This race has a somewhat unusual format: embedded in the middle of a 100 mile out-and-back ride, just to get you a bit tired, is a 15 mile all-uphill TT that takes you from the minus 200 feet California Low Desert (Mecca) up 1800 feet to the HIgh Desert (Chiriaco Summit).  I rented a bike from Helen’s Cycles in Santa Monica, slapped on aerobars lent by Aaron Higley, and drove out to Palm Springs.  I rode the Century with 8 riders from “Sub 5 Cycling” of San Diego, a strong group akin to the Wild Cards, who had come up to Palm Desert with a support van. For the TT, I went non-drafting on my own, finishing in 51:35 at an easy pace (my broken rib was almost mended, but still a bit sore).  Good enough for 29/183.

Reported by Martin.  Photo: Desert wind farm and Martin at Chiriaco Summit, the finish line of the TT

Neil placed 14th out of 73 racers in Cat 4 at the Chicago Indian lake CX on Saturday 11-10-12

So, the report:

After a three hour drive from Champaign to St. Charles, Neil Fortner, Kyle and myself arrived at the race course north of the Campton Hills Forest Preserve.  The course went through a local park that had a baseball field, soccer field, scenic prarie and forest sections.  After registering, unpacking our bikes and getting a good stretch in after the car ride, Kyle and I decided to preride a lap between the Masters 40+ race and the masters 30+ race.  Neil didn’t think that was a good enough way to get to know the course, so he just signed up for the Masters 30+ as an extra race…

So, Kyle and I took off on our pre lap to investigate the course.  The first thing that I noticed was the transitions between loose gravely sand and grass that were pretty common.  They appeared pretty loose, but I never seemed to lose traction in the them.  After a few quick turns the course went from the open park to a slight uphill climb through the woods with periodic wooden beams crossing the trail.  Most of which you could just ride over if you weighted the bike correctly, but a few required you to lift up your tires.  After the climb out of the woods, subtle climbing, but out in the open. 

After a quick jaunt down a gravel path, and back and forth accross it a few times the course sloped back downhill ending at a pair of corners with a barrier right in the middle of one.  The concensus was to dismount before entering the second corner and run through to the second barrier.  A few more off camber ups and downs and you met one of the more dastardly parts of the course:  a 5 yard long stretch of sporadic sharp rocks.  These rocks caused more than one pichflat throughout the day, but the reward on the other side was a gravel/grass switchback that led you back into the woods.  The first obstacles in the woods were three mounds of dirt that together composed a sloppy pump section, followed by some roots and a small dip.  Then no more woods, just you and the number one crash causing part of the course.

http://imgur.com/a/VGHrt <--this guy.  It may not look like much, but the bottom of the descent in the middle of the picture was very loose causing people to brake the tape and stakes on a regular basis.  Also, if you look at the bottom right of the photo, you can see a few extra peices of tape wrapped around a stake.  This was another crash epicenter, with a very loose spot on the side of an off camber subtle climb.  If you made it through, you were rewarded with another barrier a short distance from the start/finish and another lap…

Neil took 30th of 78 registered in the Masters 30+ and 12th of 100 registered in the Cat4A.
Kyle took 47th of 100 registered in the Cat 4A.
I took 50th out of 82 registered in the Cat 3.  Another rear end of the pack start.

If you get the chance next year, Campton is one heck of a good time.

here is an album of photos from the campton hills CX race today:  http://imgur.com/a/VGHrt

-Aaron L.

I raced in the Kansas 70.3 Ironman in Lawrence, KS June 10, 2012, and I am just now writing a race report. This was my first half ironman. My goal was to finish in 6:30.

I grew up doing plenty of open water swimming in Michigan but when I saw the buoys extending out into the reservoir almost as far as you could see, I became extremely anxious. The choppy water did not help. During warm up time the day before the race I forced myself into the black water, and I thought I was going to hyperventilate. After some time I was able to calm down. Thankfully, one thing I am really good at is ignoring my fears, but I was really questioning whether I could do the race or not.

click for rest of the story by Melinda Campbell

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5xEAKUcpi8ZU1pERHh3SS11SG8/edit

Iron Triathlon Redux 2012: Swim 2.4 miles - Bike 112 mikes - Run a Marathon

#1: Michigan-Titanium in Grand Rapids on 8-26
I won my age group, and placed 8/110 overall in 11:42.  I booked this race because I thought it would be flatter and cooler than Louisville last year.  Wrong.  Michigan was HILLIER and HOTTER (4000 ft climb on bike, 1100 on the marathon).  This race was like the 2012 Balltown of Iron triathlons: hilly and windy!  Jay knows what I mean.  Not a PR course, but scenic and very well-organized.  Everything went close to plan: 142 bpm on the bike, 140 bpm on the run. (I wanted 145, but the hills got to me on the Marathon.) I can strongly recommend it if you want a tougher course than Louisville (a real compliment because Louisville, Wisconsin and St. George are the toughest WTC Ironman courses as judged by average finisher time).  The hilly run does it.

click for rest of Martins story,

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5xEAKUcpi8ZWEhNV0ZIdTg5RkU/edit