Mdot Cascais 70.3 for me yesterday. Really great event, well run, cracking location. Interesting course and not much of a ball ache logistically. Just leave your family at home. Keeping two small children entertained was a real pita for my wife. I won’t be asking her to do that for me again.
Swim located on the main beach in the centre of town. Shielded from the Atlantic by the harbour. Portuguese national anthem, ac/dc blasting out and Paul Kaye on the mic - really reminded me of the Wales start. Usual rolling start with pens on predicted finish times. Sub 30 - sub 35 and so on. Placed myself at the front of the sub 35 pen, probably should of got myself in the back of the sub 30 pen as I spent the swim overtaking quite a few people (overtaking people in the swim is still a fairly new thing for me!) generally I think the people around me had done a decent job of seeding themselves. No issues navigating to the bouys you take a left out of the harbour then follow everything in a clockwise direction. A bit of action at the bouys but nothing dramatic. Was a bit of a commotion on the swim exit ramp as someone was lying flat on their back looking like they needed serious attention. Had to divert to the non carpeted slimy concrete ramp, but no real drama. I was out of the sea in 32:59 a decent Pb for me and the course looked pretty bang on distance wise.
The run to transition is also similar to Wales as it’s bloody long. Felt like the best part of a km. it’s probably well under that but you’re running for quite a while. Fortunately unlike Wales and the pink bag, Ironman lay a carpet for the entire run, so it’s not really an issue.
Fairly slick and calm t1 for me, I’d managed to fluke an end of rack spot. No problems finding my bike. I had decided to run in my shoes as the whole of transition is in a grassed mini stadium but the exit is up a carpeted ramp and it’s basically a bottle neck so you get boxed in with no where to go. So probably best for shoes on bike - 6:12 for me and on par with the top 10 in M35.
Onto the bike - the first 50 Km out towards Lisbon then back to Estoril is mainly flat and fast. Very easy on the eye with the sun out and waves lapping at the beaches. A few small punchy climbs but nothing you need to drop into the little ring for. Road surface was good. Much better than the uk but still the odd pothole to dodge, a few cobbled sections though. I basically spent this time overtaking a lot of people and a few mini pelotons that had formed. Moto referees were present and I definitely saw a few guys in penalty boxes. I was averaging just under 40kph for this section without too much effort. Once back into Estoril you head north into the wind and the first proper climb of the route. Probably about 100 meters and over 5km and nothing crazy steep, then through small residential towns with pockets of support and into the Estoril GP circuit. I was actually following a German M45 at this point who I had swapped positions with a few times (he was quicker up the hills, I was going down them) anyway you follow a small underpass into the circuit and take a hard left onto the track and do your lap. Our problem was that there was no marshal directing us onto this left turn (awol - probably went for a wee 
) we followed to the right and up into a car park behind the main paddock. I’d say another 10 guys who I had just overtaken followed us too. Much shouting and swearing in a variety of languages as we realised we were off course. Retraced back to the turn and the marshal was there. Needless to say he got some abuse most notably some colourful Italian! I’d never ridden on a racing track and was quite excited by it but I spent the whole lap really pissed off!! I re overtook all those guys again but my M45 German was up the road never to be seen again. It was here the the wind really started dictating things for me as is I started to get blown around quite a bit, nothing silly but the constant headwind was getting me down. Out of the circuit and up into the Sintra hills. A bit of everything here. Smooth roads, rolling hills quick decents and a few proper climbs all the way to the out and back turn and the highest point of the course. Only 15 km or so back to T2 at this point and it’s fast. Coming down all the way into Cascais following the stunning coast line I maybe touched the brakes once in that final section. 2:29 and a small 70.3 bike pb for me. Made up loads of places overall I think I was 59th M35 out of t1 and up to 19th after the bike. I probably overcooked it a touch with 272 np for the ride. 260 ish may have saved my legs for the run.
Super chuffed with t2 - feet out of shoes, leg over bike and straight off at the mount line smashed it back to the empty rack. No fuss at the bags, trainers and visor on quick gel and out onto the run course in 1:55 this was on par and even quicker than some pro men 
The run course is a 2 lap affair and follows the bike course and the coast to Estoril and back. Some cobbled sections, small sections of shade and those small rollers on the bike were now short punchy hills for me now on the run probably 8 or so over the course. I went out too fast and payed for it later on. The first lap I didn’t really see too many people, I overtook a few guys shortly after transition and got overtaken by the tail end of the mpros on their second lap but I felt I was going ok. Pretty cool seeing Javier Gomez and Emma Pallant looking like they were cruising into their wins. I had picked up a couple of m35 positions, towards the end of lap 1 I realised my right leg was giving me a bit of grief. I looked down and found the bottom of my tri suit ripped open and a nasty looking cut a couple of inches long on the inside of my thigh. I’ve absolutely no idea how or when I did this, put it to the back of my mind and cracked on with lap two but sure enough I was suffering now and getting slower. The course now much busier with people on their first lap, you are running on a main road so it’s not an issue navigating past people. Got overtaken buy a few guys. No chance of me sticking with them. Just kept plodding on to the final hill at the turn and down the red magic carpet finishing in 1:41 dropping 4 M35 spots to finish 23rd AG and 160 overall in 4:51 and a 70.3 pb for me.
Overall pretty happy with my performance. Good swim, bike and transitions, obviously fell apart on the run but I feel I’m making good progress and working my way up the leader board slowly.
Would definitely recommend the race. Temperature in the low to mid 20s, nice breeze off of the sea. Great host town really getting behind the event. Nice swim location. Interesting bike route with a bit of everything and some stunning coastal views and a challenging run course. Pockets of support on the bike. Loads in Cascais. Krispy Kreme style doughnuts and beer in the recovery tent
Sad times! Still, happy with the 1:22 given the terrain, and where I was earlier in the week!
