Natalie Van Coevorden- Australian Triathlete

Stockholm World Championship Series Leading up to Stockholm, this was the first time that I had the chance to have 4 weeks of solid training. With a few ups and downs within the weeks, I got a reality check of where I was at. Training was based around what we needed to achieve to maximise our performance in Stockholm. I was happy to get some speed back into the body. Without realising before briefing, over 50% of the course was on cobble stones, some on a downhill and an uphill transition area. Stockholm is known for rain and wet conditions and in most people’s eyes this is asking for some eating of the pavement. A quote from Erin Densham summed up what I thought:   “ yes, it’s technical, there are cobblestones, it’s going to be exciting, you have to be able to handle your bike as well in this sport. It’s not just about boring courses and being strong, so I’m looking forward to the course.” Race day was again lat...

Welcome home!!   Living in Vitoria, in the Basque country, for 4 months of the year, I am happy to call it home. People often get mistaken and think after every race I am making the journey back to Australia but really I am making a short few hours flight. This time I arrived back to the smiling girls who tell me they missed me J and new apartments. My relationship with the oven began as soon as I walked through the door, already cooking up a storm with my roomie Grace. We are currently on a 30 day challenge, not allowed to cook the same meals twice within the 30 days. We are going strong, inspired by our morning Masterchef watching and Google recipes of romantic dinners for two. July has been non- stop with races, travelling to Paris, Hungary and Hamburg. All of them were solid races, surrounded by girls peaking for the Olympics. I was overall happy with how everything went, still knowing that I have so much to work on, w...