Well, it was a truly epic day at the Queen of the Classics that is the White Lake Sprint. With epic rough road sections and epically cold water temperatures, Oxford English will have to add White Lake Sprint to their list of definitions for epic. For decades to come, old men in taverns from here to Burgaw will wax poetic about the 2013 edition of l'enfer du Nord or, The Hell of the North Bladen County. Middle-aged men will pay thousands of dollars to ride guided tours across the fabled White Lake pavé.
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| We are so le epic |
As I said before in my last post, White Lake Sprint has usurped that little bicycle riding race in France, officially laying claim to all of the aforementioned nicknames. Nobody told Fabian Cancellara until he crossed the finish line at the Roubaix Velodrome. Realizing how lame he was, Fabian pulled a ninja suicide right there in the infield.
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| Why didn't I listen to Boonen! |
Ok, so I lied. Fabian is still alive after his victory at Paris-Roubaix (if you can call it living, poor guy). If he had only taken Tom Boonen's advice to go race White Lake Sprint, he might have captured the coveted cobbled textured beer mug.
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| The chalice in all its glory |
But alas, it was not to be. I am pleased to say that I was able to secure the title for the second year running. What made this victory even better was that I was able to share the podium with my good friend and teammate from Germany, Lukas Kampkotter. Lukas is from Hannover, Germany, but has been here in North Carolina for the past month visiting relatives and training. Last year, I had the privilege of racing with Lukas on the Hannover 96 Bundesliga Triathlon Team. For those who don't know, Bundesliga is the German national triathlon organization, which is comprised of different tiers of racers. The first division is the premier division, and the division we competed in while I was there. The first division is comprised of teams from all over Germany, but the teams are usually a mix of domestic and foreign professional triathletes. For example, our team was comprised of several local athletes from Hannover as well as pro's from Denmark and Australia. The races are primarily contested in the draft-legal format in either the sprint or olympic distance. They are quite competitive with former olympians and top World Triathlon Series racers toeing the line on a regular basis. On top of that, the courses are typically quite technical, with some lovely cobble sections sprinkled in just for fun.
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| 19mm Tires should do the trick |
The race itself was a bit more painful than I was expecting. Fatigue from hard training made it difficult to find a rhythm. The only thing that really got me through it was a healthy dose of caffeine. I don't drink coffee or any caffeinated products on a regular basis, so it always helps give me an extra boost on race day. Caffeine is great because, it's a proven ergogenic aid, and, as
Towelie would say, "it's not illegal b!#@$!"
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| Don't forget to bring a towel |
