

Ode to the happy couple

To Henna & Juan, the happy pair
Our friends from Basel whose love is in the air
Congratulation - today you are nothing but smile(s)
The two of us have known you just for a while

Dancing, biking, ice cream by the Rhine
Some day Hennas bike might even join for a climb
We always enjoy you stopping by for a ”hi”
See you soon at the favourite Thai













In your company we are sure of joy and laughter
Just as certain is the long siesta after
You may be born in north and south
But share the joy of sleeping without a doubt

Saturday at 12 the sun is up
Henna and Juan are cleaning – sure enough
Weather is great but don’t you worry
In casa del ViinikaVivo things aren’t done in a hurry













We wish you all the best for days to come
Thanks for spending time with us at home
Take good care of your selves and each other
Cherish today, tomorrow and the future

Ferietid

Langt om længe er det blevet vores tur til at holde ferie. Arbejdscomputeren er blevet slukket, Anja har cyklet til Tyskland for sidste gang i en tid og vores kufferter er (næsten) pakkede. Vi sidder dog begge oppe, Anja med ansøgninger, der skal ud af døren før sengetid og jeg med emailkontoen åben for at sætte auto-svar på over de næste 14 dage.
Imorgen flyver vi til Helsinki, fredag videre til Keuruu og fejrer Henna & Juans bryllup hen over weekenden. Løbeskoene er pakkede, og vejrudsigten siger sol og sommer omkring de Finske søer. Vi glæder os!













Tirsdag tager vi tilbage til Helsinki og derfra til Kongens København for en lille uge med familie og venner. Hvis du ser os på gaden så stop og sig hej. Håber lille DK viser sig fra sin sommerlige side.
Ciao!

Costa del Basel

Det føles næsten som ferie, når man sover længe, står op til 25 grader og solskin, morgenmad på terrassen og så ellers en tur til stranden. Strand er måske så meget sagt, det er småt med sand og åbent hav i Basel midtby, men heldigvis er der et par udendørs badeanlæg med bassiner til både børn og voksne, dem der vil svømme intensivt og andre, der bare vil køles lidt af.
Efter morgenmaden tog vi badetøjet på og fandt cyklerne frem så vi kunne trille af sted mod den anden ende af byen hvor vores foretrukne "have-bad" ligger som en del af et stort sportscentrum.













Bassinet til træning er 50 meter langt og med 8 baner, en afdeling under tårne og vipper og en anden sektion for de, der vil dyrke aqua-robics. Et andet bassin er noget lavere og med 5 baner til legende børn og andre, der ikke behøver højt aktivitetsniveau. Derudover er der en hel afdeling med rutschebaner. Omkring bassinerne er der græsplæner, omklædningsrum, restaurant, kiosk og private kabiner man kan leje, så man kan opbevare liggestole og andet man kan få brug for på en sommerdag.













Vi brugte en lille time på træning og lå så ellers skiftevis på ryggen eller maven alt efter hvordan solen stod på himmelen. 1. August er nationaldag, så alting har været lukket i dag, ingen mulighed for shopping og ingen lyst til yderligere træning end de 2000 meter vi fik svømmet os igennem.













Ja skat, du er blevet brun...

I morgen lover vejrudsigten regn og byer ud på eftermiddagen, så det bliver vist ikke til helt samme ferie-stemning. Godt der kun er 5 dage til vi holder rigtigt sommerferie.

Challenge Copenhagen

Vores sommerferie står for døren - om en uge tager vi til Finland til bryllup og senere til København for et par dage med venner og familie. Apropos KBH så ser vi disse dage tilbage på vores 2009 sæson so far. Vores ambition om fuldførelse af en 1/2-Ironman gik i opfyldelse, vi har deltaget i yderligere et par olympiske distancer og kørt et par løb på både mountainbike og racercykel. Alt i alt en god omgang motion i årets første 7 måneder.
Vi har ikke de store ambitioner for resten af året, så i stedet kigger vi allerede nu frem mod 2010. En ting vi allerede har overvejet er at gentage turen til Alicante i April. Derudover er vi blevet inspireret af vores spanske vens gennemførelse af Zürich Ironman. Det er en stor mundfuld, men samtidigt noget man "bør" opleve, når nu man har chancen. Og chancer er der masser af, triatlon er den sportsgren i Europa, der er i størst fremgang.













Om præcis et år afholdes Challenge Copenhagen, en Ironman distance triatlon i hjertet af København. Og hvad ville være mere passende end at komme "hjem" til sådan et arrangement. Svømning i Københavns havn, cykling langs kystvejen og løberuten rundt bland byens seværdigheder og forhåbentligt masser af tilskuere...













Om det bliver til den fulde distance næste år vil vi ikke love endnu, men mon ikke der bliver tænkt lidt over det hen over de mørke vinteraftner? Alternativt synes vi Lanzarote Ironman lyder fantastisk, selvom det er tidligt på året. Flere og flere i vores bekendtskabskreds overvejer den fulde distance, så måske vi kommer til at lide under gruppepres? Med god forberedelse og lidt hjælp fra et fremragende træningsprogram vi har modtaget på mailen kan det være udfordringen i 2010 lyder på København i August.

Dødbringende Våben

Som vi skrev for et par uger siden lykkedes det Anja at bestå hendes første fitness-eksamen på tysk; et basis modul indeholdende anatomi og fysiologi, der er obligatorisk for instruktører i Schweiz. Nu er turen så kommet til den mere specifikke del af uddannelsen, nemlig det såkaldte BodyCombat concept. I al sin enkelthed går det ud på at elementer fra forskellige kampsportsgrene er sat sammen og koordineret med 10 stykker musik af 4-5 minutters varighed, så man fylder en time ud med slag og spark i en aerobic-sal.













Boksningen foregår efter skyggeprincippet, og instruktøren guider medlemmerne gennem koreografien, som gerne skulle følge musikken hvis ellers alt går som planlagt. I weekenden havde Anja første del af kurset, og igår og idag har hun så undervist som gæst to steder i byen. I øjeblikket kan hun 5 af de 10 tracks, men som uddannelsen skrider frem skal hun kunne dem alle for til sidsts - om ca 2 måneder - at bliver certificeret og undervise hendes egne hold.
Til den tid er jeg nok godt træt af at høre på musikken i vores hjem, og for fremtiden skal vi vist slås om hvem der skal øve det nye program først...

Snapshot

I de nu 2 år vi har kørt bloggen er det blevet til en del billeder. Over 15.000 digitale impressioner for at være helt præcis. Vi kan ikke bringe alle billederne her på bloggen, selvom det grafiske layout godt kunne tåle lidt flere farvede pixels, men istedet har vi oprettet et par biblioteker online.













Hvis du har lyst til at se flere billeder fra vores forskellige aktiviteter, du kan klikke på følgende links:

Mount Ventoux
MTB tur i Jura-området
Spiez Triathlon
Morten ved Garda søen

Cheeeeese!

MondoVelo L'Étape 2009

L'Étape du Tour 2009 is now well over with. 170.2 km of riding, 3690m of climbing, 9500 riders starting of at 7 in the morning, of which 7389 made it to the top, incredible scenery, tons of enthusiastic spectators along the course, great team of work colleagues to race with - a day to remember for sure!













Before we got that far however, let's start with the beginning. Our team of riders arrived at Montelimar two days before the race start on monday. Bikes got unpacked, gear sorted out and most important of all, we had to go to the centre of the city to register.













The chip was programmed correctly, my starting number was 4990 which placed me in the 6th starting block of 9.













The strategy was clear; start out slow, find the rythm and get to the Mount Ventoux as fresh as possible to make it all the way to the top.













... and not overdo the first 150 K and strugling from the start on the 21.1 KM climb.













Next morning we got op at 4 AM to have breakfast, getting in the bus, driving from Privas to Montelimar and getting into our starting area before it would close at 6:30 AM. Then we waited for the start at 7.00 but it took us 25 minutes to reach the starting line, where the chip would be activated and we would be on our way.













The first 10-15 kilometers were difficult due to a lot of positioning on the narrow roads, overtaking when the group was too slow and getting in behind another guy when the pace was to fast to stay below 165 bpm. This couple celebrated they mariage, hope they made it too the top.
I found a groou after the first climb, which was unfortunately also the first sight of an accident. We did see some crashes, but in general most people rode in a safe and professional way.













Half way though and we got the first good glimpse of the mountain. This picture is taken after Col 'd Evy, the first of the long climbs of the day. Spectacular weather - however very warm, so I had to stop at all the feeding zones to gather water. At the end of the stage I had gone through 7.5 liters of fluid.













Next up Col de Notre-Dame des Abeilles , the first of the climbs with grades of 10-11%, making it a proper entry to the Mount Ventoux.













Then, after 150 kilometers, the great Mountain dawned on us. We reached the foot in just shy of 5 hours, taking on as much water at I coould fit before entering the forest at the bottom of the climb. The first 4000 meters were great, but then the following 10 kilometers were exhausting with an almost constant climb of 10% though a narrow forrest road. No wind, 32 degrees and a lot of people off the bike, walking at the side of the road. At some points it looked like a war zone, people falling of their bikes in pain from cramps, the ambulance picking up a few struck by the heat. Horrible to get through, but I was feeling fine and doing a good pace. A few overtook me, but I was gaining a lot of ground on the majority of the pack.













It did not last all the way, just as we got out of the forest and the sign said 5 K to the top, the first cramb struck in my right leg. I could not believe it, I had done everything to pace myself and save energy for the climb and in spite of the high temperature and humidity I was doing well I thought. I looked down on my leg and saw the muscle tensioning as it went into cramps. This could not come at a worse time.













I could see the famous tower at the finish line, but I had to get up, try to stretch the leg and at the same time keep the bike going. I did this for a few minutes and the cramp disappeared slowly.
Had it only been one time, I am sure I could keep on pushing, but over the last 4 kilometers, my legs were constantly cramping so I had to let the pace go and just focus on spinning the legs keeping the bike going forward.













Finally I entered the last 1000 meters and threw safety overboard, geared 2 steps up and got out of the saddle. Sprinting I would not call it, but I did accelerate all the way to the finish line making it in 7:12:42. Unfortunately the time at the feeding stations and struggling with the cramps in the end had cost me 10-15 minutes, so I did not make it below 7 hours as I had hoped. Still I was happy just to make it to the top thinking of all the poor guys walking up in the side of the road.













Almost 7400 out of 9500 made it to the top, luckly all of our group made it, some spending an amazing 10 hours of riding to get there. I was happy to be at the top, looking down on this amazing mountain and all the riders strugling to make it to the Arrive-signs.













All there was left was to smile, take it all in and think of Anja who was celebrating her bithday in Denmark the very same afternoon. The thought of quitting was constantly pushed back by the image of her smiling face, which in the end was all I wanted to see at the top.














Thanks to everyone on the Good Fight team, and to everyone who owns a racing bicycle - you got to ride this mountain, there is no words to describe the feeling of making it to the top on your own.













On saturday we'll see the pro peloton in the Tour doing the exact same stage, probably a whopping 2 hours faster than me on this sunny monday.
Cheers!