First time for everything...
Since starting to do running races in 2000 and triathlons in 2002 I have never had a DNF (Did Not Finish) in a race ever. But there is a first time for everything.
On Sunday I raced the Olympic distance race in Guelph. While I was feeling a little ho-hum about the race I was excited to try and go out on a positive note this year (I was sick for one race and my first Olympic race this year was a tough go). Swim went pretty well. My time was around 30 minutes (times include a HORRIBLE hill climb up to T1). I was relaxed and had no problems sighting.
I felt like I was working hard on the bike. But it was windy and it seemed to always be a head wind or a cross wind. i made the turn around and was feeling happy that I hadn't been begging for the turn around to come like I was in my previous Olympic race. After the turn around I had to stop and open my front brake. It has been rubbing on my rim forever. It seems the mechanics look at it, fix it, but then it starts rubbing again after I use the brake a few times. So I fixed that I realized cycling felt ALOT easier which made me wonder how long it had been rubbing. A few kilometers after that, after turning a corner, I heard that familiar rubber squeaking sound of a tire that is not quite tight on a rim. Stopped, squeezed the tire and sure enough it was getting soft. I rode a bit up the road to an intersection as it seemed a safer location to pull over and fix it. The police officer asked if I had everything I needed as I had just missed SAG. I said I did, and started changing the flat. I screwed in the CO2 cartridge, squeezed the trigger and nother came out. Checked the seal on the valve, tried again. Nothing. Unscrewed the cartridge and can see that the seal had not been punctured. The police officer tried to get some more force behind it. Nothing. So i sat and waiting for SAG that never showed. The police officer drove me back to the race site and I handed in my chip.
Maybe I should have headed out on the run course anyway just to complete the day, but I was a bit discouraged and i had been sitting for so long that I just felt like i was "done".
So my first DNF and at the end of the season with no more chances to "prove" myself.
Let the off season begin.
On Sunday I raced the Olympic distance race in Guelph. While I was feeling a little ho-hum about the race I was excited to try and go out on a positive note this year (I was sick for one race and my first Olympic race this year was a tough go). Swim went pretty well. My time was around 30 minutes (times include a HORRIBLE hill climb up to T1). I was relaxed and had no problems sighting.
I felt like I was working hard on the bike. But it was windy and it seemed to always be a head wind or a cross wind. i made the turn around and was feeling happy that I hadn't been begging for the turn around to come like I was in my previous Olympic race. After the turn around I had to stop and open my front brake. It has been rubbing on my rim forever. It seems the mechanics look at it, fix it, but then it starts rubbing again after I use the brake a few times. So I fixed that I realized cycling felt ALOT easier which made me wonder how long it had been rubbing. A few kilometers after that, after turning a corner, I heard that familiar rubber squeaking sound of a tire that is not quite tight on a rim. Stopped, squeezed the tire and sure enough it was getting soft. I rode a bit up the road to an intersection as it seemed a safer location to pull over and fix it. The police officer asked if I had everything I needed as I had just missed SAG. I said I did, and started changing the flat. I screwed in the CO2 cartridge, squeezed the trigger and nother came out. Checked the seal on the valve, tried again. Nothing. Unscrewed the cartridge and can see that the seal had not been punctured. The police officer tried to get some more force behind it. Nothing. So i sat and waiting for SAG that never showed. The police officer drove me back to the race site and I handed in my chip.
Maybe I should have headed out on the run course anyway just to complete the day, but I was a bit discouraged and i had been sitting for so long that I just felt like i was "done".
So my first DNF and at the end of the season with no more chances to "prove" myself.
Let the off season begin.
posted by sweetpea at 1:33 PM
1 Comments:
Bummer! I DNF'd this weekend too! I wish I could blame it on a mechanical, but it was my own weakness that did it.
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