The best thing then is to do is a "brick" which in triathlon terms is a bike workout followed by a run workout.
After a few minutes of thought I decided to re-visit "The Wall" and work my way around that scenic course.
Now being in Penticton means that you have to start near the actual start line for the Ironman..... in this case that means you have to start at the "Peach."
Gimli has the viking, St. FX has the White horse and Penticton has "the peach."
Just to the left of this photo is the actual beach start for the swim and to the right is the transition area.
It was the perfect day to work on my hill climbing. It was hot and there was a ton of wind about so, as I am sure you can guess, that means that you will undoubtedly be climbing up a hill with the wind in your face.
Ok Falls is a beautiful little spot and the rolling hills are covered with sage and pine trees poking out of the bluffs. This area of the province is known for the Ponderosa pines with pine cones the size of a softball. As I was approaching the start of big 2K climb to the "See you Later" winery See Ya Later Ranch, I was passed by a huge motor-home. As they chugged on by me I thanked my lucky stars that they were not passing me on the twisty part.
As the start of the climb is this pretty little ranch called "The Long Ranch." The title is a little prophetic as the next two kms are going to raise you up about 1000 ft.
After the heart pounding climb you reach this beautiful lake that was calling my name so loud..... Greg... Gregggy... screw the ride.... you're hot.....(thank you)...... no you're overheated..... just forget the ride and jump in my cool clear blue water...... I will treat you right and no one has to know.....
Doesn't it look inviting? Sigh......
From there you wind up to the white lake radio observatory... here's me with the dishes in the background.
Shortly after this photo, I looked down and saw the tail of a rattlesnake disappear beside me into the bush.... no rattle though.... just a disgust for me and my fragrant cycling aroma. Then as I continued on, with visions of rattler attacks in my head, I came across a squished smaller one. No photo....as I was not 100% sure it was completely out of its misery... thought it best to keep on truckin'.
Then I came across some seal coating... that's where they spray glue on the road and then cover it with gravel..... whatever stays fixes becomes the patch. The problem is that it is about 30˚C and the glue sticks to my tires and then so do the rocks..... I had to stop every 100m or so to brush them off my tires before I flatted.... grrrrrrrrrr.rrrrrrrr.r....rrrr..rrr.......r.r.r.r.r.r..r.r.
The descent through the highway past Yellow Lake was into a killin' headwind.... so no great speeds were achieved, but I did manage to go fast enough to "bunny hop" the cattle-guard at the start of Green Mountain Road.... cool.... just when I thought my bmx skills from the 80's were of no use in the real world.
This route really allows for me to work on my climbing skills as it is a section of rolling ascents for about 15k. I really felt that I was doing well on this technical section as I wound my way through the valley of the mountains with the river rushing along side the road. When you finally get to the top you arrive at the Apex Valley Guest Ranch on the corner of Apex mountain road and Green Mountain road.
Here was another spot I thought about leaving my bike and getting into this mountain fed creek. You just know that its crystal clear waters would be cold and refreshing.
SO .... then from the ranch there are some cool descents.... I tried to capture it.... hope you like it... sorry about the jerkiness.
All told my ODO read 106k for the bike and then home for a quick transition and then out for a run. My mom came along to keep me company and I was really excited to have her there, as she could be my aid station and take a few snaps.
As you can tell the run along the channel is hell... not a tree in sight..... it is 30˚C out and the whole run is along a beautifully inviting river...... greg... greggy...... come jump in..... focus... stay focused... as Dorry would say..... just keep swimming... just keep swimming...... maybe not the best quote, because that is all I wanted to do.
Check out the shot my mom got with the map of the channel on the right.... all told... 8.26 miles in the heat.
Life is good and the training is paying huge dividends...... just have to get used to the heat.
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