Hincapie Gran Fondo race report

The alarm woke me (and Karel) up at 5:30am so that I had time to eat a pre-race/event meal (2 waffles + PB, syrup and banana for me) and to warm-up with a cup of coffee.

My athlete/good friend Meredith arrived to our house (via car) at 7am and we all drove to the parking area for the Hincapie Gran Fondo, about 20 minutes away. I rode with Meredith to chat about the execution for the "fun" 80-mile bike event while Karel followed in his car.

I'm sure you can agree with me when I say that you can't help but get excited when you see other like-minded individuals doing what you love to do. Despite the mid 40-degree temps, there was a big field full of vehicles, all with bike racks and a road lined with cyclists, heading a mile down the road to Hotel Domestique.

It was very nostalgic as it reminded me of all of the bike events that I went to with Karel. 

After riding our bikes on the hwy for 1 mile (we had the shoulder, which was marked off with cones - again, a well organized event!) we arrived to the hotel around 7:50am, with about 20 minutes to spare before we could position ourselves in the corral.

We dropped off our gear bags, stopped at the port-o-potty one last time and then secured our spot near the front of the corral.....only to wait there for the next 50 minutes. 

Despite the shivering, we had a good time in the corral. We were cracking jokes, I organized some photos on my phone, we took some selfies and we enjoyed listening to the announcer (Chad) get the crowd pumped up for the adventures ahead.

After the pro and VIP call-ups, it was time to start our ride at 9am. It was about 2 minutes later that we finally started to roll our wheels up the hill. The ride stayed neutral for just a short time and then we finally started to pick up speed. 

Although I am calling this a race (start line, finish line, bib number w/ chip = race), I had absolutely no expectations for this event. My number one goal was to give my best effort throughout all 80-miles, ride confidently with my improved bike handling skills and be challenged by the other cyclists who could bring out the best in  me. And I also couldn't wait to climb as I love the feeling of going up a hill (or a mountain). 

The first hour went by fast. It's amazing how one stretch of road can go by so quick when the road is lined with cyclists. I found myself with several small groups of riders but every group seemed to be a bit disorganized with no rotating and breaks in the group. Throughout the entire ride, I made sure to take care of myself with hydration/calories and paying attention to the road and riders ahead of me. I've learned a lot from Karel and three tips that I always remember when riding in groups: 

1) Don't ride behind sketchy riders or behind people who you don't like their riding style

2) Don't depend on anyone else - take care of yourself and do what you need to do to not get dropped

3) Move yourself up in the areas where you don't excel (ex. sharp turns, u-turns, downhills) so that you don't get dropped

Karel managed to move up to the front lead pack of riders right away as his bike handling skills allowed him to squeeze through all the riders ahead of us in the staging area. Looking back, I should have made more of an effort to try to follow him instead of patiently waiting until there was room to find my own clear path. Karel "raced" with the lead group to the top of Skyuka mountain, in the company of Andrew Crater (and his girlfriend Debbie, who won the female race) and George Hincapie (and other pros). Later Karel told me that George was not even working hard on Skyuka and he made it look so easy as Karel was really giving a hard effort to the top.

When Karel got to the top of Skyuka, his legs reminded him that he was not yet recovered from Kona/3 IM's this summer so he backed off the effort and just focused on surviving back to the finish. He later told me that he should have just backed off a gear on Skyuka and then he could have rode comfortably with the second big group (which George and other pros). 

Once we turned off Hwy 11, the fun began. I found myself riding well in a group and then when a climb came, I moved myself up to the next group. Because it was so windy out, I made sure to not expend more energy than needed - in other words, even if a group was not super fast, I had to decide if the group was worth leaving just to do my own solo effort in the windy conditions.

Although it was cold out, I was dressed well with compression socks, cycling shorts, a base layer t-shirt, a jersey and arm warmers. I also had gloves (which I took off after the descend down Skyuka) and ear covers. I would roll down my arm warmers during the longer climbs and then roll back up. It was an absolutely wonderful day to ride - although extremely windy. 

The ride around Lake Lanier was fast - it's like a rollercoaster with twisty switchbacks with hardly any climbing. One thing that really helped me out with my ability to ride confidently on this course was knowing every mile of this 80-mile course. This is why we always tell our athletes to know their upcoming race courses because it helps with terrain management and you can execute so much better on a familiar course than one that is unknown.

Once we went through the town of Tryon (which had a nice cheering section for us as we rode by), we were only a few miles or so away from the start of the Skyuka climb. It's been almost a year since I have done this climb so it felt very knew to me and I was excited to experience it again.

Around 26 miles into the ride, I was climbing the first KOM. I didn't hold anything back but at the same time, I wasn't leaving it all out on the course as I still had a long way to go (with 2 more big climbs) until the finish.

The climb is tough as the grade is steep and there is no section that lets you "recover" with an easy spin. You give a solid effort (you have no choice) all the way to the top for 4+ miles. 

I found myself passing a lot of guys and I felt like I was really moving. Part of me wished that I had someone to push me up (ex. sitting on Karel's wheel) as I felt like I was giving a good effort but I wanted to be challenged a little more. Perhaps it was for the best because later I learned that I had the 3rd fastest female time up Skyuka. 

I made sure to enjoy the unbelievable mountain view at the top but I didn't stop to take any pictures as I didn't want to get cold before the technical descend. The aid station stop was less than 1/2 mile from the top so I quickly stopped (and looked for Karel in case he waited for me - nope!) to refill my water bottle (I had gone through 1 bottle of 250 calories in 26 miles).

I noticed a large group of cyclists but didn't pay attention to who was there. My only thought was that I need to get down this technical descend before they do so that I can hopefully hang with them for the next climb - Howard's Gap.

I made my way down the descend but it wasn't without one quick pic. Despite the scary descend, there are water falls and a few of the views between the trees are spectacular. The pavement was sketchy, just like the tight switchback turns but the volunteer support was amazing and with the few cars out on the road, they always gave us the right of way.

I made my way down the descend while having a heart-to-heart conversation with my brakes (please don't burn off!) and was so relieved to be on the bottom.

After a mile or so, I looked back and saw the group coming so I made sure to ease up so that I could try to get on a wheel. 

Luckily, by the time we hit Howard's Gap (how brutal, it's just a few miles after the Skyuka climb!) the wind was blowing right in our face (as if that climb isn't hard enough!) the group was riding at a controlled effort and I was able to "hang on" just fine up the climb. 

While riding with the group, I wasn't paying attention to who was around me. I had a short conversation with another lady (not sure if she was a participant or not as I didn't see her bib number)  who was riding extremely strong. She mentioned she use to race bikes.

Once we got to the top of the Howard Gap climb, I was SO relieved. Although we still had a good 50 miles to go, I felt like the hard part was over and now I could have some fun!

The group made a quick pee stop before descending down into Saluda (and by descending, there is still climbing going on in the mix) so I continued on for a few miles before the group caught me again. I didn't want to face the risk of possibly losing the group when they started after the pee stop (as I am not so great at rapid accelerations or punchy efforts) so I always tried to stay ahead of the group when they stopped.

When we made our way to start the last section of the ride - the Green River Cove loop - it occurred to me that I was not just in any group.

I finally made the effort to look around me and I realized that I was riding with George Hincapie, Christian Vande Velde, Jimmy Johnson, Brent Brookwalter and likely some other pros that Karel would recognize. 

THIS IS THE GROUP I NEED TO STAY WITH!

Although I'm sure I would have had fun with any other group as the course was well marked, there were event course marshals out on bikes to offer support and cops controlling traffic (although very few cars were out)....there were a few extra perks with this group that I was riding with.....

We had wheel support, a video camera on us, a motorcycle escort, tech support, vehicles all around us for safety....yes, this is how you ride in style :)

My biggest fear was losing the group on the Green River Cove "descend" as it has a few technical turns that I am not yet comfortable turning into at top speeds (and with a group). I did my best and managed to stay with the group until one really tight switchback (while descending) where I lost the group. Luckily, I had heard George say they would be stopping at an aid station coming up (I knew the location) so I didn't stress too much as I just needed to get to the aid station before they left the stop. 

When I stopped, I spotted Trimarni athlete Joe so it was nice to see a familiar face. I asked if he saw Karel anywhere but Karel was long gone from the start of the ride. I told Joe he needs to stay with me in this group and just like my excitement, we both were feeling pretty cool on two wheels to be riding in this elite group of cyclists.

I can't say enough about the Green Cove River route but it is beautiful. Although at this point in the event, my legs were feeling a bit fatigued. I was still able to ride well but the pace really picked up and I was struggling to hang on. I had a lot of mental talks with myself "you can't get dropped now!" so I really pushed the effort to try to survive with this group. For the first time since I got into this group around mile 35 or so, they were riding hard (or maybe I was just getting tired).

I was having a hard time drafting and sometimes I was one bike behind but thankfully, a rider behind me would give me a push on my butt to get me back on a wheel (thank you whoever did that for me!).

I was really worried about what would happen when we hit the last KOM climb as I was feeling tired and I didn't know what the group would do ahead of me, but when we started the climb, there I was moving up. I wasn't able to push  like I could on Skyuka, and with 17 switchbacks (and a few extra in between the categorized ones), I was doing the best I could.

There were signs at every switchback letting us know how many more we had...

"16 out of 17 switchbacks left"

"15 out of switchbacks left"

Etc.

After the KOM ended, I knew it was all downhill......that is, until we kept climbing back to Saluda and then climbing some more, until we reached the South Carolina border in the Watershed.

I met up with a friend from Jax, Dirk Bockel (Challenge Roth winner, IM Kona 5th place pro, Olympian) and we chatted a bit and it was just what I needed as it took my mind away from the fatigue in my legs. I really wanted to stay with the group as long as I could because I wanted Karel to see who I was riding with (I knew Karel would be impressed and happy for me) at the finish.

With 10 miles of a slight net decline down the Watershed, I new that if I wasn't with the group at the top of the watershed, I wouldn't be able to finish the group.

This "descend" was unreal. With support vehicles all around us to stop cars, I was in a huge group going 29-31mph for 10 miles - oh the thrill! I didn't look at my speed during the ride but I could feel we were going fast. It was so fun!

When we finished the watershed section, we only had a few miles to home. At this point, I was still with the group and everyone was chatting. I thought the effort would go up but I saw that George's son Enzo was with our group, it was a great way to end the ride - causally riding up to the finish. 

 

Well, little did I know....my race was "lost" in this casual effort to the finish. I missed the podium by 18 seconds!

I could have easily gone on my own and sprinted up to the finish to get those 18 seconds (I wouldn't have been able to get those 18 seconds anywhere else as the group helped me ride faster than I could do alone) but I had no idea that I would even be close to the top, let along top 10, at this cycling only event.

Well, lesson learned with a tough love post race talk from Karel telling me that it's never over until you reach the finish line. 

There was a slight mix-up in our chips (Karel had my chip on his bib number) so we had to tell them at the finish so that the right results were shown for the awards.

After grabbing my jacket from my gear bag (I was windy and cool out), I was so ready for some food and to sit down and rest.

I was pretty exhausted in the evening as the ride, coupled with the cold, took a little out of me but I was really proud to have finished behind two professional female cyclists and 3rd place, a pro triathlete from Canada.

Although I had the 3rd fastest chip time, they went by total time - bummer.

I took a lot away from this race and like any event, I learn so much as an athlete. The more opportunities I have to be in a "race" environment, the more prepared I feel at my next race.

There's always mistakes to be made, lessons to learn and obstacles to overcome but as long as you don't give up, you will create success. 

Hincapie Gran Fondo - quick report

There was a time when I was afraid to be on two wheels in a group ride. My skills were sketchy, I didn't feel one with my bike, I wasn't able to anticipate the dynamics of riding with other people, my cycling fitness didn't allow me to push when the group ride effort increased, my bike handling skills were horrible, my reaction time on my bike was non-existent and above all, I was afraid to ride around more experienced cyclists.
I didn't grow up riding a bike so being on two wheels always felt foreign to me.
Lucky me - I happened to marry a very experienced cyclist.

Like with any fear in life, if you avoid what makes you feel uncomfortable, you'll never get better.

When we moved to Greenville, SC. in May 2014, I traded the beach for the mountains and I was forced to become a better cyclist. Since learning how to ride a tri bike back in 2006 for my first season of endurance triathlons (a half and a full IM), it wasn't until we moved to Greenville, 8 years later, that I really found myself learning how to ride a bike.

It's crazy to think how uncomfortable I was riding a bike for the first 8 years of triathlon racing yet I continued to want to get better as a triathlete. Karel always told me that my skills needed a lot of improvement if I wanted to get faster on the bike.
As a coach, a big part of me is upset that I didn't make more of an effort to work on my cycling skills earlier in my tri career (like really devote myself to improving my skills instead of just every now and then trying something once) because I realize now that not only was I limiting my performance potential by lacking with proper cycling skills but it was also unsafe for me to be out on the triathlon race courses as a very inexperienced cyclist on a tri bike.

Thankfully, I am married to a cat 1 cyclist who just happens to know a thing or two (or everything) about bike riding. When Karel gets on his bike, it's as if he is walking - it comes so natural, like one foot in front of the other.

I have watched Karel race bikes and I have studied his skills. I pay close attention to him when he rides to learn from his expertise. Despite our battles on two wheels (like when Karel wants me to stay on his wheel or try a new skill and I feel anxious about trying something new but I know it's for my own good and I still argue with him anyways), my progression as a "cyclist" was a long time coming.

While I still feel like I have many improvements to make on two wheels, I have finally embraced the fact that if I want to be a strong, fast and skillful cyclist, but also a cyclist who is safe on the road that is shared with cars and other athletes, I can never ever stop working on my cycling skills and I have to continue to put myself into scary situations on the bike to make myself more comfortable.
If you constantly ignore your fears, you can't improve.

After 2.5 years of living in Greenville, I can confidently say that not only has my endurance, resilience, strength and speed improved greatly in our new riding terrain (where we either go up or down - there's little "flat" where we ride) but my skills are better than ever before.
It's interesting because even when we have a Trimarni camp here (group or private), our campers improve their skills dramatically in just the 2-4 days that they are with us. I'm not kidding when I say that Greenville riding forces you to become a better cyclist.
I can corner, take sharp turns, descend, anticipate climbs, change my gears, react and climb better than ever before. There is still work to be done but after participating in the Hincapie Gran Fondo 80-mile event on Saturday, I couldn't be more proud of myself as my "performance" on two wheels was nearly 10 years in the making.

This was our first time participating in the Hincapie Gran Fondo and now that the event has passed, we can both agree that we WILL be back again next year. Of course, it is nice that we only live about 20 minutes away from the event start BUT the event was well worth the registration fee.

We received a jersey, bottle of wine, bib numbers (with chip for timing), great post event food (for athletes and family/friends at Hotel Domestique) and best of all, a fully supported course for 80-miles with great signage, cops everywhere controlling any cars on the road, stocked SAG stops (which I didn't utilize except to refill my bottles), wheel and tech support and over 1500+ participants.
Although the Gran Fondo was an event, there was a start and a finish and timing so technically, it was a "race" for some but an event to conquer for most.



Karel and I have been on every part of this course but never combined all together. Here is the Map My Ride Gran course if you are in the area and would like to do the ride. The great thing about where we live is that we have many accessible riding roads (like endless routes) which are very bike friendly. You can safely do this ride anytime of the year.
We try to incorporate most of this ride into our training camps just because it is filled with challenging climbs but also absolutely beautiful scenery.
The course included 3 significant climbs (Skyuka, Howard's Gap and Green River Cove) but in between every climb is.....more climbing. Almost 8100 feet - which is very typical as most of our rides come out to about 1000 feet of climbing per hour of riding.

I can't say enough great things about this event and it was so nice to give myself a morning to be on two wheels, with other like-minded individuals, just enjoying nature....with a bit of suffering. Nothing makes me feel more alive than when I am on my bike, in the mountains.

Although it was cold to start and there was a lot of suffering as I found myself riding with some exceptional cyclists for over 50 miles (more details soon in my event/race recap), inside, I was so incredibly happy to be on my bike for 80-miles on Saturday morning.

I love every part of this event course (except Howard's Gap - the hardest climb we have here and you don't know how hard it is until you do it) and I almost didn't want the event to end. The 80-miles went by so quickly and I was just so happy for the almost 5-hours that it took me to cover the 80-miles on this course.

Here are the RESULTS.
It's hard to believe it but even without a swim and a run, I feel like my event/race recap is going to be tough to gather the right words to describe this incredible experience on two wheels.

So for now......

Marni GRAN 80-mile STATS (according to my Garmin 810):
Start time: 9am
Elevation gain: 8074
Total Miles: 79.8
Total ride time: 4:40.25
NP power: 180 watts
Average speed: 17.1 mph
Average cadence: 80 rpm
Highest heart rate: 166 bpm
Average heart rate: 138 bpm
Temperature: 50 degrees to start, 46 degrees on top of Syukua mountain, 64 degrees to finish (average temp 53 degrees)
Fastest speed: 41.4 mph
Fastest section: Watershed descend, 10 minutes, 31.3 mph

Skyuka Mountain - 4.22 miles, 1804 elevation gain, 9% average grade, 31:07 minutes to climb, 8.13 mph average, 73 average cadence (slowest speed 3.52 mph, slowest cadence 55)

Howard's Gap - 2.03 miles, 961 elevation gain, 11% average grade, 16:12 minutes to climb, 7.5 mph average, 63 average cadence (slowest speed 3.63mph, slowest cadence 39)

Green River Cove climb (17 switchbacks)-  2.05 miles, 1503 elevation gain, 8% average grade, 16:40 to climb, 7.36 mph average, average cadence 70, (slowest speed 2.8 mph, slowest cadence 40)

Overall female: 4th (missed 3rd by 18 seconds but 3rd place according to chip time)
Overall: 73rd
Skyuka mountain KOM: 3rd female

Karel also participated in the event and he had so much fun as the entire experience took him back to his bike racing days. He raced with the guys at the front of the race (including a few pros, like George Hincapie making it all look so easy) and really pushed up Skyuka. At that point, Karel's legs reminded him that he just raced at the IM World Championship a few weeks prior so he had to back off the effort and just survive to get back to the finish. But nonetheless, he had a great time on his bike as he is always happy on two wheels.

Just riding along... with George Hincapie!

Yep, that happened on Sunday (July 20th). 

Best bike ride EVER!

Riding with THE George Hincapie, 17 x Tour de France finisher. 

Ever since my dad passed away 59 days ago, there hasn't been a day that I haven't thought about my dad.

My dad had a great love of life, no matter where he was or what obstacle was in his way, he had a smile on his face, a great sense of humor and an ongoing love of being alive. 

My dad never appeared stressed out by life. I wish I could say the same for me for I find myself easily stressed out at times. 

I am sure we all wish we could be just like my dad and act in a way as if life was just easy. 

I know that there were times in my dad's life that were not easy and certainly, fighting stage IV cancer for the last 10 months of his life was no easy task. 

Stress affects us all differently but we all have stress in life. Stress is very subjective for it is hard to define and even more difficult to measure. 

How is it that we can experience the same experience twice and one time feel stressed and the other time feel relaxed or comfortable with something out of our control? 

Jobs, life, family, relationships, travel, diet, health....why can we not escape stress in life? 

Well, because life IS stressful!

If there is one thing that I have learned in life that I will never forget is that life will never be stress free. There will always be something and at the most in-opportune time, that is not desirable (insert "why now?"). 

But if there is one thing that my dad taught me, that I will never forget, is that life should be enjoyed and if stress levels get too high, the body can become unhealthy and unhappy and that is no way to live life. 

I've never been one to believe that the grass is greener on the other side for a beautifully landscaped lawn requires a lot of work, time and money. So to believe that your life is so extremely stressful and difficult but someone else has it easier, is not the way that you should be living life. 

When we decided to move to Greenville, SC, we knew this would be an extremely stressful time in our life as small business owners and competitive age group triathletes. Sure, it presented opportunities which helped us make our decision that Greenville was the place to call home after spending 6 years in Jacksonville, but this didn't mean that life instantly became less stressful. 

Karel and I may live an extreme lifestyle to some but we enjoy a very simple life. 

We take good care of ourselves through sleep, stress management and the diet, which paves a smooth(er) road for us to enjoy an active lifestyle. 

We could not be more happy about our new home in Greenville, SC. for when times are stressful (and they are and will always be), there is a wide open playground for us to live in a way that we can't help but smile and just love experiencing life. 

Karel and I are no strangers to busy schedules. If you know me well, I function best with a lot on my plate and feel very uncomfortable with my life if I have nothing to do. 

But a busy schedule without time to enjoy life is meaningless for the reason why we should work so hard is to do things that make us happy and feel so incredibly grateful to be alive. 

Triathlon training brings me great happiness because I love to swim, bike and run. But remove racing and structured training and get rid of all the gadgets and I just love moving my body. It's that simple. 

Happiness is moving my body as I create memories and I am so happy that on Sunday, July 20th, that I was able to make amazing memories with Karel, our friends from Jax and wow, George Hincapie. 

We all handle react, manage and deal with stress differently. It is not my job to tell you how you should live your life but I do feel the need to express my passion for making sure that you make the most out of your days. 

I know my dad would be so happy that I am continuing to love life, especially in between all of the stressful times. 

We had a few triathlete friends (Lane, Jennifer, Shawn B, Shawn F, Holt, Flint) from Jax nearby in Clemson for their training camp and Karel and I could not wait to show off our new bike friendly, beautiful country roads that include a lot of climbing and very little flatness. A BIG change from Florida. 

However, because of a rainy day on Saturday, our exciting ride plans changed. 

Karel planned a great ride for us on Saturday but sadly, we had to go with plan B which included a run on the treadmills for us followed by strength. Our friends ran on a trail and then headed out on their bikes in the afternoon for a few hours. 

Karel and I checked and checked and re-checked the weather all day on Saturday and we trusted the weatherman who told us that we would have no rain until 10am on Sunday. We hoped for the best. 

So, with a new plan, our friends met us at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe in Greenville at 8am and with overcast skies and mid 70's outside, we were off for our ride. 

Karel had two options (~64 or 90 miles) for the ride and because our friends had to drive home to Jax in the afternoon, we kinda played it by ear throughout the morning. 

Karel and I really enjoyed having some of our friends ride with us on our new home turf where a normal ride for us includes at least 2500-3000 feet of climbing. 

Did I mention that we love to climb? 

After we finished  part of a 9 mile climb, it started to rain a little so we turned around half way up the climb (after 5 miles) just to make sure that we didn't get stuck in a storm, especially on the way down (my descending skills have improved but I wouldn't put myself into Karel's bike racing category just yet). 

We ended up turning around after about 2.5 hours (or so) of riding and although the first part of our ride was beautiful (despite a little rain and cloudy skies), it was time to show off some of our favorite roads, especially the ones near George Hincapie's Hotel Domestique. 

As we were nearing his hotel, I mentioned to our friends that we have seen Hincapie out riding a few times with his hotel guests or other riders and it is just so great to see Hincapie on the bike in beautiful Greenville. 

As we were passing his hotel, we see a rider come down the hill and would you believe me when I said that it was George Hincapie? 

I do not think we could have timed this story any better for it was the coolest thing for our friends to see Hincapie on his bike as we were just riding along and talking about him.

George pulled into his hotel and started chatting with some of his hotel guests outside and our friend Shawn, who is a big George fan (who isn't?) went to say hi. 

George mentioned to Shawn that if he wanted to wait a few minutes, he would ride with our group. 

In Shawn's words "I would have waited hours!" We would agree!

So there you have it....George offering to ride with us, show us some back roads and talking to each of us, just socializing as if he is one of the gang. 

Of course, Karel has a lot more in common with George than the rest of us for Karel has raced bikes all his life and knows all things bike related. So I can't say how cool it was to see Karel and George talking as if they went waaayy back. Talking about bikes while riding bikes...total heaven for Karel. 

Despite 18 hilly miles after already riding almost 3 hours, my legs were alive! There was absolutely no way that I was not going to have the ride of my life, riding with George by his side or on his wheel.
It was as if the roads were flat and I was fresh off my off-season. 

The ride was not tough or intense but the roads are challenging so I wouldn't say it was "easy". 

But there was nothings stressful about this ride. 

All I can say was it was FUN and I felt so lucky to be healthy, happy and alive!

Shawn and Karel - good friends, going way back to when we moved to Jax.

Life is not perfect and it will never be. 

Life is stressful and it will never be stress-free. 

But you have the opportunity to make the most out of every situation and if you wait for the perfect time to do something, you may miss out on life's amazing opportunities. 

Go live!