USAT Rancho Seco Aquabike
Race morning we arrived at the park shortly after 6:30 for packet pick-up and so I could put my number on the bike, set up transition, and have plenty of time to take in the ambience plus warm up. The timing chip was on the bib number, so we had to wear them on the bike and to cross the finish line. For the aquabike, we had to rack our bikes and then run out of transition to cross the finish line. My wave was the last one and included women 35+, relays, Clydesdale, Athena, and aquabike. After a swim warm up, we moved over to the in-water start location. The announcer gave us a short countdown, and we were off! The course was marked by large white triangular buoys with round orange ones between for sighting. The finish was at a small sand beach and up a grassy slope to transition. Only a few bikes were left when I entered transition, as I expected, so off with the sleeveless wetsuit and on with the bike shoes, helmet, and race bib, and out of transition to start the bike ride. Getting out of the park involved crossing 5 speed bumps and several patches of closely spaced white buttons, but the road after that was in good shape with only one railroad track crossing. The rolling topography makes the bike course look hillier than it actually is, which was a little disconcerting. Sometimes I had to use power and cadence to tell whether it was up or down hill. We had what felt like a cross wind on the way out that seemed to vary from cross to head wind on the way back. The biggest “hill” was into the park. I enjoyed the bike ride, especially passing several people. (I also was passed by a few as well – not sure how they managed to be behind me.)
Rosie Thompson