The Road to Kona...Race Day

Coming out of transition, all the screaming people got me pumped up. Change gears to pick up speed. Turn the corner and head up Palani Hill. UGH! Can't slow down now. People are watching. Push, push, push. I'm up the hill and my heart is about to jump out of my throat. Geez, I gotta stop doing that. Heading out of town, a tailwind settles in behind me and I get cruising along. I know this won't last, but let's enjoy it while we can.

Just past the airport the wind changes. It's headwind time. Just like the day we went for a drive. Time to get aero. Gear down a little and tuck the head in. Just at this time somebody pulls up in a car with a big camera.. Could be NBC. Gotta look good for the camera. To look good, I was going a little faster than was really comfortable. Same problem I had with the crowds in town. I really gotta learn to stop doing that. After a few minutes of filming, the photographer gave me the thumbs up and pulled away. I slowed down and caught my breath.

On route 270 through Kawaihae, the wind eases off. Good thing. I was getting tired of bucking those head winds. Then I saw a race official up ahead.. "Severe winds ahead! Be careful!" he yelled. I guess I'm in the lull before the storm. A few miles up the road, the wind started again. Not just headwinds this time. Strong gusting crosswinds added to the challenge. My bike seemed possessed. Without warning, my front tire would make a drastic turn, pushing me across the road. Sure glad they stopped all traffic at this point. If a car came by as a gust of wind caught me, I'd be road kill for sure. I hung on for dear life.

There are no trees in the lava field to watch for gusts. On this out and back course, I could see the bikes coming toward me. They become my lifeline. As I see them leaning into the wind, I know it is time to brace for yet another gust. A tight grip wide on my handlebar, I'm able to control my bike. Well, "control" may be too strong a word. Let's just say I'm able to stay upright.

Fighting the crosswinds, I almost forget there are also hills out in the lava fields. Almost. While starting to climb one hill I need to gear down. Timing now is essential. Between gusts, I need to move my hand off the handle bar up to my tri-bar to push down on my thumb shifter. Done this thousands of times, but never in winds like this. One, two, three, GO! Hand moves briskly up to the tri-bar. No problem. I push on the thumb shifter. Big problem. I've been hanging on so hard over the last hour or so that I couldn't push on the shifter. My strength in my fingers is zapped. Another gust comes and I nearly panic. When the gust subsides, I regripped wide on my handle bar to regain control. I reevaluate the hill and decide my legs still feel strong enough to continue in this gear. I figure the only other option was to stop on the hill and change gears using the palm of my hand. I didn't want to stop on a hill. I've already seen people walking their bike. I refuse to become one of them. I'm huffing and puffing at the top of the hill, but at least I'm still biking.

As I approach Hawi, the crosswind subsides. Only have headwinds now. It seems like quite a treat. Headwinds don't require concentration. Just brute strength. Crosswinds summon all your concentration. If one gust catches you off guard, you'll be picking lava out of your skin with tweezers.