Everyone sized u the start and started shorside to get a straight shot at the apex of the cresent so I started further in and took a different angle to get more space. Worked well, not alot of traffic and was spreadout when we mixed together at the bouy. Got in a nice rhythm and stayed pretty flat and smooth the whole way except for around the turn when i kept hitting tree branchs and big debris churned up at this shallow spot. Got back together and kept pace with a swimmer from way wave on my inside. Good naviation only drifted wide once on way back and corrected it without going to far extra. Good swim.

Next year I should try and swim more and join the master's swim team at the YMCA. If I worked at it I'm sure I could be a bit faster, but this year I've just focued on being smooth and steady and saving energy.

Nice smooth transition, short run to the grass and My rack was well up front. Took my time and had sme issues with my helmet but not a bad transition overall.

Work on transitions and need to get faster peeling my wetsuit(was a wetsuit legal race but I decided not to wear it cause of my issues taking it off and since my next race isn't wetsuit legal.

Strange race. I was surprised by the time but I can sort of see it. The big hills were tough, probably should have dropped to the small ring in hindsight but I recovered quickly and got up to spped and really rode the flats and rollers well. Got rolling pretty good. The big loop hills was rotten because they had just "repaved the road" and it was freshly stoned. This resulted in about one same track of smooth road up this hill and lots of very loose gravel which played havoc as you plowed up the hill. Did well at the top each time bu it was a grind in the middle, definitely should have dropped to the small ring and spun more. But got going well and hammered the back half of the loop. Very technical and tight turns (Got a warning from the head ref afterwards that I was swinging too wide on entrance to the turns and could have been penalized, but I wasn't as bad as others so he cut me a break). He did hit me for taking too long to overtake 30secs but for the life of me I can remember where that would have been. I only passed a couple people all race who were close to my speed at the time and I thought I passed legally, but I don't doubt he saw what he saw cuse with my jersey and number I would have been hard to confuse with someone else. Did appreicate the ref coming by and explaining the penalty to me. I had done a good job of taking the turn faster and maintaining monmentum but I guess I need to be careful not to push the envelop. Drank every 5 miles and ate a GU at end of first big loop. The Steelman Waterbottle, deformed I had to putit in my unform pocket since it kept hitting my legs and annoying me. Ended up in the trash afterwards.

Go to the small ring and spin up the big hills, would have saved a lot of time and the people passing me on those hills were doing that. Good ride overall. Beat my OLY PR by 37 sec on a very challenging course.
That and overtake legally and avoid the 2:00 penalty (assessed on the run)

Dropped my waterbottle coming in so had to go back and grab that. Ok other than that. Had a GU and big drink of gatorade and was off.

Use a better waterbotle so i could leave it in the holder and not drop it.

Felt really good rightoff the bat and started cruising along early. The first hill however really smacked me in the jaw. Sort of shuffled up that one and got passed by two relay teams. I recovered and got back into the grove on top and handled the next few hills much better. At the end of the out and back you hit the 3 mile mark and a have a good downhill stretch and i pushed that section and got flowing. Started moving forward again and repassed the relay teams and caught a guy in the 40-45 AG who I would go back and forth with the rest of the way. At about 4 miles we had two more guys pass us and we worked to stick with them. It ended up being a 4 way backand forth before the 40-45 and the guy in my AG pulledaway over the last 1/2 mile. Good strong run especially the last half. Lots of rolling hills and only had afew people pass me and stay there. Nice run. Offically they tacked on the penalty to the run time.

Lost focus at a number of spots during the first 3 miles. That and got worked over by that first hill. Have to stay strong until my legs come in. Nice effort though on a hot day.

Came in got some drinks and had my conversation with the head ref. Talked with a lot of folks after thatincluding my buddy from the rack (2:18 and top 20 finish) and another guy who was headed to the Xterra Nationals at Lake Tahoe. He tells me the bike isn't that bad then proceeds to tell me it goes from the Lake(4500 ft) to Incine Village (8500 ft). That's no too bad? Wow. I packed up and got changed and headed home.


Very hot day and the roads were nasty and I didn't use the right gears on the big hills, but I PRed the Olyimpic distance and felt good (except for my first penalty which I did stu about for a while before coming to my seanses.


Good, well established race, USAT scantioned and refed. OK pre and post race activities and organized traffic control and parking. The road conditions realy sucked (not the race's fault) due to bad timing by Penn Dot but it should be alot better next year. USAT Mid Altantic Series Race.