I'm considering doing IM 70.3 Greece next year. I'd be traveling there from California. I'm familiar with the basic travel logistics, as we've been to Greece many times. What I'm trying to sort out (to determine if doing the race is feasible) are the logistics around getting the bike there and back. So far, the options I've looked into are as follows:

1) Tri Bike Transport - doesn't support this race (so far)

2) Bikeflights - I keep getting an error that FedEx isn't responding when I try to get a quote. If they're using FedEx, then I understand why.

3) FedEx - I generated a quote from their website directly to ship a bike box, and it was ~$800 each way, plus the risk that it will not arrive on time.

so, this leaves me with flying with the bike. Cost of a hardshell bike case (Scicon) is ~$800. I could maybe find one to borrow. Cost to fly with a bike case (United) is $200 each way. OK, so far not great but not horrible in the grand scheme of doing an international race. What I'm having some difficulty sorting out is how I get from the airport to the resort with the bike. It's a 3 hour drive. I'd be traveling with my family (four of us) and all our luggage, so car and trunk are already full. SUV rental in Greece is OBNOXIOUSLY expensive vs. a normal (tiny) car. SUV's are just not a 'thing' in Greece. Even if I rent an SUV, it'll be a tiny one by US standards - so the only real option is to strap the bike box to the roof rack, which sounds sketchy for a three hour drive.

So, those of you that have travelled to 'out of the way' races before, how do you solve the logistics of traveling with the bike?

Thanks!