Sunset Sprint Triathlon Race Report

On Saturday July 14th, I got up at the ass crack of dawn and headed down to Bridgeton NJ to compete in the Sunset Sprint Triathlon. The Sunset Sprint Triathlon consists of a 800 meter swim, 16 mile bike, and a 5k run. This was my first triathlon in 2 years, my coming out of retirement race.

I went down there with "the Good Doctor" and "the boss man". The good doctor was doing her first Triathlon and "the boss man" was doing the duathlon. We threw everything into the Boss Man's minivan and headed to the race. We got there, signed all the papers and proceeded to get ready. I am pumped. Moment of Truth Time Baby!!!

But before the Moment of Truth, we need to walk from where you park the car to the transistion area, which is about 1/2 a mile away. By the time, we got to the transition area, I heard someone shout 10 minutes till wave 1 goes. Thats Me!!! I set up my transition area like it is old news and roll to the beach.

The water was a balmy 84 degrees. No wetsuits! The gun goes off and we go running into the water. I hadn't swam since the Cheasapeake Bay Swim, so my swimming form was off. WAY OFF! I was swimming like a horse. I swam in 14:36. Not exactly fast. But the swim never matters in a triathlon.

Transition 1 went Smooth like Colt 45 Double Malt. 1:23.

Out on the bike. This where I was prepared to hear the lamenations of the women. I wanted a fast bike split. I sprinted out of the transition area, hopped on the bike and I was off. I stayed tucked in my bars and started hunting people down. The first half of the bike I passed people at a steady rate. It was great to pass guys on Cervelo P2's with full areo disc wheel set up. By the second half I could tell I may have burned my candle a little too much in the start, cause I was starting to fade. I ended up averaging 21.4 mph for a 44:49 bike split. This was the 23rd fastest bike split. Not too bad I guess. The bike course was flat as a pancake (minus a false flat here and there) and a full aero-set up was a HUGE advantage for the tri-geeks racing today. I perfer a more rolling time trial course that keeps people honest.

Transition 2. Smooth like Butter. (with the exception that I ran past my transition spot) 1:31

I start running. Well not really. More like jogging. I didn't start running till 1 mile into run. The course had a few off road sections. Not very hilly but not completely flat. I ran it in for a 22:56 5k. Not exactly a stellar 5k. I was not in the mood to hop in my pain cave during the run. I told myself if someone in my age group passes me then I will have to turn it on. Otherwise, I'm chilling. No one passed me so I chilled.

Final time: 1:25:13.

Well, all this work got me 28th overall out of 170 and more importantly 3rd in my age group. I ended up getting the Second place age group trophy cause the 1st place guy got 2nd overall.

So many people chill through transitions, but I refuse. The clock is always ticking, and putting a minute into your potential competition can be huge by the end of a sprint triathlon. My transitition times helped earn me a extra placing, without it I may have been 3rd in my age group.

Allentown Criterium

Ever had a race go so bad, that if your bike flew off the bike roof rack on the way home, you wouldn't have stopped to get the bike.

I probably wouldn't have even hit the brakes.

[Editor's Note] Thanks to Matteis for telling to me to get over myself by informing that maybe Triathlon, BBQ and Beers Saturday, Criterium Sunday is not a recipie for success.

Freedom

I want to ride my bicycle!

A nice hole in my bike saddle

Either my ass got fat or that saddle just can't handle the increased mileage? Yes that is a picture of my Bianchi Gel Selli Italia bicycle saddle. My perfered saddle bit the dust when I bit the dust at the Syracuse Criterium earlier this year. I think it is time for a new saddle?

Ok, who is the prankster that put areobars on my bars? Um, I'm that prankster. Thats right kids, I'm coming out of triathlon retirement tomorrow. I will be competing in the beautiful Sunset Sprint Triathlon of Bridgeton, NJ. It has a 800 meter swim, 16 mile bike and 5k run. A coworker of mine is also doing it so I am looking forward to taking his pride.

I was at the Thursday night crit yesterday and had the following exchange with a fellow cycling aquantance.

Me: You racing this weekend?
He: Yeah, I'm doing Millport on Saturday, and Allentown on Sunday. You?
Me: Doing Allentown, Doing a Triathlon on Saturday so I can't do Millport.
He: You do triathlons?
Me: Not really.
He: You swim?
Me: I know how to swim. I figure it will a time trial surrounded by a swim and a run.
(laughs, end scene)

So I lied a little . . . yeah I know how to swim. Yeah, I've done a few triathlons.

One thing I have learned is never tell serious cyclists you are a triathlete. They will automatically make alot of assumptions about how you ride in a pack and how you handle a bike. Most of these assumptions are 100% correct, but I feel after doing a season of cyclo-cross and road cycling that I have shed my triathlon roots.

New Cycling Helmet

Yes, that is a cycling helmet to the right.
Yes, it is the weirdest helmet you ever seen.
Yes, it would hotter than the surface of the sun inside that thing.

Want to earn 5 bucks?

Take a pic of you wearing it to your local criterium.

Read more here

Who is watching the Tour de France?

Who is watching the Tour de France?

Before we answer this question lets think back to a week ago. The Tour de France was 2 days away and the general attitude was:

"Who cares?"

"I'm not going to watch the Tour."

"They are all a bunch of dopers."

Everyone was sour grapes over last years tour. And why? Doping allegations turned everybody off causing world wide shrinkage in the phallus of competitive cycling. I'm not going to argue that dopers don't suck, but I'm asking you to put your memory of the doping aside. Do that and all of the sudden last year's Tour was the more exciting than your first experience with aerosol containers.

I cannot get behind the movement to ignore the 2007 Tour de France. The Tour de France still has the excitement of previous years. If not more so. Lance Armstrong is no longer available to crush the competition. Who knows who is going to win?

Levi? (Snicker, Snicker)

Vino or Kloden? ( Ten bucks says they get in fight over who is leading Astana before the Tour hits Paris. I could see them attacking each other on the climbs.)

Pereiro? (Was last year a fluke?)

So lets all take our little blue pill for competitive cycling. Get back the excitement you had on prom night. You are missing a great Tour de France.

Meetin' Floyd

It ain't every day you meet a winner of the Tour de France. Floyd was at the Chester County Bookseller pimpin' his book and answering questions.

I expected him to talk but he wanted to answer anyone's questions.

Some highlight questions were . .
"What do you think of Greg Lemond?"
He gave a pretty safe answer. He is a great cyclist but I don't know him well.

"What advice would you give to get better at cycling?" He gave the classic answer, Ride your bike more.

The best question was if Levi wins the tour will he be caught for doping? There was no correct answer to the question. He laughed and said he didn't know how to answer that.

When I got to meet him, I invited him out to the Thursday night Criterium. He said we would probably crash him. Admitting the squirrely nature of the ride, I agreed and wished him the best of luck.

He seems like a really nice guy, especially since he should be angry at the world right now.

Brownstown Race Report

The riders should have asked me, "how I would like my own ass served to me?" before the beginning of the race. I would have replied, "over easy"

I got my own ass handed to me. It was embarrassing. My legs felt like pooh. My legs still feel like pooh and it is now Monday night. Anyways, I think it was from the increase in training and not being peaked fitness wise for the race at all.

I'll be racing again next weekend.