Give me ~30 min and I’ll create both a Strava and a Garmin connect route for you. This should work a lot better. On my way home now

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Clubs/Affiliations: The Rippers / Charles River Wheelers / Cambridge Sports Union

HERO STATUS!

 
OLYMPIC DISTANCE (2021)
Bike:

• Strava: https://www.strava.com/.../2838459547876022694
• Garmin: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/64812407
• VeloViewer: https://veloviewer.com/.../2838459547876022694

HALF DISTANCE (2021)

Bike:

• Strava: https://www.strava.com/.../2843296343360714456
• Garmin Connect: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/64812369
• VeloViewer: https://veloviewer.com/.../2843296343360714456

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Clubs/Affiliations: The Rippers / Charles River Wheelers / Cambridge Sports Union

Thank you so much! Velo Viewer is new to me--and very cool. I'm out in Western Mass if you need dirt roads routes!

--Meg

So bib numbers and transition are out - who's got what?

J-366 for me.

Anyone else hitting early bib pickup?
- Jeff

C-317 for me. We are driving up tonight from MA but will get there after bib pickup closes, so will plan to grab it in the AM. Feeling a ton of nerves for this race since my last one ended poorly for me with a mechanical - but have high hopes and strong ambitions for tomorrow! At least the weather is looking way better than the race a couple weeks ago. I'll look to find you at the race!

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Clubs/Affiliations: The Rippers / Charles River Wheelers / Cambridge Sports Union

Oh, I'll be there! We're just getting ready to head that way now.

I always get nerves before a race, any race, even where I'm just kinda doing this one for fun (had to back down from the half to the Oly because of crap run fitness... still recovering from an ankle injury over the winter).

I'm sure you'll be fine! Just watch that first decent: the rod is not good right now, although we've raced on it in worse condition.

A little heads-up for anyone that hasn't done this race before: if you'll be a little more tentative on the descent, please make sure to stay right! People routinely hit 50+mph on this descent and coming around a corner at speed with someone in the second lane out (there are two bikeable lanes - the inside and the outside, and the middle is simple a mess of pavement, leftovers from the NH winters) doing 25 or 30 is scary as hell! I don't know if I'll let it fly this year or not - been seeing a lot of bear on that route lately!

Hope to see you all there!
- Jeff

L-25 for me. I'll be the terrified one with a glow in the dark orange bike... or simpler - I'll be the one wearing all the cold weather clothes imaginable!

Bah! It won't be too bad! (Famous last words...)

I'm gonna head up there pretty shortly and get a swim in seeing as how I haven't been in open water yet this year...

I'm just a whole bag of shit, ain't I? Haha...
- Jeff

Can confirm: Echo is not warm! But double caps worked fine. Hands and face were a little chilly, but after a couple hundred yards it wasn't bad.

...Or maybe couldn't feel 'em anymore! Haha... just kidding, it wasn't tht bad.

Hopefully it isn't windy in the morning, though - coming down 3-Mile Hill was sketchy as hell, and I was on the bullhorns!

Can't wait to get after it tomorrow! Hope everyone has a great race! If anyone needs anything, lemme know, I'll see what I can do! If something happens in the morning, go see MiKayla, the volunteer in the wheelchair - she'll have the connections!
- Jeff

Ha, I asked if I could have a second swim cap at registration. The guy at shirts said I wouldn't need one, water temp is 70 degrees. I called BS on that!

Oh, it ain't 70!

If you need another cap, lemme know - I'll have a couple spares with me.
- Jeff

I rode by there yesterday and the water was a bit choppy with the wind. I think the wind is supposed to be worse today. Beautiful area.

Yup. Was even worse today! Was still fun, and really showed how much I slacked on training... haha!

Hope everyone thanked honey: she was giving out the finisher medals...

I'm in "rehydrating" if anyone cares to join me...
- Jeff

There was NO warning about the black bear at 19 on the bike course.
The could have put cones around the bugger or SOMETHING.
I’m call a solid 18 inch swell in the lake today or did it just seem that big?

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"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
Hunter S. Thompson

Ha! Told ya I'd been seeing a lot of bear on that ride lately! That's awesome - I hadn't heard anything about it before now!

There was definitely some foot-plus swells! Holy shit! Anyone else run into a boat on their swim?? Screwed me all to hell... was having great swim until that...
- Jeff

I checked with riders ahead of me I caught up to and nobody else had seen him. Not sure if anyone behind saw him scamper across the road behind me.

Which I watched him do to verify I wasn’t going to have dramatically increase my speed;)

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"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
Hunter S. Thompson

Funny: I set my PR up 3-Mile Hill a couple weeks ago when a cub crossed in front of me...

And apparently that wasn't the only bears on course: the was a momma with 3 cubs in downtown Franconia! One of our volunteers just showed me a vid - pretty damn cool!
- Jeff

I wish I had seen this, I would have joined you!

I doubled up the swim caps. That was the first time I've been in a swim so cold I couldn't catch my breath.

Bike was good. I was ill prepared for that run though. The downhill under the highway made my back and quads very angry.

I hate that fucking hill.

Was a great race, though, even if Mother Nature did try to kill us...

Who's up for a ride in the morning??
- Jeff

Honey said you had a great race, and were really nice... thanks for being friendly racer!
- Jeff

I did meet your wife, then! I was the Aquabiker who snuck up to her and asked for my medal because we finish "down below" and don't come through the arch at all. She was super nice! And Arron, I heard your name announced, so you placed in your AG? I was in line for food at the time.

The swim was tough, and I thanked the guards for their hard work that day. I think the section crossing at that bottom, to start the second lap was the most challenging. I did the half distance, but heard the wind picked up even more for the sprint start. The bike felt harder this year than last time, or I am just getting older. . .

Thanks so much for the help and info everyone!

--Meg

We're not married, we're happy! Haha!

The bike was definitely harder (even though I only did the Oly this year, I have ridden a lot of the new half course). I liked the courses this year, but I'm a weirdo...

And that swim was awful... I'm Ok with never swimming in water like that again...

Hope everyone had a blast! And can't wait for next year!!
- Jeff

Hi Jeff,


Thanks again for the friendly support around the race.

As far as my day went, the swim was definitely a challenge with the wind, but I was pleasantly surprised at how "comfortable" the temp was. Was not expecting the whitecaps, but they were only a significant issue on the first leg out towards the initial buoy as we headed directly upwind. It was funny how shallow this section was, I saw a few people stop and stand which was a little unexpected LOL.

Bike went pretty well. My franken-bike setup seemed to do the trick and I felt comfortable on the descent portion with only one lil' speed wobble. I ended up with a top 5 bike split and (just barely!) won the KOM challenge for the Olympic distance. Despite being relatively conservative on the rest of the climb (18 min climb!!), It definitely toasted my legs effectively cycling @ FTP pace for 20 mins immediately before hopping off for the run with no recovery spinning.

The run is what really killed me! Way hillier than I even anticipated.... Ended up hopping off and immediately feeling some side cramps that lasted the first 2 miles or so. The finish was also bruuuutal! Ended up running about a full minute per mile slower than my intended goal pace. Big-picture wise, this didn't really ruin the overall race at all, just a few places difference, but I'm looking forward to improving this aspect for next time.

final result, 2nd in AG, 10th overall.

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Clubs/Affiliations: The Rippers / Charles River Wheelers / Cambridge Sports Union