The 2nd annual M distance Trіаthlоn dеs Роіlus took place on the Lac de l’Ailette in Chamouille, near Reims.
June 14 was a really hot day and the lake was lovely and warm. The girls went off first. The boys followed 10 minutes later. So, quite a civilized start.
Pen was the first Expat to exit the water. Mark and I exited at about the same time but of course I had a 10 minute head start on him… Pen was just leaving transition as we arrived. I managed to get away on my bike before Mark and caught Pen up at around the 2km mark. Having been promised a gently undulating bike course, it was anything but. There were four long and at times steep ascents which under the hot sun seemed insurmountable but somehow we got up them. The descents were a welcome relief.
The course was very pretty – right out into the countryside and through little villages. We had lots of support from the locals. I got back to transition first and set off on the run. Again, we had been told pre-race that the course along the lake was flat. Apart from the two nasty hills, I suppose it was, but the hills were a very unwelcome surprise. I didn’t see Mark on the run but I passed Pen who was at the 3km mark when I was on my way to the finish line. I finished in 3h05 – 8th woman home. Mark was a couple of minutes behind me and Pen galloped over the line a little while later. We all agreed that it was a much harder race than Enghien and were relieved to finish.
