The Bike - Race Day

Coming out of the water, my legs felt a little wobbly, but after a few meters (it was 75 meters from the water into Transition), I felt much better.  I had to find my transition area first… but I will admit, it was a little disheartening to run in and it be… empty!  Sure, I know I was in the last group, but I expected it to be this bustling hive of activity. There weren’t many people there as I did start 15 minutes after the first wave and while there were many people still left in the water (some from groups that started before me… no, I wasn’t last!), I guess I just expected more people.  Strange, huh?

Anyway, found my area, peeeeeelllleeed out of my wetsuit (easier than I feared), got my shoes and helmet on and grabbed my bike and started the slow jog out of Transition.  I decided long before that I wasn’t going to try any fancy advanced techniques like already having my shoes clipped in or anything.  Nope, nothing like that for me.  And, my T1 time wasn’t all that bad.  I had studied transitions a lot – videos, reading, etc.  I don’t think much can really prepare you for them though other than just experience.  Sure, I was actually REALLY happy with where I placed my gear at set-up and what I brought, but it is shear experience.

So, up the hill to the road.  I could have run faster and could have really pushed it harder.  I will take this more seriously next time.  I mounted my bike really well (for me) and I was off!  Again, best thing I did for this whole tri was have Matt drive me around the bike path before the race.  I understood the route, the turns, where big gravel lay, the hills.  It was really helpful to feel the route beforehand and will do this on every future race – triathlon or running – from here on out.

But, I did come to really feel my inexperience on the bike.  First of all, I do not completely understand the gears and shifting.  I am fully comfortable with one ring on my super uber fancy shmance gear system, but there is a second ring, and one that I don’t even know how to get into. BUT, I did realize that I REALLY NEED IT.  There were many points that I felt I was spinning and spinning my pedals but it wasn’t doing a damn thing.  Luckily most of those times it happened, I hit a hill or something and it ended up being okay.  But the last two miles, I NEEDED THAT TORQUE.  It got so frustrating that I was actually swearing out loud.  I was pissed.  I know 100% I could have made up at least 5-8 minutes on the bike.  And that is frustrating to know, just because!

Second is that I needed water. Desperately. I hadn’t had any after the swim and it was our first truly hot (way over 80 degrees) day in months. And while I have a water bottle and it was full, I was terrified to reach down and grab it for fear of falling.  I could feel that I was totally dry and knew I still had a run, albeit short, coming up.

The third thing is that my girl parts hurt.  Road bikes are not the easiest thing for some girls, me included.  And I Googled on the way home, being in some pretty serious pain, that while on upright bikes (like cyclocross, mountain bikes, etc.), you are supposed to sit on your butt bones, road bikes like mine, you sit forward, right on, well.. yea, you get it.  So, I’m going to try a few things and hopefully figure out a way to alleviate this. I can work through pain, but I don’t want to.

12 miles done, it was a downhill dismount… and I dismounted well!  If you have read, you know my hate-hate relationship with my clips, so this was big.  But WOW!  What crazy legs I had when I got off my bike.  I actually said, “WHOA!”, making the volunteer laugh.  But I “ran” (said lightly) down into the Transition Area, my family cheering, to start T2. 

 

And, I made it through the bike.  Again, HUGE learning experience.  All in all, I really enjoyed the bike and know I can really kick it up where I can do damage to my own time with some pretty simple corrections and things to work on.  

Biking... my bike and my first experience on it (EEEK!)

This weekend I finally got OUTSIDE on my bike.  The bike has been my nemesis and one that I know I have to overcome pretty quickly.  Of course, like most of us, I learned to ride a bike as a child.  I really enjoyed it, riding everywhere in my neighborhood when I had the chance.  I took some pretty nasty falls and have some (small) scars to prove it.  I learned, I think, to ride a ten speed… but that was long ago.  And I still DO remember to how to RIDE a bike, no problem.

But, bikes – racing bikes – have gotten a lot more technical than when we were kids.  Gone are the little shifting levers and toe boxes for our feet.  Now, there are little finger shifters that you barely touch and clip in pedals that you need special shoes for (both which cost hundreds of dollars – sold separately, of course).  And neither of which are just easy and intuitive.  I am learning everything all over again.  Which is great considering I have all of these races coming up… that involve riding a bike. *sigh*. 

First of all, the bike itself. My bike is not a triathlon bike. I have a road racing bike. I have a Cervelo S2.  It weighs 17 pounds and is awesome. My brother just bought a Cervelo P3, which is a tri bike.  Now, why I 

Mine

Brother's

I bought the S2 is because it should last me awhile (rationalize, rationalize). Bro already has a road bike and everyone needs a road bike (rationalize) ~ you don’t always ride your triathlon bike.  AND, I can outfit my bike (when I’m ready) with what is called a “fast forward seat” (check out how the saddle (fancy name for the seat) on his bike is more forward) and clip on aero bars (that is what those crazy looking handle bars are that you can lean on and be in an aerodynamic position the whole way).  But I’m not ready for that yet.  At all. 

Then – the pedals. My right knee has 1% cartilage in it, which is just about none. So, I have to be pretty careful.  Normally, pedals for racing bikes have you really locked down so once you clip in, you can’t move 

at all. That way, when you are really pushing hard up a hill, you get all the force you can out of your knees.  I got pedals that give me more “float” – up to 9%.  I have Keo 2 Max Carbon pedals. If you’re interested.

Clipping into pedals is a WHOOOOOLE new experience, and I sat on the trainer in my bike shop for a good 30 minutes in my bike shoes (Specialized Trivent), getting on the bike, clipping in, unclipping.  Because think about it… You have to stop at a stop sign or a stop lights, and in order to stop, you have to unclip a foot or you FALL OVER!!! Yea.  Not good.  It isn’t easy, either.  You are one with the bike.  I mean, totally attached to it!  So, this is a really big deal.

Then… my gear system.  It is really, really cool. If I knew how to use it.  Yea, they went over it with me, in detail. And Hubs sat on the floor and went over scenarios with me before I left (“you will want to be in a low

 gear, which means down here, if you are doing XXX…”).  I really, really tried to understand it, but until I got out and started to use it, I had NO idea.  My system is called SRAM and with a flick of a finger, my gears move.  If I hold it down just a teeeeeny bit, gears move up 3 whole gears.  So high tech and scary, but super efficient.  I am kinda sorta already in love with it, and can understand why Dean, my bike God at the best bike/tri store in existence said I will never want to use another system… ever.  I have a lot to learn about it, but I AM learning.

My first experience out was definitely not long, probably only 5 or 6 miles.  I rode up and down my street to make sure I had the feel for clipping and unclipping, then around a few streets (holy faster than I expected, Batman!), then decided to go over to my parents.  This took me up and down some streets I only know from running them and in my car.  Such a different experience on a bike.  Going up and down hills – ZOOMING up and down them, trying to change gears, up and down, to feel what I needed to do.  And STOPPING. 

Okay. I won’t lie.  On my way over to my parents I didn’t actually come to a total and complete stop to where I had to unclip.  I lucked out at the one stoplight – it was green and I zoomed across Lee Highway.  WOOOOOSH! (such a rush coming down the hill and zooming across) and at stop signs?  I did a rolling stop.  Why not?  I do it in my car a lot. *blush*.  But, I did stop at my parents and called them to come out (they hadn’t seen my bike yet) and at the same intersection on my way home, the light was red.  Had to stop, unclip my right leg and when it turned green, get going again and clip back in.  AND I DID IT!! WOOOO HOOO!

I rode around a bit, up and down some hills, not too far off course because I have a tendency to get lost, but just feeling the bike a bit.  And I can admit that I fully understand why people become cyclists.  Sure, I haven’t hit the point of exhaustion and don’t know what it is like to get that lactic acid build up where you don’t feel like you can’t go anymore, or the pain in your shoulders and back and butt… but the thrill is amazing.   I really, really loved it.

And I did fall.  Not a bad fall, but I did fall.  Close to home, I tried the lesser of two major (MAJOR!) hills and it won.  I pushed and pushed and pushed, but came to a pretty complete stop and didn’t unclip in time to get off and fell… right… over. It was pretty darn funny.  The hill won :-D

Can’t wait to go out again!  YEA BIKE! (who knew I would ever, ever say that!)