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09-13-05, 11:20 PM
Anyone else have disaster stories to share??
Okay, I know this is one of the first lessons we learn but ... never try ANYTHING new before a goal race. My error was using a bike rack for the first time! I used to put my bike inside the car but I paid for a hitch and bike rack, so why not use it? What could possibly go wrong?
The night before the race (DE Diamondman 1/2 IM), I mounted the bike on the new rack and made certain there was no way it would go bouncing down the highway as I drove to the race in the morning. Upon arrival at the race site, the first thing I noticed was that one of the aerobar pads had come off. Nothing a little velcro, a neoprene knee brace and a few expletives wouldn't fix (first problem solved).
All went well on the swim and T1. At mile 3 of the bike, I heard a loud bang. Thought it was just a flat but that would have been a dream. It was the sound of my NeverReach hydration container breaking free from the mount. I speculate that having the NeverReach mounted on the bike on the 2 hour drive must have weakened the mounting bracket--the metal sheared in half. Not only did I lose all the sports drink until the first bottle exchange (another 20 miles away), I had to figure out what to do with the large plastic container that was loosely attached to the back of my saddle. After what seemed to be an eternity brought on by panic, adrenaline and exercise-induced stupidity, I figured out how to velcro/tape this thing to my seat tube. The rest of the bike leg went relatively smoothly (I will leave out the details behind a defective gatorade bottle, an erratic bike computer and a minor rubbing of my rear brake--probably from the NeverReach smashing against the calipers). I was pleased to have passed a lot of very nice ($4000+) bikes on the way. Even with stopping to repair the bike and slowing down at the bottle exchanges, I managed to average 1/2 MPH faster than my goal.
That's when the real pain began. T2 and the first 5K weren't bad even though most of the run had no shade and there was very little cloud cover. I kept the pace slow as I knew I would be even more dehydrated than usual. I had spent the last 3 months fine-tuning how much sodium and potassium to add to my gatorade to avoid cramping but that was all lost when my salt, carbs and fluid went flying off the back of the bike. By the time I reached mile 6 of the run, it was all I could do to prevent full-scale seizures in my legs. I started using walk breaks and stretching at all the aid stations. After I convinced my quads that cramping was not an option, I started to recognize the signs of heat exhaustion--pounding headache, vertigo, nausea and a little confusion. Fortunately the last 2 miles included some shade so I was able to eliminate the walk breaks and finish it up (albeit at a pace that was about 1.5 minute/mile slower than expected). As this was only my 2nd 1/2 IM ever, it was a PR by 25 minutes. The last race of the season is another half in about 6 weeks. I am excited to find out what I can do in the absence of total mechanical bike failure but this comedy of errors will be one that will stick with me for quite a while.
Here is a link for a picture of the neverreach contraption. My apologies if I screw it up...
http://www.neverreach.com/page/page/276159.htm
Okay, I know this is one of the first lessons we learn but ... never try ANYTHING new before a goal race. My error was using a bike rack for the first time! I used to put my bike inside the car but I paid for a hitch and bike rack, so why not use it? What could possibly go wrong?
The night before the race (DE Diamondman 1/2 IM), I mounted the bike on the new rack and made certain there was no way it would go bouncing down the highway as I drove to the race in the morning. Upon arrival at the race site, the first thing I noticed was that one of the aerobar pads had come off. Nothing a little velcro, a neoprene knee brace and a few expletives wouldn't fix (first problem solved).
All went well on the swim and T1. At mile 3 of the bike, I heard a loud bang. Thought it was just a flat but that would have been a dream. It was the sound of my NeverReach hydration container breaking free from the mount. I speculate that having the NeverReach mounted on the bike on the 2 hour drive must have weakened the mounting bracket--the metal sheared in half. Not only did I lose all the sports drink until the first bottle exchange (another 20 miles away), I had to figure out what to do with the large plastic container that was loosely attached to the back of my saddle. After what seemed to be an eternity brought on by panic, adrenaline and exercise-induced stupidity, I figured out how to velcro/tape this thing to my seat tube. The rest of the bike leg went relatively smoothly (I will leave out the details behind a defective gatorade bottle, an erratic bike computer and a minor rubbing of my rear brake--probably from the NeverReach smashing against the calipers). I was pleased to have passed a lot of very nice ($4000+) bikes on the way. Even with stopping to repair the bike and slowing down at the bottle exchanges, I managed to average 1/2 MPH faster than my goal.
That's when the real pain began. T2 and the first 5K weren't bad even though most of the run had no shade and there was very little cloud cover. I kept the pace slow as I knew I would be even more dehydrated than usual. I had spent the last 3 months fine-tuning how much sodium and potassium to add to my gatorade to avoid cramping but that was all lost when my salt, carbs and fluid went flying off the back of the bike. By the time I reached mile 6 of the run, it was all I could do to prevent full-scale seizures in my legs. I started using walk breaks and stretching at all the aid stations. After I convinced my quads that cramping was not an option, I started to recognize the signs of heat exhaustion--pounding headache, vertigo, nausea and a little confusion. Fortunately the last 2 miles included some shade so I was able to eliminate the walk breaks and finish it up (albeit at a pace that was about 1.5 minute/mile slower than expected). As this was only my 2nd 1/2 IM ever, it was a PR by 25 minutes. The last race of the season is another half in about 6 weeks. I am excited to find out what I can do in the absence of total mechanical bike failure but this comedy of errors will be one that will stick with me for quite a while.
Here is a link for a picture of the neverreach contraption. My apologies if I screw it up...
http://www.neverreach.com/page/page/276159.htm