This is the first time that I have done this event and it was a fun day.
I was thinking of doing Muskoka but the drive was just too far so this was a much more convenient option. I was happy that I decided to do this race as it was well organized and was nice not to see draft packs and pace lines out on the bike course.
Got to the race course around 7:30 and quickly was able to get set up and check in. Met Roger in line to sign in and then a few others throughout the course of the race. It was good to see so many out racing hard.
I was able to get out for a quick ride but unfortunately I didn’t make a turn and get a true feeling for how strong the wind was going to be.
The Swim:
Unfortunately I have not been doing enough swimming this year and it really showed in my swim. My lack of swimming fitness and goggle issues put me well back in the pack coming out of the water in around 17 minutes. Time to buy a new set of goggles as they did nothing but fog up and leak. The swim venue is very nice but was very murky and you could not see anyone around you until you were right on top of them or visa versa.
The Ride:
After a slow transition I was able to get out on the bike and managed to ride pretty strongly throughout the race. I am still trying to dial in my position on the new bike but all in all I was happy with my ride. Not too many people passed me during the ride, though Roger did go flying by me about 1/3rd of the way through. The wind was pretty strong for a fair amount of the course but did give a nice push back to transition.
The Run:
Had a relatively quick transition and headed out on the run. I was able to get up to speed pretty quickly but had not checked out the run course other than I knew you ran past transition at one point and then back. Next time I will look at it a little closer to know that there was about 2.5k after you passed transition. The run was hot and somewhat slow as it was basically all on a grass trail. It was a very hot run and I was thinking I was running pretty slowly. I saw a few people on the run that had passed me on the bike and I thought that I was moving quickly but they were so far ahead so either my run was slow or I rode slower than I thought so I tried to push as hard as I could. I realized later that the duathetes turned around 2k sooner which is why they seemed to be so far ahead. It definitely pays to look at the course before the race.
Overall it was a good race for me, finished 7th in the 40-44 AG and 32nd overall. Still a fair amount of work to do in all disciplines but am happy with my progress so far.
I decided to opt for an HSBC Multipass so will be doing a number more of their races this season. I like the different venues as I have raced the majority of the Subaru Series over the years.
See you at a race soon!!
Good call on the Multipass. John Salt and his crew do an amazing job.
It’s like a small extended family once you do more races and get to know more people.
You will see me at every race except Bala (resting from IMUSA but maybe volunteering) and Calabogie (at IMCAN).
If you plan on doing Cobourg just be aware it is a tough bike course.
See you at the races.
Roger
Great report Gary. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself on course (I was the big guy squeezed in to the small RF tri top!) Don’t listen to Roger – Cobourg isn’t that tough….although who am I to give advice! See you again at another race as I’ve got the multipass this year as well.
I did Cobourg last year and yes the bike course was tough, though not sure if it was my legs being fried after Lake Placid last year. I really liked the race though overall. I was concerned with swimming in Lake Ontario but it was one of the nicer swims I have done.
I do plan on doing it again this year.
Last year the bike course was actually easier than previous years due to construction. If it goes back to the regular course (it should) then watch out. I’m biking faster so I am looking forward to seeing what I can do. No crazy hills just lots of them.