Getting ready for Cali 1/2 and I was thinking about last minute race prep stuff. I have a few ideas and I wanted to share them and get ideas from others; Here’s mine;
1: Goggles. Be sure to have two pair. One clear pair for cloudy/overcast weather and one shaded/polarized pair in case of glare from the sun which can be strong between 6:40-7:40 AM.
2: Cycling shoes. If you’re riding Look’s, make sure those cleats are relatively new and make sure the screws are tight.
3: Tubes. If you’re running deep clinchers, make sure your spare tubes are long enough for the stem to protrude from the rim so you can put air in in case of a flat. Some bike shops are selling tubes for deep rims and the stems are about .5cm to short. I found out the hard way on a long ride a few months ago and it sucks to think you’re prepared for a flat and then you find out otherwise.
Sunscreen! It’s like 90 degrees F in San Diego today. The extended forcast currently calls for cooler temperatures and even some rain later in the week. You wouldn’t know it by the weather today!
Also, the last few mornings have not had ANY fog or marine layer – it’s been really sunny first thing in the morning. For those who have not done this event before, the return leg of the swim is RIGHT into the sun. It is nearly impossible to sight very well. As suggested, tinted goggles would be a good idea.
Per Slowman - extra bar end plugs. Put a dollar bill in your flat repair kit, if you get a cut tire, it will prevent your tube from blowing out the hole.
If you are riding a disk make sure that your pump or CO2 will fit in the hole, if not carry a crack pipe.
Instead of paying extra for long stem tubes, get a couple of screw-on extenders…you can buy cheaper short-stem tubes, and the extenders will be more than paid for halfway through the season.
Instead of using a dollar bill as a ‘boot’ (although this works pretty well), keep a couple of chunks of blown tube in your saddle bag - cut about a 2-3" piece of tube out and then cut it in half lengthwise so that you end up with 2 flat sheets - stick that between your tube and the cut in the tire and you’re good to go. In a pinch, a Power Bar or similar wrapper will do.
Toss in an extra CO2 cartridge - it’s better to have it and not need it than the reverse.
Bring a little headlight with you so you can see in the dark on race morning to get into your gear bag, fiddle with your bike, fish your sunglasses out of the porta-john, etc.
Oh, speaking of that, bring a roll of TP to leave in the porta-john. It pays to pay it forward.