Mention Ferrari F1 training in Lanzarote and you’d be forgiven for imagining Fernando and his fellow drivers tearing through the volcanic landscape in supercharged vehicles… but you’d be completely mistaken.

To prepare for the F1 2012 season, team Ferrari visited Lanzarote in January and took advantage of the climate, the terrain and the island’s first class sporting facilities to boost their stamina and fitness by kayaking, swimming, tennis, football, basketball and running. In fact everything but driving.

The team did actually get to tackle the volcanic landscape on vehicles with tyres but on this occasion it was ones with two wheels and no engines.

Funnily, the most difficult sporting activity for F1 drivers Fernando Alonso, Felipe Masa and Jules Bianchi seemed to be swimming. Luckily there’s no great requirement to be good at the crawl to be able to succesfully drive the world’s fastest cars.

As well as improving fitness, the video shows that Ferrari’s time spent on Lanzarote worked as a team building exercise with the drivers who clearly had a great time on the island, enjoying winter temperatures of over 20c throughout their week.

A comment from Fernando Alonso revealed why Lanzarote offers much more than just excellent training facilities and a year-round sportsperson friendly climate.

“We discovered amazing places here…” he says in the official video.

The great thing is, you don’t have to be one of the most famous F1 drivers on the planet to do the same.

Thanks to Julie from Lanzarote Information for bringing the video of Ferrari’s visit to our attention.

The island’s landscape, facilities and climate make it hard to beat for sport related activities, whether relating to training or competitive events, and in a couple of weeks we welcome the return of the  Third Vuelta Playa Blanca. It’s a cycle race which is a perfect illustration of why Lanzarote is a paradise for all sportsmen and sportswomen.

For those who don’t know about it, the Vuelta Playa Blanca is a cycle race with a bit of a difference as the 70+ contestants race through Playa Blanca’s streets using hand cycles. The race starts in the centre of Playa Blanca at midday on the 12th February and Sands Beach Resort will be there as usual to cheer on one our sponsored athletes and good friend, Rafa Botello.

Although the big race takes place on Sunday the 12th, there’s another, less competitive, event on Saturday 11th  February. The 1st Concentración Ciclista de Lanzarote is open to everyone of all ages (participants  under 13 must be accompanied by an adult) and cycling abilities and bikes of any sort from leisure to mountain to handbikes. The 1st Concentración Ciclista de Lanzarote starts at H10 Timanfaya Palace at 11.00 (registration drom 10.15am) and finishes at Puerto Marina Rubicon… well, whenever you get there.

Registration is free, but a contribution of €3 (which goes to the TriWWW charity supporting people with disabilities through involvement in sporting activities) will ensure your name is entered in a draw and you’re in with a chance of winning some great prizes including dinner at some of Lanzarote’s top restaurants, T-shirts and loads more.

As always, the Vuelta Playa Blanca promises to be an hard fought and exciting race and the events planned around it, like the 1st Concentración Ciclista de Lanzarote, a lot of fun.

Nobody thought it was going to be easy, but the Lanzarote weather made life just that little bit harder for the participants in the Ocean Lava Race 2011.

A combination of blisteringly hot temperatures, an unforgiving sun, wind and lively seas made what is normally one hell of a challenge a real killer that tested athletes’ stamina and fitness levels to their limits.

In the men’s field it looked as though it might be a two horse race but in the end Sebastian Kienle took first place without a serious challenge at a time of 4:14:40 with the real battle taking place for second and third positions with Thomas Hellriegel (4:21:34) finishing two seconds ahead of David Rodriquez Rodriquez (4:21:36).

A bit of controversy in the women’s race saw victory go to Michelle Vesterby with a time of 4:52:02, whilst her most serious challenger, Tamsin Lewis found herself relegated to third place after a disputed penalty resulted in a time of 4:58:41. Second spot went to Eva Ledesma Calvet with a race time of 4:57:30.

Telde Actualidad took the honours in the teams race with a time of 5:25:10 whilst Sands Beach Resorts’ favourite photographer (who supplied these great images) and team ‘James Mitchell Photographer’ finished a respectable eighth with a race time of 6:12:25

Sands Beach Resort would like to take this opportunity to say congratulations to everyone who took part in the thrilling and gruelling Ocean Lava Race. We’re already looking forward to next year’s challenge.

“Not sure the legs are going to hold up tonight” was the fear from some as the Lanzarote Ironman Awards Party kicked off last night to reward those whose superhuman achievements had taken them to a podium place.

It was a dark and chilly start to the event this year as 1500 athletes lined up on Playa Grande, spurred on by an enthusiastic crowd who had sacrificed sleep to lend their support to the pre-dawn start. At the swim section Rachel Joyce and Natasha Badman led the field for the women while Konstantin Bachor and Timo Bracht set the pace for the men.
It was a fast swim section, the conditions and tide proving favourable for the athletes and the leaders emerging from the water in under fifty minutes.

As predicted, it was the cycle section that proved the toughest test for many with the wind being “brutal” in some parts as one athlete described it and even some rain making an appearance during this section. Rachel Joyce maintained her lead for the women with Natasha Badman just five minutes behind her at the start, but Rachel increased that lead to eight minutes by time she returned to Puerto del Carmen. Konstantin Bachor and Timo Bracht continued to lead the field for the men with less than four minutes between them.

Local pro triathlete and Sands Beach Resort sponsored participant, Nico Ward began the cycle section in 20th position but quickly pulled out the stops for an incredible ride, gaining five places to 15th by the time he reached Famara and another four to get him to 11th slot at Los Valles. Coming into his strongest section, the marathon, Nico was looking determined to raise his game even further.

Back in Puerto del Carmen as the spectators waited for the first of the bikes to appear, the sun finally decided to join us, blazing from behind the clouds to add an even tougher dimension to the marathon. As the first wheels came into sight, rumours spread of a new record for the event, adding to the excitement and the party atmosphere being fuelled by the music and entertainment.

To tumultuous support from the crowds, the athletes began their final test under a fierce sun. First to cross the finish line, having made up the gap between him and Bachor to snatch the lead and take the tape in record-breaking time, was Timo Bracht. Bachor came in second place just four and a half minutes behind Bracht. Rachel Joyce maintained the lead she had taken right from the swim to finish in first place for the women and just three and a half minutes short of breaking the record which has been held by Paula Newby-Fraser since 1995.

After an incredibly exciting battle for fourth, fifth and sixth place, Nico Ward finished in fifth position with a run time of 2:50:37 taking his total time to an incredible 09:02:45. Congratulations, Nico, we’re all so proud of you!

As always, Ironman Lanzarote proved to be an incredible day. A huge debt of gratitude goes to all those who participated, volunteered and supported the race and to those who provided live coverage throughout the day. A special thank you also goes to James at James Mitchell Photography for his awesome photos.

We’re already looking forward to 2012.

Results:
Men
1 Timo Bracht GER 08:30:34
2 Konstantin Bachor GER 08:44:06
3 Esben Hovgaard DEN 08:54:38
4 Joel Jameson GBR 09:01:49
5 Nicholas Peter Ward Muñoz GBR 09:02:45
6 Gregorio Caceres Morales ESP 09:03:46

Women
1 Rachel Joyce GBR 09:28:12
2 Natascha Badmann SUI 09:43:40
3 Karina Ottosen DEN 10:10:15
4 Heidi Jesberger GER 10:28:33
5 Emma Ruth Smith GBR 10:31:08
6 Angela Niklaus SUI 10:34:05

Image by James Mitchell Photography

With training tapered off to rest muscles, nerves are on edge and tendons are twitching as there’s just one week to go before athletes line up at Playa Grande in Puerto del Carmen to kick off one of the world’s most gruelling triathlon races with the swim course.

Now in its 20th year, Ironman Lanzarote 2011 was sold out in just two months of registration opening when the lists were closed at 1450 registered participants, leaving 75 slots open for pro athletes. In total, more than 1500 athletes will compete.

Topping the nationalities participating is Spain with 32% of the field, followed closely by the UK with 26%. The rest of the field is made up of mainly Europeans but there are representatives from 40 different countries, from Argentina to Venezuela, making up the International starting line.

The race begins at 7am with the swim section which comprises a distance of 3.8 kilometres over two loops of 1.9 kilometres each. Anyone still in the water at 09.20am will end their Ironman challenge at that point. Although anyone who has witnessed the lemming-like run into the water at the start of an Ironman competition may think it looks like a free-for-all, in fact the athletes are grouped into three sections – pro athletes, those whose swim time is expected to be under 65 minutes, and everyone else.

Emerging from the sea and shedding wetsuits, athletes then run to the bike area for the start of what is arguably the most gruelling leg of the competition – a 180.2 kilometres of cycling. Involving over 2551 metres of climbing, including the long slog to Los Nieves and the Mirador del Haría from which the views are so stunning. Not that the athletes will be hanging around to take any snapshots, hurtling instead on the short downward before climbing again to Mirador del Rio before the worst of the thigh crunching is complete.

The cut off time for the cycle section is 6.30pm and anyone still in the saddle after that will have to pedal off into the distance, their challenge ended.

The final and most exciting section of the race is the 42.2 kilometres marathon run which consists of three laps – the first is 18.66 kilometres followed by two laps each of 11.80 kilometres. The distance is run along the Puerto del Carmen seafront of Avenida de Las Playas to Playa Honda with the second and third laps looping at Matagorda and the route is traditionally lined with thousands of spectators urging the athletes on to achieve new personal best times.

Athletes have until midnight to complete the final leg of the triathlon before time will be called on their efforts.

The leaders and podium places are expected to complete the course in a time of under 10 hours and the records being chased are a final time of 08:35:40 for men, held by Thomas Hellriegel of Germany and 09:24:39 for women held by Paula Newby-Fraser of Zimbabwe.

Clocks have gone forward, the temperature is rising and wild flowers are blooming – that’s the cue to shake off winter’s mantle and get out into the sunshine to boost the body’s vitamin D supply.

Okay, for those of us who are lucky enough to live on Lanzarote, the arrival of spring doesn’t have quite the same impact for us as it does for northern European dwellers as our winters can be imperceptibly different from our springs and our autumns. But this year we’ve seen some unusually wet and cold weather so we’re just as up for spring as everyone else.

Here at Sands Beach, the arrival of the new season can only mean one thing…time to stretch the muscles and take to the pedals in our third Annual Spring Duathlon. Starting from Sands Beach Resort in Costa Teguise, the event will begin with a 5 km run to be followed by a 20 km cycle ride and finishing with a final 2.5 km run. There will be trophies for first place by group, age and team.

If you’re on holiday at Sands Beach Resort, why not hire a top quality bike from Papagayo Bike (you’ll find the office in reception) and join in the fun for the day.

Fact File
Sands Beach Spring Duathlon takes place on Saturday 16th April 2011 from 4pm – 7pm; information and registration is through Fecantri; registration closes on 13th April. For more information contact  Andres Medina on (0034) 687 844 258

During February, thanks to the association Tri www with whom we actively collaborate, Sands Beach Resort had the pleasure of Marieke Vervoot and her guide dog Zenn as our guests. It’s the second time that Marieke has visited Lanzarote, on this occasion it’s to participate in the Music Marathon in Puerto del Carmen.

Marieke’s amazing zest for life and unerring good humour are both enviable and contagious. At the age of 20 years, Marieke found herself confined to a wheel chair as a result of a rare degenerative disease which she knew little about. But that didn’t stop her from enjoying a variety of sports and fulfilling her dreams by twice becoming World Triathlon Champion in the Paratriathlon category and competing in the Hawaii Ironman competition.

The rapid deterioration of her health has forced Marieke to withdraw from triathlon competition but the Iron Lady doesn’t give up easily and is now looking for new challenges. A great deal of her time now is devoted to motivational talks, swimming lessons for children and practising all kinds of sports. Back in November we had the pleasure of watching Marieke compete in the 2010 Arrecife City Marathon where she won first place in the women’s category with a time of 2:28·36.

Marieke told us that she feels at home in Lanzarote because of the welcome she gets from the people. That welcome is the inevitable response she evokes with her warm smile which makes time spent in her company so life reaffirming.

From Sands Beach, we send Marieke all our love and admiration and we look forward to having her stay with us again during the Lanzarote Ironman competition 2011 when she will be sporting the Sands Beach Active logo on her training and competition wear.

Last weekend our very good friend, sportsman Rafa Botello took part in one of the most eagerly contested Handbike competitions on Lanzarote. The second Vuelta Playa Blanca (tour of Playa Blanca) has become one of the three most important events of this type in the world attracting 63 competitors from 12 countries. Competing in the same category as Rafa was the 2010 world champion.

Rafa shared his experience of the event with Sands Beach.

“It was a good test for me to discover my current fitness levels in the sport but after the World Cup, a week long vacation and then workouts of up to 5 hours per day, two days wasn’t enough to assess  it 100% for sure.
On the Saturday I decided not to go flat out for the 3 kilometre prologue circuit as my main objective was the 2.1 km half marathon circuit on Sunday.

The route was lined with smiling, cheering people and it was looking good as I was in a top 10 position after the first lap. But the leaders were split into two groups. The guys in the first three places had gone off like a bullet and were way in front. The second group stayed more or less together for 38 minutes and on the 9th circuit I decided to ease off on the brakes going around the corner to try to go a bit faster and move up through the group. But when you’re out of practice, sometimes all you can do is hope. I mistimed braking at the corner and all I could do was wait until I hit the hay barrier.

After falling I decided it was time to retire from the race.

However, I was very happy to have competed with the best in the world and to have been amongst the top ten up until just 20 minutes from the end. The top three were in a different category from everyone else, but I believe I could have finished in seventh place in my first major handbike race.”

Rafa is staying on Lanzarote for another week and we’ll be honoured by his presense as well as that of other top athletes Eneko Llanos, Francisco Sola, Ivan Rana, Nicholas Ward and Alejandro Santamaria at the Tri.WWW charity event in aid of helping people with disabilities.

The event takes place on Friday 18th February and promises to be an afternoon jam-packed full of fun with a barbecue, raffles and some great music from the band LZ Sexy Chocolate.

You can pick up your ticket at Sands Beach Resort or through Tri.WWW. For more information call 928.59.58.20/928.59.04.00

This is going to be a fabulous event so don’t miss it.

In easy flying distance of the UK, year round sunshine, golden beaches, good restaurants and a lively nightlife, Lanzarote has long been known as the ideal winter holiday destination.

But increasingly, it isn’t just holiday makers who are enjoying the delights of this Canary Island. More and more professional athletes are choosing Lanzarote as their warm weather training destination, and for many of the same reasons that have made it such a popular holiday island.

Athletics training requires discipline and routine and any athlete will attest to the fact that time management is an essential part of your required skill set. For a Triathlete, you can multiply those demands by three. Building your performance in each of your disciplines, maintaining aerobic fitness and endurance and ensuring essential rest and recovery time makes for a demanding schedule.

In the UK winter months, short daylight hours and sub-zero temperatures can severely restrict an athlete’s training schedule. Throw into the mix time spent travelling from track to pool to gym and your time management takes a hefty blow to its performance.

Cut to the beautiful Lanzarote hotel of Sands Beach where daylight arrives at 6.30am and stays for 12 hours or more; where the daytime temperatures hover around the 68 -70º F plus mark; where a fully equipped gym, on and off-road bike routes, running trails, flat terrain, hill climbs and of course the beautiful Atlantic Ocean all lie within easy stride of your luxury accommodation and you’ve found the consummate warm weather training base. Which is exactly what triathletes Emma-Kate Lidbury and Rachel Joyce discovered when they chose Sands Beach as their hotel.

Sands Beach caught up with Emma and Rachel and asked them about the highs and lows of their triathlete careers to date, and their plans for 2011.

Imagine ‘saddling up’ and, without having to negotiate any busy roads, immediately being able to cycle into the heart of Lanzarote’s unique countryside or along a coastal path where the hot sun warms your face whilst a gentle sea breeze keeps the temperature exquisite.

That’s exactly what cyclists visiting Sands Beach Resort are able to experience.

The resort of Costa Teguise pretty much ends at the Sands Beach Resort and that means that if you head north you’re instantly greeted by a ruddy volcanic landscape dissected by tranquil country roads…well wide, flat dirt tracks to be more accurate.

These trails are perfect for both serious cyclists who’d like a bit of an off-road challenge and visitors who’d prefer to savour the rugged beauty of Lanzarote’s incredible landscape at a more leisurely pace. From Sands Beach’s seafront, beyond the entrance at the lagoon, a choice of enticing tracks snake off in all directions. Some hug the coast passing small villages whose pretty, whitewashed buildings stand out blindingly against the earthy terrain; others turn inland towards intriguing volcanic cones.

If you don’t feel adventurous to simply set off on a magical mystery tour along one of them the team at Papagaya Bike, conveniently located in the hotel, are on hand to give advice about popular routes, types of terrain, difficulty levels and the best bike to hire for the job.

For an alternative exploration of this part of Lanzarote’s coast, head in the other direction along the lovely coastal path that meanders past golden beaches towards the centre of Costa Teguise and beyond…in fact all the way to Puerto del Carmen if you were feeling particularly energetic.

One of the great things about cycling on Lanzarote is that you don’t have to be Lance Armstrong to enjoy it. For athletes in training it can be challenging but, on the other hand, it can also be a thoroughly relaxing way of keeping active on holiday…and a great way to notch up a bit of sightseeing at the same time.