Don finished the 1 mile swim in about 30 minutes and I was immediately on the bike. I would say that 3 times the amount of people participated in this event than the one in April so transition to the bike got a little dicey running with it out of transition and getting on and up the climb out of transition. This was my first 40k race on the TT bike and it's amazing how quickly I've gotten used to it. I will also say that the Spinergy Stealth SS wheels are the most comfortable I've ridden yet. There's just something about carbon spoke technology that makes you thankful it's around when you use them.
I forgot to set my polar computer for the TT bike and not the road bike which was a bummer because I didn't have my full arsenal of digital readings available. Since I haven't purchased a second W.I.N.D. power/cadence sensor for the road bike, I only have speed, distance, and heart rate. I am without cadence and power if I stay in my road bike mode. I decided to make due with heart rate and the stop watch function. The course today was 3 laps. The stopwatch made it possible to judge my split times to make sure I wasn't going too hard and ruining a solid finish. I was nearly spot on with 24 minute lap times. However, with every passing lap, the climbs got so much harder and hurt so much more. While the climbs aren't long, they are either a grind or steep.
I was passed by only one person and that was in the middle of my 2nd lap. I passed him towards the end of the third lap so I was happy I never passed and did all the passing. Of course, not having to run afterwards helped that effort immensely.
I finished in 1 hour 12 minutes 55 seconds. I felt I had a strong ride and performed very well. I also learned that my recovery is well enough that I can ride moderate paces Monday (18 miles) and Tuesday (25 miles) before a Sunday race. I am pleased to see that I don't have to have an entire week off the bike before a race.
Last lap approaching climb...about 1/4 mile from transition. Don't ask my why Rachel didn't use my camera to take video...she used her cell phone instead and the quality is crappy!
Some pics Rachel took (click to enlarge if necessary)...
Rachel wanted me to be next to my bike for a pic so I made her happy.
She laughed at me when I sat on the curb in some prickly weeds. My natural reaction to her amusement over such a painful ordeal followed. =) It's real work for me to be chipper this early in the morning so a smile and a joking odd gesture is a sight rarely seen. I think this was my first smirk/smile of the morning too.
A random pic of part of the beach.
Me heading out behind all of the other riders. How nobody crashed or bumped shoulders is beyond me. I was glad everyone was in front of me and I wasn't in the middle of it though.
What should someone look like after putting in 100% racing? Exactly like this! I have no idea what I was zoned on but if I had a pillow I would have been out like a baby. We were waiting around the finish line for Don to complete his run.
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