The Cereal City Tri/du is one of my favorite races of the year. The course is great and Cereal City Athletics is the best race promoter around in my opinion. The weather was perfect this year-cool and sunny at the start. It was also nice to see a lot of other WSI teammates there. Continue reading “Cereal City Duathlon – WSI Cycling Takes Top Two Places”
Women take the trails at the first women’s duathlon in Battle Creek
Saturday, May 13, women took to the trails and streets of Battle Creek for the first all women’s duathlon in the area. The Women Who Du, presented by Cereal City Athletics, focused on women showcasing their strength, passion and commitment, and was a great first year event, complete with an oatmeal and yogurt bar AND a spread of chocolate goodies at the finish. The event intentionally took place over Mother’s Day weekend and encouraged mothers and daughters to participate together.
WSI riders Katie and Holly participated in the event.
For Holly, it was her first duathlon. She was up for the challenge, although she usually avoids duathlons like the plague because of the double run! Being a road runner, the trail run was challenging but gorgeous. The first run was 1.3 miles, but it was so much fun she decided to extend it to 2 (read: wrong turn). The first run was followed by a 9 mile bike and ended with 5k run. This event was created as an event to introduce more women to multisport events and it did just that. It was an accessible event for all levels and drew women with a variety of backgrounds and a fair amount of newbies. Can’t wait for next year!
Katie felt like she was on home turf, being a frequent runner of the trails at Woodland Nature Preserve. She loves the uniqueness in the trails constantly changing from hard wood chips to dirt to rolling prairie and back. The bike course was quite hilly, which she had somehow forgotten until back on it tackling the hills. The finish line food spread and chocolate was much appreciated.
Photography for the event was provided by Stephanie Parshall Photography.
Swim, Bike, Run and Repeat
August marks the season of triathlons in Michigan. It is that one perfect month of the summer where the mornings are not stifling hot, the waters have warmed up and the sun is shining (most of the time). With that said, it is no surprise that over the past few weeks we have had several WSI riders compete in several different triathlons around the state. Here’s a summary of them all.
Cereal City Triathlon/Duathlon, August 9
Charles Elder
The Cereal City Triathlon has been a yearly event for me. I have participated in this event since it began 3 years ago. This year I did not know what to expect as I was in a 10 hour adventure race the day before (that is a whole different race report). The swim and bike went as expected. This course is home turf for me, as the start is only a mile from my house. The run was tough. I was tired, my legs were spent from the day before. I had another friend in the course who had participated the day before in the Battle Frog and I knew he and I were in the same boat; exhaustion. I passed him on the bike but knew I could not hold him off on the run. Sure enough, he came up behind me. At this point we needed each other to keep pushing to the finish. We finished together. Not my best time, not my worst. It was a finish, nonetheless.
Danny Wolin
This is the first year I have done this duathlon and had a great time. Nice (local) course, well run and good weather. At the last minute they shortened the first run to 2.5k from 5. I stayed close behind the lead runner and had a good ride which made the last run a bit less stressful. Ended up winning and finished in 1.01 with a PR finishing 5k. Great race and I will do it again.
Matt Wright
Matt participated in the aquabike portion of the event, placing 1st.
Girls Best Friend Triathlon, August 15
Cindy Gippert
This was my 2nd triathlon in two weeks. The Girls Best Friend Tri is an all women’s tri put on by a company called 3 Disciplines. It was a well organized event at the Prairie View Park near Vicksburg. Nice venue, but the lake was a bit weedy even though we have gotten plenty of rain this summer. I was a bit nervous about the thickness of the weeds and the fact I would be heading out with 75 other women. But I decided to strap a pair on and take a more direct path to the first buoy (which would put me in thicker weeds). There was more bumping and touching toward the end of the swim due to a small space they were funneling all the swimmers through. Mentally I did well and did not panic and had a great swim.
In my category I was ranked 4th coming out of the water. On the bike I passed as many women I could and was ranked 1st on this leg of the race. I had a fast transition going into the run and was ranked 3rd in the run. Overall I finished 2nd in my category about 3 minutes behind the first place woman. There were 15 women in our category. My strong bike and fast transitions saved me from getting 3rd place in which I beat her by 4 minutes. It was a fun race, and lucky I finished before the heat set in.
Three Rivers Triathlon, August 22
Danny Wolin
This is the 3rd year I have done this race and this year raced for a local family battling cancer. I was very inspired to race for them and it was a beautiful day out.
This is a hard course. Super hilly bike course that never lets up and a second run with some tough hills. The first run went well and was a PR for the 5k (6.39 pace) and the ride was a bit faster than last year at 22 mph avg. Not a great pace but you really need to ride this course smart …given the hills and the second run. I was the first Olympic athlete in and started the run with a nice lead. PRd the second run at 6.44 pace and won the duathlon by almost 25 minutes. I was the first Olympic athlete in overall and fastest ride. Overall I knocked a minute off the last two years with just a cleaner race.
There is still time to donate if anyone wants and I would like to thank everyone that has so far. I am lucky to get to do this and am fortunate that I have a great support network (my awesome wife, kids and friends). And the Jokinks who inspired me a lot today.
Peggy Hasse
After finishing the 23rd Three Rivers Triathlon today, I had to chance to talk to Danny. I really thought he must have started in the wrong race or messed up on the course to have finished as fast as he did!! Amazing Danny! My race was a great experience with perfect weather. I was third overall woman, and first in my age group of 45-49. 1:11:22 race. I putted through the swim with no problems at 13:05, biked that crazy, hilly course at 20.7 mph average and finally finished the run, in hot pursuit of the only two females in front of me, at a 7:31 pace. I couldn’t catch them, but was pleased with my effort! Finished up with some great food and awards. Swag for volunteers and racers extra nice. This race is a volunteer race for me as well. My whole family and local community gets out there to serve. This is, by far, one of the best races around!
Tri del Sol
Saturday, Michigan. Despite the name, the sun was hard to find and severe weather rolled in. WSI athletes still had a great time with great results. Check out what our racers had to say about their races.
Matt Wright
I raced the Sprint Aquabike again this year and managed to win the division by 4 minutes. I got a slow start in the water, 750 meters of swimming, and then it was on to the bike course for 13 miles. I started 5minutes behind the sprint tri guys, so I passed a lot of people on the bike course. It was laid out well, marked and marshalled where the turns were. I felt really good on the bike and made up some time. The weather was perfect during my race and I was able to finish with no issue. I had all my gear packed up and then the severe weather rolled in with lightening and the race director had to shut down the race. This is always a great event: well organized, staffed and plenty of volunteers
Dave Goff, Sr.
As always Tri Del Sol Was a great race with beautiful weather! I did the Sprint Duathlon. I had a good bike, but struggled with the last run ended up second in my age group.
Peggy Hasse
Tri del Sol triathlon turned out a 2nd place age group finish for me in the sprint race. Time was around 1:20:ish. I had a good swim (got to wear wetsuits!) with no problems, fast bike at 22.7, and an 8:31 run pace. Bike course is the bomb, with just enough rollers to keep good speed. The run was challenging being the first tri of the season and pushing the bike a bit. Good weather until the storm rolled in and caused some of the other racers to DNF.
Kellie Sparks-Kramer
Tri del Sol was the 1st duathalon of the season for me and it was HOT and HUMID…. I did the sprint { thank God}. I finished up 1:31:35, 2nd in age group and was excited to see a 21.4 mph bike average. I am looking forward to next year.
The Burning Bridges
No, there are no bridges actually burning, it’s just the rubber on the wheels of the Bridges’ family bikes from their extensive adventures in racing this summer!
On June 28th both Katie and Kevin tackled the Lumberman Triathlon presented by 3Disciplines Racing in Cadillac, Michigan.
Kevin:
I raced Lumberman Triathlon as a Half Iron distance, 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and a 13.1 mile run. This was my first tri of the year and I have been biking a lot so I thought my swim and run would suffer.
The Lumberman Triathlon is held in Cadillac. I was impressed with the whole race: a great swim, the bike is on good roads with scenic views of northern Michigan, and the run around Lake Cadillac is very flat with ample water stations and cheering spectators. And as a 3-D event it is very well run.
I was happy to PR this race with a 5:35. My swim time was 38 minutes, which is good for me, and I averaged 19.7 mph on the bike. I was hopping to be over 20 mph, but the bike course had some nice climbs so I’m OK with it. I was able to run in under 2 hours and that’s been my long run pace for a long time. I ended up with a 4th place age group finish, I’m happy with the result, but I know with more work I can get faster.
Katie:
Race morning was probably the most perfect race weather for a triathlon. A hint of chill in the dawn, but warming up for the bike. We were greeted by a sea of bouys in the mirror-calm lake. I would swim past the sprint and Olympic distance bouys to the farthest yet: the Half IM distance. I took this in during a quick course meeting and we were off and on our way. I swam in a small group, until it was just two of us working our way across the course. It was a loooong swim, but I stuck to it and didn’t really need rest or have any problems. I had the energy to run up to transition to the bike!
The course started out in town, a few turns and we were out in the beautiful countryside. The course was flat for the first few miles, and I had to remind myself: this is a long ride, don’t go out so fast. I kept my head and remembered to drink. Once the sprint and Olympic athletes had turned around, the course began to get interesting. Hills, lots of hills, fun roller coaster hills I never see in Calhoun County. I’m glad I saved some energy for those hills. Just past the turnaround, I started passing athletes on the way back in. I worked a little harder and put everything I had getting through the rest of the course. Nearing the finish of the bike course, I was riding all-out around 21-22mph. I was lucky not to have that 13.1 run to do, and I dropped the bike in T2 to cross the timing mat to finish 2nd.
I learned a lot from doing the Aqua Bike, which I’ll take into my next race, Steelhead. Proper hydration and fueling is key, and I nailed it perfectly this race. And I probably will save a little more on the bike so I can run. But maybe Steelhead won’t be so hilly…
July 11th, their adventures continued as both Katie and Rose led out the Strut for Strays 5k, a local run to raise awareness and funds for the Humane Society of South Central Michigan.
While they had the lead down for the runners, Kevin, Marie and Scott were racing the Miller Energy Criterium.
Kevin:
The Miller Energy Crit or BTR Crit was my first crit race, I was very nervous because I’ve always had issues with my cornering. OAM Now offered a race clinic on Friday night where they taught crit skills and techniques. The cornering drills were very helpful and Frank Andreu gave us tips, which was really cool.
I ended up finishing 22nd not as well as I would have liked, but I was on the lead lap and had all my skin at the end of the day so I can’t complain.
Scott:
The Miller Energy Crit was my second crit. I did the junior (which was the state crit) and the cat 5 races. Taking some notes from a previous race I was more comfortable. Since it was a crit the juniors could race elite men, in their respective category, and the junior race. So my plan was to hang on and not burn too many matches to save my legs for the cat 5 race 30 minutes after. When the race really picked up I sat up and took it easy saving my legs for the races I had a legitimate chance at. After that it was a quick number repining and a refill of the water bottle, and headed to the start line once again. The first prime of the race came early, I was in a great position, and it would not have taken much effort so I went for it, and got it. I snagged a XL Bontrager jersey, very big on me, but I’ll still wear it in a group ride or two. After that I tried to save as much energy as I could until the finish. I hung on for 11th after using a lot of energy to get in a good position on the final lap. That’s bike racing!
Marie:
The BTR Crit was my first crit race. I did the cat 4 women’s race, which turned out to be a pretty small race. It was a beautiful day and it was a good race for a beginner. Right when we started out, we had to turn hard and it became hard to navigate around others for a second. After that, it became impossible to catch back up to the peloton. So I just went as hard as I could and managed not to get pulled. Overall, I think it was helpful to just learn more about the crit and how it goes. I went to Team OAM’s race clinic the day before and learned a lot about bike handling, how to sprint, and how to race a crit in general.
And as if that wasn’t enough, on Sunday both Kevin and Scott headed to the Maple Hills Race for the Wishes.
Kevin:
Maple Hills Road Race was the day after the BTR crit, I went into this race feeling I needed to be more aggressive and stay closer to the front. On the first of two laps a two-man break went up the road a little ways. I hesitated at first, and then I noticed one of the riders was Adam Cefai. I thought maybe I could bridge up and make it a three-man break. I took off after them and right as I caught them I looked back to see our gap on the field only to see the whole field right on my wheel. So instead of joining a break away I pulled one in. I feel bad kind of bad, but he does not race for the team anymore. The second lap was a little calmer but I was getting tired from climbing. At the finish I was able to beat out a few riders in the final sprint for a 7th place finish, my best so far in a road race.
Scott:
I raced cat 5 35 and under. Tristan Greathouse, good friend of mine, also a strong junior rider for team OAM now/athletic mentors, hatched a plan. We would both breakaway up one of the courses’ hardest hill with 10 miles to go. We did that, we got away with one other rider, established a pace line. Then we quickly dropped back to the peloton and focused on the sprint finish. The pace relaxed a bit but with 5 miles to go it got faster, knowing now important positioning is in a bunch sprint, I got up to third in line with 2 miles left, soon I found myself in the middle again, the effort wasted. With one kilometer to go I was about tenth in line and the pace slowed a bit down. The last turn was in sight so I went for it. Attacking when nobody wanted to pull the field and everybody was coasting going slower and slower. I got to the turn quick, looked behind me and saw a nice gap, maybe 5 seconds, with the finish line in sight and a roaring group behind, I put my head down. Lactic acid up to my eyeballs, I was suffering. 250 meters to go the group came around; completely gassed, I sat up and rolled in. I was not afraid to lose.
It is clear that this family embraces the concept of staying active! After all, a family that plays together, stays together! Race on, Bridges and don’t let your fires go out!