Debating a tri spoke for Roth,
125 pound female, disc on back. Other options are Shamal 12 spoke or Zipp 404. Question for those who have done it…are the wind conditions in any way gusty or unpredictable? She has rode it in some windy shorter tt’s.
Traveling with 2 bikes so I can use the slower or trickier wheel.
Thanks,
Maurice
Not gusty. Last year was a bit windy. One longish descent with a couple of switchbacks, and although really not that bad can be a bit tricky (like any downhill with some wind) - nothing unusual. Should be no problem with fast wheels.
Should be fine with the tri spoke.
I did the bike relay last year and relay start later so on the second lap there was a little more wind in the early afternoon, nothing to be concerned about.
I will be there again next weekðŸ‘ðŸ¼
Should be fine with the tri spoke.
I did the bike relay last year and relay start later so on the second lap there was a little more wind in the early afternoon, nothing to be concerned about.
I will be there again next weekðŸ‘ðŸ¼
Thanks CC and Dave!
Just wanted to check for anything weird or unusual.
CC 4 of us Canadians coming from the west coast of BC, hope to see you there.
Cheers,
Maurice
I did it in '08 when it poured with rain and was pretty windy. The worst sections were heading south to Thalmassing (the long grass by the roadside is at 45 degrees in the race pics!) and iirc the plateau after the Greding climb can be exposed. I used a 404 front that day, but I’d be happy using my 808 now.
Great!
I will staying at the Ramada in Nuremberg.
Great!
I will staying at the Ramada in Nuremberg.
Staying at the Dormero.
Off the plane in Munich now, always nice when you fly from small town Canada and get to your location with nothing wrecked and all of your bikes/bags!
Safe travels!
Cheers,
Maurice
It won’t matter anyhow, you’ll be in a peloton anyhow–Roth is known for group riding without penalty.
Curious about your race experience there? What years have you done that race?
Aside from knowing dozens of athletes and close friends who raced it, including two who have done it multiple times who report the same thing, it’s a well documented even in photos all over the internet. Try Google.
It won’t matter anyhow, you’ll be in a peloton anyhow–Roth is known for group riding without penalty.
Have you actually done the race? Not my experience at all.
Thank you so much. I am very familiar with Google :-). I appreciate your attempt to help me. I was just curious where you got your information. I assume the answers to my questions are no, and no.
I have done the race eight times (so far). They have 80 Moto‘s on the bike course, which is almost one per kilometer for the two loop course, plus a penalty lap on the run. Please tell me another race that has that density of draft marshals. The Moto‘s tend to act very proactively to prevent drafting. Plus, the large number of waves really breaks up the field.
In addition to that, the draft zones for the pros are longer than any other race series. My friends, which include several past overall winners, really appreciate that the bike portion is more fair.
I have raced all over the world, for many many years, and I think they do a pretty good job over there. Just my opinion, but it is based on vast personal experience, race experience, and the experience of many many athletes that I have worked with.
Best wishes,
I’m not sure I’d go with a tri spoke over something like a 404 regardless of rider or wind conditions unless they’re FOP pro.
I’m not sure I’d go with a tri spoke over something like a 404 regardless of rider or wind conditions unless they’re FOP pro.
I think the tyre choice and pressure is more important than the wheel - I did Roth with Tufo S3 Lites (inflated to 175 psi iirc) and my bike percentile rankings improved massively after reducing pressure and switching to Conti tyres.
Other than that, the trispoke is awesome, if you’re fast enough (I’m not any more).
…The Moto‘s tend to act very proactively to prevent drafting. Plus, the large number of waves really breaks up the field…
Pfew, thanks for that clarification. That other guy had me worried as I specifically picked Roth over races like the more local to me Ironman Austria due to Roth’s reputation for being LESS of a draft-fest
Raced two times. Expect some wind on the second loop, but nothing critical. Weather forecast seems like you can expect perfect conditions - sunny, calm winds, not too hot.
Btw: Never had an issue with drafting. Sure, you have some suckers, but pretty few and definitively no group rides … at least where I was racing.
I’ll be interested in your feedback after the race. For a race that big I think they do a very admirable job. Of course you can find drafting if that is what you are interested in. The comment above from someone who has never done the race is kind of out of left field. That has not been my experience.
I will tell you that due to age, or whatever, last year I started back in the 12th wave. Cycling is a relative strength of mine, so I did end up passing quite a few folks particularly on the first lap. I’m a bit used to that because in local races I am usually in one of the last waves just due to age.
Have fun - the weather looks like it should be good. A bit unreal that it might not be a wetsuit swim (but I would like that). It is a one-of-a-kind race so enjoy the day.
I’ll be interested in your feedback after the race
My feedback: This is clearly a big race with a good field. There were plenty of people of similar biking ability around me through at least the first 120k of the bike (swim: '58, bike: 4:43.)
BUT: It was very clear that EVERYBODY was making every effort **not **to draft. People were sitting up as soon as things became uncomfortably close or just went to or off the front whenever they had something extra. Definitely no “pack” or riding next to each other without immediately passing (i.e. blocking). Basically there was hardly any “trying to stay with the group” and riders seemed to be just wanting to ride their own race.
Imho just a slight difference in general attitude of the participants (maybe because no Kona-Carrot to chase?)
The amount of motos in my area of the field was actually not overwhelming, but maybe they didn’t see us as a “problem zone” and focused attention elsewhere…
So all in all, the race was great and the spectators are just batshit-crazy. There are soooo many volunteers and they seemed literally happy to help every step of the way. Some of those kids at the aid stations were so enthusiastically celebrating whenever you took a sponge of them, that I took more than I needed a few times. My own performance was lacking quite a bit towards the end of the run (walked last 15k) but that is a story for another thread…
You think having actually done the race qualifies you to comment?
.
The drafting I saw (from the back) was mainly by relay bikers - 2/3 fast guys sticking together. I even got eyed up by the marshals 2-3 times. Great race.