Europe 2010 update 2

Soca X boater-cross - the start platform! PIC - Gerald Filzwieser

Hi everyone,

After the Steyr I had a week of training in Graz before another AUT champs race on the Mur River, where I was a distant 4th...never really felt good on the course. Directly afterwards we left for a 7 day training camp in Sort, Spain - this was an excellent week in preparation for the World Championships, left totally tired but very positive about the course.

Soca X boater-cross - tight around the first turn! I am number 18. PIC - Gerald Filzwieser

An easy few days back in Austria, and we left for another training camp in Slovenia, the site of 2 World Cup races in late June. During this time we had 3 races, wildwater classic and sprint (2 x 6th places) and X boater-cross (knocked out before the money round!).

Soca wildwater classic - near the finish. PIC - Gerald Filzwieser

Back in Graz now until next Wednesday when we leave for the World Championships, June 7-13. Thanks for the messages, we will go our hardest in Spain!

Cheers,

Ben

Europe 2010 update 1

Podium classic race, Steyr, AUT

Hi all,

Stew and I are in Europe getting ready for the wildwater racing season. I´ve been here for 3 weeks and done 2 weekends of racing.

First up was the international race ´Pyrenees Cup´in Sort, Spain (Noguera Pallaresa river - site of the Worlds in June):

CLASSIC top 10

1 TASTARD RONAN FRANCE 20:30.562
2 BONNETAIN QUENTIN FRANCE 20:46.302
3 ZNIDARCIC NEJC SLOVENIA 20:48.124
4 SCHMID GERHARD AUSTRIA 20:50.370
5 VYNISALE LOÏC FRANCE 20:54.026
6 FILZWIESER MANUEL AUSTRIA 21:11.433
7 HUDETZ HARALD AUSTRIA 21:14.682
8 DEVARD THÉO FRANCE 21:21.564
9 MAYNARD BEN AUSTRALIA 21:26.361
10 MARTIN SCHEUBER SWITZERLAND 21:32.888

SPRINT top 10

1 ZNIDARCIC NEJC SLOVENIA 3:18.562
2 DEVARD THÉO FRANCE 3:20.459
3 TASTARD RONAN FRANCE 3:24.088
4 BONNETAIN QUENTIN FRANCE 3:26.622
5 SCHMID GERHARD AUSTRIA 3:26.707
6 HUDETZ HARALD AUSTRIA 3:27.948
7 FILZWIESER MANUEL AUSTRIA 3:30.508
8 ARAKAMA ESTEBAN SPAIN 3:31.655
9 MAYNARD BEN AUSTRALIA 3:32.625
10 MIRALLES PRATS XAVIER SPAIN 3:34.938

Sprint course, Steyr, AUT

Last weekend was the Austrian Sprint Championship and race 2 of their Classic Championship (Steyr River):

SPRINT top 5 (combined times 2 runs)

Gerhard Schmid 1.57.33
Manuel Filzwieser 2.00.22
Harald Hudetz 2.00.27
Ben Maynard 2.01.82
Gunther Briedl 2.03.26

CLASSIC top 5

Gerhard Schmid 8.50.34
Harald Hudetz 8.51.74
Ben Maynard 8.55.52
Manual Filzwieser 9.01.63
Gunther Briedl 9.28.53

I´m in Graz, AUT for this week before a training camp in Sort next week. Stew is in Sort right now and will be there next week as well. After that we both come back east to AUT for a few days, then to the Soca in SLO for another training camp, before some tune-up days in Graz again prior to taking on the World Champs in Spain.

All for now, Cheers!
Ben