Another positive results in Mellieha 10km

Hi Everyone,

Last Sunday I took part in the Mellieha 10km. The route was very hilly so I was not expecting a Personal Best however I want a very solid and strong performance. At the moment my fitness is very good, so I was very confident in my running speed. I was very looking forward for this race and I was carried away with this excitement as I went out too fast in the first kilometres.



I tried to keep up with Mellieha A.C.Jason Martin in the first Kilometres. I realised that I was too fast so I decreased the pace. However I still kept a good momentum and managed to get friend and National Team mate Mark Zammit. We paced ourselves until the 5th kilometre as I felt reasonable good, so I pushed the pace. It was not a good idea as at 3km to go my heart rate was 195. I decreased a bit the pace and then managed to push the pace a bit afterward till the end.



I arrived home in 4th place and 3rd Maltese in a time of 35.30. A brilliant performance and the time was great considering the hilly route. I am very pleased with my form at the moment. Training is working and I am recovering well. I am really looking forward for other strong performances in the upcoming races

Train Safe

Keith

4th in Pennellu Championship Road Race

Hi Everyone,

On Sunday 24th April, I had another wonderful result by placing 4th in the first race in the Road Race Cycling National Championship. The race was held in the Hilly Pennellu Circuit in Mellieha. As soon as the race started I immediately went in the front of the main group. In the first two laps I tried a couple of attack but luck was not on my side and I was always caught buy the group. In Lap 4, the pace increased and most of the cyclists could not keep up the pace. I manage to hang. I was feeling my legs getting better and better after each lap. That was a good sign that I can give my 100% till the end




In Lap 5, Current Malta Champion, Maurice Formosa from Melita C.C. attacked. Only Etienne Bonello and I responded to his great attack which killed me legs for a few moments. We caught another Melita rider, the evergreen Patrick Scicluna who went on the attack in the early stages of the race. We started to work together to gain some advantage on the group. It was very windy and I was getting a bit tired but still tried to do my part in this attempt.



I did my best to stay with them but unfortunately when Maurice attacked in the penultimate hill my chain came off and I lost them. I put the chain in its place and tried to enter in the group. On the hills I was reducing the gap and when it was head wind in was loosing group. I am very pleased with my performance because it’s great for a triathlete to be competitive among to top Maltese cyclists. I try to do my best in the remaining races of the championship to honour the club colours as well.

Yours in Sport

Keith

4th Maltese in Tour of Malta

Hi Everyone,

2 weeks after the TCSSE, I participated in the Tour of Malta. This was my 5th Tour. My coach told me that it was not a good idea to do the tour as one of the reasons why I did not perform in the TCSSE was overtraining. In fact I was not feeling so good in the days leading to the tour. I could not push and I did very few training. No pushing just easy. I still decided to do it as I was finding it difficult to pull out so I decided to start and evaluate my performance and conditions day by day.

The first stage was a 26km Time Trial at the Salina Coast Road. I started the tour on a good note. I managed to keep an average speed of 40km.hr covering the distance in 39.06. It was very windy and I was riding very strong especially headwind but still was not feeling that strong and I suffered a bit in the last lap. I came home 17th overall and 8th Maltese.


(Photo Courtesy: Mr.Warren Muscat)

The Second Stage was a 90km Mass Start around San Martin Circuit. I managed to stay with the group which included all the best Maltese Cyclists. All those attacks killed a bit my legs and I felt them in the last 20km of the race. However I wanted to stay with the group at all costs no matter what, even if my legs were tired and full of cramps. I did a very nice race finishing in 21st place and 9th Maltese.


(Photo Courtesy: Mr Warren Muscat)

The Third stage, a 60km Mass Start around Nadur Circuit, was the best race of the tour, if not one of the best races in my career. I was one of the very few Maltese to stay with the best riders of tour managing to keep the frenetic pace they where riding. They pace was very fast that after 3 laps I was already dead and was wondering if will manage to finish the race. They were attacked after each turn around and I never pushed so much in a race. I wanted to stay with the best guys at al costs. At one point I was pushing so much that my chest was touching the handlebar. With 2 laps to go the group was fractioned in various small groups. I finished the race in 15th position and 3rd Maltese. In the general classification I moved up to 15th place and 4th Maltese overall



The 4th Stage was a 12.8km Time Trial at Zebbug by pass. It was the only race of the tour without strong winds. I had a very good race covering the distance in 18.21 keeping an average speed of 41.8km/hr. I came in 15th place and 7th Maltese. In the G.C. I remained in 15th place and 4th Maltese. I am very happy with my result because I was not expecting such a good result and after a period of overtraining. This was my best tour in my career and I would like to thank my club, Birkirkara St Joseph for the support and also to my mum for her great support. She came to support me in every single race and I felt that I was not cycling alone because my mum raced with me as well. THANKS MUM!!!!!

Yours in Sport.

Keith

Bronze Medal in TCSSE 2011

Hi Everyone

Finally I won a medal in the TCSSE. After 3 editions coming very close to win a medal, this year after all the hard training I managed to win a bronze medal in this year’s edition which was held in Cyprus. It was such a great emotion to be on the podium and being presented such a medal by the ETU President. One always feels a great sense of satisfaction when a target is reached after all the training and the sacrifices done to achieve it.

I did not had a very fast start as it was a beach start and I am not so good in it, however I immediately settled myself in the leading pack. In the first lap was not feeling that powerful as I expected but I got into a good rhythm in the second lap and came out of the water in 21 minutes. We had to run around 800m for T1 and all my hopes to go under the 2hrs were close to nil. After a good transition I went on my bike and started pushing to enter in a good group.



I managed to catch up 2 athletes, one of them was my teammate Mark and the other one was an athlete from Monaco. I realised that us three were leading the TCSSE. We settled ourselves in a good pace. However I was not feeling good. I vomited and was feeling a bit without energy. Things were not looking good for the run. I registered the best bike of the day covering 43km in 1hour 3mins.



In the Run, I immediately realised that my legs were not in the mood to push. I tried to keep the pace with Mark, who had a really good run but my legs were not in shape. I settled myself in 2nd place, however the athlete from Monaco, overtook me in the 2nd lap of the run. At that point, my aim was to defend the 3rd spot. I finished the race in 3rd place in 2hrs 7mins 30seconds.



I am very pleased with the bronze medal, however I am slightly disappointed because I was close for the gold medal and I know that if I was strong as I should have be, I could fight to win Gold till the end. At least the Gold medal went for Malta and in these occasions one has to put his individual targets to aside and put ones country first.

Now I have to see what went wrong. It was strange that I was not feeling well as I should have been at my peak. I did not expected to have such slow run as I was running really well in most of my track sessions. Considering that transitions were too long and bike and run where longer from the standard distances, the time is good however I was not feeling good within myself. The week leading to the race, was feeling very tired and was a bit sick. Maybe had a virus, however I have to evaluate everything in order that such thing does not happen again.


Yours in Sport

Keith