20.11.12

Looking ahead to 2013 - It would be an understatement to say I needed a break after the Auckland World Cup!

It would be an understatement to say I needed a break after the Auckland World Cup! My body was
telling me weeks before the final race, so I was happy to finally take a 3‐week break.

However after 5 days of sitting around trying to relax I started to get bored, my idea of a break is actually
doing something. So I signed up for flying lessons! To convince my wife all I had to do was to sign a life
insurance policy! Statistically I have a greater chance of having something happen to me out training
than I do flying.

Triathlon is my number one passion, but I’ve always wanted to learn to fly and now was as good a time as
any! Little did I know that after a week of training I would be doing my first solo flight! Thanks to my
instructor Don McDowell, who flew F‐4’s in Vietnam I was always in safe hands. I thought he was a brave
man for flying with me but he did point out that he’d been shot at in combat, so anything else is was easy
in comparison!

I have to admit I was losing sleep worrying about my first solo flight, and yes I can relate it to going into a
big event like the Olympics, but just like a race once you start the nerves go and you focus on the task at
hand! Obviously the fact that I’m writing this newsletter means the flight went well, “Greasing” my
landings! Go to my Facebook page if you don’t believe me!

As the 2013 season is fast approaching it’s time to put focus back into triathlon and get ready for a huge
new challenge in my career. Yes I’m aiming to become an Ironman and hopefully an Ironman champion!
As many have pointed out it’s easy to sign up but harder to complete, but if my first few half ironman
events are anything to go by I have a very exciting year ahead of me.

So what’s on the horizon? The ultimate goal is the Hawaiian Ironman, but as is usual I break my goals
into long, mid and short term goals. Short term is just to get some fitness back in the legs again. My mid
term goals are two races I’m very excited about; I have just announced that I will be racing the Oceania
Half Ironman champs in Auckland on 20th Jan 2013 and then the NZ Ironman in my home town of Taupo
in March!

The Auckland event is a great new race in downtown Auckland with the Council allowing us to ride over
the Harbour Bridge and then up and down Tamaki drive. There is a huge amount of interest from top
international athletes as this event offers a lot of valuable points towards Hawaiian Ironman
qualification, so it’s going to be a huge test first up.

Obviously the Ironman in Taupo is going to be a very special event for me being in my home town. I have
been a spectator at many of the Taupo IM events over the years and I am thrilled to be able to compete in
front of my family and friends on such beautiful, familiar terrain.

Hopefully after these first two events I will have enough points to qualify for Kona, but I am realistic
enough to realize that it may not be that easy!


Thanks for all your support
Bevan

AVANTI RIDERS