# 129 3rd Annual Seminole County Triathletes Club Tri in Deltona

Today's event was a bit different; it was put on as a "practice" tri by the Seminole County Triathletes.  Billy Price, who turned SCT from an informal Meetup group to a top line triathlon club, has conducted several practice races in the past and this was the best yet.  Staged at a great venue, Campbell Park, in Deltona, it consisted of a 400 yard swim, a 12 mile bike, and a 5k run.  Originally for members only, Billy extended it to guests for a $10 fee.  35 people said they'd do it and 26 competed.  Billy even got full electronic timing for this event.  The lake was warm but pleasant and 3 kayaks ensured our safety on the water.  After the swim, the 12 mile bike ride did have 4 stoplights on it and I was caught twice and had to wait.  I rode the Moulton AM SPEED again and averaged 19 mph over the hilly course.  I hit a maximum speed of 29.4 on a downhill. The run was 2 laps of a hot, sunny, hilly streets and I ran in with a time of 1:21:08, good for 8th overall out of the 26. At 61, I was also the oldest competitor.  There were no awards but Billy did have a raffle, giveaways, and a BBQ chicken dinner.  It was nice sitting in a covered pavilion and enjoy the Florida morning by the lake after the race.

Great venue at Campbell Park

Me and the AM SPEED

# 128 Believe Strong Triathlon at Moss Park

Today was the 5th Annual Believe Strong Triathlon in Orlando, located at Moss Park, just southeast of Orlando International Airport.  It was also the inaugural race for my Moulton AM SPEED bicycle.  I've had several different Moultons over the years and aquired this one in June.  The factory website is located here: http://www.moultonbicycles.co.uk/. 
Here a great video about the bikes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdU9seGqCA8
I made the mistake of doing chores and painting on Saturday but had no choice as the painter was here to finish up from a plumbing project.  I went to bed at 9:00 to get up at 4:00 AM but was tired from the day's efforts.
The race was an Olympic-distance tri and I had a great 1.5K swim (due to my additional training at Lucky's Lake I think).  In transition, I racked the Moulton back in a corner so no one would make a fuss.  Starting out on the bike, I found I was quite fast right away.  The course is flat and fast so you stay aero and in 2 gears the whole 40K.  I averaged 19.1 mph, reaching a maximum of 22.1 at one point.  I matched the fit of the Moulton to my Litespeed tri bike so there was little discomfort during the ride.  I may put larger cranks on as the Moulton has 170mm and most of my other bikes are 175mm.  The crank length issue makes a great debate and I noticed that the inside of my right knee didn't hurt at all, something it usually does near the end of a race.  The 10K run was fine, shaded in the woods, with a few stretches of hot sunshine.  I finished in first place in my age group with a time of 2:38:28 which is my normal time on this course.  I ran half the distance with a woman named Heather who was doing her first Olympic-distance; nice to know I can pace a 31 year old.

The AM SPEED ready in transition