Reworking the Race Schedule

Earlier this month, Racing Underground, the organizers behind the Crescent Moon triathlon posted the following to the event’s webpage:

 

"Arapahoe County is no longer allowing bicycle events to take place on East Quincy, effectively ending the era of triathlons at the Aurora Reservoir. It's a bummer - we have been organizing triathlons at the Aurora Reservoir since the summer of 2,000!

We presented a plan to the reservoir 4 months ago to hold the event entirely within the park, but it was shot down by homeland security regulations in October because it passed too close to the water treatment facility

We immediately submitted plans to bring the race to a new venue, and it looked very promising, however it fell through just this week. Unfortunately, at this late date we will not be able to produce the Crescent Moon Triathlon in 2016. Many of you are already planning your season, and we had set January 1st as the deadline to open registration.

We are already putting together a plan to bring you a bigger and better Crescent Moon Tri in 2017. We will keep you posted!!!"

 

There is also this recent Denver Post article that discusses the decision made by the Arapahoe County commissioners.

This effectively makes Aurora Reservoir a non-venue for triathlons despite having several natural advantages such as a very clean lake and a running trail. As noted in the article, homeland security regulations prohibit having the bike course take place inside the grounds. 

Not said, but certainly inferred by me is the message this sends generally about cyclists on Quincy Road. I’ve done many a training session out there and had always thought of it as a safe place. However, I am very cynical about the way the average driver views a cyclists they encounter. At best, they are totally unaware of them and at worst (too often) they are viewed with hostility. I am not at all persuaded that this latter group will feel dissuaded from acting aggressively toward cyclists given the stance by county leaders. Suffice it to say, I won’t be going near this area out of an abundance of caution.

For me personally, that affects my racing schedule and required that I find a replacement race. Not surprisingly, the group that came through is Without Limits. They’ve expanded what they dub the Colorado Sprint Triathlon to include an Olympic Distance and it’s scheduled for June 4 in Boulder. Unlike Arapahoe County, Boulder County is generally cyclist friendly. There are exceptions of course, but several triathlons are held there every year.

I personally would prefer to mix things up a bit and race in different locations but circumstances have determined that all three of my races will be in Boulder this year. That fact is not so bad. The city and county are geared toward the sport and it is home to several world-class professionals. I would have preferred something that did not involve having to travel so far, but so be it.

With that update, my 2016 schedule now looks like this:

 

June 4 – Colorado Olympic Triathlon

July 10 – Boulder Peak Triathlon 

August 7 – Ironman Boulder

 

It’s not a bad schedule and I like the spacing between events. For now, it’s back to training.

Thanks for reading.