For those of you that have done the CA70.3 - Do you have any suggestions on how to best transition from a cold water swim to potentially cool temps on the bike. I’m thinking I should purchase some extra gear - in particular I notice my toes get pretty cold when out on fairly cool rides, not to mention I would hate to have frigid hands. I, however don’t want to be bogged down with extra gear and the possibility of getting too warm on the bike. Any suggestions?
Charlie
Use icy hot.
While there is no “good” way to transition out of that water (i’s cooooollld, man…) - a couple things i wore last year which helped:
-neoprene cap (left heat loss in swim, less to make up on bike) - make sure to lube teh chinstrap, rubs somethin’ fierce!
-arm warmers (roll them up like little donuts and pull them over your hand in T1, then just unroll as you begin riding)
-toe warmers - seriously, my toes were frozen for the first 25 miles, cant imagine what it would have been like without
-wind vest - if it’s good enough for Potts, it’s good enough for me.
-(possibly) gloves - saw a lot of folks wearing them, pretty easy to stuff in your jersey pocket when you get warm or eaven toss’em if they are cheapo.
Steer clear of leg/knee warmers and jackets of your kit. Not worth the expense, and probably just get bulky after a while.
True story…i saw a guy in T1 peeling off his wetsuit, under which he already had on knee and arm warmers. Nothing like having a full-body sponge full of icy sea water at teh beginning of the bike!
See you in Oceanside.
two caps for the swim. toe warmers and arm warmers for the bike leg.
My first year in this race I took the time to put leg warmers on. Rookie mistake! The coldest year, I wore a DeSoto polypro top under my wetsuit, and then rolled on the arm warmers, and brought loose-fitting gloves (tight ones are nearly impossible to get on when your hands are wet!) and put them on too. Those are both easy things to get off while you ride if you heat up. On your feet, just bring warm socks (again, rolled up like the arm warmers) to put on before the bike, and if you have to, change socks in T2 for the run.
The organisers are moving CA 70.3 to a warmer weather date so no need to worry. An annoucement will be made in the coming weeks on the website.
Being that you have two posts under your belt, I have to wonder if this is a joke. Seriously? Triathlon is supposed to be challenging! Keep the cold!
it is actually a week later this year than in previous years.
As for moving it later than early April, I think that is unlikely due to other conflicts in the racing schedule. For one thing, the Oside/Wildflower double is pretty common for SoCal peeps and moving Oside deeper into April would create some issues.
As Mr. Costanza once said, “I worry about shrinkage, it’s not a fair representation”.
Use neoprene toe covers on the bike (you can even pull them off while riding, so have a top with back pockets). You can use a sheet of bubble wrap (the small bubble kind) inside your race suit as a wind block for the first couple of miles of the bike until you warm up. It’s easy to slide in at T1, easy to pull out when it gets too warm, weighs almost zero, and costs almost nothing. Have the bubble side facing your skin so there’s some air circulation. It’s amazing how much warmth this adds. It’s the (slightly) higher tech version of roadies putting a newspaper under their jerseys for mountain descents.
Whats the water temp expected to be? I mean, I did the Pacific Grove Oly and the Treasure Island Oly and those were both mid to high 50’s on the water temp, and I did not use a swim cap (other than the one provided for wave color). I wasn’t cold on the bike nor the run, even though it was overcast on the PG tri.
Whats the water temp expected to be?
54-60. My early guess 58.
As the race gets closer our own ST weather guy, Tribodyboarder will give us updates.
The organisers are moving CA 70.3 to a warmer weather date so no need to worry. An annoucement will be made in the coming weeks on the website.
If they move it to May it would sell out fast.
See you guys at the race.
you should get some arm warmers - Andy Potts even had a vest on when he won…
Where is everyone coming from?
I think the “cold” weather fear is a little over-rated. Isn’t everwhere else in the country colder than Southern California? So than, why all the fuss about water temp, air temp and whether or not I should wear leg warmers or ear muffs?
I can’t imagine anyone needing more for the swim than a wetsuit and a swim cap…maybe a vest for the bike if you like.
I did the race last year and thought the course conditions for weather were good, not cold or hot. Overall you will need to go with what will make you comfortable.
Wasn’t last year considered very mild compared to how it usually is though?
If the weather is anything like it is right now down here, then it will definitely be a cold day. (It was ~41*F when I went for a ride this morning)
The water can be very cold, and if it ends up being a cold day, which is pretty likely, then you will feel pretty cold for the ride, esp. due to wind chill.
I agree, only a wetsuit/cap for the swim, but I’ll possibly end up using a jacket or vest for the ride.
the first year I did it i went looking for toe covers the night before. No luck. The guys at REI told me to get some veggie bags from the produce section and put my foot and shoe in it. Tie it off and ride like normal. The bags are very thin and you can clip in/out no problem. They are super cheap and pretty waterproof too. You can rip them off pretty easily if you get to warm. That and full finger gloves kept me pretty warm.
As the race gets closer our own ST weather guy, Tribodyboarder will give us updates.
Surfed yesterday morning (today was almost flat) and the water was about 57. Longboarder is right. If we get a stretch of onshore wind, which is common in April, we could have low to mid 50’s at worst case, which we did a couple of years back. More likely upper 50’s though.
I was a little worried about the cold last year, but in the end I only used neoprene toe covers. I had arm warmers rolled up and placed on each extension. and cheep gloves over the tips. Just a side note It looked like Potts swam with his vest on. I really like the bubble wrap idea though. With the wind I really didn’t want a vest flapping in the wind. The LG rocket helps you stay a little warmer as well. I raced the whole thing in a speedo FS2 trisuit. For the swim I planned on a neoprene cap but somehow I left it in the Hotel room.
TriBodyboarder, you are my hero.
Now, would you please arrange for that triathlete-munching shark to move away from Solana Beach?
My only pre-event swim last year was on that beach and I can’t train for that contingency in a Kansas pool 