What this blog is about

Bicycle commuting, bicycle touring, bicycle racing; bicycle ADVENTURING.
To the grocery store, up a mountain, across the country or to the finish line--
it's all an adventure.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Theorhetical DIY Ironman Bike Route

Hm. So I mentioned that I'm simmering on plans of concocting a Do-it-Yourself Ironman. No $700 registration fee-- just mark a date on the calendar and do it on home turf.


My Prerequisites:
  • The route has to be fun. Good scenery, no boring laps.
  • The route has to be convenient. Start and finish close to home.
  • The route must be efficient, so as to not take too long.
  • The route must incorporate awesome food stops.
  • Transitions between legs should allow for an unhurried, complete change of clothing. I'm going to wear socks, dammit! And an actual chamois.
  • Incorporate 'checkpoints' so that friends may join in for a portion and to keep on schedule.
  • I should be fairly self-sufficient, and not overly relying on car support.
  • It should be FUN!

So here's what I came up with; I think it achieves everything except efficiency. Riding in the city just takes longer- more stops.



My Projected Timeline:

5:00a - Start SWIM @ Lake Sammamish State Park.
6:30a - Finish swim, TRANSITION into bike kit.
7:00a - Start BIKE toward Seattle.
9:30a - EAT BRUNCH @ Portage Bay Cafe in Seattle.
10:30a - Continue BIKE.
pm - Late LUNCH stop @ Black Diamond Bakery.
7:00p - Start TRAIL RUN @ base of Tiger Mountain.
Midnight - FINISH! With a bonfire. And MORE FOOD.


The kinks that I see in the plan are these:
  1. The bike will take so darn long because of all the city riding.
  2. Running in the dark in the woods sounds spooky, even with friends, headlamps and a 5 mile loop.
  3. I'm concerned that I would be too reliant on outside support to pull it off.
  4. There are some trail running adventures (my most recent love affair) that I could plan instead that would have far fewer logistics!

Hm. Still stewing..



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