Für unsere Gäste » own my own bike. I used an old road bike.So

Lewis Hamilton says he has been left bemused by criticism of his performances - and lifestyle - in 2016.After claiming his third pole in five races for Sundays Spanish GP, the Mercedes driver launched a robust defence of his form after suggestions from some quarters of the media that he may have allowed his focus to drop since winning a third world title last year.Nico Rosberg has won all four of this seasons opening races, but Hamiltons title defence has been afflicted by a series of reliability problems and first-corner collisions. Conclusions from Spanish GP qualifyingWhen you look at the season so far I had two poles and two [grand prix] where I didnt have a qualifying session because I had two failures, now another pole, and issues have got in the way [at other times], yet people would say Im not focused, Hamilton said. Lewis Hamilton takes pole position for the Spanish GP, edging team mate Nico Rosberg into second Its just a strange conclusion that a grown up would come to because its clearly not the case. Every time Ive been in the car and had the opportunity Ive performed.The first three races I didnt have a full car [after first-corner contact], so I did the best job with what I had and I think the last race [in Russia] was great considering where I came from [10th]. So its very early days to say those kind of things. My performance, Im very, very happy with it and today is another showing of that. I rest my case.Hamilton declined to comment on wild rumours he could even take a year out from F1 in 2017, simply stating: I generally let my results do the talking. Lewis on pole as Bulls shock Lewis Hamilton on pole in Barcelona The Britons results in the opening stages of the Barcelona weekend had suggested he might struggle to beat Rosberg to one of the most crucial poles of the whole season, before he spectacularly turned the situation around mid-way through qualifying.He topped Q2 by 0.6 seconds and then, despite making an error on his first flying lap in the final stage, beat Rosberg by nearly three tenths of a second to claim his 52nd career pole.Hamilton though reckons a front-row place would have been in jeopardy had mechanics not cured his set-up problems from Friday practice. Lewis Hamilton discusses a difficult 2016 season so far and his F1 future with Sky F1s Martin Brundle When you are doing practice it is about building blocks. Its one step at a time, he explained. P1 you dont want to make too many changes because track temperature is always different when you get to P2. When youre making those changes its like chasing your tail. Then you discover something and the next day its completely different.Youre kind of at a loss - you dont know what foot youre going to be starting on the next day. But I got in the car this morning with a good frame of mind, I know the engineers and mechanics worked hard overnight, and I got in and immediately the car was underneath me, which was a relief.If it hadnt been there is no way Id have been in the position Im in right now. I wouldnt have been on the front row and Id have potentially struggled to be on the second row. So thats a great feeling when you do muddle through the maze and come out the right end.On a track where 19 of the previous 25 races have been won from the front of the grid, Hamilton said pole was the only option to kick-start his attempts to reign in Rosberg.All I know is that its going to be hard work [in the race], he added. Nicos going to be fast. Tyres, strategy, all these different things are going to come into play. Watch the Spanish GP live on Sky Sports F1. The race starts at 1pm on Sunday, with build-up underway at 11.30am. Or watch the race without a contract for £6.99 on NOW TV. Also See:Qualifying report: Hamilton on poleConclusions from qualifyingSean Couturier Jersey . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Travis Sanheim Flyers Jersey . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. http://www.nhlflyersproauthentic.com/sean-couturier-hockey-jersey/ . The Masters champion and winner of last weeks Australian PGA has a three-round total of 14-under 199 at Royal Melbourne. "Im in a really good position for tomorrow," Scott said. Shayne Gostisbehere Flyers Jersey . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. Jaromir Jagr Jersey . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No.RIO DE JANEIRO -- The reasons for triathlons burgeoning appeal are as varied as the sport itself.-Fitness freaks looking for a new challenge.-Millennials wanting something to hold both their interest and youthful physique.-Gen Xers coaxed in by NBCs annual Ironman competition in Hawaii.The biggest factor, according to USA Triathlon, is the inclusion of the sport in the Olympic program.Looking at the causes for this growth, one must first turn their attention to the 2000 Olympic Games, triathlons first appearance at this international event, the sports national governing body said in its most recent demographics report . This elevated the publicity of the sport on the national level.Triathlon could get another big boost from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where two British brothers crushed the course on Copacabana Beach and where American Gwen Jorgensen, the two-time defending ITU world champion, is the gold medal favorite in the womens race Saturday.When the races are being played in every bar in America, its impossible for it not to help, suggested Patrick Lemieux, Jorgensens husband and operations manager, who added that hes seen a giant leap in the sports awareness in the U.S. just since the 2012 London Games.USA Triathlon touts itself as the worlds largest multisport organization, sanctioning more than 4,300 races and connecting with a half million members annually. Its also the national governing body for duathlon, aqua-thon, aqua-bike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and para-triathlon. In addition to working on the grassroots level, it supports elite athletes competing in international events such as the International Triathlon Union world championships and the Olympics.The 30-year-old Jorgensen was a late-comer to triathlon, recruited to the sport after an All-American track career at the University of Wisconsin, where she also was on the swim team.Others start as soon as they can.Ive been around the sport two-thirds of my life, since I was about 8 years old, said Ben Kanute, a 23-year-old Olympian from Geneva, Illinois, whose father was a triathlete and helped organize the first kids triathlon at a health and wellness center near their home about the time the sport debuted at the Sydney Olympics.Kanute said he started out swimming a couple of hundred meters, followed by a five-mile bike ride and a mile-long run, and he felt like those Ironmen he loved to watch on TV.I fell in love with the sport, said Kanute, who hung with Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee on Thursday until the brothers broke free midway through the 6.dddddddddddd.2-mile run that followed a one-loop ocean swim and a steep 24-mile bike ride at Copacabana.It might just be that parents put them in there to blow off some steam, buts its kind of the wow factor with triathlon, Kanute said. You get to swim, bike and run all in the same day. Its pretty kid friendly.As they graduate to adulthood, triathletes typically start with the shorter sprints and move up to the Olympic-length races. Some move up to Ironman, which is 140.6 miles: a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mike ride and a marathon. Theres also half of that, the Ironman 70.3.The Olympic races are over in an appealing two hours.And I think thats the beauty of it, Lemieux said. In triathlon, you can do a sprint thats one hour long, you can do an Ironman, which are eight hours for the fastest, 14 or 15 for others. So, the nature of the sport is that it can cater to anyone and I think thats something thats really appealing to people.Jay Brown, a 31-year-old counselor and track coach at Vista Peak Preparatory School in Aurora, Colorado, is a typical triathlete: he got into the sport in his mid-20s after souring on long runs and was hooked.The variety is the appeal. You have three sports instead of just running, which had gotten boring, Brown said. I was looking for something else to do and a friend suggested I try triathlon. I said I can do that. I just started swimming 50 meters in the pool and I didnt even own my own bike. I used an old road bike.Soon, it was his passion. His training got more intense, his diet changed accordingly and as he gained the requisite energy and expertise, he also acquired his desired equipment, an aerodynamic bicycle. He even has a coach and a sponsor, Tabata Songs.A 23-year-old right out of college might not have the means to buy a triathlon bike, hire a coach and pay for travel and Ironman entry fees, Brown said. So, a lot of people get into it a little later.No matter their age or the discipline, triathletes find a close-knit community.Every triathlon that I go to just has a very cool vibe, Kanute said. Theres camaraderie because everyone knows how hard each person has trained to get there.---AP Summer Games website: http://summergames.ap.org---Follow AP Sports Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton ' ' '