Hey,
I am doing the NYC tri this weekend for the first time. Their website is not so great about course info and I could use some info about the bike course. Thanks.
Why,
I live in NYC,and I’ve done this tri twice.
The bike is an out and back on the Henry Hudson parkway. For the most part,its a pretty fast course.
Some rolling hills,but nothing to difficult.
No real climbs. Nothing technical at all. Just put your head down and hammer. It’s a blast coming back south on the HH, screaming past the GW bridge.
No real climbs. Nothing technical at all. Just put your head down and hammer. It’s a blast coming back south on the HH, screaming past the GW bridge.
The swim times are so fast. Is the current really that strong? I’m not a strong swimmer (did a 29:12 1600m in Lake Michigan today) and I want to have an idea as to what my goal should be.
Gator-
Your main goal should be avoiding any intake of that water from the Hudson…its chock full of PCB’s and all sorts of other nasties.
The website does leave a lot to be desired.
No entry list with race numbers ahead of time.
No information about water conditions. All this damn rain is making me nervous, I’m afraid they may turn it into a duathlon again. I’m going to be one unhappy camper if I have to start my race with a 5K run instead of a swim.
Anyone who did it in 2003 recall when they made the decision about the water quality? Did it rain as much as it has been this week?
<Anyone who did it in 2003 recall when they made the decision about the water quality? Did it rain as much as it has been this week? >
I did it in 2003.
The decision about the swim wasn’t made until the day before race. A friend of mine was telling me that she heard there’s is a chance that the swim might be changed to a run,due to all the rain we’ve had.
the water has been pretty bad since last week (when suggestions were made to not use tap water after the rains) … it cleaned up a little over the weekend (i.e., saw less garbage swimming in the water at the boat basin on Monday vs. Friday; and a friend went kajaking from 72nd street and said it looked fairly “clean”)
it’s pouring right now … so that’s not promising
as for the swim - yes the current is that strong and you’re in for a ride / ENJOY!
the bike is pretty flat but you will have headwind going up towards the Bronx – hold your breath (if the humidity continues) going past the water treatment plant on the river … as for other “sites” no major metal plates or potholes out there this year which should be nice and you’ll go right past the (repaired) site of the mudslide that covered the HH a little while ago too. To improve your time practice 180 degree turns for the 2 turnaround points.
<as for the swim - yes the current is that strong and you’re in for a ride / ENJOY! >
After what happned the first year of this race(some people didnt make the turn in time and almost got swept under a barge),they dont allow us to swim with the current anymore.
I was with Neil Cook today driving the course. He was video taping it for a project (will be displayed at the AG Tri table at the expo on Saturday) The road conditions are ok with no major potholes. There is some construction up on the course before you cross over into the bronx, but all in all it is a nice fairly fast course. There is one little climb near Moshulu Parkway, but with a descent before the climb, you can use some of the momentum to get up it. The road is kindy bumpy however down near the boat basin and when you get onto the HH at first, so be mindful of saddle mounted bottles.
For the most part the course is flat and relatively straightforward. However, three tips for the bike:
1)Rack your bike in an easy gear. There are some twists and turns getting out of transition that are a little technical and usually very crowded. Don’t worry about opening up the throttle until you get on the highway.
2)Be careful at the second turnaround near the end of the bike course at 59th st. You come down a pretty steep hill, and you have to slow WAY down to get around the turnaround so you lose all your momentum going back up into the hill. It’s a short but steep climb, but if you’re still in your big ring after the turnaround you’ll be unhappy. Again, go into a light gear when you get to the exit off the highway, which is only a few hundred yards from transition.
3)The return to transition is downhill and kind of steep. Last year many people went sliding down the pavement on their bike shoes or their butts because they didn’t slow down enough before the stop line. Be careful coming back into transition!!
The run is straightforward, but there’s a deceptive hill coming out of transition up towards W 72nd St. Take it easy until you get to onto 72nd, and make sure you save some juice for the hills on the north end of the park. Running up 72nd st towards the park is a weird experience for anyone who is used to running in NYC – usually the road races are very crowded, but for this tri you feel like you have the entire street to yourself.
I don’t have any data on the rainfall we’ve had this past couple of weeks, but the year they had to cancel the swim (2003) my recollection is that it rained a lot more, a lot more consistently. The rain we’ve had will help us because it’ll increase the downstream current, which counteracts the upstream tidal current.
Lee Silverman
JackRabbit Sports
Park Slope, Brooklyn
It is not actually the current, but the tide that makes the swim so fast. At that point in the Hudson, the tide has a greater influence than the current. Check a tidal chart to get an idea of what’ll be happening. Last year, the tide just started going out with the first wave, but was going full-bore by the time the last wave went off, hence the descending times as the day wore on. If the tide is coming in, it will be a much tougher swim than if it is going out.
It is a LONG run (~2+ blocks) from swim exit to transition. Be prepared for this. Takes at least 2 minutes I would say.
It is technical coming in and out of transition on the bike – be careful and do start in an easy gear as someone else posted.
Bike course is about .5miles too long. And the last little extra bit is this down and back to 59 (I think) and you go around a turn around and then immeadiately proceed up a hill. Be ready and shift to a lighter gear as you come into this turn around. This sucks because you are tired, you ride past T2, and then have to do this stupid little loop & hill.
There is a staircase about 1/4 mile out of T2, about 25 steps or so, not long, but just be ready.
Central park is a tough run course. Be ready for some hills.
Last year, the run course was about 1/4-1/2 mile short (my last 1.22 was closer to .78), so if you are trying to reel someone in, be aware of this. This is because they want the age-group finish to be in the same spot as the ITU finish, and the ITU race is a different course.
I think that’s all the important stuff… Oh yeah, you walk from transition all the way to the swim start, so just be ready that you have walk a mile to start the race.
Would you recommend putting your bike shoes on on the bike or putting them on in transition. I’m just wondering if, with technical areas early it wouldn’t be wise to already have your feet in the shoes.
Thanks,
Pat
I always put my shoes on first. The problem with not doing so is that you will have a fair bit of pedaling before you can put your feet in since there isn’t a convenient spot that you will have momentum until you are out onto the West Side Hwy. The one advantage to shoes-on-the-bike is that it is a bit of a run (maybe 200m) in your bike shoes up a little hill, so you do want to be confident running your bike shoes (don’t be like one of those people that goes slip-slidding everywhere)…