They call out my number as I headed out of the tent and into the bike transition area and the volunteers grab my bike and have it ready for me … it was a long slog through the transition area and I was worried about all the mud and gunk that was getting in my bike cleats – huge areas of the main path were entirely flooded and covered with mud. I tried to keep to the sides and maneuver my way down. I was so happy to see my bike waiting for me.Yet another thanks to the volunteers for getting my bike to me so quickly.
I try to clean my shoes on the timing mat and cross the mount line and head out. There’s a steep descent coming out of transition and I knew to take it slow, not to mention it was wet and still raining pretty hard and I just wanted to get out on the open course.
Once I got past town I settled into the aero bars and was looking forward to taking on the first hill since that leads to the first big long descent into Keene. For those who haven’t done the course - the first half of the loop – about 25 miles (through the ride into Jay) is definitely the easiest – there’s a few climbs but they’re countered by some nice long descents and fast flats – definitely my kind of course. The last 30 miles are another matter – it’s a lot of climbing, some short and steep, some unendingly long – like the last 12 miles along the base of Whiteface Mountain … ugh.
Thankfully I’m smart enough (no comments please!) to know that the weather would prevent me from going all out on the down hills (my specialty!) – plus I’m just not that brave. I get nervous on dry roads when I hit 40 or 45 mph and I didn’t have the guts to do it on wet pavement in the pouring rain, plus, I discovered the hard way that going even 35mph into the driving rain really hurts!
Coming out on the bike I felt good and confident and settled into a nice pace – I watched my heart rate and kept it solidly in my endurance zone when I wasn’t climbing, I also kept an eye on my cadence and made a conscious effort to shift down and spin when hitting even slight hills – I worried less about my average speed and more about keeping the stress off my legs. On a few occasions (which likely were several too few) I reminded myself to drink – I’m a heavy, salty sweater and in the rain you don’t realize that you’re still sweating as much if it were dry out. My goal was to have at least a liter an hour - a bottle of sports drink (24 oz) and then another 8oz or more of water with any Gu’s or bars. I was shooting for about 60 gms of carbs an hour and figured I’d get at least that if I had my sports drink, ½ an Enervit bar, and a gu or more as needed each hour. The problem is you get caught up in the race and the rain is keeping you cool so you don’t think to eat and drink as much as you would if it were hot out. Also, with the course it’s tough to eat and drink when you’re climbing and downright dangerous to do so when you’re descending. There was also a 14 mile, rolling out and back (~7miles each way) about 30 miles into the course. When I rode here a few weeks prior I saw this as a good place to fuel, but for race day I was dead wrong. With so many cyclists coming and going in both directions, this was probably one of the more dangerous parts of the course – especially on the first lap when it was pretty congested. So as conscious as I was of what I ‘should’ be doing, I still managed to fall short of doing a really good job hydrating and fueling on the bike.
Prior to the out and back there’s a left turn at Jay and then you hit one of the steeper, longer hills on the course – the first time through, I have to confess, this was actually fun. It was pouring rain (surprise, surprise) and oncoming traffic was stopped dead for the race and backed up all the way up the hill so people were out of their cars and hanging out the windows ringing cowbells and cheering us on. A bit of a “Tour de France” moment and I still felt ‘fresh’ (with a nod to my sister Ann) and strong and dropped my gear and just churned by everyone ahead of me … I remember thinking how fun it was, despite the elevation and the rain.
For me, the out and back really was the start of the bike ‘race’ for me … I had settled in and was warmed up and was ready to go. And with all the cyclists coming fast and furious toward me it got my adrenaline pumping and I started to push more than I had in the first 30 miles.
I hadn’t really been thinking about much on the ride – had those 2 Great Big Sea song’s replaying on and off (‘Walk on the Moon’ and ‘Here and Now’) – as a cyclist and typical to most races, I find myself eventually passing a ton of the people that had crushed me on the swim, so the “on your left” call was one I’d probably made several hundred times that day. At several points throughout the race you find yourself at a similar pace as some other riders – William – was one I kept leapfrogging with and I think Frank was another who gave me the tip to stay off the shoulder to avoid flats – thanks for that Frank! Gustavo was someone who admired my riding and backside so much he decided to just sit on my wheel for a good portion of the out and back. Unfortunately this part of the course was too congested to be monitored by the officials on motorcycles and I witnessed quite a bit of drafting. A group of guys had a whole pace line going while a couple of other teammates were taking turns ‘pulling’ for each other. Gustavo enjoyed his ride for a few miles before I reminded him of the no drafting rule – he promptly passed me and complimented me on my pace - telling me ‘you’re a good rider” the reply under my breath was ‘you’re a cheater.’
Early on the bike I witnessed a lot of people who had flats and just figured I’d get one at some point – with the wet conditions they’re much more prevalent as the roads get covered with debris, stones, glass or whatever and they stick to your tires and eventually work their way through them. The more flats I saw, the more I prepared myself for one. Then about half way out on the out and back I saw a very young female rider sitting in a ditch crying – her bike was laid out next to her but I couldn’t tell if it was anything more than a flat, but I remember thinking it was way too early to have to give up because of a mechanical problem. I hope she didn’t crash, but I’d hate to think she decided to call it day for something as minor as a flat.
That was probably the first of several ‘defining’ moments I’d have throughout the day. After seeing her, I thought of the Kona Ironman championship broadcast several years ago when Norman Stadler, a favorite to win the race that year, encountered his second flat and the cameras caught him throw a fit – and his bike as I recall - and swear and cry and quit then and there – I’ve never cared for the guy since. I understand we can all have a bad day, but to be a “pro” and chuck the day because a flat threw you out of contention to win – well it does a huge disservice to all the age-groupers out there who suck it up and are fighting their hardest just to hit every cutoff.
As an aside (as if this isn’t going to be long enough) I had an email exchange with James after the race and we noted that there were a total of 41 pros that started the race, yet only 30 of them finished. I know one of the female pros crashed out near the bike start, but still that’s 25% who failed to finish – and while there likely were some mechanical issues on the bike, I doubt any of them failed to hit a cut off. For the age groupers it was in the neighborhood of 6% including people who missed the cutoffs – which I’d bet are at least half of those who DNF’d (Did Not Finish). I know that these guys do this for a living, not a lifetime achievement, and as far as professional athletes go, well this is probably the toughest sport they could choose to make a living at – but still, while I truly am in awe of their ability, I guess I’m not surprised to see a slight lack of interest in seeing who wins.
Back to the task at hand, riding the bike, girl crying in ditch, note to self: Don’t be her
The first lap along Whiteface was tough as expected but overall my legs felt good. I was happy that my mind steered clear of the “oh my god, I have to do this again” type thoughts. Coming up the last set of hills I was excited to complete the first loop and was feeling pretty strong. As you finish up the ride along Whiteface there’s a series of hills, I think the sequence goes Little Cherry, Big Cherry, Mama Bear, Baby Bear and Papa Bear … with Papa Bear being the toughest right before the turn to head back along Mirror Lake and into to town for the second loop.
One of the mantras I had in my head came from the coaches at the Triathlon camp I attended earlier in the year in Muskoka. I think it was Jay or Greg who, after reprimanding several of us for “saving gears” as we struggled and mashed up a hill, told us “Remember, it’s not the ‘fastest’ one up the hill, it’s the ‘freshest.’” So with that ‘not the fastest, but the freshest’ slogan in my head, I just kept spinning up the hills as easy as I could.
I had been warned that the BTC contingent would be camped out at the top of Papa Bear to cheer everyone in and I wasn’t disappointed – they were there in full force, bull horn and all and it was a huge boost to help get me up the hills and finish the first lap strong. I won’t lie that it would’ve been nice to be finishing up the bike at the point, but as it was I was excited to be starting the last loop.
As I hit town there seemed to be big crowds – very big crowds considering the weather and while I didn’t do much clock or pace watching on the bike I think it was around noon when I first came through which meant I was doing as expected, maybe a bit better considering the conditions. I can’t remember exactly but I think on the first loop, rather than circle behind the ice rink we come straight down through main street and down to the turn on 73 – I remember making the turn towards the high school, but I think that was at the end. Anyway, I know I was searching for my friends and family as I came down along the rink and as I was passing I heard my brother Mike holler out “Lou” to me – I caught him on the left as I was passing and put my hand behind my back to wave and give a thumbs up signal.
As I was riding out of town I was thinking that I didn’t know which way my hand was facing and I was hoping I didn’t signal thumbs down.
I should note, that while the whole bike course seems to function as one big urinal, there were plenty of port-a-potties along the route, but through the first lap I never had to go, and that right there should’ve been a big red flag for me to drink more – but in my non-logical way of thinking, I was glad for not having to stop. I also passed on getting my special needs bag as all I had in there was an extra tire and a dry pair of socks which would’ve been totally useless.
All and all I was happy with my first lap and thankful that I never got a flat and that I didn’t have to stop. Ok I promise I’ll finish the bike soon – the second lap was less eventful than the first – a lot of people with flats, I successfully took some Gatorade bottle handoffs, got some gu’s and powerbars and couldn’t believe what some people had tied on their person and their bikes – a lot of camelbacks, bananas and bagels and sandwiches stuffed in their back pockets or strapped to their bikes. Between the rain and the compression I seriously doubted how edible they’d be to the owners when the time came and was aggravated by the riders swerving around as they tried to detach, unwrap and eat said items while riding.
I figured my best defense was to simply pass as many of these people as possible. I also had no problem accelerating past a few riders who were vainly attempting to keep dry by wearing garbage bags. Sometimes you just have to wonder. First of all there was NO WAY donning a drawstring Hefty with your head (and helmet) shoved through the bottom and arms torn through the corners could possibly keep one even remotely dry in the driving rain while the bag flapped wildly and continued to rip larger and larger arm and head holes as the rider flew down the hill towards Keene at 30+ mph. Furthermore, I’d estimate that the garbage bag functioned more like a parachute or brake and effectively more than offset any “aero” benefit gained from the bars & helmet this particular triathlete had invested in. I realized it would be in my best interest to keep these riders behind me, since I couldn’t help but visualize the bag flying off them and into the face of a trailing cyclist, blinding them and sending them head over heals over the guardrail … no thanks!
Oh, and I forgot to mention the “gear’ drop zones – one on the downhills into Keene and another on the out and back … small patches of rough road where anything not totally secured to one’s bike or person was lost forever – I spent more time dodging water bottles and tubes and a lot of expensive sunglasses which, given the weather, had no business being out there in the first place. One of the saddest sights to me was about dozen fig newtons – they’d been there for awhile by the time I passed them and had clearly taken on a life of their own. Like one of those growing sponges, with all the rain they’d expanded to about five times their original size and due to the large quantity of them, they created the illusion of quite an obstacle in the road. Of course my only thought, as I’d nearly reached my limit on gu’s for the day was “Of course! Fig newtons, why the hell didn’t I pack some fig newtons! … next time.”
So the bike was great, it was wet, but it was fun … right up until about the 85 –90 mile mark. My second shot at that steep hill at the turn in Jay was when I first knew my legs and back were starting to feel it. I’d geared down and was doing my best yet I was getting passed a lot – something that pretty much hadn’t happened up till now. Things were starting to ache and the ‘novelty’ of doing an Ironman was beginning to wear off. While my legs ached I knew finishing the bike in decent fashion wasn’t going to be my problem, running a marathon was and I started to worry. I enjoy the out and back part of the course and with it being a bit less congested on this lap I took the opportunity to “buy whatever they were selling” at the aid station hand off and took water for my aero bottle, Gatorade, a bar that I shoved in my back pocket and then grabbed a PowerGel from a guy further down … whew, definitely got my moneys worth from that little slow down!
I knew the last 12 miles weren’t going to be any picnic, so I just geared down, didn’t worry about people passing me and tried to keep my legs spinning as steady as I could and keep the pressure light on my pedals. I was happy to see the hill names written in the road as that signaled the last few miles of the bike.
I was really excited to see the BTC folks again, when you’re doing the race you start to expect to have people cheering for you at certain points, but then forget that it’s been over 8 hours since the race started and it’s been raining, with varying degrees of severity, the ENTIRE time. I hope people realize how extremely grateful I, and all the participants are for all the supporters out on the course – especially that day. I can’t help but smile as I finish the ride up Papa Bear and head back into town. I know non-cyclists may want to kill me, but up to this point, despite the weather, it hasn’t been that bad, and I’d go as far to say that it’s been fun, enjoyable even, but then I remember I have to run a marathon – so you runners can have your fun then, as there’ll be none left for me.
I try to clean my shoes on the timing mat and cross the mount line and head out. There’s a steep descent coming out of transition and I knew to take it slow, not to mention it was wet and still raining pretty hard and I just wanted to get out on the open course.
Once I got past town I settled into the aero bars and was looking forward to taking on the first hill since that leads to the first big long descent into Keene. For those who haven’t done the course - the first half of the loop – about 25 miles (through the ride into Jay) is definitely the easiest – there’s a few climbs but they’re countered by some nice long descents and fast flats – definitely my kind of course. The last 30 miles are another matter – it’s a lot of climbing, some short and steep, some unendingly long – like the last 12 miles along the base of Whiteface Mountain … ugh.
Thankfully I’m smart enough (no comments please!) to know that the weather would prevent me from going all out on the down hills (my specialty!) – plus I’m just not that brave. I get nervous on dry roads when I hit 40 or 45 mph and I didn’t have the guts to do it on wet pavement in the pouring rain, plus, I discovered the hard way that going even 35mph into the driving rain really hurts!
Coming out on the bike I felt good and confident and settled into a nice pace – I watched my heart rate and kept it solidly in my endurance zone when I wasn’t climbing, I also kept an eye on my cadence and made a conscious effort to shift down and spin when hitting even slight hills – I worried less about my average speed and more about keeping the stress off my legs. On a few occasions (which likely were several too few) I reminded myself to drink – I’m a heavy, salty sweater and in the rain you don’t realize that you’re still sweating as much if it were dry out. My goal was to have at least a liter an hour - a bottle of sports drink (24 oz) and then another 8oz or more of water with any Gu’s or bars. I was shooting for about 60 gms of carbs an hour and figured I’d get at least that if I had my sports drink, ½ an Enervit bar, and a gu or more as needed each hour. The problem is you get caught up in the race and the rain is keeping you cool so you don’t think to eat and drink as much as you would if it were hot out. Also, with the course it’s tough to eat and drink when you’re climbing and downright dangerous to do so when you’re descending. There was also a 14 mile, rolling out and back (~7miles each way) about 30 miles into the course. When I rode here a few weeks prior I saw this as a good place to fuel, but for race day I was dead wrong. With so many cyclists coming and going in both directions, this was probably one of the more dangerous parts of the course – especially on the first lap when it was pretty congested. So as conscious as I was of what I ‘should’ be doing, I still managed to fall short of doing a really good job hydrating and fueling on the bike.
Prior to the out and back there’s a left turn at Jay and then you hit one of the steeper, longer hills on the course – the first time through, I have to confess, this was actually fun. It was pouring rain (surprise, surprise) and oncoming traffic was stopped dead for the race and backed up all the way up the hill so people were out of their cars and hanging out the windows ringing cowbells and cheering us on. A bit of a “Tour de France” moment and I still felt ‘fresh’ (with a nod to my sister Ann) and strong and dropped my gear and just churned by everyone ahead of me … I remember thinking how fun it was, despite the elevation and the rain.
For me, the out and back really was the start of the bike ‘race’ for me … I had settled in and was warmed up and was ready to go. And with all the cyclists coming fast and furious toward me it got my adrenaline pumping and I started to push more than I had in the first 30 miles.
I hadn’t really been thinking about much on the ride – had those 2 Great Big Sea song’s replaying on and off (‘Walk on the Moon’ and ‘Here and Now’) – as a cyclist and typical to most races, I find myself eventually passing a ton of the people that had crushed me on the swim, so the “on your left” call was one I’d probably made several hundred times that day. At several points throughout the race you find yourself at a similar pace as some other riders – William – was one I kept leapfrogging with and I think Frank was another who gave me the tip to stay off the shoulder to avoid flats – thanks for that Frank! Gustavo was someone who admired my riding and backside so much he decided to just sit on my wheel for a good portion of the out and back. Unfortunately this part of the course was too congested to be monitored by the officials on motorcycles and I witnessed quite a bit of drafting. A group of guys had a whole pace line going while a couple of other teammates were taking turns ‘pulling’ for each other. Gustavo enjoyed his ride for a few miles before I reminded him of the no drafting rule – he promptly passed me and complimented me on my pace - telling me ‘you’re a good rider” the reply under my breath was ‘you’re a cheater.’
Early on the bike I witnessed a lot of people who had flats and just figured I’d get one at some point – with the wet conditions they’re much more prevalent as the roads get covered with debris, stones, glass or whatever and they stick to your tires and eventually work their way through them. The more flats I saw, the more I prepared myself for one. Then about half way out on the out and back I saw a very young female rider sitting in a ditch crying – her bike was laid out next to her but I couldn’t tell if it was anything more than a flat, but I remember thinking it was way too early to have to give up because of a mechanical problem. I hope she didn’t crash, but I’d hate to think she decided to call it day for something as minor as a flat.
That was probably the first of several ‘defining’ moments I’d have throughout the day. After seeing her, I thought of the Kona Ironman championship broadcast several years ago when Norman Stadler, a favorite to win the race that year, encountered his second flat and the cameras caught him throw a fit – and his bike as I recall - and swear and cry and quit then and there – I’ve never cared for the guy since. I understand we can all have a bad day, but to be a “pro” and chuck the day because a flat threw you out of contention to win – well it does a huge disservice to all the age-groupers out there who suck it up and are fighting their hardest just to hit every cutoff.
As an aside (as if this isn’t going to be long enough) I had an email exchange with James after the race and we noted that there were a total of 41 pros that started the race, yet only 30 of them finished. I know one of the female pros crashed out near the bike start, but still that’s 25% who failed to finish – and while there likely were some mechanical issues on the bike, I doubt any of them failed to hit a cut off. For the age groupers it was in the neighborhood of 6% including people who missed the cutoffs – which I’d bet are at least half of those who DNF’d (Did Not Finish). I know that these guys do this for a living, not a lifetime achievement, and as far as professional athletes go, well this is probably the toughest sport they could choose to make a living at – but still, while I truly am in awe of their ability, I guess I’m not surprised to see a slight lack of interest in seeing who wins.
Back to the task at hand, riding the bike, girl crying in ditch, note to self: Don’t be her
The first lap along Whiteface was tough as expected but overall my legs felt good. I was happy that my mind steered clear of the “oh my god, I have to do this again” type thoughts. Coming up the last set of hills I was excited to complete the first loop and was feeling pretty strong. As you finish up the ride along Whiteface there’s a series of hills, I think the sequence goes Little Cherry, Big Cherry, Mama Bear, Baby Bear and Papa Bear … with Papa Bear being the toughest right before the turn to head back along Mirror Lake and into to town for the second loop.
One of the mantras I had in my head came from the coaches at the Triathlon camp I attended earlier in the year in Muskoka. I think it was Jay or Greg who, after reprimanding several of us for “saving gears” as we struggled and mashed up a hill, told us “Remember, it’s not the ‘fastest’ one up the hill, it’s the ‘freshest.’” So with that ‘not the fastest, but the freshest’ slogan in my head, I just kept spinning up the hills as easy as I could.
I had been warned that the BTC contingent would be camped out at the top of Papa Bear to cheer everyone in and I wasn’t disappointed – they were there in full force, bull horn and all and it was a huge boost to help get me up the hills and finish the first lap strong. I won’t lie that it would’ve been nice to be finishing up the bike at the point, but as it was I was excited to be starting the last loop.
As I hit town there seemed to be big crowds – very big crowds considering the weather and while I didn’t do much clock or pace watching on the bike I think it was around noon when I first came through which meant I was doing as expected, maybe a bit better considering the conditions. I can’t remember exactly but I think on the first loop, rather than circle behind the ice rink we come straight down through main street and down to the turn on 73 – I remember making the turn towards the high school, but I think that was at the end. Anyway, I know I was searching for my friends and family as I came down along the rink and as I was passing I heard my brother Mike holler out “Lou” to me – I caught him on the left as I was passing and put my hand behind my back to wave and give a thumbs up signal.
As I was riding out of town I was thinking that I didn’t know which way my hand was facing and I was hoping I didn’t signal thumbs down.
I should note, that while the whole bike course seems to function as one big urinal, there were plenty of port-a-potties along the route, but through the first lap I never had to go, and that right there should’ve been a big red flag for me to drink more – but in my non-logical way of thinking, I was glad for not having to stop. I also passed on getting my special needs bag as all I had in there was an extra tire and a dry pair of socks which would’ve been totally useless.
All and all I was happy with my first lap and thankful that I never got a flat and that I didn’t have to stop. Ok I promise I’ll finish the bike soon – the second lap was less eventful than the first – a lot of people with flats, I successfully took some Gatorade bottle handoffs, got some gu’s and powerbars and couldn’t believe what some people had tied on their person and their bikes – a lot of camelbacks, bananas and bagels and sandwiches stuffed in their back pockets or strapped to their bikes. Between the rain and the compression I seriously doubted how edible they’d be to the owners when the time came and was aggravated by the riders swerving around as they tried to detach, unwrap and eat said items while riding.
I figured my best defense was to simply pass as many of these people as possible. I also had no problem accelerating past a few riders who were vainly attempting to keep dry by wearing garbage bags. Sometimes you just have to wonder. First of all there was NO WAY donning a drawstring Hefty with your head (and helmet) shoved through the bottom and arms torn through the corners could possibly keep one even remotely dry in the driving rain while the bag flapped wildly and continued to rip larger and larger arm and head holes as the rider flew down the hill towards Keene at 30+ mph. Furthermore, I’d estimate that the garbage bag functioned more like a parachute or brake and effectively more than offset any “aero” benefit gained from the bars & helmet this particular triathlete had invested in. I realized it would be in my best interest to keep these riders behind me, since I couldn’t help but visualize the bag flying off them and into the face of a trailing cyclist, blinding them and sending them head over heals over the guardrail … no thanks!
Oh, and I forgot to mention the “gear’ drop zones – one on the downhills into Keene and another on the out and back … small patches of rough road where anything not totally secured to one’s bike or person was lost forever – I spent more time dodging water bottles and tubes and a lot of expensive sunglasses which, given the weather, had no business being out there in the first place. One of the saddest sights to me was about dozen fig newtons – they’d been there for awhile by the time I passed them and had clearly taken on a life of their own. Like one of those growing sponges, with all the rain they’d expanded to about five times their original size and due to the large quantity of them, they created the illusion of quite an obstacle in the road. Of course my only thought, as I’d nearly reached my limit on gu’s for the day was “Of course! Fig newtons, why the hell didn’t I pack some fig newtons! … next time.”
So the bike was great, it was wet, but it was fun … right up until about the 85 –90 mile mark. My second shot at that steep hill at the turn in Jay was when I first knew my legs and back were starting to feel it. I’d geared down and was doing my best yet I was getting passed a lot – something that pretty much hadn’t happened up till now. Things were starting to ache and the ‘novelty’ of doing an Ironman was beginning to wear off. While my legs ached I knew finishing the bike in decent fashion wasn’t going to be my problem, running a marathon was and I started to worry. I enjoy the out and back part of the course and with it being a bit less congested on this lap I took the opportunity to “buy whatever they were selling” at the aid station hand off and took water for my aero bottle, Gatorade, a bar that I shoved in my back pocket and then grabbed a PowerGel from a guy further down … whew, definitely got my moneys worth from that little slow down!
I knew the last 12 miles weren’t going to be any picnic, so I just geared down, didn’t worry about people passing me and tried to keep my legs spinning as steady as I could and keep the pressure light on my pedals. I was happy to see the hill names written in the road as that signaled the last few miles of the bike.
I was really excited to see the BTC folks again, when you’re doing the race you start to expect to have people cheering for you at certain points, but then forget that it’s been over 8 hours since the race started and it’s been raining, with varying degrees of severity, the ENTIRE time. I hope people realize how extremely grateful I, and all the participants are for all the supporters out on the course – especially that day. I can’t help but smile as I finish the ride up Papa Bear and head back into town. I know non-cyclists may want to kill me, but up to this point, despite the weather, it hasn’t been that bad, and I’d go as far to say that it’s been fun, enjoyable even, but then I remember I have to run a marathon – so you runners can have your fun then, as there’ll be none left for me.
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