Vineman 70.3

Last weekend was by far my best result as a professional to date when I placed 4th at the Vineman 70.3. To my surprise at the pre-race meeting the water in Napa was unseasonably warm and therefore, it was going to be a non-wetsuit swim. Lucky for me I had my Kiwami Kameleon and was able to latch on to Clayton’s feet, who in my opinion is the best swimmer in the sport of triathlon. I am just lucky that he hadn't swam all week due to a bike crash, otherwise trying to go with him would have been a lost cause - hope he's all healed up by now. So, I exited the water in second place and tried to find my own rhythm on the bike. I actually led the bike leg for about the first 10 miles before getting passed by Joe and Reinaldo at warp speed. The next group to pass me was lead by Craig and included Brian, Clayton and Simon. I did everything I could to just keep them from riding away from me for the next 40 miles. Onto the run, Simon, Craig and Clayton were out like bats out of hell. I just tried to run my own race and was able to eventually reel in Clayton and Craig, although Leon passed me around mile 8. Anyway, I was stoked to get 4th and I achieved my main goal of qualifying for the 70.3 world championships in Clearwater - yeah!
Here's the article about the race from slowtwitch: http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/Pip_Taylor_Joe_Gambles_win_Vineman_70.3_922.html

On another note, it was very sad to hear that an athlete on the course was seriously injured when a rotting tree literally fell on top of him and his bike. From what I hear he is recovering well from his two surgeries and I hope that he has a very speedy recovery. I know that everyone in the triathlon community is wishing him the best. This is one of the craziest freak occurrences that I have ever heard happen to someone in a triathlon.
An article on the accident: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090719/ARTICLES/907199983/1031/SPORTS07?Title=Freak-crash-during-Vineman-when-tree-falls-on-cyclists