For a sprint, nothing. Just keep the bike clean and unencumbered.

I should have been more clear. I'm talking about IM races.

Are you just looking for what other people do? Or are you looking for suggestions on how you can optimize your bike setup?

If it is the latter, then you should be even more clear:

- Can you eat while you run?
- What nutrition have you proven to need on the bike?
- What kind of bike do you have?
- What is your current setup?
- Do you plan on winning AG or just finishing?

I have never done an IM, but no matter the race distance, I find those question are among a list of other important things to answer before determining your optimal bike setup for a race.

1. Get your spare tire kit etc... out of the wind
2. Determine liquid and calorie needs
3. Determine minimum amount of liquid and calories to carry based on availability of on course nutrition
4. Factor in some kind of buffer (IE- oops I dropped my food/bottle)
5. Put that minimum on your bike in the most aero way possible
6. Done

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Of course it hurts. The trick is not minding it hurts.

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Highlighted in bold, italics, and underlined. For IM racing your strategy will depend on this, and whether or not you are willing to use the on course nutrition. At Ironman Austria, I picked up a bottle every 20 mins or so. I have done races where I can't do that. I don't trust the calories in the on course nutrition anyway (concentration can vary massively, even if you know what they use), so I carry calories with me and use aid stations for liquid/isotonic. But what I'm saying is it depends on the race.

Above is perfect advice. To expand on the most aero way possible, testing has shown round bottles on a frame are bad. It can be pretty good to keep a horizontal bottle between your extensions. Behind the saddle can be pretty good if it is close to your arse, but don't hang a load of crap out there. Some front mounted aero solutions test very well (eg Torhans aero 30) IF they can be positioned close to your head tube.

My personal setup is a single bottle cage horizontally between my arms, which is hydration that I replenish from aid stations. It is positioned such that it is between my arms and hidden from the wind behind my hands. An aero bottle on the downtube for calories in the form of a concentrated mix of Infinit. If there is special needs halfway around the bike I will pack a replacement mix of infinit, and so each mix has half the calories I need. Otherwise it is twice the concentration in one bottle and I wash that sucker down with water each time (from between my arms). I can fit a spare inner tube and a caffeine gel (80 mile pick-me-up) in an aero bento box behind my stem. My multitool fits under my saddle. I don't have a load of crap hanging off my expensive aero time trial bike!!

This^^^

Live off the course. Learn to listen to your body and be highly flexible in nutrition needs. You'll find that many of the most consistent triathletes, that rarely have "bad day" don't have a strict nutrition plan. But, everyone varies. But I'm a strong believer that GI issues are not related to what you eat, but when you eat and pacing.

Example, at Steelhead last year my reserve bottle, an aero bottle came off on a large bump. I've never ever had that happen. It's incredibly secure. I've ridden over that bump at that speed a dozen items in training with that bottle and no issue. I then looked at my drop rate on hand-ups at aide stations and realized that it's silly for me to even carry a reserve. Then considered that I could easily go 20 minutes without nutrition and "make it up" if needed.

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TrainingBible Coaching
http://www.trainingbible.com

RE: On course nutrition, just buy and get used to whatever liquid they have on course. For me personally, it all does the same thing with different flavors. When I was starting, I had a bottle between the bars, two down below, and two in the rear behind the saddle. One bottle of nutrition liquid for each hour, and an extra in my special needs bag just in case. Now, I have two bottle cages: one between the bars and one behind the saddle. When I start an IM, I have one bottle of my own between the bars. At each aid station as needed I grab a bottle of perform or whatever, stash it in the free bottle cage, and drink it, sticking to how much I had planned to drink. The bottle I start with is backup in case I miss a handoff at an aid station or drop one or something. Makes the whole race, and prep, much less complicated.

Keep flat kits/tubes in your bike's purpose built aero storage area (trek sc speed box, or specialized fuelcell, or whatever your bike has), and gels or whatever in one of those dark speed works aero top tube bags. Some people have success taping gels to their top tube too. This is all the most aero way possible to do everything and stay fueled.

The absolute worst are those people with two bottles behind the saddle and everything stapled to it hanging in the wind to the side.

I'm also looking for some tips here for an IM (my first). My bike is a 2015 P2 so no storage area behind the seat tube. Bike time should be around six hours. I'm planning to carry

• 2 bottles sports drink -- main and a spare (in case I run out between aid stations or have a bad exchange)
• Solid nutrition (e.g., Shot Bloks) to supplement what is at the stations
• Small repair kit

The current setup I'm considering is

• BTA aero bottle, most likely Xlab Torpedo Versa (assuming this new version splashes less)
• Behind the seat bottle -- I don't love reaching back there very often, but it could work for a spare
• Bento with food
• Xlab Aero Pouch 300 with repair kit

What other setups have you found that work well (easy to use, relatively aero)? I've also considering using a downtube bottle (standard cage, or a Torhans VR holding a repair kit), but it sounds like those would be slower, even the Torhans since it doesn't blend with the frame well.