Repost: Surfs up

another great torch relay photo.

Post taken from Simon Whitfield's blog.

:) 2010 Winter Olympic is right around the corner...something to watch while I ride on my trainer.

The best part about running

Haven't update this blog for a while..I have been slowing getting back on training. Swimming 2 k, 2-3 times a week. Riding and running whenever. I just came back from a semi long run (17 km). It was easy down the trail and back. In the last 30 min, my stomach was growling and all I thought about was chocolate. Huge temptation to stop at McDonalds or the gas station for chocolate bar. I ended up going back home. Had two oranges, dark chocolate, yogurt, then some noodles and veges.

Hmm..best part about running clearly is the eating after.

Tour De France

I hope Lance Armstrong trains hard next year. Forget about Contador. Richard is going to own the mountains.

Transplant Games Pictures

I am back home for a week and slowly getting adjusted back to the chilly Canadian weather. Here's a few pictures from the Transplant Games.

This is Captain Canada and taken before my 5 km run race. He was standing about a km from the finish line and yelled at me, 'Cliff, hurry up. He is right behind you.' I was at the point of slowing down and because of him, I just gave it all I got in the last 800 m. Because of him, I was able to hold the second place by 1.4 seconds. I had a lead from him 8-10 seconds in the first km. He just reeled me at the end.

The Hungarian and me with our bling. He is a duathlon and he got first place in the bike TT and I got second. He had a kidney transplant.

We had to do four laps in the Bike Time Trial. A lady made me do an extra lap. Some people rode three laps. There were a lot of confusion. I was placed 9th. An aussie and a few Canadians spoke to the official on my behalf and they corrected the positions and I was placed second.

This is the Canadian Transplant Team. We were donned with our red jerseys. There were 50 countries participated in this game. Each of them have different style of uniforms.

I have a lot more to share from Australia. More to come :)

♫ Leaving on a Jet Plane ♫

I just checked in my bike and sitting around in Brisbane Airport.

Was a Sydney and Blue Mountain the pass week. Quite amazing. I especially enjoy Blue Mountain. I spent a day with a tour and another day exploring on my own. Some of the scenery was simply stunning.

Had some good fish and chips and susage rolls while down here. Got a tube of vegemite to bring back to my fellow Canadian mates.

Met up with Richard yesterday morning for breakfast. He did Australia Ironman earlier this year.

Hmm...yes yes, pics will be up soon ;). Got a whole load whack of them.

I got a killer tan. A driver thought I was a West Indian. Another lady thought I was phillipino (note...I am chinese) ;D

I hope my mom will recognize me when I get back..haha

=D

Backpacking across Australia

I've been to Fraser Island and Harvey Bay for the past week. It is simply stunning there. Fraser Island is a 100 km island made up of sand. I was expecting to be one big sand dune. It was. At the same time, it had a lot of various vegetation. From forest to rain forest, to lake, to creek, to beaches (duuh!). Travellers use the beach as a highway. The water from the reservoir coming out of the sand was so clean and clear. You can drink off it (I did).

Harvey Bay is a little town on the coast. I spent the majority of my time along the beach. Rented a bike and ride around (one gear, 40 lb steel!!). Did a lot of reading and sitting by the beach. I am dark. One of the aussie thought I was from West Indies :D

Australia makes backpacking so easy. This is my first time and everything is so convenient. I am now in Sydney at a place call Bondi Beach. It is a nice little strip along a beach. Tomorrow I am heading to Manly Beach (suppose to be good) and take the ferry over. I am trying to see if I can get to a play in the Australia Opera House. Then I am going to Blue Mountain for two days then fly back to Brisbane and head back to Canada.

Of the things I thought about in Australia and exchanging stories with others, I realize I haven't explore Canada at all. I tell others we got the Rockies in the west coast. Even I haven't been to them :). Being down south I have a greater appreciation of my home country.

I will no doubt put up some pics...been using internet at the cafe and it is hard to do so..for such I apologize! I had a video of a koala bear running on the ground. It is soo funny as one expect them to be slow as they are so lazy (they are).

Talk to you guys later..I should be on here in the mid week while I explore Sydney.

Games Overs..Onwards to Australia

Games are done. I am in Brisbane. Hanging out with a friend. Tomorrow I will be heading to Fraser Island. It's a wilderness there.

Last night we had gala. It was great. Everyone dress up and we say our last good bye.

Yesterday, I petted a Koala bear, kangeroos and see a lot of local wildlife. Took lots of pictures.

Will give u guys an update when I come back.

:D Thanks for all the support.

Sick Kids of Toronto brought a team to the games and had a diary. Check out http://www.sickkids.ca/teamsickkids/team-diary/index.html Sun Aug 23. I was quoted:

Cliff, who is a seasoned triathlete, stated last night “I’m used to the slow, steady pace of the Iron Man...so I’m afraid for the race tomorrow...I can’t handle 5 km pain!!” Obviously, he could handle it very well, and he gave all the spectators a thrill with his final sprint to the finish! Cliff is also a “SickKids graduate”, as he received his liver transplant at SickKids in the early 1990’s.

Note to self: Need to say something more intelligent next time around.

Transplant Games - Day 3 and 4

Brutal winter weather we are having in Brisbane. It's 30*C and sunny everyday. Horrible!!!

A few days ago saw a few whales splashing in the sea while talking with a roommate on the patio. WOW!

All my games are done. Did a 4 by 50 freestyle relay yesterday...try to jump in the pool, more like sink like a rock :DDD.

Rode along the coast today. It's nice.

Getting darker everyday.

Meeting a lot of amazing people. Today is track and field and the Canadian kids are taking over the field.

Internet is sparse and someone is waiting behind me....

Log off now!

Tomorrow go see the animal sanctuary. Gala tomorrow night (PARTAY!!!). The games will end by Sun morning.

Need to find one morning to run along the beach...

Check this video at 2 min and 13 sec. THAT's ME :D. It is the first km into the race.

It happens


So today was the 5 km bike time trial. It is set up to race 4 laps in a 1.4km loop. Since it is a time trial (you race against time), one rider goes every 60 seconds.

The track was amazing. It is like formula one except you are on your bike..(which is even better). There are a short steep climb over the bridge..a bit of incline..S-curves..I LOVE IT.

The Canadian crew was amazing...lots of cheers and hollering :).

So I went...it was good..by this i mean, it was painful. I focus on riding smooth and stay wide and turn into the turns. Got out of the seat and hammer up the climbs. I can say this is by far one of the toughest ride. Which it should be.

It ended as soon as it begun. Lots of cheers and what not. A Hungarian cyclist (whom almost caught up to me in the 5 km run race) asked me how I do. I do not know. I was blinded. No watch. No speedometer. Just me, myself and my Lord. That was what I wanted. Just go out hard. No expectation.

So they announce the winner. I ended up at 9th place in my Age Category. Here's the interesting part. The judge said some people did three laps and some did five. So they took the average.

My time was 10 min 41 secs. The guy after me was 8 min and something seconds. With a one min stagger start. He would have passed me. No one passed me on the race. In fact, I passed the guy in front of me and he was top three and bike 7 min and something seconds.

Not much to say. Sometimes the judge give you a bad call and that's that. I think either I did five laps (I pretty sure I didn't) or they time me wrong. Either way, that's the call and that's that.

I am not as upset over the medal as I just want to know what my time was. At the end of the lap, there was one turn where it goes wide and is a decline. I was whipping my Cervelo Dual pretty hard on that turn. Just hammer, lean in, head down and don't slow down.

It was great to see the Canadian team in action. We even got our own jerseys (pics will come up soon).

I am loving Australia. So nice. It's 30 here and they call this winter...i was chatting with my roommate last night over the patio and we saw whale in the sea :D. Tonight we are heading over to Sea World for dinner.

As for me, my races are pretty much done. I am bailing on the 20 km bike race tomorrow as I don't have a road bike. My legs are pretty beat from racing in the 5 km bike time trial and the 5 km run race.

I will post some pics soon....hope everyone is well and thanks for the encouragement...

PS - I found a new love..it's called Vegemite!!

Transplant Games Day 1-2

- a much delayed flight to down south. Glad to be in Gold Coast...and my bike is here as well :)

- yesterday did a 5 km run race. Awesome. 2nd overall. The third place was creeping up to me at the end. Someone yelled 'Cliff, he is behind you' 400 m from the end. Had to run hard. Didn't realize I have that in me at the end.

- crazy winter weather in Gold Coast. 25*C with sun. Horrible :)

- my condo faces the ocean. At night, I can see waves crashing in. Awesome!

- today (Day 2), an easy day for me. Taking my bike for a tune up and recon the time trial course.

- people here are awesome. Lots of support from the Canada team. Met a lot of great people who had transplants....

Lastly, the guys whom I am racing with is fast! A few guys were running 30 min 10 km prior to transplant. Hard core.

I have a 5 km TT tomorrow.

Grateful to be here. Honour to represent Canada.