As the sun set on the final UCI race the Kingswood Cyclocross venue in Mason, Ohio Stephen Hyde (Cannondale Cyclocross World) crossed the finish line, arms aloft in front of a loud crowd to take his second victory in as many days of racing at the Cincy CX Festival with PanAm Championships. The men’s Pro UCI C1 (highest international category) at Kings on Sunday capped off two days of racing for amateurs and professionals alike.
Ironman Coeur 'd Alene was my 14th full Ironman. I crossed the line in 9 hours and 58 minutes after partaking in one of the toughest Ironman battles of my career. The course topography, the Fahrenheit and fierce competition all stepped up to deliver a worthy engagement. 9 hours and 58 minutes is 35,880 seconds. The peculiar thing about this race is the second that stands out most in my mind is the one right before the starter fired the gun. That fraction of time between the command 'Get Set' and the start. Index finger flexed on the trigger. I remember feeling immensely happy and excited. I was ready for the pain of racing and more than ever I was hoping for a battle. Well, Amber got what she wanted.
It is best if, when riding your bike to a triathlon at 4:00am, one of your contact lenses does not fall out. If it does, you’ll be forced to stop, dig out your spare, and put a new lens in. This delay may give a guy with a flyswatter in his shorts the opportunity to strike up a conversation with you on the side of the bike path in the dark. He may then give you his card, which doesn’t feature his name but does include the title “Flyswatter Guy”.
