Well in 2004 I had a great race and enjoyed it enormously, I had bought a mountain bike specifically to do the race after hearing so much about it from Ron and the rest of the Bilbys Saturday Morning Bike Pack. Learning to ride off road and training for the triple tri 2004 went hand in hand, many many weekends flew by riding and riding.
This year however was different, a months holiday in August/September around Europe left 2 months to prepare for the race. The big mistake was not to have ridden all 3 bike legs continuously a few times. With a lot less technical proficiency than most, often a bit of power can get you out of trouble, but on leg 8 that power isn't there and therefore trouble is, I fell. However how the race panned out.
Pre-Start, having thought that I'd give a quick prayer for those in the Indonesian earthquake during the minutes silence there wasn't one.
Swim1 started nicely, seemed to be missing a buoy that myself and another competitor who i was with struggled with but ended up going around a canoe. Once round that the buoys were easy to spot swam in quite well after that and exited the water first. Had a fast transition.
Bike1 the bird that swooped Natalie and Myself twice last weekend at Canberra uni continued its dislike for me. However I nicely followed the route had a surprise that it was the second fence to go onto gossan hill, not the first as I'd practised. All went smoothly, grabbed a mouthful of coffee at the top of Push Bike Hill, saw another soloist as I descended the tarmac bit from the top. I had a great descent of the rocky bit which always scares me and enjoyed the rest of the ride around black mountain and its spur where i ride the occasional lunch time. Had the normal ride and push up to the water tank. I have no idea how people can ride that last loose bit. Single track was great although got caught out by the bit that was taken out and had to turn around to get back onto this years course, and lost a confrontation with a tree. The dog that I saw have a go at stewy in 2004, and had had a go at the group that did the course familiarisation ride in 2004 somewhere around Duterrau Cres wasn't out today. A bit of mud around the back of the racecourse which I guess was worse for the tailenders and all was great to transition.
Run1 Another fast change, and off. Passed by a woman feeding a magpie with a cockatoo on her shoulder. Made it to the top this year before being caught by the first team on the tarmac descent of Majura, Trevor Jacobs caught me running along the fire trail prior to the right up to the logs, last year he'd gone by on that tricky bit next to the fence shortly after leaving the tarmac. So I was probably going better than last time. Other team runners went by as I enjoyed the views, changed out of off road shoes at the top of Ainslie, Bilbys coach Gary Rolfe gave a bit of a cheer at the bottom then a nice long flat run grabbing the wetsuit lube at Kings Bridge from Ria one of my support crew. Ran along putting the stuff on, checked the buoys, looked at the team swimmers and into transition.
Swim2 Good transition again, unfortunately I didn't grow up with long summers and running around barefoot. I feel every stone and slowly picked my way into the water as someone without a wetsuit ran past me and swam away. It'd have been great to get into their slip stream and have a real easy swim but I could only hold the gap for a while. The swim went really well, I think the huge travel on my new bikes forks had saved my shoulders and I swam feeling good all the way. Grabbed a goo at half way as Dave Baldwin had recommended to me last year.
Bike2 Well the only thing on this leg I hate with a vengeance is the magpie on Blewitts, I've had many fights with it and never won. It starts at you on the bottom and never ever gives up, the good thing about the race is however it probably attacked the first riders and it'd have been hanging around at the top by the time I'd got there. The leg went smoothly, got caught out on the way up Stromlo where the bunny hop over a gap in the track was fenced out and was directed into a ditch. Crew was at the top, loaded up with Coke and Pringles, the gate was open heading off of the tarmac down Stromlo. (there are more than three sports in this triathlon, there are swimming , mountain biking and running obviously but there are also significantly 'bike pushing', and the 'bike and you over gate or fence' as well as the transitions). Over another hill then a nice flat bit to the end.
Run2 So up Mt Taylor, ran the less steep bit but walked a fair bit of the way to the top. Nice descent great views out towards the Brindabella's and of lake Tuggeranong where the race was heading. Heat was getting to me a bit the issue being I was not getting the food through my stomach although a diet of Pringles with the odd Mars Bar and Vegemite Sandwich might have had a little to do with it. Bruce got to overtake me, which was what he wanted, Steve Hanley from their team went past on Leg5 last time. Had a bit of a chat with a guy in a team of 9 as I watched the BMX riders performing stunts better than you see in a circus on my way into transition.
Swim3 Needed to cool down, so no wetsuit. Wish I could have taken the hat off too. The longer the swim went on the better I was feeling but all to soon I reached the ladder. Took the hat off and gave my head a swish under the water before climbing out for the hardest part of the day.
Bike3 It starts so easily just chugging along the bike paths. Then it goes to a long rocky track where I fell last year on a descent because I was leaning far to far forward in a vain attempt to let the shocks do all the work my legs were supposed to be doing. This time I fell going up but was quick to jump back on, last year I had a chuckle dusted myself off and then continued on. Sometime later pushed the bike up Mt Stanley, enjoyed the cool breeze up there and the descent with a few little bunny hops to do here and there. Only had to worry now about the last bit before the pipe, but once in East O'Mally it was marked out like a aircraft runway and the route was not to bad especially considering the general terrain around that area. Got to the pipe, picked up a bike tool off Sean, let the saddle down and into the pipe. This had been the leg I had most room for improvement on from last year and yet its the only one I felt that I had done significantly worse.
Run3 Had a check from Prachar I was sane (well by triple tri standards), guess chatting on the phone between shouting 5 to make sure I was registered at the random check points along the way had caused some concern. Nowadays it's difficult to know if someone is schizophrenic or hands free. But I was given the OK and this year ran off in a pair of running shoes, as opposed to a tennis shoe and a running shoe like last year. Got a lot of motivation from the team runners passing by as well as Bilbys out on the course. Through the finish and into Natalie's arms, 8 awesome transitions and aid all the way the support crew had nailed it.
Post race, Lovely dip in the lake, awesome pasta upstairs at the yacht club, 3 different types of Black Tea including Twinings English Breakfast and Tetley I probably over did it on the tea. Then Julie came in as second solo which was by far the performance of the day.
This race really shows the countryside of Canberra and Surrounds. It's marvellous. Hope to see everyone back next time.
Trev
