Hello,
Yes, I just claimed my second Ironman victory, here in Cozumel. This
way, I have closed off a disastrous 2009 season with a superb performance.
And, also very important for next season: I already have conquered my ticket
for Hawaii 2010!
What follows is a short race report. At 6.55am the pro's were let go. This
time the swimming went quite smoothly for me, even though I personally
thought i was not doing so well in the water. But when I reached the
transition zone, Tine Deckers (winner of Ironman Nice 2009 and my helpfull
assistant here in cozumel) told me that I had lost only about 3 minutes to
Steven Bayliss and 2 minutes to Victor Zyemtsev. It came as a surprise to
me, but luckily a positive surprise!
My
biking went quite well. Before the end of the first lap, I already had
passed the two triathletes just mentioned and I managed to take the lead,
together with a certain Sebastian Pedraza. I had no single weak moment in
the other 2 laps, but what bugged me was that I did not know my compadre,
who apparently was able to stay with me all along. I had no clue on whether
he was a good runner or not and that made me a little bit nervous.
Meanwhile, the rest of the crowd (I was especially looking at Bayliss and
Zyemtsev) had lost many minutes on the two of us.
Immediately
after the bike transition, I ran my first few kilometers at a high pace.
This came as a result of some high-tech and real-time communication. During
the bike ride, I had yelled to Tine, that i did not know Pedraza and
his running capabilities. Tine then immediately had sent a text message to
my wife Sofie in Belgium. Sofie went on the internet and discovered that
Pedraza had run a 3h11min marathon in the Ironman Zurich, which meant he
probably was not a very fast runner. So, Sofie returned this news in a text
message back to Tine in Mexico, who was able to tell me at the start of the
marathon. So, for a while, I put the pedal to the metal and became
the only leader immediately. Pedraza lost some 2 minutes in the first lap,
so I did not have to worry about him any longer. I knew that my short
preparation to this race (because of my september injury) would show
up most likely during thee running leg of the race. Therefore I switched
back to a more normal pace soon. I was still worried about Zyemtsev, whom I
knew from previous races as a superb runner. While he was able to take back
some time in the first lap, he remained at about 10 minutes behind me
afterwards. The last lap was a tough one for me, but luckily for my
competitors too.
The
finish was splendid! A huge crowd of local Mexicans were encouraging us. A
fantastic athmosphere! Some time later i starred in the podium ceremony.
I am now an official hero and VIP in Cozumel. For more than an hour people
asked me to join with their wives, husbands, kids, family and more, so that
they could take a picture.
This first Ironman in Cozumel was a superb experience. I probably will come
back later. Tine Deckers, who, for the first time, participated in an
Ironman event as a spectator, came to the conclusion that chearing and being
a fan during such a race is quite fatiguing too. Next time, she wants to be
in the race herself!
regards,
Rutger
Cozumel
Hello,
I
have been in Cozumel for about a week now. There is a 7 hour time difference
with Belgium, so I first needed to adapt to the new time zone. That's why I
started my stay with a few days of rest. This was also necessary to recover
from the heavy duty preparation I had in Belgium the weeks before. As you
can deduct from the pictures, resting in Cozumel is not really a tough job.
However, the last few days, I picked up my training again.
Cozumel
is a nice location for an Ironman. The swimming will be fantastic. I
have seen a lot of fish in the water. Yesterday a big ray of at
least one meter was passing by under me. The bike part will consist of three
60km laps, all flat but very windy. There's also a beautiful 20 km alongside
the beach. The final marathon is also done in 3 laps. It most probably will
be made tough by the heat and the humidity.
Five more days to the race..........
Regards,
Rutger
Back in Business!
Hello
everybody,
I must apologize for not having updated my English website for a long time.
The 2009 triathlon season has been a real disaster for me. In the beginning
of the year, I caught the CMV Virus, which resulted in bad performances in
Oceanside and Lake San Antonio. After many weeks of total rest, I
started training again and participated in the Ironman 70.3 of Antwerp. Then
I started to prepare for the Ironman Hawaii, but I got severely
injured in the Knokke Zwintriathlon race. As a result, I had to skip Hawaii.
I am now in Cozumel, Mexico, where I am going to participate in the
inaugural November 29 Ironman.
If you are interested in more details about what happened during the season,
I suggest you read the following Q&A session, which was published on the
Ironmman.com website.
Rutger Beke Q & A
Belgium’s Rutger Beke is here in Cozumel and is one of the favourites in the
men’s race. Racing triathlon since he was 17, the now 31 year-old seems like
he is part of the “old guard” of Ironman. He has 1 Ironman Championship to
his credit, the 2007 Ford Ironman Arizona. He is considered one of the most
consistent performers in Hawaii, finishing in the top 5 on 5 occasions in
the past 7 years.
Ironman: You have had a rough year due to health and injury issues. Can
you elaborate that for me? Rutger: It has been a tough year. I had a great winter and my form
was where I wanted it to be. Then all of a sudden I had no power and
strength left while training. I would get tired just looking at my bike
and the thought of having to ride it. I went to my doctor and after a
check up and some blood tests they found out that I had caught a nasty virus
(CMV). The only remedy is resting and lots of it. No training for 5
weeks. After these 5 weeks and several more blood tests the virus was
finally gone (It's actually not gone, It will be in my system for the rest
of my life) and I could start my training again. The first couple of
weeks were very tough. My first run for example was hard. I ran for 30
minutes and it felt like the last miles of an Ironman. At the end of
July I started feeling better again. My first race back was Ironman 70.3
Antwerp. I finished 8th. Not great but I was just happy racing again.
One
week later I left for a three week training camp in Font-Romeu (France). I
always start my Kona preparation there. I had a great training camp and
at the end I felt great. I felt that I was back on track for the World
Championships.
When I
return from the camp I traditionally start in an OD race in Belgium. After
a great swim I rushed through transition and jumped on my bike. Somehow my
left foot got stuck in my front heel. My cycling shoes were not yet on my
feet so it was terrible. I had a really big nasty cut on the left side of
my foot. When I looked down I could actually see some bone. I was rushed
to the hospital and a surgeon worked for more than an hour on my foot. I
knew immediately no Kona race for me this year. A terrible year just got
even worse.
The
whole month of September I wasn’t able to train because of the injury. In
October I restarted training again and my coach Pieter Timmermans and I
decided that my year was not over yet. We decided that I wanted to finish
this awful year on a positive note. I would try an early qualification for
Kona 2010. The first race that came up was Ironman Western Australia.
Ironman: How did you decide to do the Ford Ironman Cozumel? Rutger: But then I noticed there was this new Ironman race in Cozumel.
I looked it upon the internet and it looked like a beautiful place.
The trip from Europe to Cozumel is easier and the time difference with
Belgium is also easier on the body.
Ironman: What was it like not to be starting the Ford Ironman World
Championships this year? Rutger: Not being able to race Kona and to follow the race behind a
computer was tough. It made me realise even more that it is my favourite
race in the whole world.
I think that is why I do so well in Kona. I really love the place and I
think the course is great. I also got married on the Big Island for my
wife and I the place is extra special.
Ironman: You have a young family. Tell us about them? Rutger: Sofie and I have 2 daughters now. Tille turns 4 next month
and Phara was born in September last year, 3 weeks before IM Hawaii 2008.
They are great and I really love my 3 girls. It's the only aspect of being
a professional athlete that I dislike. I miss them when I'm out of the
country racing or on a training camp.They are not here with me in Cozumel.
It's terrible because it is so beautiful here. A perfect place for a
wonderful time with the whole family.
Ironman: What are your expectations for the race here on Sunday? Rutger: I'm really looking forward to racing on Sunday. With
everything that has happened over the year I'm glad to be fit and hoping for
a great race.
Rutger
Beke
November 23 2009
Ready for my first race!
After
a fantastic season’s end in Ironman Hawaii 2008, where I got on the podium
again, I first took a well deserved rest. Not too long (3 weeks only) but
enough to recharge my batteries. Since I already qualified for this year’s
race in Hawaii, I do not have to participate in another Ironman, so I am
able to prepare myself more calmly ( this is of course all very relative)and
enjoy the training. Through my training program of the last 2 years, I have
gotten much stronger, but I also lost some of my original speed and
explosiveness. It was still in my body, but I could not use it any longer.
Hence, these days, I regularly train with some young lads, preparing for
Olympic Distance racing. That makes it mentally easier to go deep, because
these guys always want to challenge me. In the last few years both the
swimming and running training schemes have changed a bit. These days the OD
athletes train much more on speed and intensity, mixed with power and
hypoxic training … Its hard to believe, but somehow it does not really
bother me and I can easily perform with the others.
My swimming had already improved before last year’s race in Hawaii and that
obviously helped me on my way to the podium. The nice thing for me is that
even today I am still slowly getting better (even at my age…). As a result I
can now put down swim times that are better than ever before.
I have not specifically trained for the bike leg yet, but I have been
working on my time trial position ( not for Ironman California, but rather
for Roth and Hawaii).
Aside from my training, everything goes quite well too. I enjoy the life
with my wife and my two little kids, and I also had some quality time with
my family and friends.
With regard to my sponsors, I stopped with Nike and started with K-Swiss. I
also switched over from a Cervelo P3 to a Ridley Dean and started using
Suunto and SportsControl. My longtime sponsors NorthgateArinso, BLOSO and
Oil service continue to allow me to work professionally.
Conclusion: after a carefree winter, I feel good, I am not suffering from
any injuries and I am ready for my first race of the season. I have looked
at the list of PRO’s participating . It’s going to be a tough race and the
speed will be forced up with all these OD athletes, but nevertheless, I
think I will do well. I’ll keep you all posted!
Rutger,
April 2 2009
Race Calendar 2009
Pretty soon, I will start my 2009 race season. This is
how my race calendar looks like. As always, it might be up for changes
during the season.
Date
Place
Race
April 4
Oceanside
USA
Ironman California 70.3
May 2
Lake San Antonio
USA
Wildflower Triathlon
half Ironman distance
May 17
Leuven
Belgium
half Ironman distance
June 20
Brugge
Belgium
Olympic distance triathlon
July 12
Roth
Germany
Quelle Challenge Roth
Ironman distance
August 2
Antwerp
Belgium
Marc Herremans Classic
Ironman Antwerp 70.3
September 2
Knokke
Belgium
Zwintriathlon
Olympic distance triathlon
October 10
Kona, Hawaii
Ironman Hawaii
Rutgersigns 3-year contract
with Ridley Bikes
Rutger
has signed a contract with Ridley Bikes from
Belgium. From now on, he will use the Ridley Dean and The Ridley Noah. The
Ridley Dean is the revolutionary time trial bike used last year by Cadel
Evans in the Tour de France.
Rutger tested his new Time Trial bike recently and the results were
amazing: after working a little bit on both the bike and his position, it
was found that , compared to the past, he needed 20 watt less power to develop a
constant speed of 45km/hr on the race track in Gent. That's very
promising for the coming season!!!