- 200 + "A" type MultiSport Athletes
- 4 Loop 40K ,Tight, Hilly, Technical Bike Course with Hairpin Turns
- Team USA Spots on the line
- Oh...Yeah...and a violent storm front that soaked the pavement and covered the roads in wet leaves
Mix together and you get Carnage.
The race started out very innocent as we rolled through a very tough 10k which I enjoyed. I held back a bit but it wasn't easy with the insane pace it went out in. Unlike most races where you know the people are coming back to you....everyone here knows what there doing. Last half mile to the transition was uphill....ouch.
On to the action. Never in any of the races I have done did I see so many flats, accidents, DNF's, poor souls carrying there bikes miles because the SAG wagon couldn't keep up. For me the pain started on the second lap about 16k into the race when making a 180 degree turn around a cone, another "A" type came in to fast...lost his wheels and down we went. Good news was I was able to protect my bike....bad news was I protected it by holding my legs up as I slid about 20 feet on my side and hip. Road Rash now has a new Poster Boy. I managed to get up, pull myself together, and remount my bike. I was clipped in before I noticed my chain was off. Stop, fix chain, watch as people blow past me and now I panic. Back on the bike and I proceed to hammer trying to make up some of what I lost (I would pay for this later). Now 30k into the ride and on a 400 m hill that had a switchback every 100 m.....guess what...yup....time to be taken down again. What the hell did I do to deserve this. Back up...bloody...beaten..but not done. I remounted the bike and pushed on. I don't think I was ever so happy to be done with a bike leg of a race.
Off onto the final 5k and I never got back into my groove. I'm not sure if it was the wrecks, hammering to catch up after the wrecks, or that it just wasn't my day but my final run was just OK.....nothing spectacular....just OK. I finished 50th in the country which based on the day I will take it. 12th in my category missing Worlds by 2 spots (damn Wrecks).
That which does not kill us only makes us stronger. Orlando Half Ironman in just a few days.....the fires burning hotter than ever.
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