Riptide Multisports

Jones 9th at Chicago Triathlon

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:54:06 +0000

Jordan Jones battled the heat along the Chicago lakefront to take home a 9th place finish at the Chicago Triathlon on Sunday, August 29th. The race is the world’s largest triathlon with over 10,000 participants, attracting many of the top domestic and international elite triathletes. Jones made-up for his 19th fastest swim split by laying down a strong 40k bike leg, registering the 5th fastest among the field at over 26mph. Once onto the run leg, the race became a battle of attrition in the wilting summer heat. With temperatures in the high 90s, the race favored those who came into the race rested and well-fueled. Jones was able to move up 3 places on the run, finishing in 9th. ”Sean has had me really focusing on the bike since the end of July, and I felt that extra attention to it really helped me today. Because of that extra bit of bike fitness I was fairly comfortable on the bike, which I’m really happy with, especially after seeing the split,” says Jones, crediting Riptide Coach Sean Wendt for his improvement.

Riptide’s Ryan Borger also competed in Chicago and placed 18th in his most competitive pro race to date.

Men’s Top 10 Results:
1. Mark Fretta (USA) 1:52:22
2. Kevin Collington (USA) 1:53:05
3. Filip Ospaly (CZE) 1:53:54
4. David Thompson (USA) 1:54:16
5. Chris Foster (USA) 1:55:23
6. Joe Maloy (USA) 1:55:34
7. Matty Reed (USA) 1:55:49
8. Andrew Starykowicz (USA) 1:55:52
9. Jordan Jones (USA) 1:56:45
10. James Hadley (USA) 1:57:56

Full results available here.

Mackenzie 10th at Alcatraz

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:45:17 +0000

Dan Mackenzie took home 10th place at Sunday’s San Francisco Triathlon at Alcatraz. Mackenzie got off to a great start, exiting the swim across San Francisco Bay within in a minute of the race leaders and eventual winner Ben Collins. Mackenzie worked the challenging bike leg hard, trying to stay within a couple minutes of the race leaders. Once onto the run, he soon realized he might have spent a bit too much energy on the San Francisco hills. Despite not feeling his best, the former Princeton University track star held onto a top-10 finish in one of the most prestigious races on the West Coast, “It’s nice to get a top-10 finish in a strong field like this, ” Mackenzie said after the race.

Look for Mackenzie on the starting line of Pacific Grove in two weeks, where he looks to add another top-10 finish to his season.

Top-10 Pro Men at San Francisco Triathlon at Alcatraz:

1. Ben Collins (USA)

2. Kyle Leto

3. Steven Sexton

4. Brian Fleischmann

5. Kevin Everett

6. John Kenny

7. Kenneth Rakestraw

8. Damian Hill

9. Nicholas Thompson

10. Dan Mackenzie

Full results available here.

Mackenzie 16th at Kelowna Premium Pan Am Cup

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:58:05 +0000

Dan Mackenzie traveled to Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada this weekend to compete in the ITU Kelowna Pan American Cup. The race served as the Canadian National Championships, and thus provided a star studded field in arguably the strongest triathlon nation. Mackenzie toed the line with 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist and 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist Simon Whitfield (CAN).

Mackenzie exited the water in the midst of the third swim pack, but together they caught the second swim pack in the first lap of the bike. He remained in the second pack for the bike leg, entering the second transition in 18th. Once out on the run Dan moved up to 16th, earning coveted ITU points. ITU points are the basis for ITU Rankings, which are how USA Triathlon allocates starting positions for World Cup Events and World Championship Series Races, both of which are in Mackenzie’s plans for 2011. Performing well at those events earns athletes more points, which can eventually translate to Olympic Games qualification.

Riptide’s Ryan Borger also competed in Kelowna, finishing 39th despite competing with an infection in his lower leg that hampered his training for much of the previous week.

Mackenzie will be back in action on Sunday at the San Francisco Triathlon at Alcatraz. Borger will race this weekend at the Chicago International Triathlon.

Full results are available here.

Photos by bethmackenzie.com

Dretzka Performs Strongly at Outdoor Divas Triathlon

admin — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:46:40 +0000

Fiona Dretzka, 14 years old and a member of the Riptide Multisports Junior Team, competed on Sunday in the Outdoor Divas Sprint Triathlon. Dretzka finished 24th overall and had the 4th fastest swim split. She won the 10-15 year old age group by over 4 minutes.

Dretzka just started high school last week and will be competing on her school’s cross-country team. Once she combines her outstanding swim with a strong run look for Fiona to be among overall race leaders.

Full results available here.

Athey 44th at Junior National Championship

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:57:01 +0000

Riptide Junior Elite athlete, Chris Athey, competed last weekend at the USA Triathlon Junior National Championship in San Diego, California.

Chris finished in 44th place after getting of to a rough start. The water temperature was measured to allow the use of wetsuits, leaving Chris in a tough spot with his wetsuit back home in Colorado. Without a wetsuit he wasn’t able to show off the remarkable improvement he has shown in the water over the past several months. He played the game of catch-up for the remainder of the race. Once out on the run he was able to pass 8 athletes and move into 44th position. Though disappointed with the result, Chris remained optimistic and learned a valuable lesson: to always pack a wetsuit whether the race be in the Bahamas or in Canada.

Soon Chris will return to school at Colorado State University in Fort Collins where he will compete for the cross-country team.

Merrick 6th, Borger 8th at USAT CO Springs Elite Development Triathlon

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:47:26 +0000

Riptide Multisports was well represented on Sunday, August 3rd at the USAT Colorado Springs Elite Development Triathlon. The draft-legal race offered US elite and elite amateur athletes a rare chance at ITU format racing on American soil. Josh Merrick and Ryan Borger placed 6th and 8th respectively. Merrick exited the water 2:20 in arrears of swim leader and eventual winner Cameron Dye. Merrick then pushed hard on the bike, posting the 2nd fastest bike split and capping his ride with the 2nd fastest run split. 16 seconds behind him at the finish was Ryan Borger. Borger executed well throughout the race, placing himself in a large bike pack throughout the bike and running strongly to finish the race. 20 year old Tyler Volz from Team Riptide was 18th, indicative of what the future can hold for the upstart. Behind Volz was Cyrus Severance in 22nd and Chris Athey in 32nd.
In the women’s race, Riptide’s Whitney Dahms placed 18th, edging out teammate Cailee Andersen by 8 seconds and one spot.

Backroads of Colorado road bike video

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:26:06 +0000

Follow the Riptide Multisports Elite Triathlon team on this ride on some of Colorado’s finest roads. Starting in Golden, CO the team rides up Golden Gate Canyon to picturesque dirt roads near the Peak to Peak Highway. Features Matt Balzer, Tate Behning, Ryan Borger, Dan MacKenzie, Cyrus Severance, and Sean Wendt with Jordan Jones as cameraman.

Jones 4th at Nautica New York City Triathlon

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:18:16 +0000

Jordan Jones celebrated his 29th birthday with a 4th place finish at the Nautica New York City Triathlon on Sunday. Dawn had barely broke over the Hudson River when the pro athletes dove in, the first of over 3000 athletes who would take to the course in midtown Manhattan. Jones exited the water in 9th, but had moved up to 5th by the end of the 40k bike along the West Side Highway. Starting the 10k run on 72nd Street, Jones gradually picked up the pace, allowing his troublesome achilles to warm up before pressing hard on the hills in north Central Park. Jones was able to shake off two athletes who were hot on his heels, finishing comfortably in 4th place.

“It’s nice to come to a race of this caliber and finish in the money,” Jones said after the race, ” This is the race I’ve been waiting to have all year, it’s great to catch a good day and have it all come together.”

Jones will take a week off to visit friends and family in Boston and New Jersey before he returns home to Colorado to gear up for the Chicago Triathlon at the end of next month.

Full results for the Nautica NYC Triathlon are available here.

Merrick Wins Mile High Duathlon Series

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:58:17 +0000

Josh Merrick finished 1st overall at the West Side Duathlon on Sunday, the 3rd of three races comprising the Mile High Duathlon Series. Josh Merrick swept the series this year, and took home the series title for the 4th straight year.

Merrick chased super-runner Andrew Letherby out of T1 after the first 5k run, but then hammered his way to T2 with the fastest 30k bike split of the day and a solid lead over second place Justin Hurd. Merrick maintained his lead by the way of another swift 5k to end his day.

Merrick will race next at the Steamboat Springs Stage Race over Labor Day weekend.

Full results from the West Side Duathlon are available here.

Balzer 10th at Vineman 70.3

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:44:09 +0000

Riptide Elite Team member Matt Balzer finished 10th at Vineman 70.3 on Sunday. Balzer began racing the half-Ironman distance earlier this year, after focusing entirely on the Olympic distance for several years. Though still trying to navigate the technicalities of such a long event, including managing nutrition and proper pacing, Balzer proved this weekend that he is emerging as a strong contender over the long distance event.

Balzer exited the water in 7th place and rode strongly for the 56 mile bike. The heat and tough course slowed him a bit on the run, but he was able to hang in for a top-10 finish, no easy feat in the competitive 70.3 events.

Balzer will race next at the Pyramid Lake Triathlon in Pyramid Lake, Nevada where he’ll be defending his 2009 title as Overall Champion.

Full results from Vineman 70.3 are available here.