Hi Everyone
A week after I won my third National Duathlon Title, I took
part in the 2nd Edition of the Olympic Triathlon of Custonaci in
Sicily last Sunday organised by Team Triathlon Trapani. The race consisted of a
1.5km Swim, 40km bike and a 10km Run. The weather was not that ideal for the
triathletes as it was very windy. At one point, the race was going to be change
to a Duathlon, however the organisation decided the keep the swim. I was really
looking forward to test myself among the best Sicilian triathletes but was a
bit concerned about the sea
The Sea was very rough which does not suit my skills at all. I was leading the race but was feeling sea sick. I was getting dizzy and my stomach was not well. Conscious of the drafting rule I decided to slow down and stay in the main group. I came out of the water in 2nd place together with teammate Graham Borg in 3rd, few seconds behind leader Enrico Schiavino. We both took advantage of the Drafting rule and we really worked well together as a team during the entire hilly bike route. In fact we caught Schiavino after only 2 laps.
Race Favourite Emiliano Cucci caught us and
attacked immediately. I reacted to Cucci’s attack whilst Borg managed to hang
on. Cucci tried several other attacks but was feeling strong and manage to
neutralize all his attack and we came in together in T2. I came out first from transition setting my usual fast pace.
Cucci was feeling the efforts done during the bike as he could not keep up with
me. I realized that nobody was behind and I was increasing my lead with every
stride. In the end I went on to win the race in 1hr 43mins 40sec. Enrico
Schiavino finished second 1minute 40sec behind me whilst Cucci finished in
third place 3 minutes behind. My teammate Graham Borg finished in 4th
place and 1st in his age group.
I am very pleased with my win. It gives me a great boost for
my morale as I used this race as part of my preparations for Baku. I could not
swim at my usual speed due to the rough sea which made me sick so I decided to
slow down and stay with Borg. This tactic proved fruitful in the end as we
really worked well on the bike and could save my legs more for the run
I would like to thanks my
brother/coach Dermot Galea, my swimming coach Catalin Stan, my masseur Owen
Attard, my nutritionist Johanna Calleja, my parents and my wife’s parents, my
brother in law Neil Galea and his wife Alin Subba Galea, my sponsors Garmin
Malta, BBB Bike Parts Malta, Mochika Outdoor life, Jaycee Malta, Starbene 24/7
and Challenge Malta Marathon, my club Birkirkara St Joseph, the Malta Triathlon
Federation, the Kunsill Malti ghall-isport and the Maltese Olympic Committee
for the constant support. I would like to thank the owners of Cala Buguto Hotel
for their kindness and for making my stay at their hotel a one to remember.
Thanks a lot also to Mr Leonardo Vona and his son Mr Alessandro Vona for their
great help during my stay in Sicily and a big well done for a high level of
organisation. Most of all a big big thanks goes to my wife Elizabeth for her
constant support and patience.
That’s all for now
Yours in Sports
Keith
Nice story... a very challenging race indeed.
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