Another gorgeous morning in Hawaii. Waimea, where we are staying, has its own micro climate. Situated over 2,600 feet above the sea level, the town offers colder temperatures and stronger winds. It is in a stark contract with the humidity and heat of Kona and the Queen K Highway.
Saturday was a busy day. First, on the way to Kona, somewhere on Queen K, we noticed an athlete at the side of the road. From my last years experience, I knew something must have been been wrong because he should have been on the bike, not off the bike. Indeed, he was in a "little" trouble about 35 miles from his hotel in Kona. We pulled over to the the side of the road and learned that he caught two flat tires on his training ride. Unfortunately, he had only one spare. Soon after that, we disassembled his "Specialized, and in a few minutes we were all driving south. Otherwise, I would have been a long, long, long walk back home.
The streets of Kona are not too busy, yet. The city will pick up the steam on Tuesday when the race registration opens and athletes march through downtown waveing their countries flags, officially opening the race week. This gave us the opportunity to visit familiar and not so familiar places
In front of a giant sculpture at the Royal Kona Resort.
Having lunch at the Lava on the Rocks. In the distance, and to the right, is the Kailua Bay where I will begin my 140.6-mile journey next Saturday.
Afterwards, a cup of tea at the Lava Java. OK, so what am I thinking?
Perhaps, whether or not I got chocolate milk? No, I did not get it. Perhaps next time? Wrote about it earlier this year.
Next, I checked-in at the Ironman Sports Medicine Conference, which will start on Sunday. Then, came the bike pick-up time from TBT. Last year, after being denied the start in the Hawaii Ironman due to the bike crash two days before the race, TBT's owner offered to bring my bike back to Kona in 2013. And this is exactly what he did. Indeed, a classy man and a company. After the bike set up, Mark and I went together for a 20-mile bike training ride along the Queen K.
The bike has arrived in a perfect condition
.jpg)
Navigating the traffic on Palani Drive.
.jpg)
Holding tight onto the aerobars in the cross-winds of the lava fields.
Then, an 8-mile "brick" run on the Queen K Highway. The heat and wind can, indeed, be oppressive. Hopefully, I arrived in Kona with enough time to acclimate.
Saturday was a busy day. First, on the way to Kona, somewhere on Queen K, we noticed an athlete at the side of the road. From my last years experience, I knew something must have been been wrong because he should have been on the bike, not off the bike. Indeed, he was in a "little" trouble about 35 miles from his hotel in Kona. We pulled over to the the side of the road and learned that he caught two flat tires on his training ride. Unfortunately, he had only one spare. Soon after that, we disassembled his "Specialized, and in a few minutes we were all driving south. Otherwise, I would have been a long, long, long walk back home.
The streets of Kona are not too busy, yet. The city will pick up the steam on Tuesday when the race registration opens and athletes march through downtown waveing their countries flags, officially opening the race week. This gave us the opportunity to visit familiar and not so familiar places
Next, I checked-in at the Ironman Sports Medicine Conference, which will start on Sunday. Then, came the bike pick-up time from TBT. Last year, after being denied the start in the Hawaii Ironman due to the bike crash two days before the race, TBT's owner offered to bring my bike back to Kona in 2013. And this is exactly what he did. Indeed, a classy man and a company. After the bike set up, Mark and I went together for a 20-mile bike training ride along the Queen K.
.jpg)
.jpg)
