It had rained during the swim and it was still a bit rainy when we left for the bike ride. After 2008, I was ready for rain. Leaving the transition area, we descend some very steep hills before climbing out of town. These are not hills on which you increase your average speed. They are crowded and there is a sharp left turn at the bottom. In fact, hay bales await anyone who does not make the turn! I checked my brakes before getting to the steepest parts and was on my way. I thought my parents might be at the bottom of the hill, but they weren't. They missed me coming out of the swim and were still looking for me there.
I've ridden the Lake Placid loop dozens of times, so I know it well. It is not a difficult loop - not the first time anyway. But, it is an unforgiving course and if you aren't smart about it, you will pay for it on the run. The first part of the loop includes a long climb about a mile long, then rolling hills until about mile 8. It's a tough way to start 112 miles, so I have some rules that I follow: stay in the small chain ring until the big descent, always ride the first loop in one gear easier than I think I can manage, and pay attention to the scenery. The rules force me to take it easy. I would bet that this is one of the most scenic courses in the Ironman circuit, so I plan to enjoy it, which keeps me calm on race day.
I managed the opening climbs with ease. I love being tapered! The best part of this section was getting caught by our friends Keith (Alan! Alan! Alan!) and Matt. It's always nice to see familiar faces. Once I hit the Cascade Mountain trailhead, it was time to pick up speed. Going past the Cascade Lakes is breathtaking and fast. I'm finally in the big chain ring and my aerobars heading for the long descent into Keene. Unfortunately, the descent is on a pretty crappy piece of road - lots of patched holes and washboard bumps due to the snow plows. They opened up a second lane on the road for us, which helped. After the first mile or so, there is a flatter part on the hill and another cyclist next to me said, "I'm glad that descent is done! That was scary!" To which I replied, "We have about another three miles before getting to the bottom!" So, I made sure I got in front of him and wound my way to the bottom of the hill. Close to the bottom there's one of those speed limit signs that tells you how fast you're going. I hit 27 mph in that spot, but I knew I'd gone faster further up the hill.
Once in Keene, we take a left turn onto Route 9N to make our way up to Jay and the out-and-back. This part of the course is relatively flat, so I got down to the business of eating. I grabbed one of my Luna bars and chowed down. I was able to stay in the aerobars and big chain ring on most of this section and maintained a pretty decent average speed. Between the starting climbs, the descent, and this flat section, I managed an average speed of 18.2 mph for the first 30 miles. Some people went flying by me and I was passing others. One girl went past and said "Hang in there!" Hang in there? I was doing fine! In Jay, we have a 5-6 mile out-and-back section to Ausable Forks. It was here that I saw Randy again! He was on his way back while I was on my way out. (Hi Shmoopie!!!) I also saw Keith and Matt again. After the turn around and back in Jay, I made the right hand turn to Wilmington. Someone asked, "Is this Papa Bear?" referring to the well-known named hills at the end of the loop. I replied, "Not even close. We call this hill the 3-mile climb." "Is it really 3 miles?" Ummm....yes. That's why we call it the 3-mile climb.
To be fair, it's not three straight miles of climbing. There is a nice downhill in the middle that opens to a field where you get an amazing view of Whiteface Mountain. But, it's still a lot of climbing!
We have to do a little out-and-back on Haselton Road, where I watched a guy in front of me try to cut to the inside of the turnaround. Really, dude? Did you really have to make your pass on the 180-degree turn? He promptly tipped over. Karma.
The next part of the loop is the 12 miles back to Lake Placid. It is the longest, slowest 12 miles of your life. All uphill. All of it. In my mind, I break it up into three parts. The first is getting past Whiteface Mountain. This is where the climbs seem long and I don't like them. There was a lot of crowd support though. One group had a sign that said "Honey Badger Don't Care!" which made me laugh. The second is going right along the Ausable River. There are a lot of twists and turns and quick up and downs. Even though it's mostly uphill, I can get into a pretty good groove. Then, we hit the end of River Road and the Cherries and the Bears. These are the named climbs I mentioned earlier. I hardly notice Little Cherry. It's not marked anymore, but there is a sign for Cherry Patch Pond, so I know I'm at Little Cherry. Big Cherry isn't so bad either. Then comes Mama Bear. You come around a curve and there she is all laid out in front of you. At first, she doesn't seem like much, but I knew I'd need a small gear. A quick downhill pops you over Baby Bear and then comes Papa Bear. Papa Bear is straight and, although I'm in a pretty small gear, it isn't as bad as it looks. The best part about it is the crowds of people cheering you on. They line the road and it has a very Tour de France feel to it. Very cool and inspiring!
Some people think Papa Bear is the end of the climbing. Those people would be wrong. At the top of Papa Bear, we make a right hand turn onto Northwoods Road and yet another hill, Sonofabitch. That's what we've named it. Right after that comes the Bitch. Those hills are tough mentally, but then I made the turn into town and got to enjoy the crowds.
I dropped my garbage and picked up some more food before finishing the loop and heading out again. My first loop time was 3:22:44, the fastest I've ever ridden it without drafting off someone (it also includes one pit stop and my special needs stop).
The second loop was pretty uneventful, which is to say it was great. Except the downhill. I had a water bottle in my aerobar cage and it was rattling around so much from the crappy roads. I thought I was going to lose it and I worried about crashing if I did. I managed to keep the bottle and make it down the hill. I even posted my fastest speed ever... 41.9 mph! That probably wasn't too smart of me and I had to tell myself to cool it.
I settled in for the rest of the loop and I was feeling great. My legs were starting to get tired and I got bit by a mosquito on my eyelid (weird), but I was spinning a high cadence and getting enough food and water to keep me alert. As I made my way from Wilmington to Lake Placid (those dreadful 12 miles), I started to get excited about my time. I was doing really well, but I didn't want to jinx it. I had been flip-flopping positions with about six different people along the second loop, including two guys with disc wheels. My advantage was either knowing the climbs, being lighter, or just being a stronger climber, because by the time Mama Bear came along, I'd lost them all. And, remember the chick who told me to "hang in there"? I passed her like she was standing still. That was a good (and very unfamiliar) feeling!
I saw so many people and heard them calling my name as I came into town, I felt like a rock star! Unfortunately, it goes by so fast so I wasn't able to acknowledge them all. As I pulled into the transition area, there were my parents! I waved to them, dismounted, and passed my bike to a volunteer.
My time on the second loop was 3:20:57. I didn't realize it at the time, but I had a negative split! I was hoping to go under 7 hours on the bike course, but deep down I really wanted to go under 6:45. I clocked a 6:43:41! Yeah!
I grabbed my T2 bag and headed into the women's changing tent again. I stripped off my cycling clothes and gear and struggled into my running clothes. I had two volunteers helping me get dressed and I headed out to run a marathon.
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