Another wet one at Tsali this year. Not quite as bad as 2018 when we had light rain before the race and during setup, but definitely slick with puddles on the trails. This is always a fun race with a local, relaxed vibe and this year was no different. Gone Riding does a great job organizing this race and somehow always gives away an incredible about of swag to the folks on the podium.
As a reminder, this race is swim, run, bike order using two transitions. It is a nice change from the typical order of events, but running uphill out of T1 requires some time to settle in and get comfortable running – especially if you’re puddle jumping and sliding in the corners. Just remember to divide your gear correctly between the two transitions.
The water temp was great – not wetsuit legal. Cool, clean water with only a little mud near the shore where it was churned up by athletes. Nothing super technical on the run, but there are a couple of climbs in the second half which take some energy and focus. A bit of slipping here and there on climbs and corners due to the mud, but manageable.
2nd place winner in 45-49, Pat Stacey, has said that the best $12 you can spend on a mountain bike is a mud guard/fender. Great advice. I raced Tsali last year without one, and it was terrible dealing with mud in my face and rendering glasses useless. The fender this year was vastly better and definitely saved time and frustration on the course.
Overall a great day. The entire contingent from Nashville made the podium with the Stacey clan continuing to drop-the-hammer with 3 out of 3 on the podium becoming the norm for them.
June 23, 2019
0.5m swim, 5m (ish) run, 10m (ish) bike
Results here
