TIMO READY FOR KONA IRONMAN
“Racing on the new Giant Trinity Advanced SL has made all the difference this year and given me a tremendous amount of confidence…”
Timo Bracht relaxes and waits patiently for Saturday’s big appointment with the burning heat and fierce cross winds of the Big Island, Hawaii, otherwise known as “Ford Ironman World Championships.” But the thought that keeps him focused is a surprising one: revenge!
Timo is usually moderate in temperament. But in 2008, he was disqualified here for a minor technicality and robbed of 5th place; he’s waited 12 long months to right a wrong.
Since then he has changed bikes, won the Frankfurt Ironman in record time, and is now in Kona as one of the favorites and a triathlete feared for his cycling.
"Generally speaking I’m in very good shape for Saturday,” he tells Giant. “I am calm and relaxed. One of my strengths is that I don’t spend too much time worrying about the competition; if I’m fit then I know I will be right up there fighting for the victory. Last year’s DQ hurt a lot and it has made me really determined to prove that I am worthy of a top 5 place in this race of races!!”
Timo partnered with Giant Bicycle early this year, and has been training and racing on the World’s Fastest Bicycle – the Trinity Advanced SL. In July, riding the hyper-engineered Giant composite Tri/TT bicycle, Timo won the 2009 Ironman European Championships in Frankfurt, Germany, shaving six minutes off his bike time from the previous year and setting a new course record.
“Racing on the new Giant Trinity Advanced SL has made all the difference this year and given me a tremendous amount of confidence,” he says. “It’s particularly advantageous in cross winds and one thing we all know for Saturday is that there are cross winds, so I am particularly excited about this.”
Timo concludes, "On Saturday I am going to go all out and go to the limit. My strength is that I can focus completely on the moment. I know that I can fully concentrate when it's crunch time. This is what counts."