Folks,
I “raced” Branson yesterday and got caught up in the spate of flat tires from the chips that got washed onto the road during Saturday nights rain. So after my first flat, I figured my day to be done and asked everyone that I saw on the side if they needed anything…most did not. When I got my second flat I stopped and while I was stopped I helped a gal change her rear tube and we got her back under way.
After leaving from there on my last tube I got passed by a Pro male who proceeded to stop at the side of the road just ahead…he was stopping to help another athlete who had a flat! Very cool. Looked up his results and it seems that he had chalked up his day and spent the rest of his bike ride helping others…and he did not run apparently and posted a 3:53 bike split…obviously spent some time on the side helping others!!
Who is this masked man??
He was racing #7 - Devon Palmer.
I “raced” yesterday too and I will say that is the most flat tires that I have ever seen in a race. People stopped everywhere, changing tires, multiple people stopping and helping, etc. I saw a support guy carrying about 12 flat tubes over to a truck that he picked up off the side of the road. What were the chips? Stone/Rock?
Thats pretty cool. I was surprised to see quite a few people with flats and wondered how people were getting them on such smooth blacktop. Guess the flooding tearing up bits of the road explains some of it.
My LBS friend says that wet roads allow debris and chips to adhere to the tire and work their way into the tread, causing a flat. Seems counter-intuitive to me (I figured the water would wash it off, but what do I know?). Anyway, I flatted for the first time ever in a race yesterday in Branson, so I was there with you. At one point, I looked up one climb and counted 6 people changing flats. Most flats in a race I’ve ever seen, by far. And that poor guy who flatted on the way into town actually ran/walked 5 miles to transition.
I front flatted right after that huge downhill in town that they were warning everyone about. I chose to ride it in from there. I agree that I saw more flats yesterday than I have ever seen in a race. On another note; didn’t it seem like everyone was hammering the run. Must have been making up for last year’s shuffle (that was me).
Devon is indeed a very nice, very fast guy who also happens to work at a tri shop. The people he helped were certainly lucky! Sad to hear that he must have flatted or had a mechanical himself though, as he also flatted at IM-WI.
He also just tweeted that at some point he swapped out his Zipp disc with a guy who had a flat rear tire…
That makes sense. I was wondering why there were so many flats. I was lucky that mine was a slow leak and it didn’t go completely flat until I made it into transition. What was really tough was running the last 6-7 miles in a downpour! I ended up in the med tent with hypothermia afterwards, but it was all worth it for a slot to Vegas!
That’s even more cool…really was gracious! And I really was impressed with most of the folks out there looking out for each other…
On the road conditions…this is a fairly new stretch of “highway” that was in many places blasted out the the rocks…these crushed rocks made the road bed which is the material that was just outside the asphalt on the shoulders…I think that’s were the bits of sharp rocks came from…combine that with wet and/or sticky tires and voila! Flats Galore!
I spectated at Branson and thought no way would they ever pull off yesterdays race. Kudos also should go to the race organizers and the city for “not giving up” on the race. Those race conditions were about as poor as I’ve ever seen. Congrats to all the finishers for hanging tough!
Winners never quit and quitters never win. Absolutely best behavior exhibited by the pro in helping others when his race was over. In my book, he did win and I believe in paying good fortune forward, so his day will come again.
My friend/ former training partner left 70.3 WTC Worlds after a poor performance and re-qualified the next week by pushing ahead on her flat tire. She learned the hard way that Vittoria Pitt Stop is for tubular tires and not for the training wheels with clinchers
Cannot agree more. Amazing dedication and persistence by volunteers, including 6-7 year old kids getting soaking wet in downpours handing water and gatorade. I wanted to stop and give them all a hug. It was humbling. What a town. Never seen better volunteers anywhere. We had a warm welcome and true display of hospitality everywhere.
I spectated at Branson and thought no way would they ever pull off yesterdays race. Kudos also should go to the race organizers and the city for “not giving up” on the race. Those race conditions were about as poor as I’ve ever seen. Congrats to all the finishers for hanging tough!
Anyone here participate last year? How would you compare the two? This level of flats is disconcerting, imo. And from another forum online, it sounds like people were running in the rain?
Last year’s conditions were ideal, except for the heat on the run. I walked through most of the run aid stations after going too hard on the bike. I saw a few flats, but no where near the level that some of you describe for this year’s event.
And I also have to chime in that that volunteers were troopers!! Awesome job by them!
That was my experience from last year. If it wasn’t for the volunteers and race organizers (like Tom Ziebert and others) putting on a well organized event, we wouldn’t have been there. While that’s an obvious statement, the participants owe a lot to those who volunteer.
I remember all the people lining the run course last year tirelessly encouraging those of us who were having a death march of a run. And the guys in their yards using a garden hose to spray all the runners. Man, that fountain bath at the finish was N-ICE cold! Were there people in it at the end of this rain soaked run?
Yes, we were running in the rain. There were parts with ankle deep puddles. It was coming down very hard at times. With that being said, the volunteers were AMAZING! Even after standing in rain for multiple hours they were all out there motivating us and keeping us going.
At first I was jumping over the puddles as much as possible…by the time I got to the “river” just coming out of the campground by the train trestle I had given up and just ran through the water…plenty more than ankle deep to be sure!
This was my second visit to Branson. Last year I goofed up on the Bike and melted in the heat… This year I came back because obviously I wanted to better my time, and my wife was committed to racing IM Branson, her second ever Tri.’ Well I traded tri bike to the trusty old Road Bike slapped on the tri bars for some downhill fun and back to Branson it was. The organizers and the City and the Volunteers were brilliant. We had a fantastic time, I goofed on the ride again even slower than last year, but matched my swim exactly and ran faster. Had a first this year, threw up 3 times on entering transition and twice on the bike, so Lake water and the muffins don’t go together. Personally i’d take the heat any-day over the Monsoon, Kudos to girls and fellas helping each other out, a fantastic example of Sportsmanship. Like the previous threads a super huge Thank You! has to go to the Volunteers, simply they want to see and be part of our wonderful sport.
