 Mark Reed at the St. Anthony's Triathlon! (St. Petersburg, FL–Story courtesy of Team Triathlete Mark Reed) Apologies not sending an update sooner on the St. Anthony’s Tri two weeks ago, but work has been a little crazy since I got back.
St. Anthony’s proved to be an extremely hard Olympic Distance with very choppy waters for the swim and 92 degrees/humidity on the run, but I will definitely be back. Also, if I had 50 Piggly Wiggly shirts to sell, I could have sold them all! I can’t tell you how many people asked about the uniform or made some comment about it (always positive!). It was quite funny.
I know that David (Burley) has done this race before but if you haven’t I would highly recommend it! With over 3500 Athletes the field size can be a little over whelming at first but it is extremely well run and the support of St. Petersburg and Tampa is amazing! It was also fun to race along side and meet multiple professional triathletes (Matt Reed, Sara Haskins, etc…).
Anyway, sorry for the delay next is the first James Island Sprint!
The 2012 Palmetto Swamp Fox Adventure race, held in McClellanville, SC proved once again that adventure racing is equal parts endurance and skill as the defending champion from 2011, Greg Woelfel, was stymied in the swamp with some errant plotting. Nevertheless, the Mt Pleasant Velo colors (particularly Piggly Wiggly) were a noticeable sight as racers commonly shouted in passing, ‘dig the pig.’ Despite missing a checkpoint, the Mt Pleasant Velo solo team was able to save face by finishing the race with a smile.
 Greg Woelfel post Swamp Fox!
Saturday marked the return of racing in the Lowcountry with the perennial local favorite I’on Village criterium. The team was set to compete in many of the days races beginning with the men’s 4/5 race in the morning.
Team riders Brad Phillips, Nick Luther, and Geoff Duncan took to the line in the field of about thirty racers. The strategy? Get to the front, get in a break, go from the gun (isn’t this always the strategy)? Making good on an earlier promise, Nick made an attempt to go from the start, thereby weeding down the field. Things stayed steady at this pace until about six laps remained. Following a prime lap, an attack off of the front quickly turned into a two man breakaway leaving the field and the Team to vie for the field sprint (and 3rd place). Of course, that’s when the sketchiness happened.
Following a brief touch of wheels, there was (what sounded like) a massive pile-up of carbon and curses coming from the back of the field. The crash had split the field yet again with Brad and Geoff staying clear of the damages. Making a huge effort to regroup, Nick and a few others were able to reintegrate with about two laps to go. After a brief discussion of the finishing strategy, Nick put in one last well-timed pull with Geoff in tow. The two charged to the front, staying clear of the turn three mayhem, and then to the finishing sprint for third (which ended up being fourth after Geoff got out-sprinted by half a length on the line)! Overall a great start to the day with three Pigs finishing in the top 10 (fourth, fifth, and tenth respectively).
The day was young and Piggly Wiggly p/b BANa had more in store. In the Pro/1/2 race, Team rider David Hall finished a strong 11th overall and Nick “The Prime King” Luther turned a few tricks in the late afternoon 3/4 race grabbing two primes and another 5th place finish on the day! Rain put a damper on Sunday’s South Carolina State Championships, but Nick was at it again gobbling up the primes and showing his strength from a full spring of racing on the collegiate club scene.
Overall an impressive mid-season showing for the team and lots of fun at the races. It was great seeing representation of the local teams (CBC and LCR) and LCR did a great job putting on the race!
(Race report courtesy of David Burley) Great day for all the MPV-Tri crew at TryCharleston over the weekend!
It was great to have multiple members participating in a local race. Congrats to everyone who raced–Melisa, Sue, Greg, Mark, and Brad (in the best kits mind you) this weekend!
This was my first year doing anything with TryCharleston. I thought that the sprint was neatly organized, and it did not seem like the half-ironman had any huge complaints. I think everyone enjoyed the new courses for each race. I guess 3rd time is a charm.
 The Piggly Wiggly p/B BANa Tri-crew
The swim was pretty standard, though I am still struggling to find a fast rhythm at the start of races and still working on translating pool swim speed to open water swim speed.
I headed out on the bike course (which was basically an out and back), turned around on Sewee Road and back down through airport road and into the Park West neighborhood to go to the second transition. The junction points and small bumps were annoying on both sides of 17, and I eventually decided to ride about a foot from the white line for the cleanest line. I knew I had a pretty big lead, so it was a pretty easy ride. I just tried to hold a solid pace and keep my form together.
I came into transition about 1min ahead of the next person. I raced the run the same way as I did the bike (just trying to even split my miles and keep the form together). I ended up getting a PR on the run by more than 1minute. The weather was perfect for a fast run!!
Overall a great training race, and I am feeling very prepared for my Regional race in Augusta next weekend.
(Race report courtesy of Greg Woelfel)
An excellent opportunity for members of the Mt Pleasant Velo squad to showcase their collective triathlon talent, the 2012 Try Charleston race saw four members competing in the half Ironman distance. With familiar landmarks on the bike and run courses through Francis Marion National Forest and Park West, it was heads down and all business for Greg Woelfel, Melisa Coffin, and Sue Torke who achieved personal records on the course. After recovering from an ankle injury, Brad Loyd pulled an excellent bike leg for a strong finish. Once again the smiling Pig jerseys brought cheers of support and smiles from volunteers, spectators, and racers alike… I guess lots of people ‘dig the Pig.’
Over 200 racers from across the southeast descended upon Poinsett State Park this past weekend for the kickoff event of the Maxxis Southern Classic Mountain Bike Series, The Killer 3. The Killer 3, promoted by Mt. Pleasant Velo, made its debut on the Southern Classic Series just one year after seeing racing return to the venue (after a nearly decade long absence from races).
Despite rainy conditions in the three days prior to the race, the trail conditions were excellent (thanks in large part to the efforts of Midlands SORBA, Steve Tipton, and Toni Merritt). Racers turned out to represent 15 different categories and raced from between 13 to 40 miles. Team riders Anne Moore, Giles Branch, Greg Woelfel, Justin Fisher, Brian Hackathorne, Brad Phillips, and David Hall all had strong top 10 results in their categories including a 3rd place podium finish for Hall in the Pro race. Congratulations to all who raced in the event.
This year’s Killer 3 race was and overwhelming success, none of which would have been possible without much support from the team and its sponsors. Many thanks to: Poinsett State Park (Zabo McCants and all the Park Rangers from across the state), Maxxis Southern Classic Mountain Bike Series (Jim Smalley–thanks for inviting us to be a part of the series), Midlands SORBA, Steve Tipton, and Toni Merritt (for your tireless efforts keeping the trails), VCRC Bike and The Bicycle Shoppe (sponsors), Manchester State Forest, and all of those who raced (you are the reason we do this)! We’re already looking forward to next year!
|
|
