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| Sunset beach photo seemed like a good way to start this off |
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| Can't believe I ever traveled without a proper bike bag |
Seemed simple enough, but after waiting for 20 minutes I started to panic. After arguing with Delta baggage officials that "just go to United. You're bags will make it" wasn't good enough, my luggage and bike finally showed up and we sprinted back to the United booth and got everything sorted. Steph was able to jump onto my United flight, and we were on our way.
We arrived in Houston with just enough time for a restroom break and a brisk walk to our connecting gate to Liberia. Well, Steph decided to misplace her phone. So, we looked around a bit and eventually considered it a loss, but as we approach our departure gate, she is called to counter. They notify her that her phone was found and is being held at the B concourse customer service desk. Knowing it's a minimum of 10 minutes each way and we have 15 minutes till doors close, it was recommended that we have it mailed and just get on the plane. Steph is stubborn (sometimes), and decided to sprint through the airport - only to find out she was unable to retrieve the phone at that time and it would have to be mailed regardless.
So, standing at the gate I'm given the ultimatum: Get on the plane and ditch Steph or stay and take a later flight (most likely the next morning). Of course I chose to wait, and luckily the United representative told me it was a good choice since it would buy Steph some time. They would have to hunt for my bags and remove them before the plane could depart, and if Steph arrived in the meantime we could both board. This was the case, but it caused about a 1 hour delay, and I'm sure we weren't the most liked passengers on the plane.
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| Celebrating our airport survival with a beer (that ended up being complimentary due to a faulty credit card machine) |
The celebration was a bit premature, though. After going through customs and getting to baggage claim, we find out that Steph's bike never made it onto the flight we were on, and was now in Houston overnight and would be delivered the next day to our lodging in Brasilito. And, to top it off, we realized all our research didn't pan out, as we were dinged an additional $120 at Dollar car rental for "mandatory" insurance and a $2500 deposit in case of damages. So, after all that, a wrong turn and a night time drive on the Monkey Trail seemed like a breeze.
We arrived at our Airbnb a bit late, but were happy to have arrived safely.
Since Steph didn't have her bike, she decided to run while I rode the bike course. After failing to break through hotel security, and looking at course maps, we finally found the course. The bike course was marked well, and I had no issues finding my way, except that I was hopping fences (Not sure if this was allowed), and couldn't finish the whole course because I was chased out by some ranchers. Although not a lot of single track or a ton of roots, I was super grateful for my Pivot Mach429SL - the course was quite bumpy (see photo below), and being able to lay down consistent power was awesome. I've only just put a Stages Power Meter on my mountain bike, and it was great to see this data during pre-ride and the race. We spent the rest of the day waiting around for Steph's bike to arrive, but luckily it was too hot outside to really justify doing much, and we were still tired from the long travel the day before.
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| Obligatory Pirate's Beach photo |
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| The drive across Brasilito Beach |
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| Enjoying a yummy breakfast at The Spot |
The next day, Steph rode the course, and I did the portion I missed the day prior. We planned for her to cut into the course so she could see the last climb, so I bushwhacked and climbed a barbed wire fence to try and find her at the "short cut". But, she had already missed the obscure entrance, and by the time I got to the car she had been waiting nearly 40 minutes. I spent about an hour too long out in the heat, but decided to just chalk it up as heat adaptation.
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| Majestic Horse |
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| Lava Rock? |
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| Pace Cow |
We swam nearly every day in the ocean leading up to the race. It was nice to cool off in the 80°F+ water. I did accidentally back into a tree during one of our evening, and the damage was a source of panic for the remainder of the trip - I kept imagining the rental agency keeping my $2500 deposit to cover the "repairs". We heard enough rental car horror stories for that to be believable, but Steph tried tirelessly to stop me from perseverating.
Finally race day arrived and luckily it started at the crack of dawn. The rules seemed to be a mix. Pro's got baskets for our transition gear, but we were allowed to wear speed suits. The amateurs had no baskets, but weren't allowed to wear speed suits. Steph and I both had our speed suits on, and were approached by another U.S. competitor that told us we couldn't wear them. I saw that all the other pro's were wearing them, so I kept mine on. I later found out that Steph had to remove hers right before the start after inquiring. Aside from the jellyfish in the swim, it was great. In fact I was under a minute behind the lead pack, which I was really stoked about. I struggled a little in transition and the ride along the beach - dropped my gloves twice. But, once I got going, I hammered hard to try and catch Greg Schott and a Costa Rican guy. Just as I caught those guys Ryan Ignatz joined us and pushed the pace. I drifted back, but noticed Greg had also been dropped. So, after recovering a little I pushed to bridge back. After passing him I just rode alone trying to minimize my losses to Ryan and trying to increase my advantage over Greg. I started the run in 7th. I felt pretty good right out of transition but after tripping about 1.5 miles in, I panicked and it all went downhill. Ultimately I paid for my hard work on the bike and inability to stay steady on the run, and came in 11th overall. Steph had an incredible race and finished 2nd overall amateur female which also happened to be her place within her age group. She continues to improve and impress me every day.
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| Howler Monkeys on the course - photo credit August Teague |
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| T1 |
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| About to start the 2nd lap of the swim - photo credit August Teague |
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| Hunting Greg |
After the race we hit up the awards lunch where Steph got her podium award.
The last few days were spent mountain biking with friends, more amazing food, a killer visit to the Diamante Eco Adventure Park, and a visit to the coolest swim up bar at sunset.
Up next (tomorrow actually), we are racing Xterra Oak Mountain. We've had some great training since Costa Rica, and are looking forward to the challenge tomorrow. They made a small change to the mountain bike course and we both like the change. A pretty stacked field means we'll have to race smart and are both hopeful for a good performance.
As always, thank you to my sponsors (see home page) for the support.
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