Epic Camp Day 6--WOW!!

Day 6 WOW!

I always come up with my day’s title somewhere along the ride it seems, and today’s description is no exception.

Today started with another swim down at Lake Wanaka. I headed for Mt Aspiring again, with some strong chop and wind in my face. It was no Columbia Gorge conditions, Cherry, yet it was a good effort heading out with a steady wind and chop. In fact, Gordo pulled up with a panic attack after a swallow or two of water. I thought he stopped to relieve himself and left him to panic on his own. I headed dead center for 25 minutes chasing a rainbow that was forming in the middle of the lake. Unlike yesterday’s serene swim, this had a nice solid thrashing about it. I liked it. And I liked the return trip even more as I had the swells pushing me along at a nice clip, surfing the swells, with the spray from the swells and my arm recovery blowing water by. A full rainbow formed in seemed from Mt Aspiring to Wanaka, for a good part of the swim, and it was spectacular!

A quick transition, and Shortstop (Ron from Texas), and I headed out for our 50 minute run. Shortstop Ron, played minor league baseball as a shortstop and now is a very solid Ironman triathlete…just goes to show you almost any background can adapt to be successful in this sport if the time and training is put in. We ran over to the bakery for a meat pie and chocolate muffin before we headed home. A quick breakfast and packing of gear as this is our last day in the lodge at Wanaka. We our off to Queenstown.

The ride out of Wanaka was up over the Crowns Range from the other direction of the time trial from yesterday. We rode this last year on day 10, and it was my best day of riding and I knew the course. The pace was relaxed for about 40 minutes, as we started a gradual uphill, which would last 7-10 miles before the steep pitch hit. My only hope for some KOM points was to spread the group out early on the rollers leading to the climb. So after a good hard pull at the front and some attempted breaks the game was on…Paul and Bevy snuck away (who are 1-2 in the KOM standings) and were off the front, and the rest of the group splintered behind us. Newsom (sans E), Gordo, Molina, and I were in a group all taking short pulls to try and bridge back up…well not Gordo, as he would pass on his turn and stay at the back. I called a Rope-A-Dope move, yet he insisted he could not pull through or he would get dropped.

Somewhere along the way we lost Newsom (sans E), and it was Gordo, Molina, and I. After Molina took a long pull, Gordo jumped on him and we dropped Molina. Gordo soft pedaled a bit, and I motored on, until the climb got steep I was in 3rd. When things ramped up steeper, Gordo and Newsom (sans E) went by and I crested in 5th. Molina says he wants to do that climb out of Wanaka over the Crowns Range every Epic Camp until beats me…but for now he is 0-2  !! I think I figured out the secret, soften his legs up with relentless attacks and gap him on the rollers before it gets steep and then just hang on! Maybe next year Molina ;-)!


It was raining hard by now, but the climb kept me warm, but the descent was steep and wet, and by the time we got to the bottom, we had Dr. Rob going hypothermic on us, and we all were pretty wet and miserable. A full throw on all my extra gear I had, that I have been lugging around for 2 weeks, I now finally get to use!! It was raining harder as we started the 20k towards Queenstown, and the winds really picked up. It was as windy as I have ridden in, and raining got so hard it was needle-like on the face. We went down a bridge where the wind was blowing so hard, as I went across first; I thought that I was going to get blown across the road into on-coming traffic. In windsurfing you always wait for the wind dummy to head out to see the conditions, and all I could think of as I hammered as hard as I could across the bridge that I was the wind dummy and could not stop chuckling to myself.

I made it across and we were following Molina as he knew the where-abouts of the Lodge, yet, he flatted with 2k to go. I did not even break pedal stroke as I went by, as this is Epic Camp (no mercy) and it is raining buckets, cold as hell, and I just wanted to some warm tomato soup. As I entered town, I followed one of our support vehicles straight to the hotel, got a hot shower, and some warm tomato soup and I was good as gold. The Glenochy extension (billed as the slowest 90k in New Zealand), we had for the after lunch ride has been cancelled; do to a certain fatality if we attempted it in these conditions, so the day is done. Tomorrow weather should be back to normal and I would like to ride to Glenorchy and back, with only one day of rain, it was a doozie! A hard 60 miles to say the least, but I am happy I am off the wet soaked roads and in dry warm sweats for the afternoon. Feels like a rest day, with ‘just’ a swim-run and 60 mile ride. I have ridden over 550 miles in 6 days and roughly 40 hours of training….and with 2 days to go in the camp, with ‘JUST a triathlon’ race on day 8!!