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Triathlon Eugene

Dawn at Fern Ridge Reservoir.

In the predawn darkness at Richardson Park on the Fern Ridge Reservoir you can hear the crunch of gravel beneath bicycle tires, and the speed-dial clicking of a free wheel.

As the sky begins to brighten, the transition area comes to light. Filled with bicycles, two Bike Fridays await their turn.

Kent Anderson, our newest hire, plans to ride a Pocket Rocket on the leg of his short course ride.

Meanwhile, Chaowaroj Wanotayaroj, a student at the University of Oregon, plans to ride his tikit in his first triathlon ever.

Chaowaroj Wanotayaroj waits for the start of the swim with his mother.

In no time, the 7 a.m. start has arrived.

After the swim, it was time for the transition to the bike. First for Kent Anderson.

Time to get out of the wetsuit.

Get on the cycling jersey.Don't forget the socks.

And hit the road.

Next, Chaowaroj Wanotayaroj came in for his transition.

Time for a quick transition.

Get on the tikit.

Fight your way to the front.

Brave the traffic.

And go.

“The bike worked well,” Anderson said as he embarked on a 25-mile ride. “It was fantastic. When I got on the flat section, I really took off. There was a lot of satisfaction passing others on my Bike Friday.”

Chaowaroj Wanotayaroj said he knows the tikit isn’t the best choice for a 50-mile ride, but for his first triathlon he wanted something he was familiar with.

“It was fine,” he said. “And a lot of fun passing others on a small bike.”

Congrats to Kent Anderson, who won his age group!

5 comments August 28, 2011

Triathlon Training Bike Friday Style, Part 4

Thom Dodd, Training for an Ironman with his Bike Friday.

BY THOM DODD

Hi everyone

 To those of you headed out on your 
triathlon in Eugene this weekend, have
a great day!!  

You should end up satisfied on many 
levels, and hopefully will learn
something about yourself during the event.  

The unexpected is about guaranteed 
to surface at some point, so just
know that you will adapt/adjust and 
be fine in the end. There should be
lots of great supportive folks out 
there with you. Be safe and Enjoy.

I had a beautiful winter day on Monday 
and my plan was to ride the
Ironman distance for my long ride.  

I have been gradually increasing my 
long rides, adding about 10%
every third week or so to my previous 
long ride on this buildup,
and it was time for the 180 k ride. 
I actually did 185, with
six - 200 meter hills and five 
-- 100 meter hills, and added
another gorgeous beach village 
to my growing list -- Onemana,
between Opoutere and Whangamata.  

I felt great all the way as I took 
four lunches with me, stopping
for 15 minutes each time, and 
went thru the correct number of 
water
bottles and electrolytes for my 
needs, so the energy never faltered.  

Now I just have to do it after a 
long swim and before a marathon!!!  

I have five more months to get to 
that point, which is plenty of
time to do my three or four rides 
of 200 kand extend the runs on
my bike/run days, which will be 
fun now that our days
are lengthening and the weather 
is warming up.  

The swimming will kick in soon 
as well, as our ocean usually goes
up a couple degrees with the first  
Northeasterly wind in Sept.

Had another spectacular ride 
Wednesday the opposite direction, 
a recovery 70k ride which made a 
total of 15 spectacular beaches
to punctuate the rides, each one 
rejuvenating me after cycling
over the big hill separating it 
from the last beach.  

And a couple runs on Tues and Thurs, 
so a good week so far.

Again, I want to wish you all the 
best on the weekend.  

Get that Friday out and see where 
it will take you today, whatever
day it is there. 

Cheers from Aoteroa, aka, New Zealand.

Add comment August 26, 2011

Triathlon Training Bike Friday style, part 3

Thom and Pam Dodd on the cycle track out east overlooking the Pacific Ocean in New Zealand, 2011.

BY THOM DODD

We have had an amazing August for triathletes

to train here in New Zealand — the last three weeks

have seen nothing but some of the clearest skies

imaginable, lush green hills set against blue sea

and sky, light winds in these parts, and lengthening

days as we emerge from another mild (North Island,

anyway) winter.

The last couple weeks we have

had the polar express, a veritable

conveyor belt driven by a cyclonic

flow one side and an anticyclonic flow
the other that makes them like egg

beaters driving purified air from latitude

70 degrees near Antarctica to us here

– the air is normally clear,
but this is off the charts!

Needless to say, it is tough to keep myself

inside, and the New World Tourist has been

treated to a few weeks of
Fridays.

The training is ramping up as my challenge is

now only five months away.

Rides over 100 miles now, hills galore, and it is

so stunningly gorgeous out that I hardly notice

anything other than the desire to get out again

once a ride is over.

Running is good too, with the odd ride/run “brick”

workout creeping into my routine.  The ocean is

down to 11 celsius, perhaps its

coldest in my 15 years here, but so clear that

it is still tempting.

But no reason to hurry that along as cycling and

running are what I emphasize in winter anyway.  It

has been mostly “unfold that Friday and let the

beauty unfold before you.”

Anyway, I know you have Triathlon Eugene coming

this weekend, and I want to wish you all a

great final week of “tuning” and resting so

that you are fresh and hungry for the event.

I will try to update this a few times this week

hoping to inspire someone this coming weekend.

It should be a great opportunity to meet fellow

athletes and hear what they have to say. The Tri

community is a great one — we’re all lucky to be

able to be a part of it.

Stay healthy and have a great day next weekend.
cheers
thom

1 comment August 24, 2011

Triathlon Training, Bike Friday Style (Part 2)

Thom Dodd, cross training with his Bike Friday.

The week before I had to travel to a friend’s north of Auckland, so I rode early on leaving day and headed over the 200-plus meter Tairua hill and then the 400-plus meter Kopu-Hikuai road to Kopu — the road goes over the highest point on the 200 km race called the K-2, which is held here in October.

I got to the Kopu bridge 5 minutes before my wife and our 10-year-old friend, which gave me time to break down my New World Tourist to throw in the boot (what they call the car’s trunk here) for the rest of the day — only 70 km for me, but had no time for more.

Set the bike up for a gorgeous ride to Long Bay through all of the little beach towns on the East coast of the North Shore, which is the area north, across the harbor, from Auckland.

A superb ride – so thankful to have such a portable bike.

Add comment August 21, 2011