My bike at the ITU World Triathlon Championships Final - London, 2013

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• published: 07 Oct 2013
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My bike at the ITU World Triathlon Championships Final - London, 2013. Running commentary below - click on the time links to fast forward to the point mentioned. 1:28 Look out some yellow cones - good start to the bike there! 2:08 Righto, head wind, long straight, here we go (from Wellington = like the wind). Hyde Park to the right. 2:41 Bit of a rise there (like that too, coming from Wellington) 4:28 First fast corner - not sure how fast to take it 4:57 Windy as! The Huawei air banner is about to blow down onto the course! 5:02 Marshall to the right, running to save the Huawei banner! 5:09 Runners on the right (from the previous waves). Crowds also gathering for our race...I mean the Elites (who started a couple of hours after us) 5:12 Crossing the Serpentine Bridge 5:23 take the corners nice and easy (go harder on the 2nd lap). many came off these corners in the wet the previous Friday during the Sprint race. 6:02 No drafting rules. It was easy to adhere to, as there weren't many on the course by the time our wave hit the bikes 7:00 Parallel to Bayswater now 7:28 Passed by 1 leading up to the U-turn 7:39 Righto Canadian, I'll catch ya! 8:01 There! 9:55 Back across the Serpentine 12:55 USA and Mexico passed me 13:26 About to go through the Wellington Arch 13:42 Down Constitution Hill - Mexican and American still ahead 14:19 Buckingham Palace to the left there. You'll see it in all its glory when I bike back towards Hyde Park 14:36 Passed the Mexican! 14:55 Heading down The Birdcage Walk (St James Park on the left) 15:06 Passed the American 15:54 Coming up to Parliament Square - House of Parliament and Big Ben coming up right ahead before we make a left up Whitehall 16:16 holding a strawberry/banana gel in my right hand (didn't have pockets - so half of it went in my mouth, the rest over my hands and blown onto my bike. Sticky stuff). 16:38 Quite a few London landmarks there - go on name them! 17:29 onto Victoria Embankment. Passing a few from the previous waves. 17:33 The Thames on the right 19:34 heading into a tunnel, Upper Thames Street 21:55 Turning point just before The Tower (Tower Hill) 23:00 There seemed to be a head wind in both directions! It was worse going back. Passed a few into the headwind. 26:50 You can see the London Eye out to the left, across The Thames. 27:59 Coming up to Trafalgar Square soon, and some double deckers! 28:09 About to head through the Admiralty Arch onto The Mall towards Buckingham Palace 28:22 Up The Mall towards Buckingham Palace. Holy crap, i'm actually biking this and it's closed to traffic, and on the wrong side of the bloody road too! 29:37 Here comes Buckingham Palace! And, where did you come from? 29:56 And you? 30:30 Green Park on the right, Buckingham Palace Gardens on the left 31:32 Lap 1 done. Back at Hyde Park (transition turn off on the right - I better get on the right side (i.e. the left) of the cones for the 2nd lap. 32:24 Back on the long straight, into the wind (Hyde Park on the right) - I'll catch that guy into the wind! 32:38 There! 33:04 Still holding the sticky gel in the right hand! 34:36 Big crowds now! 34:50 Back across The Serpentine 35:03 Right I'll take this corner fast - and get as close to the cones as I can! 35:09 No that isn't snot blowing out of my right hand - it's the bloody sticky strawberry/banana gel and it is all over my bike! 35:16 All over my cables! 36:18 Not many on the course! No one to erhem "draft" off;) 39:28 The wind is getting worse and it's starting to rain lightly - nice! 39:29 Watch out mate! 39:59 run guys! 43:04 Back through the Wellington Arch 45:37 Big Ben! 46:20 Good crowds, not many cyclists! Still windy. 47:04 Time to pass the technical Official on the motorbike 47:22 Finally, another cyclist! 47:29 And then the road was empty of cylcists again 48:00 I'm sick of holding onto that gel. 49:00 Another cyclist ahead! 50:12 And another! 51:02 Still holding the gel 51:26 Another cyclist...no.....motobike 51:48 Yeah, a bunch of cyclists...and a Kiwi! 53:00 Liking this head wind - passing a few 58:20 Trafalgar Square 58:28 Back through the Arches 59:50 Up The Mall and past Buckingham Palace for the last time 1:00:02 Coming up into transition 1:02:35 Time to slip out of shoes 1:02:43 Maybe I was a little early in doing that 1:03:31 Now, I must disembark before the line (man with the low red flag) 1:03:35 Done. 1:03:38 Now for the long T2 and then the worst run in history 1:06:29 I didn't switch the camera off while it was sitting there in transition. Watch the bike to the left (Zipp wheel) move in the wind - good indicator of the wind strength later in the morning. 1:14:14 Watch the film crew appear - following someone into their bike/run transition. 1:14:35 Now the man with the boom mic 1:14:53 team mate Astridge arrives off his bike - quick transition. Here is the course map: http://worldtrilondon.com/uploads/Maps/WTL13_AG_OD_2362x768px.jpg I'm a Kiwi, representing New Zealand. loved it!