IM Brazil - the bike

Here's a little picture of Karen and me demonstrating proper aero position. Don't we look like pros? (Or maybe we just look drunk?)

Anyway, back to the race report.

After the long, long swim, I took my time in transition. Two sweet girls who didn't speak one word of English helped me switch to bike mode. They somewhat skillfully applied sunscreen to my back - but did miss a few spots. Got to love that crazy, splotchy burn situation on my back that seems to occur with every triathlon.

Due to our travel delays, we missed all of the course tours, so we didn't really know what we were getting into. For some reason, I thought the course would be flat like Florida. And, it was - with the exception of the four fairly large climbs (and descents). I didn't mind the climbs. It was a nice change of pace from the flat portions of the course. The descents were a bit nerve-wracking due to the cement barricades on the left and the steady line of traffic on the right - as well as the uneven pavement. And inexplicably, there were a couple of cyclists who insisted on riding on the left side - making it impossible to pass. Where is a course marshall when you need one? I think the dudes just didn't want to be passed by an American chick in pink.

The best part of the bike course (besides some gorgeous views of the Brazilian coastline) was seeing all of my teammates at least once. It was a two-loop course, so it made it easy to spot my peeps.

Highlights:
1. Looking across the median to see Mark...in his pink helmet.
2. Seeing Rick in the tunnel. He thought I had missed the swim cut-off (little did he know I was right behind him) so when he spotted me, he screamed my name (which echoed in the tunnel), "It's SusieQ!!! Go SusieQ!!" Love that guy.
3. Watching the pros leave me in the dust - they are machines.