I have my first 70.3 event coming up on April 5. It is my first crack at this distance and also first experience with Ironman brand race. I have a few questions and they may seem silly to most of you that have raced this many times before.
Any tips or suggestions for bike check in, little concerned about my E112 being left overnight out of my sight.
My Tangente tires loose air overnight, do you overinflate them on the race morning prior to swim to achieve propper pressure by bike start?
Is transition spot set up to allow race gear on the ground, ie. on the mat/towel?
Does anyone help you remove your wetsuit and where does it go, who puts it away?
Do you have to wear a race number on the race belt during bike leg?
Water stations, how risky does it get exchanging bottles, where do you throw your empty bottle?
I race with Infinit, have PD aero bottle, also have Xlab carbon wing, calorie need 300-400/hr, to concentrate one bottle and take water along or just fill 3 bottles with Infinit and don’t stop at bike stations.
Tubular spare kit? I have Zipp 404F/808R, Tangente tires that were taped on with Tufo, what should my spare kit include, will go on the carbon wing, I am racing first time with tubular tires?
Thank you guys. Sorry for these silly questions.
Is this the New Orleans HIM? Ooohhh, I am jealous. I really wanted to do that race.
I’ll take a crack at a couple of them.
There will be MUCH MORE expensive bikes than yours. Do not worry about your bike.
There should be wetsuit strippres. Unzip your suit as you exit the water. Get the suit down to your waste. Lie down on your back (legs in the air) when you find a stripper.They’ll grab the suit and rip it off you. You carry it back to your transition area and put it in your bucket or whatever.
Usually you have your number on your back side. Put your number on a race belt ($10 piece of gear.) You can snap it on facing back in T1, and flip it to the front in T2.
and if you forget your key to the lock, whatever will you do race morning?
There is no need to lock bikes. Security will be provided and usually, there are much more expensive bikes out there. I would however remove computers and such things. I would never leave the power tap or SRM head on there. Unfortunately you won’t have much of a choice when you go to the swim start.
I did steelhead once - - pretty sure it was a 70.3 branded race the year I did it. I do not recall a wet suit stripper. Def for an Ironman but not sure I’ve ever seen one at the handful of halfs that I’ve done.
Should be room for you to put your stuff on your transition towel next to your bike but don’t bring a cooler or anything that will impede others. I was in the UNO research park parking lot that I believe is the transition area, recently and in my estimation with over 3500 registered, it is going to be a pretty tight transition area.
"I have my first 70.3 event coming up on April 5. It is my first crack at this distance and also first experience with Ironman brand race. I have a few questions and they may seem silly to most of you that have raced this many times before.
Any tips or suggestions for bike check in, little concerned about my E112 being left overnight out of my sight.
What others have said. I know one person who had their bike stolen out of transition. It occurred at a smaller 3-day event and the person in question left their gear in transition when the clean up crew had arrived. Hard to say if it was an athlete, volunteer, or employee of the race who committed the crime…but it was in a very unsecure transition area where no one was checking to make sure bib numbers and bike and helmet numbers all matched up.
My Tangente tires loose air overnight, do you overinflate them on the race morning prior to swim to achieve propper pressure by bike start? You can do either. I would bring a bike pump to transition if you have someone you can hand it off to.
Is transition spot set up to allow race gear on the ground, ie. on the mat/towel? See my post above. It will be tight, respect your neighbors.
Does anyone help you remove your wetsuit and where does it go, who puts it away? Unsure if you get help but in all likelihood you will have to stow it back in your transition area yourself.
Do you have to wear a race number on the race belt during bike leg? Good question. I have found this to vary…hopefully not but it should be spelled out when you pick up your packet.
Water stations, how risky does it get exchanging bottles, where do you throw your empty bottle? Usually not a problem unless you are drafting in a pack. I did Steelhead in one of the more notorious draft pack years and I had no issues whatsoever with bottle exchanges - - I managed to hit all of them. There is usually clear signage as to where you can throw stuff off of your bike and if you throw beyond that, you could be subject to a penalty at best, or hostility from locals during the race in future years (much worse).
I race with Infinit, have PD aero bottle, also have Xlab carbon wing, calorie need 300-400/hr, to concentrate one bottle and take water along or just fill 3 bottles with Infinit and don’t stop at bike stations. That one I can’t help you with. I just go with whatever is being served. I have a cast iron constitution.
Tubular spare kit? I have Zipp 404F/808R, Tangente tires that were taped on with Tufo, what should my spare kit include, will go on the carbon wing, I am racing first time with tubular tires? I will also leave this one to an expert. I’m racing with clinchers
Thank you guys. Sorry for these silly questions.
1- depends on race directors, but locks are not always allowed
2- reinflate in the morning. If they lose pressure in a 2 hour period, change them.
3- depends on the race set-up
4- you take care of your stuff and store it properly (bags if bags, transition area if not)…
6- no trouble, just breathe
7- concentrate but don’t stop. Or take few gels.
8- highly personal. What do you do on a training ride ? how much of a gambler are you ?
have fun, 70.3 is the best blend of speed/endurance…
2-don’t over inflate. If you start at 7, and air up at 530, you a) won’t loose much air, and b) risk exploding your tires because as the air in them heats up it expands putting more pressure on the tire.
NOW if they are rated to 120 psi, I’d Inflate them to 115 for sure.
Since you were too embarrassed to ask about peeing during a race, I prefer peeing off the bike and peeing on myself during the run. I don’t want to give up any time that I don’t have to. Seriously. Others will obviously disagree with this tactic.
As a guy who did 5 IM Red Dot 70.3s last year, all I can say is READ ALL THE STUFF ON THE RACE WEBSITE and go to the pre race meeting the day before with YOUR EARS OPEN. Read and reread all the stuff that they hand you when they give you your number stuff. Every event is going to be a little different and no one answer will meet all your needs. Also try and be on site for a day or two before the race to drive and ride (slowly) the bike course and drive and jog (slowly)the run course. Best of luck at the race, Tim
Yep, I was quitely going to search on that one. I have run into a post or two before about peeing on yourself, so I will do that. Never done it before and will do it on my long rides as soon as it warms up here enough that I can be wet and stinky.
Thank you all for suggestions. I will read race paperwork over and over and will reread this thread several times before the race. The moment of truth is coming April 5.
