| Age
group swimmers lined up on the beaches of Oceanside,
California to compete in the finale of the reborn United
States Triathlon Series. The USTS is making a bid to win back
the hearts of amateur and pro triathletes as the sport
prepares for its debut in the 2000 summer Olympic games.
AG
men set their watches and prepare to hit the surf in
Oceanside, California. |
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Surf's
up at Oceanside. It never rains in California--except on race
day. Age groupers worked their way to the swim start in a
light drizzle and saw the clouds part for the start gun. As
they waited, the surf grew and the buoys drifted to create the
longest swim of the season.
Women age
groupers head into the surf and the western front of the
Oceanside pier. |
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| Beach
starts may drive some racers nuts, but they sure are cool to
watch. Wes Hobson knows his strengths and knows how to
compete. For the first two legs of the USTS Championships the
long-sleeved Hobson will be the man to catch. That's even more
cool than the beach start.
The
men pros stir up the silicon for spectators at Oceanside. |
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Siri
Lindley started as an age grouper. She was recognized as New
Zealand's rookie of the year when she made the jump to the pro
ranks--and she has struggled for recognition ever since. But
Oceanside was to be her day. Tapping a competitive spirit
second to none, Lindley was destined to run down the leaders
and claim Bally's USTS championship.
Siri Lindley
was nervous when she woke up on race day morning. Too nervous
to remember that she wasn't supposed to win. |
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| Gail
Laurence, Barb Lindquist and Jennifer Gutierrez lead the field
down the sandy beaches of Oceanside. None of them would figure
in the top three on this day.
The
cameras pointed toward the favorites as the underdogs prepared
to steal the race. |
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She
was the favorite. Barb Lindquist led the American
women through the summer, but Oceanside was not to be her
race. In the home stretch, Lindquist would see her lead drop
to second, then to third, and finally to fourth place. Who
cares? She had a great season and she's a great competitor.
Give her a high five the next time you see her--she started as
an age grouper too.
Barb
Lindquist couldn't stretch her season far enough to win the
USTS. |
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| Everyone
knew it was Barb Lindquist's race to win--or lose. The swim
was no question, and her bike? Oceanside provided a great
course for the top American female of '98. But there were
early signs of trouble. Lindquist's lead out of the swim could
have been greater, and her lead into T2 had shrunk. By the end
of the first lap of the run the story had reached the good
pages--this was going to be a race.
Barb
Lindquist heads into her second lap and into trouble. |
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While
the women were hoping to make a race of the USTS, Hunter
Kemper was stalking the men's leaders by holding his own on
the bike. Too bad for Nick Radkewich--Kemper's best event is
the run.
Hunter
Kemper exits T1 within striking distance of the USTS
championship. |
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| First
you pound through the surf and then, 100 yards out of T1, you
pound up a steep hill to start the bike. Some opted to walk.
Gear down, stand up, speed up.
AGs
head head up their first hill and out onto the damp Oceanside
roads to start their bike. |
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No
one was more suprised than the champion herself when Siri
Lindley crossed the finish line for the "best day of her
life." The best part of Lindley's victory was the
sincerity of it all. It was just fun to see all that hard work
turn into smiles.
Siri Lindley
beats the odds while beating the field at Oceanside. |
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Hunter
Kemper came up through the same Iron Kids ranks as Nick
Radkewich. Radkewich stayed at Kemper's parent's house in
Florida before his victory in the USTA National qualifier in
Clermont. Tough! Kemper, a former cross country runner, hung
onto Radkewich's heels through most of the run then put the
race to bed in the final stretch. As Wes Hobson would say
during the evening's awards ceremony--anyone who doesn't
believe non-drafting triathlon isn't exciting wasn't at
Oceanside on this race day.
Hunter
Kemper makes his mark on US triathlon and puts down notice
that those intending to go to Sydney in 2000 had better talk
to him first. |
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