Pineapple Hill Road Race

This post is waaaaaay over due....and then I will get to the post I've been meaning to write, but it's taken me a long time to get together what and how I want to talk about my foot!

I've said this many times before, but bike races are hard!

Pineapple hill road race is a little local race here on Oahu. It's actually a pretty small race (we live on a small island). There were only 6 women total doing the entire race. It's a two loop race (about 30 miles) for the women (2 years ago we did 3 loops, I wish it was still 3 loops, 2 loops is to short in my opinion). Usually the first loop of the race starts out pretty mellow and then after the decent on the second loop, people start to execute plans and work with their people.

This year was different. It's hard doing a bike race without a "team" or people to work with. I'd much rather the starter say go, and everyone work on their own and whoever gets to the end first wins, no drafting, everyone for yourself...but that's not bike racing. Oh well.

The first loop was pretty mellow, the second loop two girls took off on the decent and for the life of me I just couldn't pedal hard/fast enough to keep up. I knew I could work to get them back on the hill, but it's so frustrating getting blown away DOWNHILL!!!

see...sitting on my wheel trying
to make me go slow

Chiyo had already taken off on the first lap....then there were 3. I saw the two other girls up ahead on the second climb and they weren't that far, if I put in some work I could totally catch them and then wouldn't you know it, one of the girls dropped back. Great! So, her new plan was let's pull this girl far away and wait for Lectie to come by and then I will sit on her wheel the whole way up the hill and make sure she doesn't catch my teammate that I just worked to pull ahead. Stupid bike races. But that's how they work and if you have a team and teammates strategy plays a big role and you can't fault them for having a plan. That's what you do.

Well, that's exactly what happened, except....I was able to bridge the gap and catch right back up and pass her teammate! Now, I was pulling both of them! Argh! Bike races! Then, they both took off on me right before the last turn near the end of the race and with everything I had, I could not go with them. The girl, I pulled up Pineapple Hill was gone and she was not catch-able. But the other one was within reach with less than a mile to go, I put my head down and went for it and was able to catch her within 50 yards of the finish!

Long story short, bike races are hard, it's more fun with a team, they should let us ride with the boys, I don't like drafting in racing.

Thanks Sau for the pictures!