Dave613 wrote:
With all the roads there that have the ability to more safely navigate, I'd be shocked if there was not a route change. Both events this summer had very serious issues with that section of course. It is a very dangerous section to ride alone training, let alone in a race with thousands of others. Lets hope they change this before the next 70.3. (just my thoughts)
With respect to the people on this thread and the people who were hurt, it was not dangerous, even in the rain. It was not at all technical, and the roads were swept prior to race day. The bump they paved over was exactly the kind of road turbulence you will hit in just about any municipality in the first world, let alone what you'll experience in other countries.
If you can't safely navigate that section in the course (without some blocking from other athletes of course congestion occurring -- which by the way, could happen on any course of any type that has hills) -- then you are endangering yourself and others. As horrible as the incident in Boulder was, it sounds like it was entirely the result of an athlete who simply could not hold a line on the bike on a fairly flat road. This is basic stuff.
People show up to these races underprepared. There were dozens of athletes walking their bikes up the Duplessis climb on the first loop. I can't even imagine what type of undergearing and undertraining leads to that issue on a climb that was only punchy in a few places.
People show up to these races with carbon clinchers they either don't ride in training or don't ride in the rain or both, ever, and aren't familiar with carbon track braking modulation (and how bad it can be) or the crosswind stability (or lack thereof) of deep section wheels. They don't know how to descend or corner properly. They don't know how to stay right on the road. They don't have the proper gearing. They don't know how to ride with power meters (or don't have power meters) to control effort, even though they spend $2k+ on wheels. For such an educated and professionally successful demographic, I don't understand the decision making of a lot of folks competing in these events.
I think we as a sport need to figure out how to help newer or less experienced athletes be more competent riders and smarter in general. Don't show up for an IRONMAN as your first triathlon, for instance -- I talked to many of these people, and that shit is unimaginably stupid. If at all possible train how you race, equipment and topography included if possible. The principal of specificity applies to all of this. Even Lionel Sanders seems to be a hazard to his fellow pros on the bike based on his report from Wiesbaden