The update that you have been waiting for..

Hi Everyone
Well it has been a while since my last update. Things have been up and down and sometimes quite difficult. But all seems to be fine now. I am down from the Mountain now in Aix Les Bains France. Things are going really well and I am enjoying the 30+ deg weather. Training is back to normal and I am getting stronger everyday with the increased work load. My times are getting better every week.

My next race will be Hamburg World Cup then onto Hungary for Tizsa World Cup. I will use these races as abit of a ‘hit out’ and also training. I need some faster work now and these races will be great for my condition. I don’t expect to come out of the blocks too fast in these next but will be back to best form two to three weeks out from the Games.
It has been a long road up to this point but I am really happy where I am at the moment.

Looking forward to more hard weeks ahead.

Keep you posted on the next couple of races.

Laters

Sticksy

Hi Everyone

Just a quick update to keep you informed on how things are going over here in the French Pyrenees at Font Romeu. Before leaving I had minor tightness in my right hip. Then after the flight to Singapore and the training there things good at little worse. Once I arrived from my 20 or so hours of travel up the mountain here in Font my hip was painful and I decided with my Physio Mark to take a rest from running and riding. I decided to travel to London to see some specialist (who are some of the best from Aust.) and also get a MRI. The results came back negative to any bone stress which was great news. It found a small impingement in the hip joint. So I took some more rest and things are going better now. I had just over a week off running and will start running in the next couple days. With my coach I have decided to pull out of the World Championships and Madrid World Cup. I feel it is best to stay here in Font and continue my training and not risk the long travel over to Canada. I was looking forward to racing Worlds but I feel I will better off focusing on training here in Europe. My first race back will be Grand Prix in Paris in 6 weeks time.

I will keep you all updated on how things are going. I have been swimming quite a lot and gym. I rode for the first time today and it all looks positive. I am looking forward to the weeks ahead.

Until then

Sticksy

Hi Everyone

Well what another weekend of World Cup racing in New Plymouth New Zealand. I had another good result with another 2nd to Gomez again.

I was out well placed in the swim and worked hard with a few other athletes to bridge the gap to the first smaller group up the road. Once we caught them there were a other attacks for the remaining 30k on the bike. With the last attacked sticking and which blew out to a minute off the bike. The main contenders were in the main group. I headed out fast with Gomez and Gemmel. Gomez keep the fast tempo up and we were running well under 3 min/ km pace. I then dropped off but keep the pace on and ran through the leading pack at about halfway through the undulating run course. Gomez keep the pace on until the line and finished 30sec clear of myself then mate Johnsy who was in the lead pack hung on to 3rd.

I was happy with the feeling again. He just was too quick again, 29.37 on a hard run course. He has raised the bar again from last year. And I hope to reach the level in a couple months time. My first block of races are now over and will move into another training phase in time for Madrid World Cup then over to Canada for the World Champs.

I leave for the French Pyrenees in a couple weeks time.

Until then

Best wishes

Sticksy

2008 New Plymouth BG Triathlon World Cup
Elite Men – Results
1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run
Gold – Javier Gomez (ESP) 1:47:33
Silver – Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS) 2:01:07 1:48:03
Bronze – Andrew Johns (GBR) 2:01:16 1:48:16
4 – Kris Gemmell (NZL) 1:48:26
5 – Peter Croes (BEL) 1:48:30
6 – Paul Tichelaar (CAN) 1:48:46
7 – Brendan Sexton (AUS) 1:48:54
8 – Dmitriy Gaag (KAZ) 1:48:57
9 – Stuart Hayes (GBR) 1:48:58
10 – Dan Wilson (AUS) 1:49:03

Hi Everyone

Mooloolaba was another great experience. However I wasn't able to win again this year, but I had to settle for 2nd to World number 1 Javier Gomez.

I was out of the ocean in the first pack felt quite good in the swim and was looking forward to the solid ride a head. Unfortunately our group was unable to stay away with a long string of athletes in pursuit at the first U turn. So it was one big massive pack. The pace was up and down but I was a little disappointed as I had done the bike miles for this course. So we had to wait for the hilly run. I was first out of transition in the large group. I ran with the first pack until Gomez surged, I went with him until about 6k mark where he pulled away. I did run over a minute faster than last year so overall I was satisfied to run under 31mins on that course.

Well I am back on the Gold Coast repacking my bag for round 2 of the World Cup series in New Plymouth this weekend.

best wishes
Sticksy

2008 Mooloolaba BG World Cup
Mooloolaba Australia
March 30, 2008

Elite Men's Results
1. Javier Gomez (ESP) 1:49:50
2. Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS) 1:50:14
3. Tim Don (GBR) 1:50:24
4. Bevan Docherty (NZL) 1:50:27
5. Greg Bennett (AUS) 1:50:29
6. Oliver Freeman (GBR) 1:50:34
7. Paul Tichelaar (CAN) 1:50:38
8. Brendan Sexton (AUS) 1:50:45
9. Simon Thompson (AUS) 1:50:53
10. Kyle Jones (CAN) 1:50:58

Hi Everyone

Well here is my first race report of 2008. It has been a while since I last raced (Rhodes in Oct). Everything went to plan I had my first win of the season in quite a strong field in the ITU Luke Harrop Oceania Cup. I was out in the top 10 in the swim and a small pack of 6 further a head had about 70 metres and they were working well with some strong guys so I had to work hard to close the gap with some help from Stuey Hayes. There were only about 8 of us in the lead pack and we worked well to open the lead out to over a minute and a half to the main chase group. I was first out of transition with my German mate Maik and Stuey. I ran with Stuey for 5 km before making my move to open up a lead of about 30 secs.

I wasn’t too sure how my form was before the race. I was quite surprised to feel strong in all 3. It is always a little harder to race without some pure speed training in the arms and legs but I managed it and had an enjoyable and hard race first up this year.

I will stay on the Gold Coast up to Mooloolaba World Cup in a few weeks time.

Training has been going well. I have been doing a lot with Maik and Big Marko Albert from Estonia as well as a few other internationals. I will add some training pics on my website soon.

Press release below and some pics attached. They are only small, larger copies of the race on my website in the coming days..

Best Wishes

Brad

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Kahlefeldt In Form


Brad Kahlefeldt made a winning return to racing today with a victory in the 2008 Gold Coast ITU Triathlon Oceania Cup ahead of Great Britain's Stuart Hayes and German Maik Petzold over the 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run as he begins his quest for gold in Beijing.

Kahlefeldt had not raced since the Beijing test event back in September when he placed 8th and declared this a good start to his Olympic campaign.

“I’m really fit at the moment, but it was still good to get this win and confirm my complete recovery from the pneumonia. My lung is fully functional which should silence some critics who thought I couldn’t come back from it,” said Kahlefeldt.

Kahlefeldt’s time of 1 hour 46 minutes and 59 seconds elated the large crowds gathered to cheer on their local athletes.

The two-lap swim course was unable to separate a large group of men at the end of the 1.5-kilometer swim. First to emerge were Queenslanders Bryce Mcmaster and Josh Amberger in just over 17 minutes from Petzold a former winner of this event along with Richard Stannard (GBR), Marko Albert (EST), Josh Maider and James Seear.

Kahlefeldt exited the water 15 seconds back of the leaders and missed the lead bunch. A group of six formed the front pack in the opening stages of the 9-lap bike leg but by lap 3 the two groups merged and worked together to keep the chase pack away. At the change over the group had reduced to just eight athletes.

Quickly to the front of the run went Kahlefeldt, who had a lightening fast transition. Hayes, Petzold, Albert, Stannard and Seears who was having the race of his life followed in quick succession.

Kahlefeldt was the first to make a move, going to the front on the first of four laps but Hayes moved up to run with him for the next two laps. The pair extended their lead from Petzold in third. But on the final lap Kahlefeldt just cleared out to leave Hayes a distant second. Petzold was suffering but still managed to hang on for the final podium place as Albert ran out of real estate to catch him.

Seear had a brilliant race among a strong international field to finish fifth.

“I just controlled it in the first two laps of the run, I’m in full training and not tapered at all,” said Kahlefeldt. “I’m at the top of my game at the moment and it always seems easier when you’re out in front.'

Kahlefeldt will now turn his full attention to the defence of his BG Triathlon World Cup title in Mooloolaba (30 March).

2008 Gold Coast ITU Triathlon Oceania Cup - Elite Men Results

1. Brad Kahlefeldt AUST 1:46:57
2. Stuart Hayes GBR 1:47:18
3. Maik Petzold GER 1:48:10
4. Marko Albert EST 1:48:25
5. James Seear AUST 1:48:39

Snowy Times - Autumn Edition

By: Fiona Gwyther, Thredbo

‘Things couldn’t get much better than this’ thought Brad Kahlefeldt after winning gold in triathlon at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, but two years have come and gone and now the stakes are even higher in 2008, with the Beijing Olympics just around the corner….

Brad is a country boy, born and bred in Temora, moving to Wagga Wagga when he was 8 years old.  A sporty kid, he liked everything and anything that involved being outside and playing with friends.  Football, basketball, cricket, soccer… you name it, Brad had a go.  After being selected in several representative teams, he was obviously a talented guy, but the question beckoned…what sport?  As a teenager, he was faced with the tough decision between Aussie Rules and running… but it was long distance running that eventually won over.  “I really liked running long distances, so I did a bit of cross country, then I got into triathlon, competing in my first race back in 1993 and after a few years I moved to the Gold Coast to do take it on professionally.”

It has been all up hill (and plenty of them) for Brad since then and he has a rather long trail of success behind him.  Looking at his results from over the years, he must have one big trophy cabinet. There is a bucket of gold, silver and bronze medals from world class events, five world cups and a gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. When quizzed on his career highlight, it was a tough one to answer “winning gold at the Under 23 World Champs in Mexico would have to take the cake” he said.

How could this be better than the Commonwealth Games? “Well the World Champs in Mexico were a turning point in my career, it showed everyone that I could compete with the best, recording a time that ranked me in the top 5 for elite men.”

It hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Brad, he’s had his fair share and probably, that little bit extra of tough times throughout his 15 year career.  There was always something new for Brad to hurdle, whether it was a broken bike chain, a fractured bone, or a bad dose of pneumonia.  When he was younger, he suffered from continuous stress fractures in his tibia, that sidelined him for several world cup races……a growing teenager running over 8 kilometres a day on bitumen, just never seemed to mix. The string of injuries at such a young age would definitely make someone want to give up and forget about the whole thing, but Brad didn’t contemplate it for one second. “I wanted to be the best tri-athlete in the world and I wouldn’t stop until I reached that goal, there was no point in quitting, I just had to change all the negatives into positives,” said Brad.

You know the saying, things always happen for a reason, well Brad definitely believes it, “the 5-6 month stints off training gave me time to perfect my weakness, swimming, and made me the athlete I am today.”

And even though he is now 27 years old, he is still battling new obstacles every day. It’s hard to imagine that this super fit guy on an intensive training camp in Thredbo, was lying in a hospital bed only a month ago, diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia. Brad said, “my immune system was down after returning from holidays, so I got the flu then the next thing I knew I was in hospital for three nights with pneumonia. I had a week off, then I was back at training. I’m still only 90-95% fit, so I am nearly there, but can’t wait to hit full pace again.”

An exhausting training schedule sees daily kilometres in the saddle, in the pool and on the ground, so what would you do on your day off?….run 7 kilometres of course. It is really interesting to learn what keeps him going and ahead of the pack.  For Brad, it’s all about tactics, how to beat the opponent, when to attack, do I take the inside? “It’s really important before entering a race to know the strengths and weaknesses of the other athletes and be prepared with a bit of a game plan. Since I have been competing for over 15 years, I can draw on my own experiences and know what to do and when to do it,” he said.

Thredbo was the obvious training choice in the lead up to the Olympics, he has lived in Jindabyne for three years, trained at the Thredbo Leisure Centre for the last six and knows the roads like the back of his hand…you could practically call him a local. “It’s so quiet in Thredbo, it’s great to leave the big city lights behind and concentrate on training. I train at altitude every year, sometimes I go to Switzerland, but I love coming back to Thredbo and training on my home soil,” said Kahlefedlt.

It is well known that Australia is a sport crazed nation….. Where would we be without cricket, footy grand finals and of course the Olympics, when we are glued to the TV, watching in awe as the best of the best battle it out for a chance to win the most coveted prize, an Olympic gold medal.  Brad won’t be wearing the baggy green cap or pulling off any classic catches, but he will be sporting his very own green and gold lycra suit, racing for gold and is really looking forward to the competition. “I have been in good form for the last two years, I was ranked second in the world last year and first in 2006, but at the Olympics there are about 15 people who could take out the race, so I’ll have to keep training hard and see what happens,” he said.

The Olympic schedule is already out, with Brad programmed to compete on August 19th, I assured him that all of us here in the Snowy Mountains will all be cheering him on.

Hi Everyone

I hope you all had a great festive season and your back into the full swing of things and working off the pudding.

Things are getting back on track now after the pneumonia, the feeling is almost back to 100%. the lung is almost back to normal and the feeling in training has gone from struggling to feeling back on top of things and ready to head back to the coast and get into the normal training.

Just before Christmas I did manage to meet up with one of Australians greatest athletes Herb Elliott for coffee in Byron Bay. We Just mainly talked about his olympic experience and and his life as one of the worlds fastest milers so it was quit valuable.

Ok as you can see from the pics I am currently in Jindabyne in the Aussies Alps. Training has been hard, mainly base work. But I have been enjoying things and all sessions have a particular purpose. A lot of the training has been up at either Thredbo or Charlottes pass. The run from Charlottes to the to highest mountain in Australia Mt Kosciusko is at 2200m so breathing is a little hard but the views at the top are all worth it.

Friday I will be travelling back to Wagga as I am the ambassador for Wagga on Australia Day. It will be nice to get a day or two to recover from the training camp, so should be a great day. Might slip down to the Oz day races as well.

anyway back on the coast in a few days,

speak then.

Brad