He did it. Again.

Jason took our $250 RWYB project bike (a 2005 Trek full-suspension behemoth), put on slick tires, aero bars, and clipless pedals on it, and decdided to race a triathlon this past weekend.  Not only did he finish the race.. he finished 5th in his age group and 29th overall. Why would he do such a thing? It’s simple- we’re out to prove that you don’t need an expensive, technologically advanced bike to race and have fun. Get whatever bike you have out of the shed, make sure it’s safe, and RUN WHAT YA BRUNG.

We sat down with Jason the day after the race to ask him some questions about how it went:

1) What was your morning routine? 

Woke up at 4:15. I Ate a bowl of oatmeal with bullet-proof coffee (coffee, butter, coconut oil blended together) I absolutely hate the taste, but it provides more sustained energy than a regular coffee that gives you a spike of caffeine. I left the house at 5:15

2) What was your most significant worry going into the race regarding the bike?

I wasn't really worried about the bike at all, but I was pleasantly surprised that I started catching people right out of transition, and that the bike was holding speed well. My biggest worry was the swim because I had only swam twice before the race.

3) Can you give us a short race recap? 

The race was a time trial start with racers starting the swim in 3 second intervals. I was in the first wave of racers and was about the 20th person to start. I immediately caught 3 guys in the first 100m, which was surprising because I do not swim fast. I got into a good rhythm and attempted to focus on my form. The first 2/3 of the swim was good, but then when we turned back to the beach my arms started to fatigue, my goggles were a little foggy and the sun made it impossible to see. before I realized I was way off course and tired. the last 200m felt like an eternity.

I made it to the beach and ran into transition, my HR was pretty high so I took a few seconds extra to relax and take a gel before rolling out on the bike. no less than 200m into the bike I start to catch people and within the first half mile I had made up 4 places. I got into what I felt was a good sustainable pace and went to work. The elite men racing the intermediate race were coming around for their second lap and pretty soon the top 5 guys had passed me on their $8000.00 + tri rigs, but they were not going that much faster than me which really gave me a good confidence boost. I pushed hard on the hills and tried to maintain a steady power on the flats. The first half of the bike course had a decent tail wind so I held back just a little because I knew that the second half would be much harder. Sure enough as we turned and started heading back to the start finish the headwind was rough, I began to catch people who had gone out too hard, I stayed in my aero position as much as possible and drilled it for the last few miles. 

Off the bike and running into transition I remembered why it’s important to train for the run off the bike. My legs were gone. I had another slow transition hoping that my legs would clear out, but I knew I didn't have time to wait so off I stumbled onto the run. I had come into the race with a goal of running 7min miles off the bike, but a stiff headwind and the granite trail laid waste to that plan. I was shuffling along at an 8min pace hoping for it to all be over when finally my legs began to remember how to run and the trail turned just enough to take the sting out of the wind. With a couple of racers just up ahead my pace began to pick up 7:30 for a little then 7:15. With the finish line in the distance I came across the days most inspiring athlete- Laurie Allen who was making her triumphant return to triathlon after a fall (I think) that left her in a wheel chair. Seeing Laurie and her amazing support team pushing on towards the finish made the last 1/4 mile a breeze. I crossed the line grabbed a drink and cooled down then doubled back to the line just in time to see Laurie finish, amidst loud cheers, hugs, and tears of joy.

4) Were you happy with the result? How did you think you were going to do?

Overall I am pretty stoked with the result, I know with more time in the pool and some triathlon specific training a podium could have been possible but all things considered it was a great race.

5) Quote of the day? 

“I can’t do ________… yet.”

 That is Laurie's mantra. Her positive outlook and forward perspective is truly inspirational. If Laurie can do it after suffering a spinal cord injury, then there is no excuse left. Dust off that bike, air up the tires, grab your shoes or goggles, set some goals- and crush them.

Jacks Generic tri was a great event, it's been going on for 15 years so they have got absolutely everything dialed. Big shout out to High Five Events for a great day.

So there it is! What's next for the RWYB bike? Email us and let us know what event you want us to tackle next!