100 Triathlons
Go to the early blogs to read how I got into triathlons. Click on any picture to enlarge it. "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood...who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly." Theodore Roosevelt 1910


Saturday, June 23, 2018

# 155 Ormond Beach Tri-Y Triathlon


Back to Ormond Beach for my third time at this great triathlon.  It’s a very accessible race in a nice beach town just north of Daytona on the Atlantic Ocean.  Since Diane and I built the 1965/2016 Moulton 8 speed bike, I’ve wanted to try it in an actual race.  Inspired by the 1960s era deeds of British cycling legends John Woodburn and Vic Nicholson on F-frame Moultons, I thought this would be a great venue for the 8 speed in competition.  The morning was perfectly clear with almost no wind, a flat ocean, high tide so almost no current, and 75’f.

I had a great 500 yard swim in the calm salt water, rushed up the beach to transition, and jumped on the 8 speed, anxious to see how it would perform.  Since I wanted to emulate John and Vic, I did not add aero bars or a handlebar drinking bottle, but rode on the drops for the entire 10 miles.  I was happy to see my average speed rise to 18.1 mph for the first 5 miles pedaling along the Halifax River.  After the turnaround, there was a slight headwind and even with pushing hard my average dropped to 17.6 on State Route A1A along the Atlantic coast.  After racking the bike, I headed down the ramp for the 5k beach run.  Hard pack sand and a nice breeze almost made it pleasant as the temps had now climbed to the mid-80s.  My attention was diverted by mullet jumping out of the water and sure enough, two dolphins appeared, enjoying their breakfast.  My legs felt great and I maintained a fast running pace all the way into the finish.  My longtime competitor and friend James Mayer won with me in third place.  The Moulton 8 speed performed very well and was a real pleasure to ride.  My average speed of 17.6 mph was a bit slower than last year’s pace of 18.5 on the Moulton SST but it’s always difficult to compare races a year apart.

Atlantic sunrise over transition

Racked and ready, the little Moulton looks a bit lost!

Myself with James Mayer before the start

Swim start down the beach

Rounding the first buoy

Exiting the water

Riding along the Halifax River

Racing on the 8 speed

Now for the run

Feeling great at the finish

Well done, Moulton!

In front of The Birthplace of Speed Garage with A1A in background

Nice award!

Vic Nicholson back in the day; huge chainring!

John Woodburn breaking the record...in December!

1963 news story



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