Monday: This was pretty much the only day of bad weather we had and I managed to avoid the worst of it. JBarr and I started out on a group ride with about 20 dudes, but it soon became clear that it was going to be a testosterone-fueled hammer fest to start out with the guys trying to outdo each other right away instead of warming up and trying to maintain a steady tempo for the ride. We fell off the back and did our own ride at a relaxed pace. We only noticed a little mist and even saw some sun for parts of the ride. We did about 65 miles, but the last 10 miles or so the chill started to set in and it felt like the last few climbs back home were eternal. Once back at camp, we learned that around 20 people on various rides needed to be picked up because they were under-dressed for the weather and had gotten caught in rain that JBarr and I had miraculously avoided. Although our ride was tough, we definitely had a better day than 90% of our teammates on the road.
Accidental off-roading brought to you by DZ
Tuesday: The sun came out on Tuesday and we had gorgeous weather for the rest of the week. I knew I needed an easy day since I’d upping the volume of my training by about 300% this week from what I usually do back in Wisconsin. Luckily, a group of people were heading out on the “Huggy Bear Sunshine Ride” I also decided I needed to bring some triathlon spirit to the trip, so I designated myself race director of a Sprint Triathlon! In addition to Pat “Huggy Bear” Huibregtse coordinating the bike section, JBarr was sprint prime coordinator, Jon Cook lead the trail walk section and Lindsey took care of the toe dingling section. The Huggy Bear Sunshine ride kicked off at noon, with a leisurely 18 mile ride with stops for T.5 to play in the river and skip rocks and T.75 to frolic and do cartwheels in a meadow. Some participants also participated in a downhill coasting compeition, to see who could bike the furthest in their easiest gear without pedaling. There was an anti-sprint close near the end, with the last person to cross the line without track standing or un-clipping was the winner. T1 was an ice cream break, to get our strength back for the trail walk section.
Mountain Man Jon Cook, taking a break to enjoy some “nature”
Jon Kayes got a jump on the swim section with an accidental slip while wading in the river.
Sexy Women’s A’s Pic
Rock skipping
Getting warmed up for the hike portion.
Jon Cook lead us on a 45 minute walk keeping the pace just fast enough that no one could talk. Apparently this is his strategy in cycling as well.
Getting rid of the tan lines.
NATURE!
Mountain Man Jon Cook got tired of the trail and told us he’d meet us at the bottom.
Lindsey lead us to the river where we indulged in an ice bath and some toe dingling to wrap up the “swim section” of the event.
Ken shows off his new swim gear.
Yes, we’re as cold as we look!
“Upstream, like a Rainbow Trout!”
Taking a break from toe dingling
I’m confident that the participants had a great experience as part of their first-ever triathlon!
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