timbasile wrote:
somers515 wrote:
Also does anyone have a video showing the bike course route? Or even a map that better shows how the loops work then the official map?I was confused as hell looking at the maps they have on the website, so I made a strava route based on the turn by turn directions.
Bike: https://www.strava.com/routes/10463906
Run: https://www.strava.com/routes/10464018
It's really 3 loops - 2.5 loops is a bit of a stretch by anyone's estimation. My math says that this is going to get super crowded fast. If we assume all athletes are on the course at once, then we have 2500 athletes on 30km of roadway.
That's one athlete per 12m...
Not only that, consider that the nature of the rolling start is likely to make this madness worse. Self seeding athletes who swim well are more likely to start before people who are slower swimmers and riders, then those FOP swimmers can very often ride fast...you get it. Massive congestion, probably mass drafting, and really dangerous passing starting very early in the race. The fastest athletes will be hitting the slowest athletes just as those slowest, least experienced riders are starting their ride.
These other issues with the rumble strips and some cones on the major expressway are just going to make everything even harder and more dangerous
I have been known to go outside the cones to pass when left with no other option but to sit back there slowed to 18 mph screaming at some of these people. I'm not sorry about that either because I'm there to race. Of course experienced athletes are going to do everything they can to not hit someone, but it's not that black and white. The object of the game is to get from T2 to T3 as fast as possible and there are going to be some choices to make in terms of how much you are willing to risk laying your bike down on the expressway by trying to bunny hop some rumble strip while passing someone who is swerving and eating a sandwich.
And the numbers don't lie -- this three loop structure is a problem. I honestly think it's borderline negligent and I would be shocked if no one is badly hurt. Then if there is a fatality on account of this nonsense I guess the family of the deceased is shit out of luck because of that waiver we are compelled to sign at registration.