Thursday, September 29, 2011

Augusta 70.3 Part 3 The Bike

Augusta 70.3 Part 3 The Bike
After getting out of the water and removing all the “seaweed” I ran to the wetsuit strippers.  The wetsuit strippers were two young girls who got quite a kick out of pulling me around and removing my wetsuit.  Honestly, I think they thought I as hot.  ;-)

Breaking the seal in the morning leads to issues.
This is how I felt.
(All the water fountains in Augusta where purple for the race)
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Out of the wetsuit and into the bathroom!  As any triathlete knows, once you break the seal in the morning it’s all downhill from there.  I spent most of the prerace morning in the bathroom.  Normally, I never have to go back to the bathroom after the race starts.  That’s what the swim is for (oh like you don’t do it also) but I do not care how much I tried I could not mentally break the seal in the wetsuit.  So I had to make a pit stop after being stripped.

Speaking of being stripped, this is something you only see in Augusta,
a strip-joint next to church next to a bar. 
How convenient!

I took my time in transition.  I put on sunscreen because my German/Dutch ancestry makes me a vampire and I burn by merely walking into the sunlight.  Put on sock, shoes, etc.  This race I was proud of myself because I remembered to take off my cleat covers before getting on the bike.


!Off I go!
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Off I go on the bike.  The GA road conditions suck. There are lots of potholes and uneven terrain but the minute you cross into SC the roads are great.  Apparently GA does not put the money into keeping their roads very nice.

At a snails pace
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The ride was mostly rolling hills.  No really steep hills.  It was nothing an average cyclist could not handle.  Almost all of the race was pretty, country roads and was well policed by volunteers and police officers.
There were four aid stations, each about 18 miles apart.  Water, Poweraid, bananas, PowerBars, etc were handed out.
What was annoying were all the people cheating.  It looked like the Tour de France with all the pelotons that were passing me.  I could tell who the “best” age groups where because each wave of pelotons where by age group.   There was not an official to be seen.  During the entire race I only saw a judge 3 times.  Most of these cyclists believe it is not cheating if they do not get caught.  WTC really has to fix this issue. 
Man I look old! I'm only in my lower 30s.
I need to double check in I am the right age group.
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One peloton nearly took me out by clipping my front wheel.  I yelled some “kind” words to the cyclist.  When he turned around I have him a “salute”.

Throwing the Ronnie James Dio horns!
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Later in the race I found out one of my friends hits some sand/gravel and crashed.  The cyclist behind her was so close that she ran over my friend when she went down.  Luckily she suffered only a cracked helmet and minor scrapes and was able to continue on with the race and finish.
One interesting sign during the race was “Get off my roads and go home!”  Apparently, this guy did not like the race going on on “his roads.”  Sorry buddy WTC just signed a agreement with Augusta till 2014. 
The ride went good.  I average 18.85mph (with the hills) and finished at 2:58:16.

8 comments:

  1. Great job on the bike and that last pic rocks!!!

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  2. Glad you friend is OK! Nice time on the bike leg... I agree, saw tons of pelotons going on. I think I saw an official once throughout the entire race which seemed odd to me. Usually I see them multiple times.

    Love your comment about the guy with the sign. Hate it for him that he will have to deal with teh race until 2014 - ha ha. That was the strangest thing, I loved that his neighbors were out there cheering for everyone as if to make up for him somehow.

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  3. - I would have totally peed in the wetsuit if I needed to go.
    - I wonder which came first. I'm going to guess the church came last as a hope to forgive all the sins in a much more convenient way - might as well set up shop right next to your best customers!
    - I've never actually seen an official on a race course. Not ONE! I've somewhat come to conclude that unless you're vying for a top spot, they don't care what you do.
    - I'll remember to avoid GA for cycling.
    - I heard about the sign "get off my roads" from another blogger and I think it's understandable, but pointless at the same time. In Rhode Island I remember seeing cars backed up for MILES at some intersections and they must have been pissed.
    - Nice job on the hilly course!

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  4. Whoa, AWESOME job on the bike!! And I've heard about that dude from a bunch of different people who did the race. Too freakin' funny.

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  5. haha love that last pic!

    ugh - yes cheaters are the WORST!!!!!!!

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  6. First time I've heard "breaking the seal" outside of a frat house! I would have totally had to put on sunscreen too. I am Irish which I think might be worse than German/Dutch.

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  7. Congrats on going sub 3 on the bike! That is awesome.

    I'm with you on the sunscreen. I'm pasty white most of the year. Also had a couple skin cancers removed so lubing up with sun screen is a good idea.

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  8. That's really frustrating about the pelotons! Isn't finishing in a good time more satisfying when you DONT cheat?? Nice job on a tough course!

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