The Austrian newspaper Kurier reported today that an independent commission announced the ban of Austrian Pro and current XTERRA World Champion Michael Weiss for 2 years until November 2013.

The second day of Ultraman is a 171.4-mile bike from Volcanoes National Park to Hawi via Hilo, Waimea and an ascent and a windswept descent of the Kohalas. Photo Gallery by Timothy Carlson

Ultraman starts with a 10 kilometer swim from Kailua pier to Keauhou, and finishes with a 90-mile bike to Volcanoes National Monument. Photo Gallery by Timothy Carlson.

Updates to Jordan Rapp’s Ironman Arizona Charity Challenge including more prizes from Fast Freddie Rodriguez, Ted King, Paul Phillips of Competitive Image, Specialized Bicycles, and Personal Best Nutrition. Also a special video on the impact these bicycles have in the field.

This shoe has a 9mm ramp, and here is the strange thing. This is only 1mm of extra material in comparison to the Iso Transition, but it feels like there is about 4mm of extra material. This shoe is just that comfortable.

Massimo Cigana smashed the bike to top Alberto Cassadei by 4:05 and Radka Vodickova of the Czech Republic outran Belinda Granger of Australia to win the Laguna Phuket Triathlon.

Jonas Colting did not end his 2011 Ultraman the way he had hoped to. Injuries caused the Swede to pull out of the race quite early into the double marathon.

When Jonas Colting dropped out with a leg injury, Alexandre Ribeiro outpaced Michael Coughlin on the Day 3 double marathon for his 5th Ultraman title; defending women’s champ Amber Monforte won her second title wire-to-wire by a wide margin

Michael Lovato recorded the fastest bike split on his way to the 2011 Ford Ironman Cozumel title, on a day that saw a high attrition rate. In the women’s race Simone Benz stormed to her first Ironman win.

Rain, cooler temps and heavy winds set the tone for the athletes on day 2 of the Ultraman World Championships. See this day through the eyes of Jonas Colting in a great video.

On a day of wild winds over the Kohala Mountain pass, Jonas Colting held on to a dwindling men’s lead and Amber Monforte charged to 5th overall –with a 2-hour 18-minute women’s race margin.

Jonas Colting charged into the lead at the 2011 Ultraman World Championships and in this video Jonas talks about his 10k swim and 90 mile bike segment on the first day of this 3 day event.

Jonas Colting of Sweden led Canada’s Michael Coughlin and women’s race record holder Amber Monforte of Reno, Nevada led Alice Robb of Australia on Day 1 of the 27th Ultraman World Championship,

Jonas Colting sat down before the 2011 Ultraman World Championships to discuss his previous Ultraman experiences and talk about his fitness and goal for this year’s event.

Eneko Llanos and Leanda Cave talk about what their wins at Ford Ironman Arizona meant to them: Llanos broke 8 hours, Cave won her first Ironman, broke 9 hours and ran sub-3 hours.

4 Aussies made quite an impression in Kona with their 4 musketeers theme, and they actually backed it up with some fine performances. We chatted with head musketeer John Mergler to learn more.

Many of us have thought about packing up, leaving the rat race and moving to a warmer climate, but for most of us that is just a pipe dream. Random age grouper Kathy Smith made this dream a reality and now lives in Mexico.

It’s an off-road version and feels more like the Cadence, without the softer lateral side. What really makes this a trail shoe is its outsole design and an upper that is more durable.

This shoe is similar to the Brooks Flow: Natural running shoes with more cushioning. The difference? This shoe is made for the runner who needs a little more stability.

The 2011 Ironman Arizona is in the books and we now share another race day gallery. Kerry Yndestad was also on site for slowtwitch in Tempe to capture the action.

The Flow has more midsole thickness than the Brooks Connect. Look at this if you like the idea of a lower ramp and a minimal shoe, but aren’t quite ready for take the ultimate “natural” plunge.

Amidst the cacti, Eneko Llanos set a race record, broke 8 hours and outdueled duathlon king Paul Amey; Leanda Cave and Linsey Corbin went 1-2 while smashing the 9 hour barrier. Photo gallery by Timothy Carlson.

This is the Pure Project model that comes closest to a minimalist shoe, but the sole is still too cushioned to fit squarely into the minimalist category. It’s natural running with a bit more cushion.

This week we came across new shades from Assos, a Norseman book, a camp with Eduardo Sturla, a survival blanket and coasters made from race bibs.