Wilson/Gentle Spilt Album

Welcome friends, to the inaugural collaboration of blogging minds. Representing the forefront of avant-garde blogging, myself and blogging (and triathlon) extraordinaire Ash Gentle have taken it upon ourselves to push the boundaries of the now familiar blogging format. Swapping parchments for an edition, we give you the reader, a chance to become familiar with our exploits from a nonpartisan viewpoint. Here on Words With Wilson, your author today is Gentle, as she provides an absorbing account of my weekend at Tiszy World Cup, and over on Gentle’s blog, my trademark doggrel gives a run down on Gentle’s time in Tiszy. Enjoy both, good reader!

Mr Dan Wilson, armed with two chops, few too many puns and a lethal swim/bike combo headed to Tiszy with team Australia last Thursday. We were off to the World Cup 'party'  to  tackle the new heat/ final format, and it is now my honour to guest blog and give you a run down of Mr Wilson’s weekend. To put it bluntly, this narrative will be a dumbed down version of what you are accustomed to when logging in for a read, my vocabulary far less extensive. So read on as you will, here goes....

2012 is not only the year of the Olympics, it is more importantly renowned as the 'Year of Dan Wilson's Comeback'. After a tough 2011 with injury, Dan has been swimming and biking relentlessly, putting in the km's to match any Russian pushing for a breakaway. Throughout  training here in Aix Le Bains it was quite clear to all the boys that his front pack swimming speed and Cadel like pedaling power was ready to be put into action. Body in tact, Wilson thought he would give the other men a chance on the bike by promptly snapping his seat post clamp upon arrival. There was a mechanic handy, easily replacing the part the next day, it was the least of Dans worries. Charming every hungry Hungarian girl in sight with his exquisite facial hair, we all had to make sure Wilson kept his eye on the real prize. 

Its safe to say that Wilson cruised through his semi final. Comfortably swimming at the front of the group, 3 x250m swim laps strung the men out and Wilson found himself with a handy gap with another 7 men. 8 athletes automatically qualified through to the final and Wilson had worked his way into the ultimate position coming into T2...7 men, 60 second gap on the rest. While others seemingly got a bit too excited, searching for the taste of glory in the semi final, Wilson played it smart and jogged his way around the final run lap. The only disappointing factor of his semi final was the fact he didn't hear my "go the chops" cheer from the loud Tiszy crowd. After the mandatory massage/ice bath combo, team Australia headed to the one and only (literally) ...Muma Rosas's, a restaurant everyone gets well aquatinted with when in Tiszy. 

After passing on some wise and helpful swim tips, the master himself got off to a great start in his final. The junior editions of Bryukhankov & Polyansky, a few Frenchies and fellow cycling snob and teammate, Ryan 'Stumpy' Fisher were the perfect breakaway combo which materialized after the 750m swim. After 6 fast cycle laps they had 1 minute up on the rest of the field, which included US golden child, Lukas Verzbicas. WIlson’s mind was on a prime and I watched painfully as he was out-sprinted, it was a perfect Renshaw lead out though! Wilson vs Gentle battle for a prime will continue. 

Swim+ bike was played out to perfection, the hard work paying off for Dan. The run was (and I quote) "exactly where I am at the moment". Being the first hard run in months, Wilson's result deserves much more credit then his 10th place trophy. Persevering through injury and relentlessly working is areas which he could, Wilson has fought his way back into the game and I have faith that the Triathlon community will be taking a lot more notice of his successful comeback then his latest edition of facial hair. 

A Tale Of Two Chops

Tim Don, Lausanne 2006. Kris Gemmell Auckland 2011. Following the in resplendent footsteps of such highly extolled monuments of the sport is never easy, particularly when the facial manifestations most famously associated with our hirsute pioneers also happened to be first first to break the tape in front of impressive, yet noticeably shaven rivals. Nevertheless, like a benevolent firing squad, we have deliberately aimed high. Pete Kerr and I - or Team Chops (along with associate member Bradley Wiggins) have been cultivating like a horticulturist on acid. Tomorrow, the chops ride East,  destination - Tiszaujvaros. Leave your comment below on who you think deserves the Title of Triathlon Australia’s Worst Mutton Chops, and look for the chops come Tizzie. 

Take care friends,

Willy

France Update

Evening friends, and welcome to the first blog posted whilst ‘en France’, brought to you from the well documented home away from home that is Aix Les Bains. My brief sabbatical in Japan was enough to test the legs and eat my yearly quota of rice, and thus it was straight to France to join the rest of the Aussie team, and back in the trenches of training. I’m currently sipping coffee, watching the Tour, and have just decided not to sing the song I just wrote for my room-mate Matt Brown, who flatted during his ITU race yesterday and could probably use the afternoon off my banter. In a vein effort to kill the ‘Black Hour’ i.e the time between the last training session and dinner, I thought it was high time to put quill to parchment in the name of a blog.  

Aside from the usual training, doing the 1%ers, crossing the t’s, dotting the i’s, giving 110%, and other such triathlon cliches, there is a few spare moment every now and again for leisure activities, as delineated in the following syntax. 

Digital Recreation

Last years purchase of the PS2 has made a triumphant return, and launched the inaugural Aix Les Bains FIFA tournament, due to kick off on Monday. If the passion shown in the warm up games is anything to go by, our neighbors can expect to be harangued to the sound of GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLL on a regular basis. 

Financial Recreation 

The 15 min Ebay challenge. Highly recommended for anyone looking to pass some time. Find yourself a worthy adversary (In my case Browny), and giver yourselves 15 minutes and 15 Euro to buy the ‘coolest’ thing possible on Ebay. Bonus points awarded for first delivery, and the rest is judged by the rest of the squad. Pictorials of our spoils to follow upon delivery of our goods, perhaps we can start an online judged poll, but only if you vote for me over Browny...

Facial Recreation

Mutton chops. Yep, myself and fellow ‘chopper’ Pete Kerr have taken it upon ourselves to bring a taste of the 70s back to triathlon. As comfortable playing rhythm guitar for Led Zeppelin as they are in the pool or on the bike, look for myself and Pete to be repping the chops big time come Tizze World Cup. Another online poll shall decide who indeed has the most hideous facial hair, myself or Pete. 

Navigational Recreation

Showing the sense of direction of a headless chicken, I managed to turn a brisk 3 km off the bike into a vagrant’s roam across the French countryside. After 30 mins of rapidly increasing fatigue, and rapidly diminishing optimism, I chanced upon some French civilians mountain biking through the trails. Obviously not seeing the way I looked at their bikes, then a rather large rock on the ground, and then their heads, they informed me I was at least an hour away from my destination, and heading further away with each stride. Pleased with their benevolent instructions, I abandoned my previous thought of rendering them unconscious with the rock and stealing their bikes, and cut a crude path through a thick corn field in the general direction of my now somewhat frantically searching teammates. An hour and 12 kms later, with legs completely rooted by this stage, I returned to my comrades, who had turned from a rescue mission, to a recovery mission, and were busy checking ditches for a corpse with sideburns. 

For all those intrigued, next week Tizzie World Cup, the week Hamburg World Series, and possibly the Alpe D’Huez Triathlon a few days after that. Stay tuned for racing anecdotes aplenty.

Take care friends,

Willy.