After a solid 28 min swim at o’side, and a nice steady bike pace for the first 15 miles, I came out of the tunnel in Pendleton, rolling up the gentle incline that follows and - BAM! - had a simultaneous front and back tubular blowout. I was rolling Veloflex Records (“ah, there’s the problem”) at 120 psi. There was no glass on the road. Both tires had big (5-7mm) slashes in them. I only had 1 spare so I had to wait 35 min or so for the race support to come by and give me a 2nd (a tufo with tubular tape!). So now I’m cold, mad, and have eaten up all my nutrition. Hop back on the bike and start riding a few mph faster than I should have. Rage only helped me finish the bike, because I didn’t have much gas left for the run.
I know this has been discussed ad nauseum on this board, but I need some advice:
Is this a freak occurrance? I didn’t see anything sharp in the road so I’m at a loss to explain how I got the blowouts.
I have a few veloflex record tubies left but I’m afraid to use them now. Does anyone race long course on these or are they too risky? What’s a better flat resistant yet still low rolling resistance tubie? Unfortunately I can’t afford to make the switch to clinchers.
I had a VF record blow on my last year at Wildflower… but it was because I locked up my back wheel while braking comeing into T2 too fast. So… I had to run the last 15 feet in.
the Records are great tires but IMO are a little too thin for anything other than the most pristine roads. FWIW, My spare is a VF record because they fold up nice and small.
This makes me wonder if there was something on the end of the runway. Tereza Macel was riding in the womens lead bike pack and flatted out in the same place and found cuts in her brand new tubulars.
Also, I know this doesn’t help now but there was a spare tubular under the inland inferno tent at the exit form the tunnel.
I know because the bottle cage I had my spare tubular in broke so I threw the the cage, tubular, and CO2 under the tent rather than leave it on the course where someone might hit it.
Yes, the Veloflex Record is a great tire - super fast, but a little to flat prone for a 1/2 or full IM. I’d run the Veloflex Carbon instead. Ever see a Veloflex Record clincher? Track only there - like a fine silk napkin! 'Course, hitting something with an Armadillo tire is still just plain 'ol bad luck! My sole tubular flat (before switching to clinchers to race) was a pretty stout Conti Sprinter (never on a Veloflex I also ran) so …
The runway, and lead up to it from Las Pulgas is a disaster. They land Harriers on that strip so who knows. Last week the tunnel was under a couple inches of sand and rocks/gravel. I was surprised they were able to clean it as much as they did.
I was there when you threw it - Thanks for the offer! I was going to give the volunteer my name and number so you wouldn’t be out a $80 tubie, but alas, it was a 700c and I roll 650’s. I wonder if there was something in the tunnel that cut the tires up and then caused a blowout later up the road.
sounds like you hit something in the tunnel to have that happen, sorry about that man that really sucks. I ride 650’s as well and its hard to find a spare out there!
Sorry it didn’t work out for you, it would have been cool if that would have saved your race.
I got the whole setup back from Chris last night at our monthly tri club meeting.
The tires may have been damaged earlier than the tunnel, Tereza’s tire slice happened a couple hundred yards before it. Also, they actually swept the entire tunnel the night before the race.
I overheard your story in the transition area after the race - you were riding an orange bike right? I was by the adjacent rack on the phone… I couldn’t believe you had 2 simultaneous flats.