Misfortune in Vina Del Mar

    Just got back from the race site after disappointment at 6kms into the bike leg of my elite olympic distance debut. With the course riddled with glass next to the curb ( o and rocks and horse manure, don't forget those either) I was unfortunate enough to come upon 2 shards that took me out of the race. Had I been close to the wheel pit my race would have continued on probably still in the front pack (considering the lead established on chasepack 1), however I had just passed the transition site (and wheel pit) by about 1-1.5kms of a 5km loop. The rules of the race don't allow athletes to travel backwards on the course and so I would have had to ride 3.5-4kms on a flat carbon tubular rim = not an option (unless I wanted to break a $2000 wheel in the process). This is a very frustrating experience for me especially under these circumstances and the fact that I came 2nd out of the water with a group of 3 other athletes (Jenkins GBR - 5th, Wiltshire GBR - 6th and Varias ARG - 7th)  We were still with ahead of 10 or so other athletes in the first chase pack (later this merged and spread to a lead group of 10 going into T2). I got a great view of the run and bike from the sidelines and saw my fellow countrymen come through with some solid but somewhat difficult finishes (AP 17th and Matt V 21st, just missing the points cut) The race dynamic  presented a great opportunity with the strong British contingent present for the race. This made it less of running race, spreading out the feild (chase pack was 2.5mins - 3mins back going out of T2). From this race I learned the the swim leg is considerably easier than I had estimated (the water was choppy but pace was easy to maintain), speed through transition is crucial in order to maintain a strong lead out of the water and that bike fitness is weighted a lot heavier than in Jr. racing. Putting the flats behind me and getting on some training before the brazil FAST triathlon where the 3 amigos plan to crush some teams and cash in on the race. Until next time..
Peace