Race Review - Euro Cross Triathlon, Riva Del Garda

So, having snapped my bike in the previous race, I had to go to the local bike hire shop on the morning of the race to try and get a replacement, knowing that they would be closed before I finished, and that we were then leaving at 4am the next morning to get our flight. I had discussed with a couple of other people for handing it off and getting them to drop it as the shop opened the next day, but still got hit for an extra half-day hire charge. 

The bike itself was good. Carbon fibre Cannondale Scalpel hardtail. But I had less than an hour to set it up before I had to take it in to transition. I managed to sort the pedals so they felt 'about right', set the saddle to a height I felt I could ride, forgot to touch the tyre pressures, and rode it for a total of about 3 minutes. 

Having then taken it down and racked it, we then had a 6-hour wait until the race started. 

The swim was non-wetsuit, unless you were over 60 and then wetsuits were allowed. This was a strange decision from the organisers given that they retained the mass-start, and made it a beach start with a run-in. It meant that amongst the normal washing-machine scrapping there were also a whole load of people out of position as they took aggressive run and dives, and older swimmers then charging through from behind because they had the advantage of wetsuits. All in it was a bit of a mess. 

My own swim was made more difficult by a leak in my goggles. On the first lap it was in the left eye, where I had my contact lens in, so I basically couldn't see beyond the swimmers around me and had to trust everyone else in the pack for sighting. During the short Australian exit I tried to adjust my goggles, failed, dived back in, then had to stop and fix them again. That resulted in a leak to my right eye, but at least I could now see out of my left and that made the second lap much easier. 

I didn't swim well, by any realistic measure. But I didn't swim badly either. I was in touch with the athletes that I should be and didn't make any big mistakes. Several other athletes were pulled from the water so it wasn't a simple flat swim either. 

I had a fairly smooth transition and then got out on the bike. That started fine. Being on the hired bike was fine for the first section through the town and up the long climb. Riding a hardtail was fine, I would have had the suspension on lockout anyway if I had been riding my own, and not needing the brakes meant I didn't have to think about anything. 

That all changed as soon as we turned downhill. The first section of cobbled descent I was a bit slower than planned as I the reversed brakes meant I had to think about what I was doing. But I was still passing people. Then we hit the only real single-track section and I fund myself upside-down in a bush. I suspect (with further evidence to come) that the combination of not having the rear suspension to soak up the bumps, my higher balance point on the lighter bike, and my focus on steering taking my focus from the reversed brakes resulted in me toppling the bike. 

I lay there for a while (Garmin says about 45 seconds) deciding that I wasn't actually hurt, and trying to figure out how to unclip myself from the bike and climb out of the hedge. Once I sorted myself out I realised nothing was damaged, and hopped back on the bike and continued, nervously, along the single track section, with multiple foot taps and a full on stop at the end where there was a tightening drop. I then carried on riding on the flat and climb sections of the outer section of the loop and made it back round to the start of lap 2 and the long climb again. 

Disappointingly on this climb I was already getting lapped by the leaders. But on the climbs I felt fine on the bike. Lap 2 through the cobbles I was slower as I was still nervous about the braking being the wrong way round. I let two people pass me just before the single-track section then rolled in to it more carefully, focused on which sides the brakes were on, careful to avoid landing in that bush again, and somehow ended up upside down on the opposite side of the path instead. This time with a load of scratches. But I was more upright this time and was able to get going again more quickly this time. 

Then round at a slightly twisty section a couple of French athletes caught me. So far everyone had been moving to the right and passing on the left (including me). These two French athletes decided they wanted to do the opposite and started shouting at me to move over so they could pass right. As I was too busy trying to adjust my line and get out of their way, I definitely grabbed the wrong brake this time, and ended up in a heap with the bike on top of me and some significant bruising and scratches this time. 

This was the first time that I considered just stopping and walking off, but I was so frustrated about not getting my medal from the Cross Duathlon that I was determined to finish at almost any cost. So I got up again, and carried on, but now at a non-race pace. Just trying to complete the course and that meant that now lots of people started passing me. On lap 3 the last of my age-group passed me. Last time I raced him I beat him by over 15 minutes, and there was still another lap and a half to go when he passed me on the uphill and cruised away. 

Lap 3, single-track, crash. And now this is just me being hugely nervous about that section, approaching it at completely the wrong speed, and not even trying to ride it properly. 

Lap 3, twisty section, crash. Again, just nerves and bad approaches now. 

Lap 4, I just settled right off the gas. Made sure I was drinking plenty and keeping going forward. And at the single-track I just dismounted and walked through it. And the twisty section I took super carefully and made it through. 

Then there was a ride back down the hill and in to town and I was so relieved at this point. I knew I was going to finish, and was just happy to be on the way back in, regardless of how far back I now was. 

Then I got out on to the run and basically had a decent run. There isn't really much to say there. It was nowhere near as hot in the shade of the mountain as it had been on the Friday so I was able to just run comfortably. I wasn't going to make up any places but I did at least close some of the time on the people in front of me so that the overall time loss wasn't quite so terrible.

I finished 13th, out of 13. Which was about what I deserved.

Here are my targets:

0. Don't get injured. 

    I still have a string of smaller events (and a Scottish Championship) coming that I don't want to miss. - Despite 5 crashes, no meaningful injuries.

1. Race well. 

    Not very specific, but basically I just want to come away without having a sulk about how I swam, rode or ran. - Not having that one. 

2. Finish with my average percentage at this level. 

    I finished at 71.4% in my previous ETU Cross-Try, and 77 & 71.4 at my two ITU Cross Tri races. So an average of 73.3%. That would have me finish in 10th place. - Nope 13th

3. Finish with my best percentage at this level.     

    71.4% would be 9th place out of the 13 starters. - Nope 13th

4. Finish in my average place at this level. 

    Well that would be 18th, out of a field of 13! - Technically my best finish at a Euro Cross Triathlon.

5. Finish in my best place at this level. 

    My best at ETU is 20th but since there are only 13 starters that is meaningless. I have a 10th place from ITU that fill this target instead. - Nope 13th.

6. Finish in my best place at any international

    As I type this that would be 6th to better beat my Cross Duathlon performance from Romania last year, but by the time this race comes round that has possibly moved. Given the strength of the front-runners in this field I can't really see this one happening. - Nope 13th.