3rd Tri's Mountain Ascent @X@

Josh and I drove the bike course the day before and let me tell you, I had to put the car in overdrive to make it over the 3 mile ascent over highway 267 pass. I wanted to plan out my fuel intake along the course, Its very important to keep your self hydrated when racing and there are more optimal points of feeding than others.

Rule #1 - Never refuel while climbing, Don't take your hands off the handle bars, You lose momentum.

Rule #2 - Refueling on a down grade is optimal to maintain speed.

As I'm in the transition area, it takes me a little longer, because during my warm up I notice that my hands half froze off when going at higher speeds as well as the temperature through the pass sometimes drops below 40 degree's. I throw on my jacket and gloves which also contain my clif shots which I prepared before the race = )

T1 time 4 min. Not good, It should be half that time.

Heading out of the transition area, I notice that I'm having trouble getting my shoes into my pedals. AIYA !!! I forgot to take off the protective guards on my shoes when laying out my gear this morning. I pull over, hop off my bike and pry off the shoe guards, which cost me about a minute ; ( I turn left onto highway 28 and traffic is stopped by the local sheriff which was nice.
Then a right turn onto highway 267 and the long ascent up the mountain.

The climb is approximately 3 miles and my average spd is 8-10 mph. I keep telling myself nice and easy, as I gaze up the road to the next racer who has stopped off the side for a pee break. This was definitely a workout and even though my energy level was high at this point, In the back of my mind I knew that I would have to come back and climb the other side. Each turn and plateau I thought was the top just kept going up until I finally reached the top. Yeah !

What a relief, Now comes the exciting part. I have never exceeded 27 mph on my bike along the American bike trail which is mainly flat. With a 9% grade down highway 267 I didn't know what to expect. At first I thought well, maybe I will try going down on my aero bars. No flippin way, when I started descending down the mountain @ close to 40 mph and you definitely want a firm grip on your handle bars and maybe a finger on the break. I prayed that I don't hit a bump and go flying off the road as the wind wips across my body and I hold on for dear life. To describe the rush and feeling you get when your hearts racing and your adrenaline in pumping through your vains and just riding with God is unbelievable. You must experience it for yourself = )

As I reach the bottom of the mountain there is a straight away, where you want to try to keep your momentum and this is where I take a cliff shot and a drink. Power up and try to push myself across the windy basin. At the 12 mile turn around they offer some hot soup and energy fluids, It was very tempting, but I wasn't about to stop.

So, I head back and about mile 17 I can see that illuminus mountain approaching to go back over the pass and I know I won't get another chance to refuel till I reach the top so I take another clif shot and a swig of energy drink and head back up the mountain. Pushing myself alittle harder this time because I know it will all be down hill from the top. I can start feeling the strain on my legs halfway up and I keep telling myself I'm almost there.

At the top I refuel again and ready for the descent and this time I am cruising down with other riders which is kind of exciting because you are all cruising down together at high speeds. I pass a couple riders on the down low and sprint to the finish, Into the transition area and dismount.

Bike time 1 hr. 47 min. @X@

2B continued .... Into the Woods ^V^V^