Epic Camp - Day 3

Day 3 started at 5.30am with a quick coffee and toast then at 5.50am we ran 2k to the local pool. Everyone completed their 3k set and ran back to camp. After beakfast it was an 8.30 departure for our 175km ride down to the North Shore and the Millennium Institute where we are staying. It was a hard ride with wind and relentless rolling hills. We rode past some beautiful beaches amongst spectacular native bush. The pace was solid with the usual strong riders at the front. Gordo, Clas and Steve doing most of the work. After lunch it got tough and I ended up in the front group with Clas, Steve Lord, Scott Molina and Douglas. After a number of tough climbs Clas and Steve left us to ride at their pace. In the end I had the very familiar position of sitting on Scott's wheel on the way home. Once in I had my 6k run to do to complete my 10k for the day. Luckily at the Institute they have a fantastic all weather 400m track as everywhere else is hilly. So I headed to the track with Clas and Steve to run laps. It was very pleasant as we chatted about training, racing and life while running a respectable just over 5min k pace. I know this because Clas has a GPS watch so it was official. The gadgets some of these guys have are amazing. Steve was doing his second 10k run for the day to get an extra bonus point in the yellow jersey comp. It meant he just pipped Gordo and takes the lead for now.

The story of the day was Rip. His bike broke down so he could not ride today until it was fixed. To gain points and kill some frustration he decided to use his time running and swimming. So he did his 10k the hit the pool. Not for 3k but for 15.5km. Yes over 3 and a half hours of swimming. He is an ultra man finisher and this is epic camp.

Until tomorrow

Epic Pete