Race report: Wildflower 2001

I got to Lake San Antonio on Thursday morning, ready to go. Thursday afternoon I swam in the lake. Felt great, felt strong, felt ready. I came back to my campsite, and my coach began to take our bikes off of the roof of his van where they were locked. He noticed that someone had tried to pull my bike off the top of said van, and, not being able to get the bike, they just took what they could get. My front wheel. Who was it that asked me why you bring cable locks to races? There you go. No front wheel on Thursday before the race.

We called around and I found a friend with a matching wheel that I could borrow. She brought it down on Friday night. Saturday AM, bike looks OK, walk it down to transition. Feel good, feel strong, ready to race. Into the water... Breathe- I'm a fish. Breathe- I'm a fish. Breathe- I'm a fish. Out in 45 - good for me as I've been boycotting the pool for about three months (yeah, yeah, I've already heard it). Into T1, ready to go, bike in hand by 48 minutes. Front wheel is flat. SHIT! What's that they say...Oh yeah... NEVER DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT ON RACE DAY...

It's not my wheel. Now it's flat. OK - Pull it off, change tube, inflate - tube bulges - bad tube, ok don't panic. Call a coach, get another tube, pump doesn't work any more - fine, not going to cry - triathletes don't cry - I can still make the bike cut off.

AND TELL ME THIS - IF YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A BIKE CUT OFF, WHY THE HELL DO YOU PUT THE WOMEN AT THE END - AND THE OLDEST, SLOWEST WOMEN L A S T!!!! Actually I was in the 25-29 age group, BUT STILL!!!!!!!

Use my CO2 on tube two - leaking at the valve. Tube out. Out of tubes. Friends doing relay run up to see what's going on and why I am one of very few people in transition. Coach is running around trying to find another pump. Coach comes back as tube two is coming off. Another triathlete leaving transition throws me a tube from her bag. It's a 650 box with a 700 tube inside. Shoot me. Somebody shoot me. I'm not going to make it. I would have made it.

I start to get slightly hysterical. I am no longer changing tires, my two friends and one of my coaches are. Tube four - found it in the bottom of my bag, out of CO2 - I take a pump from a TNT triathlete who says "keep it you need it more than me" and rides off. Get tube on, bike looks good - OOPS, spoke too soon, it's bulging and making the tire beading pop over the side of the rim.

I am now the only person left in transition. It is 1:20 into my race. Tube five. TNT manager runs up with it - here, take it, take it... Valve breaks off in pump. A friend who happened to be on my same bike rack has shown up - a race official walks up - "just need your numbers so that we know who the last two bikes on the course will be." I'm such a loser, I want to crawl into a hole and die there. Friend says, "don't take my number, I'm DQ'd. I'm having an asthma attack and was coughing all through the swim." I say, "can I have your bike?" YES - OK - she is five foot 8 inches - I'm five foot 2 inches.

What was that? NEVER CHANGE ANYTHING ON RACE DAY!!!! Not really thinking clearly at this point, just frantically trying to race. PLEASE, PLEASE, someone find Terry Davis and ask him not to DQ me...PLEASE, PLEASE... I can race, I'm trained, I can race...Different pedals, have to take her shoes. Size nine. I'm a 7 1/2. No problem, I'll just put on some socks. Ride out of transition, get to bike out - seat is too high, can't ride. Officials run up - don't panic, don't panic - we'll find you a hex wrench. They lower the seat and send me off.

The bike is still too big - my feet are cramping from trying to hang on in size nine shoes...can't sit AND pedal so I'm out of the saddle. According to witnesses I was apparently swearing a lot as I rode by, don't remember that part... At 1.5 miles out of transition, my brain finally makes an appreance. Stop. You can't do this to yourself. Don't try to ride 56 miles out of the saddle. Get off the bike, walk back. This race is over. I walk back and DQ.

Book closed, I'm done. It was unusually hot at the lake this weekend. High 80's to in the 100's depending on where you were and at what time of day. Lots of racers went to the hospital. This is just one race in a long season. I leave for Kona on May 22nd, racing a half Ironman on the 27th with about half of the 2001 Ironteam.

:) Stephanie Anderson
Slapped in the face by a lesson

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