Bike split monster Stefan Werner
The fastest age group bike split in Kona belonged to Stefan Werner from Germany. But more importantly, he also was the age group World Champion in M30-34 and the second fastest overall amateur.
Slowtwitch: 4:40 was a very nice bike split this year in Kona, plus you won your age group and had the second fastest overall age group time.
Stefan: The biking is definitely my best discipline. That’s why I can often can take the lead of the race and have a certain control from the front. For example I was the first age group athlete in T2 in 2006, 2008 and 2009. Because of my deficit by the running I could unfortunately not save the lead to the finish line. But, after I was overtaken by 50 athletes in 2006, I could reduce this number over the years. Last year three athletes passed me and this year I lost only one place during the run. So I was glad over my first age group win in Kona. It was a very special experience for me to stay as the champion on the stage at the award banquet.
ST: Did you get a special award for the fastest bike split?
Stefan: No, I didn’t get a special award from IM, but I will have a meeting with my outfitter next week. Maybe I will get some new features for my ultra fast Red Bull bike.
ST: It seems you have no power meter on your bike. How do you control your pace?
Stefan: Yes, I rode without any power or speedometer in Kona this year. From the previous Ironman races in Kona I learned that the weather on Big Island is unpredictable. So to lean on a special speed plan is quite dangerous for the complete length of the ride. You should be very flexible in the speed you drive. During the training I tested a power tab system without an aero rear wheel. It’s a helpful tool not to overpace during the race. But during this race and the races before I relied on my feeling.
ST: Last year you had an almost identical bike split and overall time. How do the 2 years compare in your mind?
Stefan: I think that the external conditions were a little big harder this year. Exclusive of the weak wind in Hawi the wind on the way back to Kona was much stronger this year. Because of a knee injury the run training was quite poor in the first months of this year. During those months I prefered the biking. The additional bike kilometers made me stronger on the bike. The identical bike split is the sum of these both effects. I started the running training in the end of April. Especially the training eight weeks before the race were very good and effective. Also the training datas of my running were much better than last year. So I had hoped that I could gain some minutes in the marathon. In detail every split was faster. Okay, it was only seconds, but it gets better. Next year I will try the sub9 again.
ST: Talk about how your race day went in Kona?
Stefan: I started the day very early. My girlfriend was one of the volunteers in the bike transition area. So my first job was to shuttle her to the transitions area. After parking the car near the Palani Road I was one of the first at the body marking. This had furthermore the advantage to prepare the bike calmly. Further there’s enough time for mental preparing outside the transition area. I love this time, but it ends abruptly with the starting signal for the pros and the 15 min countdown for the age group athletes. For the swim I found a good place in the center of the starting line in the second row. It’s a funny thing, all of them who did not want to start in the crowd at the right side, are at the left side, but only a few stay in the center. Okay, the race did not start without fights, but the ‘fights’ with the other guys don’t take as long as it would be on the left or the right side. So I had a good swim start and cruised in a good group to the pier. After a moderate transition and 1-hour race time I was on my bike. Now the ‘real’ race could begin and it was time to say goodbye to my swim group colleagues. My heart beat rate was beyond of good and evil, but I hate nothing more than to overtake and to be overtaken at the beginning of a race. So I took my chance.
At the Kuakini Hwy turn around I could check my place in the race: 4min behind the leader. Perfect. After climbing up Palani Road I found my pace and the heart rate went down. From time to time I could overtake more athletes. First other age group athletes and later some pros. I didn’t know exactly when I was in lead of the amateur race. It must have happened between scenic view and Kawaihae. The way up to Hawi I was a kind of entertained by the male and female pros. Who is first, who is second? Is there a bigger group? This is the first point to get a complete race overview. The downhill back to Kawaihae was not so crazy like last year. The Mumuku was very weak. This year we had headwind on the way to Kona. Especially the last miles could have been very hard if you ride too fast before. I felt fresh and I hoped that this wind would be blow a big gap between the fast runners and me. In that moment I still thought that the additional running training of the last weeks would had an effect and I could run faster than last year. After 4:40 and a quick T2 I was ready to run. I felt good and so my rough road map was 7:15 per mile + 1 min additional for the Palani Road + 1 min additional for the Energy Lab. “Start slow, I have enough time to run faster”, I thought the first miles. Every aid station I cooled my self down with lots of ice, ice water and sponges. I took everything that I could get to cool me down, but my body became hot and hotter. My legs fealed very well and wanted to run much faster, but my body did not / or could not. For me the heat is like hell. Breathing is a torture. After each cooling it was okay for me and the next 500 – 600 meters, but then the way to the next aid stations became worse again for every single aid station segment. The miles with the hill (Palani Road) and the Energy Lab were extreme hard. It’s not a funny thing to move 205 lbs to the mountain top.
This piece of the race I ran very slowly with small steps. Looking back I think I had managed this part without heavy losses, but the road down and up to the Energy Lab kicked me out of the race. The zero wind and the temperatures above 40°C were too much for me. I spent minutes at one aid station to cool me down. But I was in the happy situation to have a 10 min lead after bike and only one age group athletes passed me during the run. I was very happy to have finished that hard race.
Last year it has been very similar for me. I had the fitness of a faster marathon, but I could not convert this within these conditions. This is one point on which I must work in the future. Perhaps then my dream of a perfect race can come true.
ST: Did you notice Christian Mueller running past you?
Stefan: Yes, I did. It was on the road up from the Energy Lab, nearly the 30km marker. This was at the time as I felt slightly better again. A few minutes before I saw Christian and some other age group athletes behind him at the last turn around. I knew immediately that Christian would catch me up. My focus was more on the other athletes behind him. When Christian passed me, I had tried to take over his speed. I didn’t get the complete speed, but the distance to him became only slowly larger.
ST: How many years have you been to Kona?
Stefan: Six. After 2001 and 2004 I have had a Kona series since 2006. Always looking for the perfect race. The race results are 10:32:03, 10:01:58, 9:26:43, 9:17:23, 9:05:17 and 9:04:03.
ST: Where did you get your slot for Hawaii this year?
Stefan: As in 2006 and 2008 this year I qualified in Frankfurt, Germany, again. Frankfurt is about 3 hours by car away from my hometown. So, if you plan to go on a big journey in autumn each year, Frankfurt is a very comfortable contest for me. It is easy to reach and not so expensive.
ST: Leading up to Kona what kind of training loads did you handle in some of your bigger weeks?
Stefan: I’m working as an electrical engineer. So, usually I do a lot of work to do during the week. If the weather outside is not too bad, I try to have efficient training days. A week with good training days sums up to 18 training hours.
ST: When you were on the stage in Kona the announcers gave you a hard time because of your size. How tall are you?
Stefan: I am 196cm (6 feet, 5 inches) at 202lbs. This year on Kona´s podium the situation for me was quite nice. The guys right beside me were nearly as tall as me. But last year I was in 3rd place and was more than a head taller than the guys to the left and right. That was quite a funny situation for us. Kona is hard to finish in a good time for tall and heavy guys.
ST: That seemingly makes it more difficult for you to hide from the wind.
Stefan: For me the windy conditions are not as big of a problem as it seems to be. In most of the races I like it very much, because then I can benefit from it. Sometimes I can extend my lead while being on the bike compared with the stronger runners. But strong and warm winds at the marathon are in fact a disadvantage for me. I feel that I not really can cool down at such warm race conditions as they were on this special Saturday. I’m really getting too hot.
ST: Of all the results you had up to now, which one are you most proud of?
Stefan: I am Age Group World Champion for the first time. What do you think?
ST: Have you thought about turning Pro?
Stefan: I really thought about it several times but I really love my job. I am working as a hardware / software engineer in the research & development department at a car manufacturer supplier company. We develop the ideas today for the cars of tommorow. For me sports are a very nice compensation – or balance – to this full time job. You have to give yourself a certain kind of self-pressure, to get to know your own limitations. And the best way is to have good competitions and feel good about it.
ST: How are things going for you in terms of sponsorship?
Stefan: My sponsors give me the possibility to use excellent material as the bike and the swimsuit. That is all that I need to hunt the Pros.
ST: How did you get inspired you to race triathlons?
Stefan: I began running in the age of 20. But `running only´ got boring for me. Besides the stress for the joints in knee and wrist is a little bit too high, so I searched for an alternative.
Once I visited a local triathlon competition. I thought, that the combination of the three disciplines is great, a little while later I saw a report of Ironman Hawaii on German TV. From that day on it was absolutely clear for me: that is my sport!
ST: Do you follow any other sports?
Stefan: I tried surfing on Kauai. I stood also several times on the board, but that was everything. For other sports I haven´t got time. The training and the competitions are taking all of my spare time.
ST: Can you share with us some of your food likes and dislikes?
Stefan: Pizza and Pasta and and an ice-cream afterwards – that´s great after an exhausting training or race. In the summer time the ice-cream dose can be bigger, as far as I´m concerned. Fast food is not good for health, but sometimes I can´t resist. Raw or cold fish are not my personal favorites.
ST: What music do you like?
Stefan: On my mp3 player are currently artists like Billy Talent, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Peter Fox, Jan Delay and Jack Johnson. During the bike training I use the player in the shuffle mode.
ST: What was the last book you read?
Stefan: The German version of “ Written in Bone” from Simon Beckett. Which followed “The Chemistry of Death ” the 2nd case of David Hunter the forensic anthropologist.
ST: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Stefan: I try to stay healthy to join more triathlons in the next years. I try to keep having fun with this sport.
ST: Is there anything else we should know about you?
Stefan: I would not have this success without the support by my girl friend Julia. She is also an Ironwoman and she has been supporting me all the time for many years now. She loves to stay in Kona too and gives me strength and a good feeling during the race. But not only in Kona – anytime I start somewhere. We try to come back and have a wonderful time on Hawaii, again.
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