:::full race report:::results:::photos:::travel log:::

I had a lot of fun at this race, even though I came down with a cold during my travels to Switzerland from Germany.  All the university athletes were put up in a hostel near the Olympic park in Lausanne, Switzerland and it was really neat to meet other collegiate triathletes from around the world.  I was looking forward to this race because I had thought it would be the same course as the Under-23 Worlds the next weekend, but the World University Championships was on the age-group course so it wasn’t quite the preview I had hoped for.  I didn’t have a great swim, and the bike course was challenging with the hills and had some terrifying descents made worse by the cold downpour.  I ran fast enough to stay in the top 10 without over-exerting myself before the Under-23 World Championships the next weekend.  The post-race party was one of the best I’ve been to and I was sad it was my last time racing for Virginia Tech.

:::results:::travel log:::

After World University Games, I spent all week recovering from my cold and preparing for my next race in Lausanne while staying at the Hotel Royal Savoy – a very nice, old-fashioned hotel on the top of one of the two climbs on the bike course.  My goal for the race was to place in the top 10, but I knew that this year’s field was a lot stronger than last year’s.  I had a decent swim that put me in a bike group with potential to catch the next group, but between the two climbs on the course (one really steep, shorter one and another longer, more gradual but not less painful one) we didn’t have enough time to close the gap.  I ran pretty well, passing several girls even while battling a bad side stitch for a lap and a half.  I placed 13th – not in the top 10 like I had hoped but still very respectable.

:::full race report:::results:::photos:::travel log:::

I returned to Germany after Worlds, training for a week with a few other American girls at the Sembach Air Force Base in Kaiserslautern.  Since it was just a week after Worlds, Hamburg World Cup was pretty stacked – the toughest field I had faced yet.  With the unusual swim course – going through water tunnels – and the fast, technical bike course, many athletes were getting a course preview for next year’s World Champs.  I swam relatively well and played it smart on the bike course to avoid potential crashes.  With all the turns it was difficult to catch the groups ahead but I ran well enough to place in the top 50, earning points for the 2008 Olympics.  I was surprised that my body held up so well after three consecutive weeks of racing. 

I returned to the USA after six weeks in Europe just to pack up with the family and drive to Westchester, New York for my 4th race weekend in a row.  Not the high-profile World Cup I had become accustomed to, this race was almost a return to my age-group racing days with one lap each of the swim, bike and run courses.  This race did not go well at all – probably one race in a row too many.  It was nice hanging out with my parents and catching up with old friends.