This is cool thanks every one boy some good ones.


When drafting on the bike was illegal and stated in the race brochure but nobody enforced it and only some naive people like me abided by it.

Shifting from toe straps to look clip pedals.

When Budweiser Beer changed its name to Bud Light for sponsor purposes.

When spelling triathlon was hard and often times misspelled on your trophy (Triathalon)!

The famous leapord skin suit worn by Kim Bushong Feb 82 IM (There is a long story about that Im sure monty can explain)

When sometimes the swim was not the first event as in the previous post which did not last long.

When shimano was thought to be cheap (especially when riding with campanolo) but then their parts took off and were considered top notch

Scott Molina being seen eating a cookie 1988 Ironman

The era before the introduction of the disc Wheel

When 18-24 age group was just unfair and some races finally changed from 19-24 to 18 and under or 19 and under.


Sewup Bike tires
Kevlar Bike tires

Introduction to the following bike frames
Carbon fiber frames
Eddy Merckx frames
Merlin Frames
Aluminum Frames

Thanks everyone its fun to hear all the stories, really everyone seems to have something to contribute to this sport
and whether you were around about the time it started or later, the stories are just darn cool!

Here is one-
PS - It would have been cool to make the news being the youngest person in the race at 18 doing so well but not like this -Almost taking myself and the famous David Copperfield out at 45 mph while riding my bike as he stepped in front of me to cheer me on 83 World Wildlife IM. That would have sucked.

Not quite as old as some of these, but remember when your USAT membership included a free bike flight voucher on United?

And your bike flew free on international flights?

Elsa,

Boy thanks for that it brings back something I totally was never able to dig out of my brain, you might enjoy/funny.

Remember when you could purchase a bike carrier when traveling on a flight which was a big card board looking rectangular box!
Then hoping your bike was not a pretzel when you got there.

Ricoh Ironman 83 was not a full distance Ironman but very tough 2m 100m 20m Winner was Scott Molina.

Somebody help me here. I remember in the beginning someone posted a huge triathlon race then ran off with the money...Anybody?



PS - here is one.
Someone posted about Sub 4 gear before. Tks...Brings back the memories of meeting Steve Scott and the great san pedro high/ucla miler Ron Cornell who we trained with sometimes.
(Sub 4 was a sponsored selected group of world class runners who have run under 4 min for the mile)

I recently went back to Bonelli Park San Dimas site of the Orginal and oldest triathlon series in the world (Los Angeles Triathlon Championship Series), when the first race was April 9th 1983 and the park is absolutely wonderful with Raging Waters right next door, fun time.



tks

The ORIGINAL German Ironman Dirk Ashmoneit....

and he is a real obscure one.....does anyone remember the wire cable that was experimented with on the bike. It attached to your a belt and it attached to your stem. The idea was that you could "brace" against it and climb in the seated position better.....

I think Mark Allen might have used it for awhile before discarding it. I made a homemade one and it "felt" like it helped with seated climbing but quit using it when I wasn't sure it helped and worried what would happen if I crashed.

I thought it was introduced originally by some Italian TTT squad at the World Championship, no?

What about BikePro steering stabilizer that attached to your top tube and stem?

Wear-N-Tear's Black Hole front "wheel" system and aero "fins" that attached to the upper arms? And the whole skinsuit that had a "wing" from the end of the sleeve to the waist?

Pre chip timing....

I was the first RD to use it in a Triathlon...boy that was crazy!

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STIndiana
America Multi-Sport, Inc.
America's Half June 10, 2017
USAT RD Century Club
http://www.americamultisport.com

I did heaps of races with the triple Velcro timing, at each transition you had to hand over a Velcro number off the strap.

Oh yeah, totally remember the box!

Used to be a lot easier to pass off a bike as 'presentation materials' or 'sporting goods'. Nowadays, hundreds of people show up in the airport wearing M-Dot gear head to toe, not so much :)

I still have my campagnolo aero bottle and use it occasionally.

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Dean Wilson
http://www.anaerobiczone.com
Bicycle Protection Indoors & Out

I think you might be right about that one.....

[quoteSomebody help me here. I remember in the beginning someone posted a huge triathlon race then ran off with the money...Anybody? ][/quote]
Was that the Bahamas Diamond Triathlon or something like that were they were supposed to award diamonds but never did....

Never did it,..... but how about the Fletcher Hanks Equilateral Triathlons....long distances that would each take about 2 hours? on each leg?

Liberty to liberty....NY to Philly, point to point......never did that one either..... ...

I did the US Continental race in 91 or 92. It was Ironman length and there were maybe 30 finishers. After the race, I walked up to Fletcher and said "could you tell me where the massage table is?" (it was advertised in his flyer). He called his (assumed) wife over - she was even older than Fletcher. I passed on the massage.

Pre chip timing....

I was the first RD to use it in a Triathlon...boy that was crazy! //

I believe we at the Los Angeles triathlon series were the first to use chip timing in the mid 80's. My partners son worked for Cisco and had the first hand held computers that we used to do our timing. (and his name was Chip) (-;

Cool...ChampionChip told us we were the first to use it during the 96 World's...but all for their use in our sport!

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STIndiana
America Multi-Sport, Inc.
America's Half June 10, 2017
USAT RD Century Club
http://www.americamultisport.com

Tom Demerly

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____________________________________________________

skid lids(still have mine from 1983)

the original Wind Trainer(still have it...a bit rusty but usable if needed)

Team Second Sole(Tinley) Richard Hurtz ("don't call me Dick") founder of Second Sole-California

Rob Roller-all around fast dude and good guy

Turn-Tec running shoes!!

I remember this race still.

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1*

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Emilio De Soto II
Maker of triathlon clothing, T1 Wetsuits, & Saddle Seat Pads and AXS since 1990
emilio@desotosport.com http://www.desotosport.com

Wow, Benotto cellotape, Zefal framepump (from back when frames came with a pump peg on the headtube), Stelle Italia Turbo saddle, glacier glasses with the leather side guards. Wow.

Crappy/flappy peel and stick bike numbers......oh wait, we still have those.

---

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Yeah, the Italians use a tether in '87


I think Mark used one at the '87 IM as well (made by HED IIRC).

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

[Haven't read the whole thread].....

When you could sign up for IMAZ 6 months before (and that wasn't even that long ago)

Man this is neat.

Tim Demerly?

Thanks everyone for your comments good stuff.

Monty,Emilio Everyone, I have to post this and after I promise to keep it short with the subject but this has to be said.

I gotta mention you guys cause you were the ones that influenced me as a teenager to stick with it. Monty this ones for you - I got into the sport Nov 82 but before that I
saw you and Bill Leach on a Black and White TV in my room racing I believe Santa Barbara (not sure) and sure enough your Bicycle Source Shirt Appeared on TV. After seeing you guys Swim
in cold ocean then race on bikes then run I was hooked. Shortly after that I believe I did the Carson Tri 82 and there again was the Bicycle Source Shirt which you were wearing while running, you won
beating Dave Wilcox by two min and I still have the picture of all us that won awards and the rest is history with the championship series Bonelli April May 83 then World Wildlife Ironman and so on.
I honestly believe completely that I would have not tried that triathlon in 82 had it not been for catching the fever and the rest of my career and all the things I learned, experienced, saw, felt, smelled, heard
would have never happened. It allowed me one thing in life to realize, that nothing, I mean NOTHING, is too tough that you cannot endure whether in the military or in ANY situation. TKS.

? Is it true you were a Cat 1 Cyclist? I always new you were at least a Cat 2 but remember reading something in an article.

Emilio - Man good to hear from you. I saw your presentation about buisness at santa barabara a while back and I found your story about comming to america very inspiring.
World Wildlife 83 we rode together for awhile. Man what a race, riding over the Vincent Thomas Bridge, how cool is that! Hey remember Tom? Remember Palm Springs 85 where you beat
Tom, Chris Geyer and Me. I remember you saying to us that Tom could back stroke the swim and still be 2 min ahead of everyone lol. Telly Savalas was there chearing on someone I almost
hit him head on while on the bike, he was driving his green convertible caddie in the wrong lane...Another wonderful news story that would have sucked.
I never knew about your Team J David invite which is pretty cool.

You guys are most assured pioneers in this sport and it is always great when you comment stuff and stories. We should Archive it in a great big TRI Vault. What we should do is get together anybody who
wants to at the next Tri Series Race I think in May, have the competitors take off their wet suits and then we can sit back and watch everyone freeze.

Tks to everyone for the post alot of interesting things about gear inventions and if you ask me a triathlete is a different beast. He/She will find a way to make something better or help someone
else in the sport who is struggling. It is no surprise that triathletes changed the way cyclist view aerodynamics!

73's Qsl Qru Ar..

Titanflexr

That picture is just darn cool. Tech was going in so many directions.

Heres one - Imagine if that team had Tri Bars in 87. They got everything else (seems) aero helmets, clippless pedals short front wheels, disc etc.

Tom Demerly? Anybody curious

1991 Steelman just before Wildflower
- Scott DH Bars
- Avocet wired cyclometer
- Shimano Ultegra 600 7-speed
- Exceed
- J-disc
- Selle Italia Turbo saddle
- and, most importantly, malt powerbar on the top tube. Yum!