My First Aquabike Event

Did I participate in the UMLY triathlon this year? No,  Did I try the new aquabike (swim + bike) event? Yes.

The swim event was run entirely different from previous years.  Instead of a wave start where about 12 people swim in the pool at one time, followed by another wave, each swimmer was started about one minute apart and you swam a zig-zag pattern across the pool.  It worked!

I was amazed that I even passed someone in the pool.  This only happens when a) the passer is a very fast swimmer or b) the passee lied about her estimated time for swimming 500 meters.  Let's dispel a) right away as I am not a fast swimmer.  The woman I passed must be really slow, but gave a really optimistic time estimate.

The bike route was longer than before and had quite a few new turns to stay on course.  I had practiced the route the week before, however I still managed to miss a turn.  On the return route there was a cop signalling to me to make a left hand turn from Sugartown onto Church Rd.  Due to a brain freeze I zipped right past him following the route from the previous year.  I quickly realized my mistake, braked hard, and circled back.  I even apologized to the cop for my mistake (did I think he was going to give me a ticket?).  Must have added 20 seconds to my overall time.

A final comment on my placement.  First the good news -- I finished first in my age bracket.  Now the bad news -- I was the only one in my age bracket and was last among the six male finishers.   I still had fun (but no photos at all).

Swim (500 m) 15:13
Transition          5:50
Bike (20 km)   55:54
Total             1:16:17