River Ride RR

Well what a crazy weekend. The morning started with thunderstorms and lightening and I worried the event would be delayed. Still I headed to the start with swim suit and towel ready to do my OW swim. Luckily the storms passed and for a few moments I actually thought I might have dry weather to ride in. I jumped into the cove, I forgot to bring my wetsuit and was hit by a blast of cold water. After a few choice words, I put my head down and swam out for around 1/4 mile (the speck on the horizon to the right in the picture) and then back. I grabbed my bike gear from the car and headed to the restrooms to change.

Still no rain at this point as I headed out through Kilmarnock and the open roads. Not 10 minutes later it started to rain. Torrential rain. I was soaked and my shoes filled with water. I plastered a smile on my face and chanted "Don't worry, be happy" which is my IMFL theme song. The first 30 miles continued this way often riding through 2 inches of water. I skipped the first rest stop and rode back to town for the next stage.

At the 48 mile mark I stopped to pee and refill bottles. I was covered in grit from the roads and my nutrition was a soggy mess. I stuffed a bunch of disintegrating fig bars in my mouth, grabbed a banana and was back on the road. Finally, it stopped raining. I was still feeling pretty good so I kept pushing the pace, however this part of the course was rolling hills, long false flats with a couple of nasty hills (think Naylors) thrown in. At the 80 mile mark I stopped for one last time to refill bottles. The last 27 miles were tough. The wind picked up and I felt cold. About 75 % of the ride I was completely on my own it was weird. I kept on singing. As I came back into Kilmarnock I was surprised by the distance on my computer 105, by the time I got off my bike it was a little over 107 in 6:39.

I quickly racked my bike on my car, changed my socks and shorts and headed out for my run. The volunteers looked at me as though I was crazy and some roadie who I had passed a few times shouted something derogatory but I ignored him. I ran 2.5 miles feeling okay. Long enough to know my nutrition was good although I did not drink as much water as I should have. I blame that on the rain. By now the sun was out and everywhere had warmed up. I took a quick shower ready for the drive home.

This ride was really a well organized event overall. Tons of food and drink which I didn't get to enjoy, portalets at the rest stops, super friendly volunteers, lunch looked good as well. The course was not ideal for a training ride because of the many stops and lots of turns through towns. It would be great for a leisurely bike cruise though. Anyhow, I accomplished my goals and feel really good about my training.