Ten years later, I’m back where my first sanctioned race was at. And a race I’ve done as much as possible (injuries and bike issues have kept me from racing a couple times).
As Scott and I rolled the tandem towards Centennial Beach, I noticed that one of the tires was flat. I didn’t think too much of it at the time, as it’s normal for times to deflate over time. However, it wasn’t something that could be fixed by a simple re-inflation.
After arriving at the beach, we discovered that the rear tire had a huge gash in it. I don’t know when that occurred, but there wasn’t enough time to go back for a spare. So the bike mechanics came up with the idea of putting a second tube around the normal one as a large “patch”. While I was nervous about it, I was willing to give it a go…
After finishing transition set up, we headed to swim start. As usual, the swim was a “mixer”. At least this year, no one physically climbed onto my back…
After a normal T1, we headed out onto the bike. Knowing what the rear wheel was like, we took it more cautiously / slower at times. I’ll admit that the Texas race was in the back of my mind the ENTIRE bike. But I trusted Scott to keep me safe, so it worked out. 🙂
After a normal T2, we headed out on the run. While it was the normal struggle, it seemed to go a bit better.
Thanks to Scott for guiding me and to all of those who helped to make it a successful race!
