grumpier.mike wrote:
At Master's Nationals this year I know 2 people who lost a podium position by .01 and .04 seconds. Doing some rough calculations I figure the difference of 0.01 seconds is about 3 one thousands of a watt. Both finished 4th rather than 3rd. I would feel pretty bummed to think I lost out because I didn't take the extra 30 seconds to cover the valve hole with a piece of tape.
This probably is less of a concern in Tri because you finish with the run and you can see everyone who started in your swim wave.
If I were doing a pure TT I would do everything I could. Not sure why a tri is different, maybe because I may come off the bike near the front of the pack but with my run I've no shot at a podium, so the minor issues are less of a concern.
I had a race last year where a guy next to me had a disc cover, and commented that I didn't cover the valve hole. His bike was still gone (my wave) when I got to T2. I've never "lost" a tri on the bike, that always happens on the run :)