If you are doing an IM for the first time DO NOT SET UP YOUR BIKE LIKE THIS. This person looks like she is about to do a solo 400 km ride across the Sahara desert
If your coach sets up your bike like this, he has absolutely no idea what he is doing.
OK, I’ll bite and (partially) represent the (partially) ignorant masses.
I get that the 5 drink bottles are over-the-top (I make do with two behind the seat and take one at an aid station when required).
And the bento box is a little lame.
And the Ksyrium’s aren’t everyone’s (including my) idea of race day wheels.
But regarding the gel’s taped to the top tube, where else is the guy/girl going to keep them? If this person has experimented with nutrition during training and decided that the best chance they have to get the required energy throughout the race is to go nuts on gels, then where else could they store them to have ready access? Special needs might not come soon enough…?
Those could all go into 3 regular or 2 large gel flasks. I used 2 larger ones at IMAZ. Kept 1 in my jersey pocket and picked up the other at special needs.
So, this brings up a question: Is it me or do people who are racing/training just waaay overestimate their caloric needs? At races, I see the fattest people w/energy gu’s, gels, bars, those gay-ass fuel belts, just loaded down with calories. I just want to grab them and say: “You’re obviously all trained up for this 5K 'cause you want to lose weight, right? Well here’s your secret, here are the keys to the kingdom: BURN MORE THAN YOU TAKE IN!”
Maybe it’s just an extension of the obeisity disease, this odd, skewed relationship with food…If you weigh 260, you aren’t going to die of starvation running 10 minute miles in a half-mari. BTW, there’s a reason that spoke protector is derisively called a “pie-plate”.
No it’s not. My favorite thing to do at a big 1/2 or full IM is to, after the swim goes off, is to wander around the transition area and look at all the bikes. It’s an interesting and illuminating walk. You see more than a few bikes that look not un-like the one in the OP! Seriously.
