Day Zero

Auckland, November 20th

1500m swim, 25km bike, and one more flat tire . . .

I had never before used tubular tires because of the difficult and expensive maintenance. But I thought it was time to try; so I bought a new pair of wheels . . .

Summing up, tubular tires come with integrated tubes, which support more pressure.  This reduces  friction, making rolling smoother and faster.  I realized during the race that I needed that friction on the turns.  This course was a very technical one; I was having trouble handling the bike on the corners. Although I lost some time on the turns, my legs felt strong.  I was ready for a nice race. 

But, I didn't have the chance.  On my second race with tubular wheels I had my second DNF with a flat. :-(

Instead of beating myself up about what happened, I accepted mechanical failures as part of the game.  I thought if I learn something this year, it would be to lose and learn from the loss.  I realized that this is an important yet difficult lesson.   

During the race, we cannot accept being behind anyone, so we need to do the impossible to win.  After crossing the finish line (or not), the race has ended and it is not worth torturing yourself.

Life continues! It  is important to analyze the weak points, but  not to seek solace in self punishment. 

I did not only have bad luck on this trip though!
A good friend introduced me to Renata, who is Brazilian, and lives in New Zealand with Sergey, Marie, and Amili.  They were all really good people so we became instant best friends!!

They came to watch the race.  Just after my flat, they rushed to my side.  I could see the worry turn to relief on their faces because they had seen the other athletes pass them and assumed I had crashed.  

Afterwards, we returned home and went out for dinner.  We celebrated our new friendships and the great moments we had together in New Zealand. Sergey brought the champagne!!
Also, the next day I was supposed to return home . . . "supposed to!!"

Ohhh ...I almost forgot... On that day we also went bowling!!

Lots of fun!!!