thanks for your advice (really).

My simple brain is thinking...

You don't get a trophy for "racing" practice, and/or being stupid. I'd easily win in the "stupid" category, though not purposely; against a multi-thousand pound vehicle, I'll happily give them pretty much any thing they want. - maybe even a smile and a wave.

Aloha

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I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

I want to be clear on something about the folks violating safe biking (and running) practices. We know they're a small percentage of the athletes in town. Kona has grown, there are a lot more people here than 10 years ago. There are also a lot more athletes. While the percentage of "safety challenged riders" has not increased, and in fact might be lower, the absolute numbers are higher. They stick out like a sore thumb and cause a rather vocal bit of resentment that brushes off on everyone including the 99% of athletes who are doing everything right.

We actually understand things. Nobody wakes up and thinks, "I'm going to go out and run stop signs without looking, I'm going to run red lights, block traffic on the Queen K while passing and be a hazard to myself and others." But things do happen; it's Kona, it's the world championship and you're in it! Everyone is as fit as you are and it's really happening. People in town will forget the bad apples soon enough, until next year. The hay is in the barn, slow down move right (biking or running), let the bad apples by and ride defensively .. until exiting T1 and past the mount line on Saturday.

You worked hard to get here. Most have raced multiple full length races this year just to be able to line up at Kona. Others are on a decade plus of race after race to get here. How you got here doesn't matter (unless you swam here then it matters. ;) ). What matters is what you do with your time in Kona. You have 17 hours to finish. You have to start.

It's going to be hot, it's going to humid, it's going to be windy. It's a miserable race and you'll have a great time.

I'll see some of you at the PATH 5K run tomorrow. I'll be the old guy in a white Path shirt. Other's I'll likely see at the Slow Twitch gathering. Enjoy Ironman Week.

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The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -- A fake Albert Einstein "quote"

Menehune on the pier side of the King Kam makes a good coffee. I also like Kope Lani across from the palace on Alii Drive. Both use 100% Kona. Ask either of them to make it strong, both can swap out grinds (usually) for something different.

Do not take a blend home when buying coffee. I also think that Ka`u coffee (Sometimes it's spelled Kau .. pronounced Caw-ooo) (again 100%) from the east side of the island is quite good, very under rated. Personally if I'm buying coffee, I head down to Greenwell Farms in Kainaliu/Captain Cook and buy theirs. Mokuele Farms is good as well. If you can get in touch with the owner (via Facebook?) and get it from her directly rather than over her website you might get a better deal. For Kau coffee try Target, seriously, unless you're heading to the east side via South Point.

Friends don't let friends drink Kona Blend. :)

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The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -- A fake Albert Einstein "quote"

Recent from Endurance Sports Wire http://www.endurancesportswire.com/
is that NBC Sports will be partnering with IronmanLive.com to bring a new level of IM coverage on the day.

It won't be available on the NBC Gold subscription, waiting on an answer to see if it will be available as a basic replay like much of their other sports coverage is, no special subscription required. http://www.nbcsports.com

Sounds like IronmanLive.com fed to NBC Sports, basically - hoping it will be stored for replay! Great HD quality, I've enjoyed all the Cycling coverage for the past 2 years via NBC Gold. I'd pay for the complete archived coverage, so long as it was every bit of it, start to finish, no announcers early and late. I enjoy just seeing and hearing whats going on, i'd prefer it not explained every second, let me just take in the sights and sounds.

here's a link:

http://www.endurancesportswire.com/...W+Fri++10%2F6%2F2017

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http://www.PatGriskusTri.com USAT Certified Race Director
2024 Races: USAT State of CT Age Group Championship/State of CT HS Champs/ CT Club Championship - Sat June 15th (Oly/Du/Sprint) Hopkins Vineyard Tri at Lake Waramaug Saturday July 13th http://www.HopkinsVineyardTri.com

What is the best landmark for sighting on the way back to the pier? Someone told me to use a cell tower, but I see multiple towers.

Confirming Overdistance & Sylvan's earlier posts about the awesome improvements to the Waikoloa Road that now has a huge shoulder all the way up from the Queen-K up to the Mamaloha Rd. (Upper Levels Hwy) with some visual evidence from today's ride - my wife (r) and a friend (l). This was just up from the Heli-Port:



This is awesome, and is a great Off-The-Queen-K option for riding.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Winds?

What will the winds be like on race day?

This is always a BIG question. The only right answer is the it will be windy!

We've ridden out and back to Waikoloa twice - winds were completely different on the two days!

One day there was ferocious gusts! We learned today that, these same gusts had caused three racers to crash on the course out past Mauna Lani - gusts that were quartering in from the rear, simply lifted them up off the road, and down they went at 50+ kmh. One of them was a good friend of ours, and a contender in the women's 45 - 49 AG - a boken collar-bone and lots of road rash. Broken bones for other other two as well. They all ended up at the hospital in Waimea! All three out of the race!

As noted, it may or may not be this way on race day.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

The road widening project was finished around last years race iirc. It makes it much easier, and safer, in the area east of town now.

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The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -- A fake Albert Einstein "quote"

On race day sight along the line of buoys, they'll lead you straight to the corner of the pier. Jack's Diving Locker has been putting the swim course up since the 2nd year the race was in kona. It will be stunningly straight.

For a bit better sighting before hand:

While out swimming, turn and look at the right hand tower of the King Kam hotel. Now look to the right of there just a bit. If you're close enough you'll see the bayan tree which you can sight on. Further out look just a bit further right and you'l see a single large cell phone/Tsunami warning tower which appears to be on a hill. That's the tower people are talking about.

Also you can use "the coke building" (as in CocaCola, it was owned by an heir to one of the CocaCola bottling fortunes once). This is the building on Alii Drive with the white roof across from the swim area.

From the IM turn to the Kings Buoy (Royal Kona). Sight to the right of the King Kam's most inland building or the tsunami tower. From the Kings buoy to the 800m buoy site on the tsunami tower or coke building. From the 800m buoy on in sight on the Banyan tree or coke building until near the pier.

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The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -- A fake Albert Einstein "quote"

I'm always reluctant to describe the winds out of fear of jinxing things. :P

That said the "normal" wind is little in town as Fleck said early in the thread. A quartering headwind from the right after Veteran's Cemetery until just past the Mauna Lani, fairly calm until Kawaihae Junction. A tailwaind down to Kawaihae or no wind at all. A quartering right headwind (varying to a 90 degree crosswind from the right) with gusts (sometimes rather strong gusts) on the ride to Mahukona, a headwind on the climb to Hawi. By then the winds shift almost 180 degrees. Expect the same thing on the way back (right quartering headwinds varying to 90 crosswinds from the right). Yes ... headwinds both ways unless it's an unusual year or you're a very very fast swimmer and biker.

And ... I've just jinxed it. ;)

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The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -- A fake Albert Einstein "quote"

Thank you. I looked for images of the tsunami tower, and got distracted by this clip of a tsunami at Dig Me beach: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n8P_pKXMKAc

Is the tsunami tower the one with big black bulbous things on it like warts?

yup, that would be it. About 15 or so degrees to the right of the King Kam hotel when you're way down at the kings buoy.

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The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -- A fake Albert Einstein "quote"

Be careful out there guys. There was an accident (no real details) between a cyclist and an automobile out by the airport yesterday. I have no clue if it was a competitor, local or other. People speed there trying to get into and out of the airport. Please, heads up as you approach it.

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The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -- A fake Albert Einstein "quote"

The one I know from yesterday was a non-competitor. Major cycling company rep. in town for the race. The car turned directly in front of him and there was no time to react. Passenger window shattered, mirror ripped off, etc. Came away very sore, but sounds like maybe he's feeling worse today and may get further evaluation.

My wife has been on the island a while and before this week was traveling back and forth to Kona from WBR every couple days. She's seen at least one cyclist on the ground daily at that intersection. She shuttled out for a ride today to skip the construction zone and on the drive back a few minutes ago saw a cyclist hit at the airport intersection:( After the trip out there she had already mentioned seeing a lot of close calls just along the highway with cyclists riding up to 4 wide on the shoulder.

Sylvan's idea of driving out of town to Kua or WBR to ride is a much safer approach than riding out that way while the intersection construction is still underway.

It's a bad intersection without the construction, it's worse now.

Because, you know, cars just have to race past a cyclist almost at an intersection pass them, then slow down to slower than the cyclist and turn in front of them... because bicycles are just too slow. /sarcasm off.

It's a problem not unique to Kona or anywhere for that matter. Race day is almost here. Be careful.

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The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -- A fake Albert Einstein "quote"

I watched bike after bike blow stoplights today driving in. Also seen numerous athletes riding with no helmets. And then there’s lights. 98% of the bikers I have seen are not using lights. It drives me nuts. Please be part of the solution.

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http://www.TriScottsdale.org

The Lane by the old Chevron/Tesoro currently Union 76 gas station is bad guys. Please be careful. Bikes are invisible to cars, particularly in that horrid construction zone. The race is 48 hours away. Let's have an accident free lead up, please.




Edit: Pictures from the Kona Driver's Hall of Shame Facebook page. Yes 9-1-1 had already been called.

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The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -- A fake Albert Einstein "quote"

KC,

We're thinking about spectating at next years race and I started looking at places to stay. One of the places that we're looking at is Uncle Bill's Kona Bay Hotel. Do you know much about this hotel? Also, when should I start looking for flights? Thank you for a great post.

This is one that Fleck is far better answering than I. I haven't stayed there ever. The story among locals though is that Uncle Billy's isn't nice. None of us have every stayed there though so how would we know?

Book as soon as you know your plans, the earlier the better.

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The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -- A fake Albert Einstein "quote"

My wife and I come over from Honolulu and stay at Uncle Billy’s every year. It is old and funky, though they are gradually redoing the whole hotel bit by bit. If you are fussy, it might not be for you, but we continue to stay here because it’s in a great location and relatively inexpensive. They start taking reservations for IM time in January.

Book as soon as you know your plans, the earlier the better.


I always hate contributing to the frenzy, but sooner is better - particularly when it comes to 2018. It will be the 40th anniversary.

Never stayed at Uncle Billy's. Agreed that you can't beat the location!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

I watched bike after bike blow stoplights today driving in. Also seen numerous athletes riding with no helmets. And then there’s lights. 98% of the bikers I have seen are not using lights. It drives me nuts. Please be part of the solution.


It's really unfortunate. We need to be part of the solution.

My new road riding mantra:

1. Lights on all the time

2. Shoulder check EVERYTHING

3. Signal EVERYTHING

4. Slow to almost a track-stand, at All STOP signs, making sure intersection is clear, and then proceed.

5. Stop and obey all stop lights, and follow all advanced left turn signals.

How hard can it be?

Even if one other driver sees you blow the stop sign or stop/red light, it sends the WRONG message to drivers.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog