Not the start i was hoping for

Will keep this super brief:

- arrived in Kansas Monday night
- 1st thing Tuesday discovered my seat post clamp is broken
- take it to the bike shop where they also find cracks in my handle bars, likely due to travel
- new bars Thursday and jimmy up job on the clamp
- Friday: clamp not doing its job and seat post is still slipping down
- unreal bloke (Colin!) from sunflower bike shop drives to Kansas city to get a cannondale seat post clamp, puts it on Friday night and then finds cracks in my 404 zipp front wheel, not good to ride/ race on....
- borrow a front wheel from the wonderful Kent & Liz Dobbins so was feeling as though all that could go wrong had and now all I had to do was race well and put all behind me!
- race day: all seemed to be going well race morning- set up T2, set up T1, warm up jog, warm up swim and then we were off
-swim: choppy but nothing like busso! Swam solo for 90% of the swim coming out somewhere mid field- around 7th or 8th...
- bike: passed by one girl and passed one myself within the first 5 miles.... It was pretty windy out there on the beautiful rolling course- cross winds, head winds, tail winds! Around the 45mile mark one girl passed me and my bike was feeling wobbly- oh no not the dreaded flat tyre demon coming back to haunt me! Ah nah I thought, just the tri-spoke wheel and the wind playing on my mind.... Until the 50mile mark where it became evident that my back tyre was losing air fast.... Off my bike to try the pit stop- it went in but was it enough? Next I had the wheel off as another girl rode past me- crap!!!! Changed my mind about changing the tyre and went to put gas in it to top it up but I couldn't unscrew my gas canister holder- insert lots of obscene words here..... Took my chance on what was in it and rode back to T2
-run: knew I was so much further down than I anticipated to be at this stage but 13mile is a long way.... At mile 3 it started to come undone- gut started churning and I started looking for toilets every 5minutes. At 6mile I pulled to the side of course to talk with Kent & Liz (in tears!) about the problems I was having- started to walk off and then changed my mind to see if my gut would play the game. By 7.5miles I was walk/ jog with tummy cramps stopping me.... That was it, I was done. Gave my enervit to some poor bugger who was suffering with cramps and I walked to finish line and handed in my chip.
- aftermath: I had to weigh it all up- continue, burry myself in a hole and not only screw up this race, but potentially also Buffalo Springs 70.3 in 2 weeks or pull the pin, recover quickly,  get a solid 10days training in, try to sort out nutrition issues & smash up the next race (hopefully)!
-as for Kansas 70.3-awesome race, incredible people, I have unfinished business here- I'll be back next year.
- thankyou especially to Cheryl for having me stay the week and Kent & Liz for ferrying me around and being the supportive adopted parentals for the weekend! Big shout out to Colin from sunflower bike & outdoor- you put my mashed Cannondale back together & I owe you big time!
- Austin tomorrow, Buffalo Springs 70.3 in 2weeks & fingers crossed for no more bad luck! 

 

Rachie xoxo