Preparation
3rd race of the season, was hoping for a good run like at the T100 in Kinrooi a few weeks earlier - 4:45 pace, and aiming for 250-260W on the bike. Thursday before the race I had to cut my last run session short from 50' to like 15' as my left calf was all the time on the verge of cramping up, so I didn't want to take any risk with the race on Sunday, I gave it some extra foam rolling and hoped it wasn't going to be an issue on race day.
Location
Swim (cancelled), T1/T2 and finish line are all located near the bridge of Kanne. So from a logistics point of view this race is very easy. The bike course was a 3 loop setup with every loop including the "Slingerberg" and the run course were 4 rolling laps including a passage through the cave in each loop.
Swim N.A.
- A few days before the race we got the notification that the swim would be cancelled due to high levels of blue-green algae in the water. Bad news for me as swimming for sure isn't my weakest discipline.
T1 N.A.
Bike 2:31:06 (AG-7/69)
- 3 loop flat course setup, with long straights alongside the canal perfect to put your head down and as well the Slingerberg which is a punchy climb. Because the swim got cancelled, the start of the bike leg had to change as well, the bike start changed to the other side of the canal where the finish line is and 3 riders were allowed to start every x seconds, this also meant instead of 3 times the Slingerberg we now had to climb it 4 times.
- 100m into the modified bike course you directly have the Slingerberg so I had a short warmup on the bike beforehand, but not to long nor intensive neither as I wanted to start near the front of the pack to avoid drafting packs and didn't want to be all sweaty and getting cold waiting in line.
- Beginning of the bike was uneventful, I tried to keep everything in check on the Slingerberg and the climb towards the bridge near the far end of the bike course and ride steady around 250W along the canal. Near the end of the 1st lap and the first half of the 2nd lap I sat in a group of 2 other riders who were going about the same pace, but once the headwind struck I had to push over 280W to keep up with them, so I opted to let them go to avoid blowing up. Around the 2h mark my quads were already hurting so that didn't promise anything good for the run, I guess that Slingerberg just tears into your legs even if you don't go all in on that climb. Near the end of the 3rd lap I actually caught up with one of the 2 guys I was riding with earlier so guess he opted for his own pace at a certain point during the ride as well.
- Really strong winds, especially on the plateau on top of the Slingerberg, it was so bad I didn't dare to stay in the aero bars during any of the 4 times we passed there due to the combination of the strong side wind and my 90cm front rims.
2026:
2025:
- Looking at those power numbers on the Slingerberg I clearly pushed harder than last year, and with 1 additional iteration, that probably killed of the legs.
- I was able to follow the nutrition plan, every 30k ish: (1/3rd of 750ml bottle (water + 3x50g gels)) & 1x750 ml iso + hydro tab, plus I think I had 3 salt capsules additionally on the entire bike course.
- Overall disappointed about how I felt on the bike after 2 hours as I tried to keep my numbers in check, even on the climbs. 7th in my AG (top 10%) so not to bad compared to the rest of my AG.
- Looking back at previous races on this bike course (some variations over the years but in general comparable), I overbiked it compared to the last 2 years:
- 2026: 90k - AG 10% - 36.6km/h - NP 272W
- 2025: 90k - AG 13% - 36.4km/h - NP 247W
- 2023: 75k - AG 16% - 35.9km/h - NP 251W
- 2022: 100k - AG 8% - 38km/h - NP 288W
- 2021: 100k - AG 25% - 38.2km/h - NP 251W
T2 0:01:59 (AG-15/69)
- Used elastic laces, so relatively quick transition. No cramps the first few meters off the bike although my quads were not happy at all.
Run 1:41:06 (AG-36/69)
- First few k off the bike actually didn't feel that bad, first 2 laps went relatively fine with a pace more or less what I was aiming for, around 4:45/k. Around 11k I really fell a lul in energy, just when I had to start that long incline again. I had hoped not to have to walk but at that point I felt I didn't had any other option to walk the uphill. From the moment I slowed from running to walking I felt a little dizzy, but that went away relatively quick luckily. At the top I started jogging again, but then it was for about a lap fighting cramps at every incline and just trying to bring it home without having to walk again and the pace became non existing. So overall the 2nd part of the run was really frustrating, maybe should have looked at my pace the first half of the race and not go faster than 4:45/k. Nutrition wise I took a gel at 5/10/15k every time together with a salt capsule.
- Compared to last year (about the same run course), I basically did a little less shitty:
- 2026: AG52% - 1:41:06 - 5:12/k
- 2025: AG56% - 1:49:03 - 5:28/k
Overall 4:14:11 (AG-13/69)
- Top 19% in my AG but overall frustrated as the run pace overall was just ridiculous with 5:12/k, wheels came off the 2nd half of the run even though I followed the nutrition plan. Only positive imo was that I didn't end up with any injuries during / after the race.
Result
- Swim N.A.
- T1 N.A.
- Bike 2:31:06
- T2 0:01:59
- Run 1:41:06
- Total 4:14:11
Tags: The Cave Triathlon 70.3 race report, race report The Cave Triathlon 70.3
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