8:43 a.m. (+1 hour, 33 minutes)

My original plan had me out of the water and on my bike in 90 minutes. I was three minutes behind schedule.

(That’s not bad)

No, it wasn’t. “Bad” awaited me five miles down the road.

(Ok, what were the first five miles like?)

I was pedaling on the French Riveira. The sun was shining and I leaned forward in the “aero” position. Being “aero” means aerodynamic, as low down as my body would permit to reduce wind drag. I pressed the gear shift button on the end of my aero handlebars and the derailleur moved my chain to the smaller cog. Now I was moving at 18 mph. I stole quick glances to my left and my right.

On my left was the promenade above the beach. People were walking, casually biking and riding scooters. Out on the ocean, there were people standing on paddleboards and there was a motorboat pulling a paraglider. The sun was shimmering on the aqua blue Mediterranean Sea. To my right, the streets of Nice were filled with pedestrians. Some standing around to watch the race, others enjoying the opportunity to take in the warm sun of a late summer day. The main road was blocked off for the race. The north and south bound sides of the road were bisected by a grassy six-foot section. The cyclists were headed out of town on the eastern side. We would be running on the western side after the ride.

Two people passed me, but I didn’t try to catch them. I was sticking to my plan. I had 112 miles to ride. There was a small climb up ahead and a monster 13 mile climb 30 miles from here.

I reached the airport at the 5k point…

(109 miles to go, yay!)

…this would be the turnaround point on the marathon…

(If you make it off the bike in time)

…and I was enjoying the experience of racing in Nice. The sun was shining and everything was right in the world.

8:55 a.m. (+1 hour, 52 minutes)

I came around a roundabout, turned right and started up a very steep climb.

(Where did this come from???)

The map said this was a 3% climb.

(Is that a lot?)

That is a subjective question. I have a reputation as “Mr. Slow-n-Steady.”

I’m not a sprinter and I’m not a strong climber, but I will grind it out. I’ve rode my bike the 165

mile round trip from my home to the FDR estate in Hyde Park and back in one day.

So, the 3% caused me to slow down a little.

(What is “a little”?)

I moved from “aero” position to sitting up as my speed plummeted from 18 mph to 6 mph.

(This was not budgeted for)

The climb was way harder than it looked on the map. In my hardest gear it was like I slammed into a wall.

(I don’t remember this being on the race map)

Now the triathletes from the younger age groups caught up to me. I was struggling to get to the top of this steep hill and everyone was flying past me.

(You are a swimmer who became a triathlete)

As they passed by a second peloton…

(A group of cyclists)

…did the same thing, they came from behind and raced past me like I was standing still…but I wasn’t. I was really struggling to keep up with them…and I didn’t want to do this anymore. I just wanted to go home…

David Roher is a USAT certified triathlon and marathon coach. He is a multi-Ironman finisher and veteran special education teacher. He is on Instagram @David Roher140.6. He can be reached at [email protected].