Looks like another triathlon has been added to the local race calendar. The inaugural Folly Beach Challenge is set for Sunday, September 27. This is an off-road triathlon consisting of paddling, biking, and running. After a 3-mile paddle on the Folly River to Folly Beach County Park, participants will bike 8.5 miles (round-trip) on the sands of Folly. Then a 3 mile run, which I assume will be on the beach as well. Sounds like a bus will transport participants from the race site to the kayak launch site, but not sure about that.
There are solo and team options (3 person). Packet pick up will take place on September 26 from 10am-2pm and on race day from 6:30am to 7:30am at Folly Beach County Park. Online registration will end September 23. There will be no race day registration.
The race will be capped at 300 participants. T-shirts will be available to participants who have registered prior to September 12. If available, late registration will take place at packet pick-up on September 26 . The website doesn't mention if you can rent kayaks or not, but for more information, you can call 843-795-4FUN (4386).
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
New Half Ironman event in South Carolina
Finally, another half ironman distance triathlon in South Carolina. On October 10, 2009, for the First Annual Long Bay Triathlon will take place in Litchfield/Murrell’s Inlet at Huntington Beach State Park. This is a half ironman distance event – 1.2 mile ocean swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run.
I’m happy to see another half iron race in South Carolina. Until now, we’ve had only Setup’s SC Half Ironman in Greenwood. That’s a great event, but it’s the only long distance triathlon in the state. Other half iron options, that don’t require too much travel, include the Rock n’ Roll Half Ironman in Macon, GA and the Whitelake Half in Whitelake, NC.
Race Info
Registration is now open. The cost is $165 for individual participants. They also just added a relay option for $250. This race is a USAT sanctioned event.
The swim is a 2-loop, out and back, wave start, ocean swim. Water temperature is expected to be in the low 70’s, so wetsuits will be allowed unless water temps go above 78 degrees. The swim cutoff time is 1hr 10 minutes.
The bike portion is a relatively flat 56 mile course with 3 aid stations. This course is not closed to traffic, and the cut off time is 5:30 from your race wave start time.
The run is also relatively flat, consisting of a 13.1 mile loop consisting of beach, trail, and road sections. There will be 5 aid stations on the run course. The run cut off time is 8:30 from your race wave start.
Concerns
Putting on a race this size requires a lot of work, volunteers, money, and attention to detail. Hopefully, this race will go off without a hitch. But I can’t really tell from the website if this outfit has experience producing races this size. The race director is listed on the website, but not the production company, so I assume it’s his show.
Personally, I like to know if the production company or individual has experience with large-scale events. I only mention this because a race this distance really needs all the controls in place – aid station supplies, medical staff, traffic control, volunteers, timing, etc. I wouldn’t be concerned if it were a road race or sprint triathlon, but a long distance event like this is a different beast. Just more time for things to go wrong. And first-time events, regardless of distance, always seem to have more hiccups along the way.
Initially, very little information was available on the website, but they continue updating and adding information, which leads me to believe this is a ‘work in progress.’ For example, it looks like they recently changed the race date from the 11th to the 10th. No big deal, but before I pay $165 for a race, I really want to know that all the bases are covered, that the event will be safe, and honestly, that it will be worth the money.
They are definitely working in the right direction. Hopefully, if they haven’t already, they will secure enough sponsors and volunteers to make this event something special because I really appreciate having another race option so close to home. Stay tuned.
I’m happy to see another half iron race in South Carolina. Until now, we’ve had only Setup’s SC Half Ironman in Greenwood. That’s a great event, but it’s the only long distance triathlon in the state. Other half iron options, that don’t require too much travel, include the Rock n’ Roll Half Ironman in Macon, GA and the Whitelake Half in Whitelake, NC.
Race Info
Registration is now open. The cost is $165 for individual participants. They also just added a relay option for $250. This race is a USAT sanctioned event.
The swim is a 2-loop, out and back, wave start, ocean swim. Water temperature is expected to be in the low 70’s, so wetsuits will be allowed unless water temps go above 78 degrees. The swim cutoff time is 1hr 10 minutes.
The bike portion is a relatively flat 56 mile course with 3 aid stations. This course is not closed to traffic, and the cut off time is 5:30 from your race wave start time.
The run is also relatively flat, consisting of a 13.1 mile loop consisting of beach, trail, and road sections. There will be 5 aid stations on the run course. The run cut off time is 8:30 from your race wave start.
Concerns
Putting on a race this size requires a lot of work, volunteers, money, and attention to detail. Hopefully, this race will go off without a hitch. But I can’t really tell from the website if this outfit has experience producing races this size. The race director is listed on the website, but not the production company, so I assume it’s his show.
Personally, I like to know if the production company or individual has experience with large-scale events. I only mention this because a race this distance really needs all the controls in place – aid station supplies, medical staff, traffic control, volunteers, timing, etc. I wouldn’t be concerned if it were a road race or sprint triathlon, but a long distance event like this is a different beast. Just more time for things to go wrong. And first-time events, regardless of distance, always seem to have more hiccups along the way.
Initially, very little information was available on the website, but they continue updating and adding information, which leads me to believe this is a ‘work in progress.’ For example, it looks like they recently changed the race date from the 11th to the 10th. No big deal, but before I pay $165 for a race, I really want to know that all the bases are covered, that the event will be safe, and honestly, that it will be worth the money.
They are definitely working in the right direction. Hopefully, if they haven’t already, they will secure enough sponsors and volunteers to make this event something special because I really appreciate having another race option so close to home. Stay tuned.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Lance announces Team Radio Shack
RadioShack and Lance to Form New Cycling Team in 2010 -- powered by http://www.livestrong.com
Monday, July 13, 2009
A Ride with George Hincapie
A new documentary about George Hincapie is out and it’s called “A Ride With George Hincapie.” It’s a feature-length film that covers his early cycling years as a junior in NYC all the way up to the 2009
Hincapie currently rides for
He’s been around cycling all his life and in addition to his Tour wins with Lance, he’s compiled a nice little resume himself:
- Winner Gent-Wevelgem
- Winner Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
- Winner Dauphiné Libéré, and two stage wins
- 2nd place at Paris-Roubaix
- Stage win Tour de France
- Two stages at the Tour of California
- Stage win at the Tour of Missouri
- Two-time US Professional Road Race champion
The thing about George, besides being one of the great ‘all rounder’ cyclists of our time, is that he’s very quiet and unassuming. Well-respected in the peleton and loved by his teammates, how can you not be a fan of Hincapie?
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
2009 Tour de France Day Four
The 2009 Tour de France kicked off July 4 with a 9.6 mile individual time trial (TT) in Monaco. I’ve already watched each of the first four stages a couple times (Versus isn’t afraid to rebroadcast each stage several times a day). My wife doesn’t understand how I can watch the same stage when a.) I’ve already watched it live, and b.) I know who wins. I give her my standard response for when I don't have an answer, “It’s complicated.”This year’s Tour features 21 stages – 8 mountain stages with three mountain-top finishes, two individual time trials, and one team time trial (a 24.2-mile flat stage around Montpellier). I love the mountain-top finishes, but I was most excited about the team time trial (today’s stage). They are exciting to watch and give the GC contenders on better teams another opportunity to open up some time gaps on the guys with weaker teams (sorry Cadel). I think the last team time trial was in 2006, so it’s good to see that Tour organizers brought it back.
But the big news at this year’s Tour, and in all of cycling, is obviously the return of 7-time champ Lance Armstrong. As soon as he announced his return to cycling, the questions started – Will his ride in the Tour? Can he win again at age 37? Who will be the team leader? Will teammate Alberto Contador (2007 Tour winner) ride in support of Lance, or will Lance support him? What about Levi, another top GC guy on team Astana?
We saw Lance ride in support of Levi at the Tour of California (Contador was not there), and although it was strange to see, it was clear that Lance’s focus was on the team and his cancer awareness mission. But that was California. France is a different beast.
After breaking his collarbone in the spring, it seemed likely that Lance would not be able to get in the required training for the Tour, but somehow, he managed to ride in May’s Giro (12th overall) and seems ready for the Tour. Well, as ready as a 37 year old can be.
So the questions remain, did Lance do enough in training camps to beat out Contador? Will close friend and team director Johan Bruyneel name Lance the leader regardless of who the stronger rider is? That answer seemed to come last week via Tweeter when Lance announced he would ride in support of Contador. I think we all saw it coming. Contador is at the top of his game, not to mention 10 years younger.
But check out this AP article posted just before the start of the Tour:
PARIS (AP)—Lance Armstrong says he’s capable of winning an eighth Tour de France but is ready, if necessary, to put his ambitions on hold for teammate and rival Alberto Contador.
Contador and Armstrong will ride for the Astana team at the three-week race that starts Saturday.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Armstrong says he’s willing to work as a support rider for Contador if the Spaniard proves likelier to win.
Armstrong says he would do so out of respect for Contador, Astana and cycling tradition and that “I would do it with pleasure.”
In the telephone interview, Armstrong says he isn’t sure he can win the Tour again at age 37 but that people would be wrong to underestimate him.
Notice the “ifs” and “buts” in Lance’s quotes? It’s clear that Lance might make a move. If he loses time in first few mountain stages, I’m sure he will gladly play that support role, just like he promised. But he’s currently in 2nd place, and if he holds his ground in the Pyrenees, I suspect we will see some fireworks in the Alps. The team will have two riders fighting it out. And I’m sure Levi will be right in someone’s slip stream all along the way. And let’s not forget Kloden. All on the same team!
It’s happened before. Most famously in 1985 when team management ordered LeMond to ride in support of his team captain Bernard Hinault, instead of riding to win the race, which he could have done. Lemond, in the spirit of cycling tradition, supported Hinault and finished second, 1:42 behind Hinault, who was able to claim his fifth Tour victory. The following year, Hinault and LeMond were co-leaders of the La Vie Claire team, with Hinault publicly promising to ride in support of LeMond in gratitude for LeMond's sacrifice. But Hinault seemed to change his mind in the mountains and attacked Lemond, with the help of his Euro teammates. Lemond fought back and won that Tour, basically solo. Too bad he’s become such a jerk these days. He was the original American bad ass of cycling.Anyway, I don’t think we’ll see that kind of drama, but it will be interesting. I’m just hoping nobody gets popped for doping. Thomas Dekker was busted last week. A blood sample from 2007 was re-tested and EPO was detected. He wasn’t a contender, but a strong rider who would have helped Cadel Evans’ chances on a very weak Silence-Lotto team.
Tour contenders:
Alberto Contador, Astana
Levi Leipheimer, Astana
Lance Armstrong, Astana
Dennis Menchov, Rabobank
Cadel Evans, Silence-Lotto
Carlos Sastre, Cervelo Test Team
Brothers Andy and Frank Schleck of Saxo Bank
I think we could see two Astana guys on the podium in Paris. I just hope Lance is one of them.
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