Check-In at Aviva Singapore Ironman 70.3: After the Rain

Here are some afternoon scenes (during my check-in, after two bouts of showers) for those up and about still. Have a very good race tomorrow! It was great to see my friends from Crazy2Tri (sponsored by Toyota this year), Deca-Ironman finisher Dr Kua Han Wei, triple-Ironman finisher Jack, and my new friend, Daniel (one of our readers who did the Singapore Biathlon 2011, and racing tomorrow).

My trusty iron-horse: Many have asked if it is aluminum - it is full carbon painted in the classic colour of steel-bikes in the 1980's. Recall 'Breaking Away' and 'American Flyers'?

Faris Al-Sultan's bike...

...with nice wheel tattoos.

Other pros' bikes. The jury is still out: bottle-cages behind the saddle, or on the main frame.

Transition area, with bikes hooded up for the Big Auction tomorrow...I mean, the Big Race.

Hazy Visions of Coffee and Climbing in the Canaries

¡Buenas dias! 

This coffee mug has accompanied me for the last three years - over a plethora of business proposals I had to write in the wee hours of the morning; and the creation of this blog. This black-and-white vessel was first, innocently, christened by my tri-buddy S K Lim with a full douse of beer, at a gathering of like-minded, covert, endurance athletes. It was 2007, and Don Ng and I took on the colossal challenge of completing Ironman Lanzarote – known for its grueling, one-loop, 180K ride around the Canary Islands. Don and I completed in humbling sub-15 hours, 10 minutes apart of each other – I pushed the bike twice near the apex of the ride (2,500 metres) as my personal strategy to save my legs. Lesson learnt: Use road-bikes with compact cranks and be adequately nourished. Carbon tri-bikes just did not cut it.

On 21 May 2011, I will attempt my second shot at this beautiful Spanish island and, hopefully, slash some serious time off. The usual suspects from IMWA will join me – Charles Teng, John Cooke and Nigel Chua. Don will head off for his second attempt at Norseman, a cruel Ironman triathlon fate with enough heart-stopping and heart-accelerating moments. Live to tell! Nada es imposible!