This is the sixth article in a series to get you and me ready for the Brett/Robinson Alabama Coastal Triathlon on May 3, 2008 at the Gulf State Park Pavilion.  How is training going?  Mine is getting better.  I had to adjust my bike seat; maybe you should look at that too.  Chances are your seat is too low.  That is what I usually see.  Is swimming getting better? 

Last time I wrote about biking, but I failed to mention any nice places to ride.  Parts of the race course along the beach road are good.  You are going to have to climb the bridge at Alabama Point on race day.  Maybe some practice on the beach roads and in the bike lanes will help you out.  The bridge will definitely be a challenge for us “flatlanders.” 

One of my favorite places for an easy ride is the loop around and through Gulf State Park.  The bike lanes are clean and the vehicle traffic is not too bad.  Plus, this is part of the race course also.  I like this route because there are not many streets or driveways for cars to turn in or out of.  One clockwise lap on the roads around Lake Shelby is 5.55 miles.  You can park at the golf course and start there.  The Lake Shelby parking area provides you access to bathrooms and showers if you choose to park there and ride around the park.    

Another ride, albeit at a slower pace, is the bike path that the City of Gulf Shores completed in 2006.  It runs along the north side of Fort Morgan Road from Burger King out to the entrance of Peninsula.  The roundtrip is about 12.5 miles.  I mention this route is slower because of the curves in the path and because of the gravel driveways and small streets that cross the paved path.  My daughter and I ride mountain bikes on this path and stop at the Chevron station for ice cream.  Plenty of scenery and landmarks to look at as you pedal down the path.  You get close to the highest natural point on Pleasure Island and also pass three or four RV parks along the way out to the turnaround.  The goal in training is to make three one hour rides each week.

The race day distance is 19.5 miles.  The fastest competitors will finish this under one hour.   One hour and 15 minutes is a reasonable expectation for other riders.  Your time will vary due to race day conditions. 

To register for the Brett/Robinson Alabama Coastal Triathlon, go to www.team-magic.com. Right now the cost to register is $80 for an individual and $115 for a relay team. You can register online or download a form to complete and mail. Sponsors and volunteers are also needed so please visit www.alabamabeachsports.com.

 About the author: A 1982 graduate of the University of South Alabama, David Lloyd is a triathlon veteran after participating in more than 100 events in the last 18 years. His career highlight so far has been finishing the 2006 Ironman Florida, which features a 112 mile bike ride. David resides in Gulf Shores with his wife and two daughters.