Woke up to fairly gray skies and damp from a previous nights rain. Today was the transition practice for the team and we were gathering at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas. This was an important training session for the team!
I arrived a little bit late and most of the team was gathered around coach Sam to go over the rules of triathlon. The heavy overcast made for a cool day and there were occasional sprinkles.
Rules such as drafting, how to rack your bike, and the requirement of bar-end plugs were covered. Sam shared tips on how to have a smooth transition and what you need to prepare for to have the best race you can.
I was riding with the Vineman team today, so we got started before the Olympic distance team – the plan was to swim out past the breakers, swim back, then run up to the transition area and head out for the ride. However, most of us elected to not get into the water as the waves were big and rough. The few brave ones that went in got tossed around and discovered how strong the current was.
Gray day in the waves
After getting tossed, the Vineman and Wildflower long teams headed out for the ride. Wildflower had a tough 51 miles on tap, while the Vineman team was looking at around 35. The ride started out fairly nice and we made good time from Encinitas up to San Marcos. Good pace and it was looking to be a great ride. We broke out into smaller groups as we all have different paces. I was riding with Jodi when we were hit a brief shower on Palormar Airport Road, but it as more of an annoyance than anything. But once we turned onto Racho Santa Fe, were dumped on with a heavy downpour. And of course, we were going down a fairly decent hill…
Flying down a hill where the roads are suddenly slick results in panic! The rain stung like little tiny needles and I couldn’t see more than 10 fee in front of me. Fortunately, we kept our cool reduced our speed and eventually met up with other groups huddling under a tree in a fleeting attempt to stay dry. I was cold and soaked and no longer having a good day. Coach Trent elected to cancel the rest of the ride as it was very iffy. We debated the best way of getting back to the start and eventually we made our way through the rain.
Down another hill and Robin got a flat, so we all stopped to assess. She had to SAG out as she had a large gash in her front tire and it wasn’t worth it to try to salvage.
Robin is in the pink jersey
Eventually the rest of us got back onto road to make our way to the start. Once we got near the coast, the rain stopped and the sun was actually out.
Overall the team didn’t have a great day with a few members having falls due to slick conditions or other issues. SAG was busy today…
