Sunday Aug 22 was the summer’s most glamourous event, a half ironman at Lake Winnipesaukee. While I’m used to having the beater ride in the crowd, the effect was quite pronounced here as 2700 participants lined up tri specific race bikes in transition. I don’t remember a single other bike present with flat handlebars and a cargo rack. It was enough to pull an incredulous chuckle from one spectator eyeing my wheels right before the bike in. This equipment disadvantage didn’t stop me from turning in a mid-pack 1599th place bike split at 17.4mph. It did, however, stoke the background curiosity of what an upgrade might do for my numbers. I read just a little slower when I got to the tri bike reviews in my copy of Bicycling this morning.
The 56 mile out-and-back course really is excellent. There’s a little something for everyone, although I think too much excitement surrounds it’s reputation as hilly. Yes, it’s true that immediately upon turning out of the bike chute you are confronted with a rise with an unignorable grade, but how better to get warmed up from the water? Most of the course, from about mile 15 out to the turnaround is a congomeration of rolling terrain that keeps you interested but doesn’t create any intimidation. The only climb of note is only a few miles out from the start/finish. This hill, which must be the course’s frequently mentioned 9% grade, is guaranteed to get you sweaty and is about the same experience from both directions, but shouldn’t be anything low gear can’t dispense with for anyone with aspirations to finish this event. I did see a couple riders dismount before the top. The atmosphere on this climb is kept light with the most dense supports of any section of the bike course. Encouragement from the locals “you can see the top from here” and “you made it” might just make this the part of the course I recommend looking forward to instead of dreading! One challenge for me on climbs in an event this long is to remember to keep pace. It’s tempting to crank up hills, especially on the return trip, but I still need those legs to be strong a couple hours after I put the bike away.
My run was slow and uneventful. I was happy to keep nearly identical pace on the first and second passes of the two loop run course. The swim was beautiful
Remembering back to when I registered for this event in the winter as a summer training motivator, I realize that this end of August event foreshadows the end of summer. There is at most only another month of reliable riding weather. Although I don’t intend to discard my run conditioning, it’s time to put the icing on the season’s mileage. With no bike tour and all this multisport activity, I’m well short of 2009s numbers.