Abu Dhabi Triathlon Team 2011
Al-Sultan y Steffen vencen en el Frankfurter Sparkasse Ironman
Virginia Berasategui acaba en décima posición y consigue plaza para Hawai.
25 de julio de 2011. Un año más, el Ironman de Frankfurt ha vuelto a ser un monólogo de triatletas locales en cuanto a la clasificación general masculina se refiere. Faris Al-Sultán vencía con autoridad en una prueba en la que los cinco primeros clasificados eran de origen teutón. No en vano, sólo Cameron Brown y Chris McCormack han sido los únicos "extranjeros" en ganar en la ciudad alemana, la cual acogía este fin de semana a 2.450 atletas.
Una amplia participación entre la que se encontraban un total de 58 "pro" en busca del Campeonato de Europa de este prestigioso circuito, además de los valiosos puntos que otorgaba la victoria, de cara al inminente primer corte para la clasificación para Hawai. En féminas, la suiza Caroline Steffen se alzaba con el primer puesto en una carrera en la que la española Virginia Berasategui finalizaba en décima posición, y conseguía así la ansiada plaza para la final mundial de Kona el próximo 8 de octubre.
Con una temperatura de 11 grados, el lago Langener Waldsee acogía a los participantes en una jornada en la que la climatología, con la presencia de la lluvia incluida, iba a hacer aún más difícil obtener la etiqueta de "finisher". Pero Al-Sultan tenía muy claro que era su día y así lo demostró. Tras salir en quinta posición del segmento de agua, a tan sólo tres segundos del primero, el belga Bart Colpaert, el ganador del Ironman World Championship de 2005 empezó a marcar las distancias desde los primeros kilómetros de bicicleta. Un recorrido en el que iba a tener como más cercano compañero a Sylvain Sudrie, al que poco a poco iba descolgando hasta llegar a la segunda transición con 8 minutos y 53 segundos de ventaja, después de un resaltable tiempo de 4:26:22. Pero lo realmente importante era el colchón de más de 20 minutos con el que el alemán iba a contar respecto al grupo perseguidor formado por nombres de la calidad de Brown, Paul Amey o Patrick Vernay, entre otros. Al-Sultan no quería riesgos y avanzaba seguro hacia la victoria.
Un objetivo que cumplía al gestionar de una manera inteligente su ventaja. Y es que, el germano comenzaba el maratón perdiendo unos segundos en la primera vuelta del circuito, para volver a recuperarlo en las dos siguientes, y ceder de nuevo un pequeño margen en la última, cuando ya se sabía ganador de la carrera. Al final, casi seis minutos le separaban del segundo clasificado, Jan Raphael, y uno más de Michael Göhner, que completaba así un podio enteramente alemán.
Por el contrario, en la prueba femenina los resultados fueron bastante más ajustados. Si bien Caroline Steffen cumplía con su papel de favorita, al situarse en un reducido grupo de aspirantes al triunfo, lo hizo con tan sólo minuto y medio de diferencia frente a la checa Lucie Zelenkova. Tras hacer un fulgurante primer tramo de agua, Zelenkova veía como la suiza apostaba todo en la bici para llegar a la segunda transición con una más que holgada ventaja de 13 minutos y 40 segundos. Una diferencia que Zelenkova se encargó de ir recortando kilómetro a kilómetro en la carrera a pie, pero que no fue suficiente para alzarse con la victoria. La alemana Sonja Tajsich se encargó de cerrar el cajón.
Clasificación Élite Femenina
Caroline Steffen SUI 9:12:13
Lucie Zelenkova CZE 9:13:46
Sonja Tajsich GER 9:14:14
Yvonne Van Vlerken NED 9:15:37
Samantha Warriner NZL 9:18:04
Meike Krebs GER 9:22:43
Silvia Felt GER 9:26:21
Susan Dietrich GER 9:28:08
Heleen Bij de Vaate NED 9:32:51
Virginia Berasategui ESP 9:37:00
Clasificación Élite Másculina
Faris Al-Sultan GER 8:13:50
Jan Raphael GER 8:19:31
Michael Göhner GER 8:20:26
George Potrebitsch GER 8:22:29
Stephan Vuckovic GER 8:26:03
Luke McKenzie AUS 8:26:51
Cameron Brown NZL 8:31:47
Bert Jammaer BEL 8:32:26
Patrick Vernay FRA 8:32:59
Bart Colpaert BEL 8:33:54
http://eurotri.com/index.php?r=site%2Fpage&idm=7&id=208&idCat=7&title=Al-Sultan+y+Steffen+vencen+en+el+Frankfurter+Sparkasse+Ironman
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Al-Sultan, Steffen take Frankfurt new
Written by: Herbert Krabel
Date: Sun Jul 24 2011
Faris Al-Sultan stormed to a dominating win at the Frankfurter Sparkasse European Ironman Championship ahead of Jan Raphael and Michael Göhner. Despite cold and wet conditions Al-Sultan recorded the fastest bike split and then held on to the title with a sub 3 hour marathon. Caroline Steffen took the women's title in a similar fashion with a course record bike split of 4:51:07, but had much more of a fight on her hand at the end of the run.
As the lead men emerged from the waters of the Langener Waldsee after their 2-lap swim, Belgian Neo Pro Bart Colpaert was quickest in 45.59. He though had a group of 5 athletes that included Faris Al-Sultan and Sylvain Sudrie hot on his heels.
A quick transition allowed German Pro Horst Reichel to be on the bike first, but it didn't take very long for Al-Sultan to move to the front of the race. The pace of Al-Sultan caused the other swim leaders to fall off the pace though and by the 30k mark only Sudrie had managed to stay with him. A bit further back several smaller groups were chasing hard but all were losing time to the 2005 Ironman World Champion. With a third of the bike segment done Al-Sultan finally dropped the French Pro and was alone in the lead, but now a group of 12 that included Thomas Hellriegel, Luke McKenzie, Bert Jammaer and Cameron Brown was riding a bit more than 4 minutes behind him. The gaps though got larger and larger and by the time Al-Sultan reached the bike-run transition his lead over Sudrie was almost 9 minutes and George Potrebitsch and Luke McKenzie got there shortly after.
Al-Sultan never really faltered during the run either and while some of the faster runners managed to take some time back, his 2:57:25 marathon was plenty fast to take the win in Frankfurt.
"With the victory here the monkey is now off my back and I have a lot of confidence going into the 2nd half of the season," said the new European Ironman Champion Faris Al-Sultan. "The conditions in Hawaii are much more to my liking. As it was here today is not so much my thing."
Jan Raphael and Michael Göhner finished second and third to make this a German sweep on German soil. McKenzie was in fact the first non-German in 6th place and Sudrie after being near the front most of the race seemed to have paid for his attempts to stay with Al-Sultan and dropped from the leader board.
Lucie Zelenkova led the women out of the water in 47:59, with Simone Benz next at 48:12 and Caroline Steffen and Dede Griesbauer another minute later. Virginia Berasategui and Sam Warriner reached transition 3 and 5 respective minutes behind the fast Czech, and Yvonne Van Vlerken had lost about 9 minutes.
As expected Steffen looked very smooth on the bike and the 2010 Ironman Hawaii runner-up reeled in Zelenkova rather fast and moved into the lead. By the time she reached 30k her lead over Zelenkova was up to 2:19 and as Steffen continued to pulled further and further away, Dede Griesbauer crashed approaching one of the famous climbs on the course and had to drop out. Steffen recorded a course record setting 4:51:07 bike split and reached transition almost 14 minutes ahead of Zelenkova and almost 15 .5 minutes in front of Warriner.
Early on during the run Steffen looked good and in control but she started to walk a few sections and that allowed Zelenkova to gain time back on the fast Swiss woman. With about 3k to go her lead was down to 2.5 minutes and spotters reported that Steffen was seemingly running scared and with short steps. But Steffen held on for the win and crossed the line first in 9:12:13. Zelenkova finished second and a very fast running Sonja Tajsich grabbed third.
"It was simply too cold for me. I like Hawaii conditions. I am using up many more calories when it is so cold. It was very important for me today to win," said Steffen. "I was worried that I would be second again."
http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/Al-Sultan_Steffen_take_Frankfurt_2213.html
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Faris Al-Sultan
Date of Birth: January 21st, 1978
Height: 181 cm
Weight: 72 kg
Contact eMail: faris@teamabudhabitriathlon.com
faris-al-sultan-al-ain-res
Faris Al-Sultan is the team founder and the leader of Team Abu Dhabi Triathlon. He has started his Ironman carrier with 19 on the island of Lanzarote. Within a few years he became the German epitome of Ironman. In 2005 he has crowned himself as Ironman world champion in Kona, Hawaii.
Achievements:
Ironman
1st Place Ironman World Championship, Hawaii 2005
1st Place Ironman Regensburg 2010
1st Place Ironman Malaysia 2008
1st Place Ironman Arizona 2005
2nd Place Challenge Roth 2005/06
3rd Place Ironman World Championship, Hawaii 2004/06
4th Place Ironman South Africa 2006
6th Place Abu Dhabi International Triathlon 2010
6th Place Ironman European Championship, Frankfurt 2007
7th Place Ironman World Championship, Hawaii 2003
Half Ironman
1st Place Ironman 70.3 Germany 2008
1st Place Ironman 70.3 St. Croix 2004
1st Place Kraichgau Triathlon 2007
Olympic Distance
2nd Place European Cup Schliersee 2007
3rd Place Laguna Phuket Triathlon 2007
http://www.srm.de/index.php/us/srm-in-action/athletes/team-abu-dhabi-triathlon
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