I'll Take the Mulligan, Thanks

by Jimmy Archer (Jimmy Archer.com)

Most (if not all) of you XTERRA stalwarts will agree that XTERRA is unlike anything else you will find in triathlon. Don't get me wrong, I love the sport of triathlon, the entire sport of triathlon. In my career I have done pretty much everything there is to do, Ironman, 70.3, ITU, Duathlon, Winter Triathlon, and of course XTERRA (50+ in the last 7 years). Even after all that I still don't know exactly what to expect from one race to another - except to never underestimate what the Kahuna and his boys will come up with. This year's West Championship was a perfect example.

Coming into this race, I thought back about last year's course. In 2005 we had our first taste of Temecula, a place that was hoping to rebound from a horrendous fire, which permanently altered what was once a tree-canopied utopia of undulating So-Cal single track. The trails survived but the flora was pretty much wiped out. Race day provided a stunningly deep pro field (including numerous Olympians and World Cup mountain bikers), a glassy lake, hot temps through barren terrain on the hilly ride, and a run with almost three miles of soft arroyo sand. Bleak yet challenging.

This year found us in precisely the same locale but under totally different conditions. First, the pro field seemed a bit thin - a "cherry pick" some would say - but it's something I have learned not to trust. Just because you don't recognize a name doesn't mean they haven't been busting their butt all winter. Yet, the fact remained, Conrad wasn't here (injured). Francisco "Paco" Serrano had a "request" from the Mexican federation to compete at home. Greg Krause was spending time with Krause Jr. (congrats Greg). And the Euros seem to be focusing on the ever-expanding XTERRA Global Tour.

However, we did see the addition of several names that multisport insiders would recognize: Seth Wealing (ITU regular and third at Tahoe last year), Tom Evans (Canadian IM star), Jason Jablonski (2005 XTERRA amateur world cham), and Chann McRae (ex-roadie star and IM standout) to name a few. On the women's side, pro mountain bikers Jenny Smith and Monique Sawicki looked as though they might add to the notoriously bike-heavy women's field.

The course would prove to be very different as well. A rainy spring yielded handlebar-high vegetation on nearly the entire ride. Kahuna Dave had been up to his usual tricks, swapping the sandy run of '05 for a leg-searing hill fest. It provided us with one of the most fitness demanding XTERRAs I can remember.

Lastly, race-day conditions were a lot different from '05. A cold front moved into Temecula valley bringing with it white caps on Vail Lake for the 1500m swim and breezy conditions throughout the race.

The winds made for interesting swim currents as Wealing, Brent McMahon (second here in '05) and Tom Evans managed to put nearly four minutes into the main group housing contenders; Mike Vine, Dom Gillan, Josiah Middaugh, Justin Thomas, myself, and top women Melanie McQuaid and Candy Angle. I don't know about the rest of our group, but I couldn't swim a straight line to save my life. A fact I am going to chalk up to the winds rather than my stunning lack of ability.

Once out of the water it was onto the bike and up the Mt. Everest of transition climbs. Immediately the attrition factor in XTERRA laid claim to Jim Vance as he double-flatted on the back side of the first descent and only had one tube (the downside of riding a 29'er - no one can help you out with a tube).

Meanwhile up front the heat was on as the Russian roulette game of how hard to push the first lap began. Two Canadians, Brent McMahon and Melanie McQuaid would find very different outcomes to a similar tactic of throwing down the pace on the first lap.

Brent would go on to see a solid gap of almost two minutes open up between himself, Tom Evans, and Seth Wealing. The second swim group chasers, Josiah Middaugh and Andrew Noble got close but not close enough.

Melanie on the other had pushed just that little bit too hard and would crack just enough on the second lap to let arch rival Jamie Whitmore get within striking distance for the run. Also, unfortunately pushing just a bit too hard would be Chann McRae who crashed on the first steep descent, washing out the front end just in front of me, and landing in the text-book, collar-bone-breaking, arms out position. 2006 XTERRA comeback story of the year (trust me), Tyler Johnson would also find the unfriendly side of the trail after the chicane at the bottom of the descent.

Unfortunately for me, three insect stings and some mechanical issues would end my day on the bike and leave me in the role of "combat journalist" for the remainder of the day.

XTERRA is usually quite bike heavy, but Temecula is just the type of course to remind you XTERRA is indeed a triathlon and you will be asked to answer for your bike efforts on the demanding run. However, Brent McMahon quite simply, was on it today. Brent left transition looking smooth and quick and came to the finish looking even better to claim his first XTERRA championship. However, behind him the race would see numerous changes. Seth Wealing produced a stunning run to solidly take over second from Tom Evans, who was not able to use his long-course strength on the run and slipped to fifth overall (and nearly sixth) behind charging runners Middaugh, Nobel, and Justin Thomas.

For the women, Melanie's risky early bike would see Jamie pass her between miles two and three of the run but hold on to second, just ahead of a fast closing Candy Angle. In the back-and-forth world that is the women's XTERRA pro field, look for Mel to be on a rampage as we head to the Southland next month.

All in all Temecula proved to be a solid start to the season for some. With the added pro series stop in Alabama (Nissan Xterra Southeast Championship - June 11), I can assure you many of us are looking for Temecula to be our mulligan for the year.

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