McCauley breaks 1/2 Ironman bike record

McCauley in ironman style ©Mrs GMC aka Pamela McCauley

Dec 12th, 11. NZ cycling's People's Champion Gordon McCauley raced his first triathlon on Saturday.

At the Taupo Half Ironman he beat the course record for the bike leg, but not only was his time of 2h07m the fastest  90km bike leg by any individual, it was also faster than any relay athlete has ridden it!

The previous individual record of 2h14m was held by Terenzo Bozzone.

Below is McCauley's blog republished from www.gmccoaching.com with permission.

McCauley's blog

Tri Experience - Nil..I'm a tri virgin.

Expectations/Goals - Try for the fastest bike split and break 5 hours overall, don't walk during the run, and don't drown.

Pre Race

Alarm goes off at 4am but it doesn't really matter because I'm wide awake and have been for 20mins. I havent been this nervous about a race since my 1st Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur  in 1998.

The beautiful Mrs GMC makes me brekky, the standerd four pieces of toast with banana that I'd have for a 5 hour bike race,  washed down with a coffee.

We head down to the start, I pump my tyres up, take yet another poo (that's four already) and put on my wetsuit. I lay everything I'll need out on my towel, Mrs GMC has done 3 1/2 IM's and the biggy full IMNZ in 2005 so she tells me the order things need to be in.

I head down to the lake with Mrs GMC (about 400mtrs away), I'm 1st down there..I'm a bit nervous about the swim as I've never swum in a lake before and I've never swum with 800 people. I jump in and swim out to the 1st buoy and back, the water is much warmer than I thought it would be, that's a good start.

I head back in and chat to Mrs GMC and friends whilst waiting for the race briefing, it's a deep water start with the course heading along the coast to the far buoy, turn right for a hundred metres or so, then back.

Leg one, the 2km swim

We all jump in after the race briefing and head out to the start. Old habits die hard and despite knowing I'm a slow swimmer I line up right behind the pros at the front - the hooter goes and we are off!

Feet and arms everywhere .. it's awesome! But I'm going full gas...waaaay too hard..I try to slow down and focus on breathing but I'm in full panic ... can't breath.... shit ... what do I do... Stop

I stopped dead and just tread water for a bit ... slow down, focus on your glide and get all the air out before coming up for another breath, and above all stop being a pussy!

OK ... I'm off again ... I've got some clear water and I'm able to find a rhythm, we must be 500metres into the swim by now, somebody slowly creeps by, 'thats my bus' ... I move across an get in their slipstream, I'm on those feet all the way to the turn (thanks who ever you were), around the turn and I'm sure I saw a diver under the buoy? (can anybody confirm this).

I'm still on those feet and checking every 20 strokes or so that we are going the correct way, it seems they are good navigators so I decide to trust them and only check every 20-30 strokes from then on.

We exit the water and the 400metre jog to the bikes begins, awesome I didn't drown! ... Hurray up dammit ... people in the way! ... despite coming out of the water in 300th or so I'm still here to race.

Transition 1

I've managed to partially remove my wetsuit just like the pros do as I get to my bike. I can't ride and run without socks and put my feet in my shoes like the pros do though, so its socks on and shoes before jogging out - from what I saw the people back with me might as well put their shoes on before heading out too ... most were making a complete hash of it as I was clipped in a riding hard.

Leg two, 90km Bike

I head down Lake Terrace and I'm doing 50kmph passing people like they are walking. Some smart arse yells 'see ya when I catch you on the run' I look back and take a note of his number ... you didn't catch me champ ... infact I run faster than you!

Up the Taupo-Napier highway climb and I'm standing giving it hell ... am I going to hard? ... there's a half marathon to do after this ... bugger it ... I'm a cyclist I'll deal with that when I get there.

Thru the suburbs and and I'm passing heaps of people ... what's the power meter saying? ... good 340 watts, the goal is 300 average.

I find my rhythm and start picking people off, I pass my friend Craig Neale 3/4's of the way to the turn and flick him the bird ... 'he's probably going to repay that in the run'.

1st rider I see coming back is Jamie Whyte, he's followed closely by Cam Brown and Callum Millward. I start counting, by the time I hit the turn I've gone from 300th (ish) to 29th ... can I make transition 2 in the top ten? ... I keep the power above 300 watts and hammer the pedals.

55km, glutes are screaming, mental note ... handlebars need to come up a centimetre and all my rides now need to be on the TT bike.

I keep picking people off, we are getting closer to the front now so the gaps are bigger between groups, glutes are really playing up now.

I pass Sam Warriners group 5km before T2, awesome ... I'm leading chick!

Into transition, sitting 11th in the race ... just missed top ten, time on the SRM says 2:07 and a few seconds, Mrs GMC yells to confirm the same, awesome ... bike course record.

Transition 2

As I run in I remove my helmet trying to save some time ... mistake! An official tells me to stop and put it back on till I've racked my bike ... spot the newbie that didn't read the rules!

I rack my bike and put my fuel belt on ... another mistake ... it's a half IM ... you don't need a fuel belt.. I start to leave transition ... Sam Warriner came into T2 behind me and leaves in front of me ... pro versus amateur ... damn! I'm not leading chick anymore.

Leg 3, 21km Run

I head out and try to find a rhythm I can maintain, I've never run 21km before so this will be a test.. I need to pee really badly ... so it's into the 1st loos ... great, another 40secs lost.

I find a 'just outside of the comfort zone' stride and get into my work, one or 2 pass me but I reckon I'm going ok ... another mate Kerry Weeks flys by me and takes the piss ... no sign of Craig yet.

I get out to the turn for the 1st time and I'm feeling good, wish I didn't have this bloody fuel belt, it feels like it's weighing me down ... not far after the 1st turn I see Craig ... and he's smiling ... prick!

I try to keep my pace even, the odd person passes me but I'm still feeling good and hold the pace all the way back ... I use my fuel belt bottles and grab some drinks from the aid stations ... it's bloody hard to drink from those cups and run ... I get more on me than in me!

Heading out for the 2nd lap and still no sign of Craig, I try to pick the pace up. I see Brownie and co coming back in, they are almost 10km in front of me ... holy shit! How can they run that fast? Are they on roller skates?

There are now people on their 1st lap mixed in with us so I have no idea where I am overall ... I feel good and push a bit harder ... whooh ... calves don't like that, I back off a touch .. nearing the turn for the last time still no sign off Craig ... then I hear laughter ... 'Bastard" ... he catchs me at the turn ... I try to stay with him. ... 'dreaming' ... I back off to my pace.

Heaps of peeps passing me now, not too many with the sacred blue band of 2nd lap though. Onto the grass for the last time ... I cross the line in 4:45 ... stoked ... Craig beats me by 4mins ... 'Rematch at the Mount?' ... I finished 50th and 6th chick ... 5th in my age group and just stole the bike record from Terenzo who raced in the teams event today.

Post Race

It's 2 days after the race and walking is a problem, stairs are a nightmare ...I need to run more!

Overall, I really enjoyed the race and really want to get faster. I think the 1/2 IM distance is good for me, I know from bike racing I can go flat out for 5 hours ... I'm still undecided but think I'd like to try for age group world selection in 2013.

GMC