0/10.

Actually -1/10 for not posting this where it belongs

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

this sort of thing happens from time to time. usually reasonable people can work it out among themselves. sometimes this is a problem with the race org - not enough space is available. when this happens to me, and it has, there's always somebody in charge. i go find them, bring them over, and ask in a non-aggressive way, "how did you contemplate the race set up going?" what did they have in mind when designing the transition area? bikes would face what way? shoes, race number belt, etc., would go where? that has always solved it.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

In our neck of the woods you rack by the saddle..period.

If you race ITU, you rack by the saddle.
If you race WTC you rack by the saddle.

If the guy told you differently, they're wrong.

In T2 you rack anyway you want.(after the bike)

It was explained (yesterday) by an official to another rider at the race I was at.
You don't rack by the bars, because that means you back out into a busy space.

So what about the long legged tall people who have a saddle height far too high for the bike rack? And when you try to rack via the saddle both wheels are on the ground and if someone so much bumps the rack your bike will be laying on the ground when you come back to the rack. If only all races would have wheel mounted rack systems. Sigh.

Your saddle is to high /pink

I just deal with this in a condescending tone and tell them I only need enough space for a pair shoes and I am not here for a Sunday picnic in transition.

If the individual in question needs to have control of the transition area, it probably means they are nervous as shit about their race.

This happened at my first triathlon. I just shrugged and went on about my business. There were also quite a few 5 gallon buckets around.

Ditto from the other end of the spectrum - we small riders often have our bikes hanging by the seat with NO wheels touching the ground due to some perfect storm of weight distribution. I would not blame someone at all for steering very clear of my bike hanging there un-anchored, just waiting on a stiff breeze to waft into their rear derailleur.

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http://www.extramilenutrition.com

Don't you know that it's a bad ass move to bring a 5 gallon bucket into transition. Tough guys bring buckets. Screw a fancy transition pack (pink).

He did get a very condescending reaction. I dont know why people bring so much stuff. It was olympic distance in great weather. But im sure we meet people like this in every walk of life.

This is so annoying. I was an MDOT 70.3 one year and the racks were way too low. Like I couldn't even prop my bike up. So I set it by the handle bars.

Official comes by and the conversation went something like this

Official: Your bike needs to be racked by the seat
Me: It doesn't fit. Do you have a taller rack somewhere?
Official: No, but it needs to be racked by the seat.

So they sat there and fumbled with it for a few minutes and then, only when leaning it way over got it to kinda hang from the seat. Though it was obviously going to fall.

Me: That's never going to stay over night, or during transition
Official: Nah, it should be ok.

**Cue my bike falling to the ground**

Office Shrugs, looks at me and says "I'm not sure what you're going to do. But it needs to be by it's seat." And walks off.

I ended up asking someone at an end bar if I could trade spots with them so I could lean my bike against the end cap.

If you were racked correctly in the first place then why did you change it? If you were racked by your saddle and facing in the direction intended (alternating each side of the rack) then you had it right. I'm guessing you had it wrong until the "obviously new person" set you straight.

Thats is how I was racked. Always rack by the saddle and was on my number facing out. But by the time i got back this guy had decided i was facing the wrong way and gone the same direction as me. I would have taught if i was in the wrong a marshall would have pointed it out.

My saddle never fits under the rack, but I've managed by sheer accident to form a "hook" on the back of the saddle with a xlab sonic wing, so essentially my bike is hanging by my BTS bottles. Not ideal but works better than taking up 4x the space hooking it by the bars.

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Strava

They remove those here. No bags allowed either.

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___________________________________________
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2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

I agree with Slowman--if someone is raising a stink, get a race official (transition captain, etc). I sure hate when someone thinks they are going to move my stuff around because they got to the race well after I did.

to one of the previous posters: I agree that it is easier to put the bike back in T2 however you want, but, if the race space is so tight that the bikes barely fit on the rack when hanging by the seats at the start of the race, think how tough it is to be *not-the-first* person back after the bike and all the people who hung their bikes by the handlebars now take up the entire rack. (I realize the answer is to be faster on the bike, but people also shouldn't take up more room in T2 than they took up before the race.)

For the short people (this works best if you get there early), if your bike is dangling, you can spread the support legs of the bike rack to lower one end a bit. I assume this would work in reverse to elevate one end by scooting the support legs a little closer together.

I raced Saturday, and they had a bike check in on Friday, so by the time I got to my slot there were already some bikes racked. Race had individually numbered spaces on the rack with numbers on opposite sides of rack. Several of the bikes were racked one way w/regard to the number sticker, so I just asked a race official which way they should be racked (by the saddle, handlebars on the side the sticker is on...facing the bike you see the number sticker). I am used to my bike not hitting the ground (small tri bike w/650 wheels), but at this race most of the bikes didn't hit the ground...except when the rack across from me broke and all the bikes on it hit the ground.

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check out my blog http://theswimmingtriathlete.com

Was just at a small, local tri. The official was going around telling folks to put their gear by their front wheel and having them remove it from under their raised back wheel. In the end, everyone pretty much ignored the official and put their transition back to under the rear wheel.

Recent race I was at I had to rack by the bars as the rack was lower then my saddle and I’m only 5’9”.

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Twitter@Forsey37

Sometimes it's just not the hill worth dying on. I don't need to prove that I'm correct and ruin someone else's morning - especially if they're nervous as shit and that's how they're working through it. It's very much one of those things for me where I'd rather be nice than "right".

My saddle is 83cm. Fits ok

I'll say something if the handle bars are not alternating.
I'd rather void having someone hook my bars and drop my helmet for me when I get to my bike.
Been there, dealt with that.

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Ryan
http://www.SetThePaceTriathlon.com
http://www.TriathlonTrainingDaddy.com
I got plans - https://www.trainingpeaks.com/...dotcom#trainingplans

What if you ride a 48 cm frame and neither wheel touches the ground when racked by the saddle? Also a tiny bump = bike on the ground situation.

Bring a length of 3/16 nylon cord and tie it in a loop of the appropriate size. Wrap around the bar and pull the free end through itself, hang the front of the saddle on the free end.

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"They know f_ck-all over at Slowtwitch"
- Lionel Sanders