I am NO newbie to this sport. But, just when I start getting cynical about triathlon after eight years of slugging it out for mid-pack position, Wildflower and the ol' LA Triclub renew my faith in triathlon. First, there was that famous sports announcer, TIm Bomba, shouting from the grandstands atop Lynch Hill, "And there's Mark Lytle of Glendale, one of the top cyclists in the world today." Now, that was some BS that really got me pumped-up for exiting the park, and helped me hold a decent pace (for me) on Interlake and Jolon Road. i traded a few passes with some old LA triclub pals and was having some fun. Then, there was El Jefe, Paul Hekemian, on the Megaphone just before the energizer Bunny at the top of Nasty, reeling me up those last 50 meters like a Marlin. And, there he was again, at the top of Redondo Vista Hill, getting the crowd behind every Latriclub-kit -wearing-run- walker trying to finish that ridiculously tough run. But, most importantly, there was Kristen Cisneros, who, after I'd stopped for a flat on Jolon road, turned onto Naciemento and flatted again, run out of my last bummed tube and cartridge, stopped for me. She said, "What do you need? Anything I have you can have." She gave me a brand new tube and cartridge, waited to see that I was O.K., and rode on. That, my friends, is sportsmanship (alright, sportspersonship). And, although I was on my way to a WF PR but instead finished the bike with a half hour lost in mechanicals, I finished. More importantly, I had a great day at the race only because of Kristen, Tim and Paul, Thank you, Kristen, Tim and Paul