The folks at Infinit Nutrition this year have worked with Mark Allen on a special energy drink that has the right ingredients for a long race. Many of our athletes have tried it and really like it. However, Mark Allen wanted to give the drink the ultimate test, a long ride on the Queen K Hawaii.

Mark and I brought bikes to Kona for this specific purpose. The idea was to drive to the Waikola and start there going to Hawi and back. At the last minute I proposed that we just ride one way from Kona to Hawi. That is about 60 miles. This of course was a huge gamble and if we hit a head wind it will take a very long time. The gamble paid off as the winds were coming from the side or on our back. We were making great time down the highway. We actually passed a few Ironman participants and that was cool until we got passed by some guy. He was flying.

One thing about he Queen K Highway is that you can never count on the winds to stay the same the entire way. Our friend Rick who was picking us up at Hawi drove by and we stopped to say hello. He asked how the ride was going. Mark replied “The winds have not hit us yet”. Talk about a prediction, not a mile later we got hit by a very stiff head wind. The last 5 miles up to Hawi were by far the slowest miles of the ride. I would not say it was horrible but you had to concentrate and spin.

I am really glad we rode to Hawi. I was definitely looking at the course with different eyes. For the shape that I am in I felt really good. The heat was there for sure but it never got to me. The Infinit Nutrition drink did really well. Plus riding with Mark is always a treat. He spins more than I do and can power up the hills faster for sure. But I am giving him over 30 pounds. I think that with a new lighter bike and a much leaner body next year I can do some damage. It was a blast and I really look forward to riding the Queen K next year.

That adventuren took us almost the entire day. We hung out for a meal at Hawi. We ate at a really small Mexican restaurant. The food was actually really fresh and natural. At Least that is what it looked like. Riding 60 miles in the Kona heat can create big appetitive. Tuesday morning we will meet all of our athletes for a breakfast and Ironman week will really get under way. Stay tuned.