112 Mile Bike
Note: click pics to enlarge them.

Getting on The Bike.
I picked up my swim-to-bike transition bag and headed for the changing tent. The volunteers helped me get my bike stuff on and stuff my swim clothing back into the bag. Then the suntan lotion team covered me with SPF 45 sunblock from head to toe. I picked up my bike from the rack and started on the course. By this time, it was about 8:45am and the sun was starting to heat up. It turned out to be 85 degrees and sunny with 90% humidity that day. Nothing like a little ride to heat things up. I just wanted to get through the bike enough energy for the run, so I started out at a nice even pace and kept it there for a while. It turned out to be a pretty windy day, and we had a headwind for a large portion of the time, but it was extremely flat for the first 40 miles or so...

The Bike Course.
They actually had some nice rolling hills on the course. It was a good thing because I was starting to go buggy with the monotony of the first part of the course. The sun was beating down hard by now and I was trying to stay hydrated and fueled. They had aid stations every 10 miles with water, Gatorade, bananas, and GU. I carryed Balance Bars with me and every hour I had 1 Balance Bar, 2 salt tablets, and 45-60 oz of water/Gatorade (half and half). Interesting note - despite the 45-60 oz of fluids every hour, I didn't go to the bathroom once ALL DAY. Amazing. The course was well marked and the police did an amazing job with the traffic. My feet didn't leave the pedals once the entire 112 miles! I finished strong (tailwind!) and moved into the transition area again.
I picked up my bike-to-run transition bag, changed,
and headed out for the run...