Copperman Triathlon

Having had only four hours of sleep due to unforeseen circumstances, I headed to Copper Harbor with a coffee and a Coca Cola for my pre-race meal. I arrived to the Copperman start area at 8:30, a half hour before the commencement of the race. My teammates were freaking out and demonstrated an obvious rush of relief at my arrival. I got my race packet, headed back to my vehicle, detoured to the general store for two chocolate milks, and back to the start area to join my teammates.

Let me make this clear. My pre-race preparatory ritual was four hours of sleep, a late arrival, a few sips of coffee, a bottle of Coke, and two chocolate milks. Let me make it clear that this would have been yet another skipped race had I not made a commitment to a team.

I felt really good before the race. I was nervous because it was my first triathlon and I was worried about screwing up. My teammates comforted me by saying, “So what!? If you screw up, you screw up. The only thing that matters is that we all do our part and have fun.” You guys are really bright, so I don’t need to tell you that this is a paraphrase.

My bike, which I randomly placed in the team area, was placed between the bikes of two of my Red Jacket teammates, Mark and Brett. I hadn’t seen my team in about a month and a half, so it was a real pleasure to be in this position. I felt really psyched. They are great guys and it was really fun chatting with them while we waited for our swimmers to come in.

It is important to note that I did not screw up. The chip handoff went well and I began my bike ride. I rode to the end of US-41, and made the little loop to turn around and head to Esrey Park in the direction of Eagle Harbor. It was an incredible ride. The sky was dynamic with incredible views of the clouds. The sun would intermittently shine through different spots over Lake Superior. I was amazed. It was a beautiful, ~65-degree day, and the rain was holding off for quite an entrance.

The ride was exhilarating. The best part was all of the riders who would pass me from the opposite direction and say hi to me.

“Hi, Di!”

“Hey, Di!”

“How’s it goin’, Di!?”

I love that. Anyone who knows me knows that I love the social aspect of everything I do (except work ). While I am super competitive, I race mainly for the social opportunities. Hell, I’m going to Ore to Shore not because it has a reputation for being an incredible race course (not!), but because a lot of my downstate friends and acquaintances will be there. I also look forward to meeting new people who I share a connection with through the Michigan Mountain Biking Association.

Another aspect of the race that I really enjoyed was my ability to have an impressive race. I rode 22.4 miles in one hour and three minutes (the chip time is different because it includes transitions, I believe). I did so well because I had a great strategy, which is pretty much the same one I use for mountain bike racing. I am a weak climber, so I settle into a fairly comfortable gear on the uphills and I use it as an active rest, if possible. When I reach the crest of the hill, I give it hell, and I continue to give it hell on the downhills. Finding that sweet spot in pedaling also helps. When you notice that sweet spot, you know you are pedaling efficiently, and that gives an incredible advantage.

The other riders would slowly pass me on the uphills, but I would fly by on the downhills. Eventually, they couldn’t keep up. When I reached the turnaround at Esrey Park, I called out to the rider in front of me, “On the outside,” and began flying by him as one of the volunteers started yelling at me. It was Dan Dalquist, who is one of my most favorite riding friends. Thanks, Dan! That raised my spirits and gave me a second wind to strongly do the return ride.

I managed to fly back through Copper Harbor at about 27 mph, and I gave it my all until the finish. I dismounted cyclocross style and ran back to the team area where my teammate could take the chip and finish the race with a strong run.

Coed Teams: 6 out of 26
Overall Teams: 7 out of 49 (this stat blows my mind)

For just the female cyclists, I got:
Teams: 5 out of 22
Overall: 30 out of 89

I had to do the counting and math, myself, so these numbers could be slightly fudged. Either way, I had a great race.

Four hours of sleep, a late arrival, a few sips of coffee, a bottle of Coke, and two chocolate milks: obviously a great race prep.

…and if you’re wondering about the title of this post, 10.46, you don’t want to know.