I've flatted in a sprint and in an Olympic (first oly, actually). Fixed the flat in both races, and lost no more than 5 spots in my AG. I think racing with at least the gear is smart, how you carry it is your call. Plus, then at least you can get back to T2 without hitchhiking or waiting for a support vehicle.

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KJ
Swim and Triathlon Coach
AllTerrainEndurance.com
KJ@allterrainendurance.com

I have a trek draftbox on my Felt IA to hold my flat kit. I never ride the bike without it.

You don't have to carry your flat kit in a saddle bag. You could put it in a water bottle, or just zip tie it to your saddle or frame.

Since I plan to ride to my next short course race (a sprint distance race) I definitely would want the ability to fix a flat. Even if my race was ruined after a flat I still need to get home.

I at least tape a can of Pit Stop to my seat post, so in a flat I can dump that can of goo into the tube/tyre, to get me around with little lost time.

(I do carry more too - I'm not pushing the podium, I'd rather get a finish and accept 20 secs aero loss due to the seat pack, over a DNF and a long wait / walk back.)

If you bail you miss out on a good run w/o, a flat change on clincher should be under 3 minutes for pretty much everyone...less for a few.

Maurice

Thanks guys, makes a lot of sense. Will definitely be bringing some stuff with me for fixing a flat if it happens.