Hi,
You may have noticed my other posts and I just thought I’d do another to ask advice on what to expect at aid stations along my first Ironman bike course in Waleas in a few weeks.
Do you have to ride through below a certain speed and does everyone have to do so regardless of if you are taking anything?
Do you even have to dismount to take stuff or can you just grab it while passing through?
I literally have no idea and I am trying to sort out my bike and nutrition strategy so any experience or help grreatly recieved.
FWIW I know what is avliable when and where on the course but just unsure of the etiquitte and weather I’d be best to just load the bie with as much as possible to save time and do a faster ride or only take a little to first or second aid station and that way keep the bike lighter, clutter free etc. Or something in between.
You should slow down a little but you don’t have to slow to turtle speed. I’ve gone through aid stations at 18-20 mph. Call out what you want as you approach the aid station(water, Gatorade, etc). Once you find a volunteer who has want you, point to them so they know you are coming for them and are going to grab it. If you are not taking anything from the aid station, you should right to the left to stay away from anyone that may stop all of sudden on the right hand side. Whatever you do, DO NOT STOP in the road even if you are on the right side of the road. If you need to stop, veer completely off the course/shoulder so no one behind you runs into you. There are always wrecks at aid stations because people aren’t aware of their surroundings.
The most important bit of etiquette is to say thank you to all the volunteers as you either get stuff or carry on.
For the aid station - Either be well out the way, or slow to a speed that will allow you to collect the stuff you want; make eye contact, point at them, whatever - cycle by while grabbing and then stashing. Do keep an eye out as people swerve, drop stuff and do all sorts of crazy stuff. Usually a litter bin/bottle drop point for you to chuck rubbish/bottles.
Hi,
You may have noticed my other posts and I just thought I’d do another to ask advice on what to expect at aid stations along my first Ironman bike course in Waleas in a few weeks.
Do you have to ride through below a certain speed and does everyone have to do so regardless of if you are taking anything?
Do you even have to dismount to take stuff or can you just grab it while passing through?
I literally have no idea and I am trying to sort out my bike and nutrition strategy so any experience or help grreatly recieved.
FWIW I know what is avliable when and where on the course but just unsure of the etiquitte and weather I’d be best to just load the bie with as much as possible to save time and do a faster ride or only take a little to first or second aid station and that way keep the bike lighter, clutter free etc. Or something in between.
Cheers
My personal advice: if you are asking this question, do not attempt to ride 18-20 mph through the aid stations. Slow down to a nice easy speed and take bottles and whatever else both as gently and firmly as you can.
If your not taking any aid, get out of the way, stay left!
If your taking aid, slow to your comfortable speed, don’t feel pressured to ride faster than you feel safe. A couple shoulder checks leading up to the aid station to see how close/if anyone is around you will help, especially if you plan to stop for any reason(bathroom/mechanical). If you are stopping, don’t stop at the volunteers, go past them and get as far right as possible before stopping!
Practice some handups before the race. Have a friend or family member hold a full water bottle by the nozzle and grab it as you go by. You don’t want to be trying something new on race day.
As you approach the aid station get out of the aero bars and soft pedal (they are often on a slight uphill so that speeds are lower). Toss your empties to the side of the road as you near the aid station (there’s a trash zone). Pick the volunteer who has the item you want (water, gatorade, etc.); point at them and make eye contact; grab the bottle as you pass (keep your arm loose at the shoulder so it can move back a bit as you grab the bottle). If you miss (it happens) repeat the process with another volunteer (don’t just randomly grab at bottles).
If you are running low on fluid/fuel don’t hesitate to pull over at an aid station and load up. Yes, it will cost you 30sec., but that’s a fraction of what dehydrating or bonking will cost you (it’s a long day).
Practice some handups before the race. Have a friend or family member hold a full water bottle by the nozzle and grab it as you go by. You don’t want to be trying something new on race day.
As you approach the aid station get out of the aero bars and soft pedal (they are often on a slight uphill so that speeds are lower). Toss your empties to the side of the road as you near the aid station (there’s a trash zone). Pick the volunteer who has the item you want (water, gatorade, etc.); point at them and make eye contact; grab the bottle as you pass (keep your arm loose at the shoulder so it can move back a bit as you grab the bottle). If you miss (it happens) repeat the process with another volunteer (don’t just randomly grab at bottles).
If you are running low on fluid/fuel don’t hesitate to pull over at an aid station and load up. Yes, it will cost you 30sec., but that’s a fraction of what dehydrating or bonking will cost you (it’s a long day).
Thanks some pretty solid advice there. I think i will have one bottle behind the saddle, the aero giant one and then the integrated front giant one which should be plenty along with picking up some bottles along the way. I am going to start with pretty much all the gels/bars I need but yes I will definiintely load up if I need to.
I’d agree with practicing grabbing the bottles. Also good advice about pointing to the volunteer so they know that you’re going to grab whatever they have from them. The really good ones will even jog a few steps with you to make it a little easier. Definitely thank them!!!
I’d also add to keep your eyes open for other riders. I’m always amazed at the idiots at the aid stations. Some will swerve from the far left acting like they’re skipping the aid station only to swerve over and cut people off and nearly cause a wreck. Don’t be that guy.
Others will also brake and stop in the middle of the aid station without getting all the way over to the right. They’ll stop right in the flow of bikes. Don’t be that guy either.
It’s not unusual to carry all your nutrition with you (I have all my calories in a “fuel bottle”), but plan on taking fluids from aid stations (probably need space for 1-2 bottles on the bike).
Have spare nutrition in your special needs bag (and a spare tube and CO2). Might not need it, but good to have as a backup.
Make sure you have a Plan B in case you launch/drop a bottle or something else unexpected happens. Know in advance how you’ll deal with adversity.
It’s not unusual to carry all your nutrition with you (I have all my calories in a “fuel bottle”), but plan on taking fluids from aid stations (probably need space for 1-2 bottles on the bike).
Have spare nutrition in your special needs bag (and a spare tube and CO2). Might not need it, but good to have as a backup.
Make sure you have a Plan B in case you launch/drop a bottle or something else unexpected happens. Know in advance how you’ll deal with adversity.
Good luck and have a great race!
Just dont be “that guy” who has 15k wrapped up in his bike setup to make it aero, and then puts two bottles behind the saddle, two in the frame, one between the bars, Energy bars/gels taped to the top tube, etc.
LOVE seeing that guy because they have a ton of money wrapped up in their bike and there is no need to with their setup as it is, plus all that extra weight your carrying
It’s not unusual to carry all your nutrition with you (I have all my calories in a “fuel bottle”), but plan on taking fluids from aid stations (probably need space for 1-2 bottles on the bike).
Have spare nutrition in your special needs bag (and a spare tube and CO2). Might not need it, but good to have as a backup.
Make sure you have a Plan B in case you launch/drop a bottle or something else unexpected happens. Know in advance how you’ll deal with adversity.
Good luck and have a great race!
Just dont be “that guy” who has 15k wrapped up in his bike setup to make it aero, and then puts two bottles behind the saddle, two in the frame, one between the bars, Energy bars/gels taped to the top tube, etc.
LOVE seeing that guy because they have a ton of money wrapped up in their bike and there is no need to with their setup as it is, plus all that extra weight your carrying
Yup agreed, definitely don’t want to be that guy…though the 15k set-up would be nice. No but seriously I was thinking of doing the above as I wasn’t sure how difficult it would be to actually get aid and how much it would slow you down etc if you had to come to a complete stop for example. But I am now fairly confident after all the advice and shared experiences so thanks guys. Plan is one bottle behind the saddle, plus the integrated front end bottle of the trinity which I will gorilla tape into place and fill up on the fly. Seriouslty considering cutting open the giant aero bottle and putting spare tub etc in there instead storing it behind/under the saddle. Reason being I’ve aleady been told by he aero tester that the giant bottle is more aero on that off and definitely dont change to a round bottle. Plus it only holds 400ml anyway and cant be refilled or changed up for a new one. The bento box will take 4 gels and I can stuff quite a few bars/gels in my skinsuit. And I will get the rest of bars/gels/bottles from aid stations.
I have an aero coaching session tomorrow so will see what works best with regards to behind the saddle bottles/where to store the spare tub/tools. I think I could probably stuff it all under the saddle and tuck it under the behind the saddle bottle mount and maybe even cling film/shrink wrap it to improve how the air flows around it(??).
