I was one of the very lucky applicants who won a start at the 2019 Norseman triathlon. I've had a few months for the panic to die down and thought it might be nice for those racing this year to share notes on planning and logistics, and to mercilessly steal the hard-earned knowledge of the many Norseman veterans on Slowtwitch.
I'm Rich Knight, I don't think I know my race number yet (do I?) but I'll be flying in from West Yorkshire in the UK landing in Oslo and driving up with my support crew and brother (same person) Stephen on the Thursday. I'd have liked to have come out a day or two earlier but work and money and all that shite - this is the best I could do. I'm staying a bit further out from Eidfjord than I would have liked ahead of race day - Lofthus which is maybe 30-40 minutes drive away down the R13 near Ullensvang. After the race I've scored accomodation at the t-shirt ceremony hotel which makes things easy and I might even be able to stomach a beer come Sunday, you never know.
Ok - things I'm thinking a lot about.
Gearing. My watts/kg is fairly decent but I've got a 53/39 on my TT bike with (currently) a 12-25 on the back. I'm limited to 130 BCD if I want to use my power meter, which I do and I'm on 10 speed. My road bike is 11 speed compact with 11-28 and I live somewhere pretty hilly and like to spin my easy gear but a compact or semi-compact is a no-go on the TT bike (130 BCD)... 38 teeth minimum on the inner. I'm thinking about upgrading to 11 speed, putting a 12-30 on the back and maybe swapping the 39 for a 38 tooth inner ring just for a little bit extra. The 38/30 combo gives me about the same ratio as my road bike 34/27 (but not quite the 28). Alternatively I don't bother with the chainring and just put a 11-32 at the back and upgrade to 11 speed to keep the jumps down (as much as possible). Be nice to hear what other folks are thinking.
Wheels. I've not got a deep rear wheel, only a disc. It is a Renn 555 which is all I race with usually and I'm a "always the disc" kind of guy as per ST standards but I do wonder if I might be happier on a spoked 60mm or 80-90mm rear, for extra comfort as much as anything as it is a pretty long day out on the bike - the Renn is pretty rigid.
Other bike stuff. Cold hands and descending is not always the most fun, and your TT bars don't offer the most ergonomic grip. My particular bars have totally flat bullhorns and there isn't much to brace your hands against as your weight comes forward under braking... thinking about the Felt grips or maybe some extra wraps of tape. I'm going to ride hills a lot on my TT bike in the lead-up.
Clothes. I'm thinking one piece tri suit under my wetsuit. Hi-Vis gilet for the tunnel and initial climb, adding something like a Gabba short sleeved with wind/waterproof arm warmers when I get onto the plateau. A windproof shell if needed and finally a Merino base layer to add from support car if I get really cold. I'm aiming to be able to adapt to the conditions. In this race you have the tunnel and the loooong climb out of T1 before you can see your support car again and change clothes - is the decision usually based on conditions on the day? Puzzling over whether I'll need my jersey leaving transition but maybe I just need the option.
Hands and Feet. Gather it can get pretty cold - I'm thinking Merino socks with neoprene toe covers. I'm going to start with some gloves, maybe my aero mitts but neoprene gloves in the car which have always worked for me in the cold and wet.
Swim. Lordy, I haven't even thought about that yet. Booties and hood allowed I think, I'll see how I feel when I get my first OW swim of the season next month which is usually 13 deg C.
Nutrition. Lots of options with the support car in tow I guess, but I've been tending towards purely liquid calories recently and in cooler conditions I might not want to drink as much. Will have a chat with the guys at Infinit maybe, or go back to gels and waffles.
Parking for the mountain (hopefully). So your support guy/gal can either park at the 32km cutoff and walk/run with you to the bottom of the mountain, or they can leave their car and get the bus. Either way I'm going to expect my brother to carry my bag for me as far as he is allowed!
Anything else anyone thinking about? Say hello here and I might buy you a beer after the race. But probably the day after! ;-)
Cheers,
Rich.
I'm Rich Knight, I don't think I know my race number yet (do I?) but I'll be flying in from West Yorkshire in the UK landing in Oslo and driving up with my support crew and brother (same person) Stephen on the Thursday. I'd have liked to have come out a day or two earlier but work and money and all that shite - this is the best I could do. I'm staying a bit further out from Eidfjord than I would have liked ahead of race day - Lofthus which is maybe 30-40 minutes drive away down the R13 near Ullensvang. After the race I've scored accomodation at the t-shirt ceremony hotel which makes things easy and I might even be able to stomach a beer come Sunday, you never know.
Ok - things I'm thinking a lot about.
Gearing. My watts/kg is fairly decent but I've got a 53/39 on my TT bike with (currently) a 12-25 on the back. I'm limited to 130 BCD if I want to use my power meter, which I do and I'm on 10 speed. My road bike is 11 speed compact with 11-28 and I live somewhere pretty hilly and like to spin my easy gear but a compact or semi-compact is a no-go on the TT bike (130 BCD)... 38 teeth minimum on the inner. I'm thinking about upgrading to 11 speed, putting a 12-30 on the back and maybe swapping the 39 for a 38 tooth inner ring just for a little bit extra. The 38/30 combo gives me about the same ratio as my road bike 34/27 (but not quite the 28). Alternatively I don't bother with the chainring and just put a 11-32 at the back and upgrade to 11 speed to keep the jumps down (as much as possible). Be nice to hear what other folks are thinking.
Wheels. I've not got a deep rear wheel, only a disc. It is a Renn 555 which is all I race with usually and I'm a "always the disc" kind of guy as per ST standards but I do wonder if I might be happier on a spoked 60mm or 80-90mm rear, for extra comfort as much as anything as it is a pretty long day out on the bike - the Renn is pretty rigid.
Other bike stuff. Cold hands and descending is not always the most fun, and your TT bars don't offer the most ergonomic grip. My particular bars have totally flat bullhorns and there isn't much to brace your hands against as your weight comes forward under braking... thinking about the Felt grips or maybe some extra wraps of tape. I'm going to ride hills a lot on my TT bike in the lead-up.
Clothes. I'm thinking one piece tri suit under my wetsuit. Hi-Vis gilet for the tunnel and initial climb, adding something like a Gabba short sleeved with wind/waterproof arm warmers when I get onto the plateau. A windproof shell if needed and finally a Merino base layer to add from support car if I get really cold. I'm aiming to be able to adapt to the conditions. In this race you have the tunnel and the loooong climb out of T1 before you can see your support car again and change clothes - is the decision usually based on conditions on the day? Puzzling over whether I'll need my jersey leaving transition but maybe I just need the option.
Hands and Feet. Gather it can get pretty cold - I'm thinking Merino socks with neoprene toe covers. I'm going to start with some gloves, maybe my aero mitts but neoprene gloves in the car which have always worked for me in the cold and wet.
Swim. Lordy, I haven't even thought about that yet. Booties and hood allowed I think, I'll see how I feel when I get my first OW swim of the season next month which is usually 13 deg C.
Nutrition. Lots of options with the support car in tow I guess, but I've been tending towards purely liquid calories recently and in cooler conditions I might not want to drink as much. Will have a chat with the guys at Infinit maybe, or go back to gels and waffles.
Parking for the mountain (hopefully). So your support guy/gal can either park at the 32km cutoff and walk/run with you to the bottom of the mountain, or they can leave their car and get the bus. Either way I'm going to expect my brother to carry my bag for me as far as he is allowed!
Anything else anyone thinking about? Say hello here and I might buy you a beer after the race. But probably the day after! ;-)
Cheers,
Rich.