Busso IM Race Report 2/3-The Bike
After racing through T1 as quick as possible, I hopped onto my bike and headed out of town and settled in for the biggest part of the day. I was passing quite a lot of riders on our way out of town and knew we were riding into a headwind, so double checked that I wasn't pushing the power too high in the excitement of being on the bike. All seemed to be ok so I relaxed a little.
For the first 90mins or so, I didn't really feel in sync with my bike, I have worked really hard on loving my bike, which for so long was by far my worst leg and this year have started to love it and love being on it. So I was surprised that I felt like my bike and I were fighting each other. I just wasn't in a flow. I tried really hard not to judge it negatively and just accepted it for what it was. The course is pancake flat (which means it's like riding the wind trainer for 6hrs as there is no free speed and you are constantly pedalling and also only use about two gears the whole time) and has lots of u-turns so you are constantly turning in and out of the head wind.
The first time we turned into a true tail wind, it felt like magic! I put the foot down and passed so many bikes and was enjoying see the pace soar. I think I was grinning like an idiot every time this happened-my bike and I had made friends again and I was loving it. All of a sudden, I was back in town and turning around at the 90km mark to start my second lap - time was passing quickly!
The next 90km was easier mentally and physically than the first 90km - which was odd. Usually by about 120-130km I'm completely over it and just want to run - but this time I was still having fun and was just ticking off the landmarks I had remembered from the first lap. Then, I saw the road sign for "Busselton 10km" and was amazed that I had gotten through the entire bike with no stops and no mechanicals (thank god) and with a positive mindset with no dark patches the whole time! I had also nailed my nutrition and hydration plan-coming back with pretty much nothing left - I knew this was only going to set me up for a good run.
I had ridden the whole ride without looking at overall time (to avoid judgement) so as I turned into town, I had a cheeky look and saw that I was going to finish under 5.40. My A goal had been under 5.50-so I was bloody stoked! And even better I felt fresh! I dismounted carefully and handed my bike to a volunteer and took off toward T2-ready to race it again - and just had the biggest grin on my face for what I had done!
Bike time: 05:39:07 (30min IM Bike PB)
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
