Space Race

Well, either through amazing endurance or sheer stupidity, we know I can ride 100 miles without biking for 6 months. That is crazy, but to be fair, you never forget how to ride a bike.

Here are some things I learned:

I can maintain a strong bike pace, my technique is good. My ride time was 6:33 which going 104 miles means I was cruising around 16 mph. The race took me 7:45, there were 9 rest stops, so I averaged about 8 minutes at each stop. I just need to build up strength to be able to stay on my bike and ride through them.

Wind can always make your day of biking harder, rarely does it seem easier. This ride was nice because a lot of tree walls did cover you most of the time. Though, you know the wind is really strong when a car dealership's huge American flag the size of a house is blowing at a 45 degree angle. The last 25 miles were mostly straight into the wind, that didn't help, I was slowed to about 14 mph.

My cyclometer is awesome. To see how fast you are going and actually know how many miles are left is a great feeling. Even when you are not thrilled to see you are only going 8 mph and have 90 miles left, it somehow just feels good to know. It also helps a ton, like having a running pacer next to you to keep you on track. My cadence sensor didn't work, I didn't miss it though, because I also have no idea what it does.

Real cyclists have friends. I am not good at science, but drafting is crazy amazing. It is a bad feeling to get blown by by a faster rider, worse to get to see all his friends behind him pass you by. Early in the race a line of about 30 cyclists flew by riding in a row like ducks flying south. Twice in the race I fell back in line behind a pack and drafted for a couple miles. It felt like cheating both times. It is obviously not cheating in cycling, however in an Ironman every rider is suppose to maintain a 3 bike length with every other rider. It just makes the race tougher.

I am extremely proud or extremely disappointed, not sure which, that I have never vomited in a race. I felt like it a couple times during this ride. I didn't.

I hate sunscreen. I wore a long sleeve shirt and bandana around my neck just to avoid this unfortunate situation again. But, I forgot about one thing. I try to be PG and didn't want to just post this picture without warning. You have been warned, they are both this bad.

I feel good now, I'll continue to recover. I have a half-Ironman race in 2 weeks and I am going to set a personal record. I am going to finish in under 5:30. That or throw up trying.