Your wheels need to be as perpendicular as possible to them to avoid sliding in the gap and crashing, first. Next, lots of people run their tires at the wrong psi. Low or high. Too low and they're probably pinch flatting.

Myself? I don't bunny hop but just preload and unload my weight a bit going over them. If it's a series of lots of tracks, just stand up and act like your legs are shock absorbers like mountain bike riders do.

I’m not sure why train tracks would cause more flats unless there are some wooden planks with splinters or something. IM Chattanooga has train tracks which create a lot of launched bottles. I just slow a little, get out of aero, and stand briefly as it’s really bumpy.

Great advice above and last sentence above is spot on. Even if everything is perfect, any time the bike is crossing an edge (tracks, driveway entrance, etc.) at a minimum you should unweight the bike. At a minimum, I recommend every rider should be able to clear a prone water bottle by bunny hopping, ever if slow lifting front tire and then rear. Clipped in makes it crazy easy. At speed, takes a little more practice and confidence but is has saved me from crashes when bottles fly from riders in front. There was one bridge we use to cross in a race and it looked like Cape Canaveral!

If it is an A race then always felt new tires and tubes is the best way to avoid flats during a race. Any cut or issue will pop up. If B or C race, just roll with it an if you flat just be prepared, stay calm, change the tube, and chalk it up to one of those things that happens every once in a while.

I would not dismount. I think that would be dangerous for those around you.

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I miss you "Sports Night"

If possible, what I would do is go out to those tracks before the race, and find what looks like the cleanest line over them.

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"I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10, and I don't know why!"

Where I work, there's a number of crossings where the asphalt lifts at the edges, creating lips that are sometimes up to 2" tall.

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"I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10, and I don't know why!"

Peter Sagan has pretty much mastered the bunny hop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxwP2MnDw28

^^^^^This.

It's typically pinch flats from running too low a tire pressure. It also helps to be out of the saddle so that each wheel can unweight more as it goes over.

Don't try to hop tracks, they are typically too wide.

I've seen race organizers take several approaches. Some do nothing. Some have a volunteer warning riders to slow down. Some cover the tracks with plywood or carpet. Some require a foot down stop before the tracks.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

" IM Chattanooga has train tracks"
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Those tracks at 1 mile - I got a flat on them both going out and coming in, and I practiced them many times. And, I had raced there twice previously with no problems. Maybe just bad luck.

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

I hit them standing up.

I think having too low psi is a hazard.

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https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney

Bunny hops are one of the most essential riding skills you can have, in my opinion.

Worth going out in your driveway and practicing until you do it by simply reacting.

Fort Worth Mayor's Tri?

Yup, that's the one. I know the commission meets Monday to announce plans. Not sure what to think of you guessing it from the situation described lol

Thanks all for advice and pointing out some safety concerns. I've never rode across tracks but would like to avoid pinching some fresh latex tubes if possible.

It's a fast section and not too far into the course, so everyone is feeling good and sending it. Slow down, pick a decent line, and ride light* and you'll be fine. It would be easy to hit that at 25+, but if I race again I will be rolling in around 20.

Pick your tires and pressures accordingly, as well. IIRC I was on 700x25 GP 4000s, which measure out to about 28, at around 80psi, at 150lbs.

*in other words don't just plow through sitting down. Get out of the saddle and use your arms and legs as suspension.

A lot of train tracks are bunny hoppable, which is the snark, directed at another poster, that I edited out. Those tracks are not. The issue is more the several feet of questionable pavement on either side.

Not too many races where you can get your award from the mayor! Last year we did Peach Pedal the day before and it made for a fun weekend and worth the trip into town. That last hill on the run will leave you questioning your life choices, however!

Maybe I should have been more upfront with naming the event but figured no one would know! I still think its funny that you were able to guess it from the description. Every strava segment I found of the route noted flats, haha. It'll be my first tri and as you can imagine, I'm putting more thought into it than I probably should. Thanks all again for the advice