Maybe this has been brought up…apologies if so. http://www.timesfreepress.com/...rider-in-race/?local
I’m not quite sure what to make of this. A local biker happens upon IM Chatt. A racer has a flat tire and has been riding on it for 22 miles (that’s what he said). The biker asks if he can help out. The racer asks if he can have his wheel. In the article the biker refuses to give his name because he says he would be disqualified.
I’m not sure what to make of this. Would you do the same in that scenario. Personally I would have some extra tubes and been prepared. It wouldn’t have even crossed my mind to ask a complete stranger on his bike if I could have his wheel.
This guy has done 16 IMs…I’m betting he is on the site. But kudos to the guy who gave a stranger his wheel.
Getting a tire or wheel from somebody other than official race support would have been a yellow card penalty, with a stop in the penalty tent. Not a DQ.
Article mentions it was his tire…guessing that’s a misprint & it was his wheel, but not sure. Makes more sense if it was his wheel to come back for it, but not sure if it makes sense to swap that out…Kudos indeed for the offer of help & for the other guy to take it & honor it by doing well & giving it back.
With the number of flats & given that he was obviously in the early numbers of riders, my guess is there weren’t too many officials being super strict on the “outside assistance” when it came to wheels &/or tires/tubes until they knew the course was entirely clear. I don’t think I even saw an official after I turned for the second loop…
I got advil from my family at Mile 12…I had some in my special needs bag but he had it right there as I was crossing the bridge…I think the officials have bigger things to worry about in the grand scheme…especially given my 13hr finish.
Since he’s done 16 ironmans, there’s a good chance he’s over 50. If he did indeed finish near the top 100, there’s a chance he kona qualified (if over 50). I’m sure the slowed time speed riding on the flat would show in one of his bike splits. And athlinks would verify the other 15 ironmans.
Which means I can’t believe nobody has identified him yet! Unless he’s a typical triathlete and “I finished near the top 100” means, “I finished 380th, which is closer to 100th than it is to 1000th.”
I was taking photos at a local sprint tri near T1 exit. Guy comes out, makes the u-turn right after exit and as he’s coming past me, his bike computer pops off its mount and goes skidding down the road. He realized what happened and got stopped, but running back uphill 30 yards in cleats sucks, so I picked it up for him and ran it part way to him so he could go about his race. Penalty, sure maybe, but I did it anyway.
I was taking photos at a local sprint tri near T1 exit. Guy comes out, makes the u-turn right after exit and as he’s coming past me, his bike computer pops off its mount and goes skidding down the road. He realized what happened and got stopped, but running back uphill 30 yards in cleats sucks, so I picked it up for him and ran it part way to him so he could go about his race. Penalty, sure maybe, but I did it anyway.
There is a special place in hell for people like you.
I like the comments at the end of the article: They haven’t spoken since the race, but Stewart said he won’t soon forget the event that brought them together.
“We’re definitely friends for life,” he said.