Bill’s report:
The race was pretty miserable. At 7am the temp in Red Lodge was 31. At the start of the run at 8am, nine miles further up, it had dropped a degree or two and during the run it began to snow.
When I arrived in Red Lodge about 65 minutes later it was snowing hard and the temperature had fallen to 27 degrees but the snow was not accumulating on the pavement. Fortunately I had plenty of clothes in my transition bag. This is what I wore from inner to outer…1). Long sleeve zip neck dry lite wicker 2) sleeveless wool T shirt (these first two items stayed on from the run) 3) long sleeve wool shirt 4) BMV long sleeve jersey 5) BMV lined vest 6) BMV lined jacket: Legs– water resistant tights over another pair of tights over light padded shorts; Feet – thick fleece lined booties; Head – baklava, clear glasses,Hands– water resistant ski gloves with hand warmers inside. Yes, I felt like a blimp but I was comfy and not too warm.
It snowed and rained for most of the bike except for the last 15 miles. There was a NW wind (head/cross) of 15mph to 20mph and at times I was only going 16 mph. The last 10 miles I had to zip down the jacket and vest…but was still not too hot. My feet were soaked, cold and numb.
Overall I did not have a good race. I did not win my age group which was my goal. My legs had no snap during the run. I passed a lot of guys on the ride but I also got passed by three. The cross winds and wet dicey conditions kept me from the aero position more than I would have preferred. Also, my transition time (layering on all the clothes) was terribly long and this gets added to the bike time.
The best thing about this race is I started & finished and except for my feet, stayed nice and warm.
