RACE REPORT - ICON Livigno Xtreme Triathlon 2023 - Tri-Alliance Triathlon Training Melbourne

Our very own resident Bumblebee, Andy Wood-Rich, dove headfirst (literally!) into the ICON Livigno Xtreme Triathlon over the weekend. Let’s be honest, folks, this triathlon isn’t just your regular run-of-the-mill Beach Rd gig. It’s the kind that makes your Garmin shake in its digital boots!

This event calls for a 3.8 km aquatic adventure in the breathtaking Livigno lake, all before the sun has even risen. Next up, you need to tackle a mind-boggling 195km bike ride through the Alps’ toughest and most iconic passes – we’re talking about the Bernina and Stelvio Passes here, people! And if you thought that was impressive, just wait for the grand finale: a 42.2km run that winds its way through trails, white roads, asphalt, and everything in between, all at high altitude. Phew, anyone else reaching for a water bottle just thinking about it?

Well, this year’s event has been run and done and it’s time to hear Andy’s honest reflection of the day…

Sometimes when you test your limits you find them.

I completed the swim in 13.5-degree waters. The course was shortened to 3km, due to the air temperature being too low (2 degrees).

Hit transition and did a full kit change, trisuit and many layers and headed out onto the bike course. 195 kms with 6 categorised climbs. Straight away we were going up from T1!

I used all the gears and focused on tempo and cadence and as such, cleared the first 4 climbs, slowly but steadily. Then made up some time bombing down the winding descents. The roads are not closed for the race, so there were a few times I got held up with traffic but, dealt with it.

Was feeling pretty good and maintaining a good pace to finish with time to spare. And that’s when I started up the big climb for the day (actually, the last two are classed as HC).

2kms into the Stelvio Pass I realised I had nothing left in the tank. My legs were going into spasms and, even in my easiest gear I couldn’t maintain any power or cadence. I was rolling up the hill so slowly that it was difficult to balance the bike and hold a straight, predictable line, so I stopped to regroup but found no second wind – I was just done.

I’ve never quit a race. Though I seriously considered calling my support crew down from the mountain top to pick me up, instead I began the long process of riding as much as I could tolerate and then finding a safe(ish) place to stop, stretch, control my breathing and heart rate before clipping in and riding some more. This repeated. Sometimes a km, other times only 500m (or to the next hairpin corner) for the remaining 20km of the Stelvio.

In the end, I got through 150+km of the ride, scaled 5 of the peaks and gained just over 3500 m of elevation in 9:16.

During that battle, the cut off time at the summit came and went, at one point I waved off a support vehicle, so I knew my race was over. But I needed that summit, and I wasn’t going to quit.

Time to back up, rest and reset.