I am training for Timberman 70.3 (NH) in August, and I was wondering if you more experienced guys can give suggestions about water bottles strategy during the bike.
I am training with a 24oz bottle per hour (w/ supplements) for now, and I never experienced dehydration problems, even with the heat. So I would stick with this plan. But during the race, is it better to carry two and get the third (or more) at the bike stations, or carry just one to be lighter, and rely on the bike stops? Or…
I carry 48 ounces of water to begin; starting the race with a bottle between the aero bars, and then another one on the frame. Then, at each aid-station (generally there are 3 of these at the HIM distance, 1 about every 15 miles), put the water in the frame/cage bottle into the aero-bottle, and pick up a new from the aid station which goes into the cage on the frame. Yes, you are carrying a little extra weight, but this way, if you miss an aid-station, you don’t come off your nutrition/hydration plan. It comes down to cost-benefit, but a bottle on the cage doesn’t add rolling resistance, and the risk of blowing up my hydration and nutrition (since these always go together) in a 4+ hour day far outweighs any benefit of lightening up by a pound, and it also allows me to stay aggressive at aid stations because I don’t feel the need to completely slow-down or stop to ensure I get the hand-off (although I’ve never missed one, I just start with the first volunteer and if that pass goes badly there are generally 10 more thereafter).
I start with two 20 oz bottles. Having more than two bottles or something huge like a Speedfil is overkill for me… especially in weight. I use cheap water bottles, so I can chuck them at the aid station and replace with whatever they’re giving me.
I would never start with only one bottle. You never know what could happen at the aid stations. It’s easier to have an extra bottle than to find one.
I take one aero frame bottle that has enough First Endurance liquid shot in it for all of my bike calories and electorlytes and that’s mixed with water. I also have a horizontal bottle of water between the bars that I swap out as needed. I do email RDs to ask if aid station water bottles will have caps since it’ll leak all over in a horizonal mount if they ripped the caps off like at IMAZ…
One bottle to start, replace with on course hand ups as needed.
Stupid question from someone who has not yet done a 70.3:
How is the water handed out on course? For those who have a torpedo-mount bottle, does what they give you fit in the standard bottle mount? Or do you need to refill yours somehow as you would with a mounted aero-bottle?
I would start with 2 bottles, and get a bottle at each exchange. You might not need both bottles, but if you run dry and have 2 miles of uphills until the next station, that extra weight will be well worth it. Also, I’ve been in races where I had planned on doing the bottle exchange, but when I got up to it, it was just utter chaos and looked like more of a safety issue than anything, so I skipped picking up a bottle. You can’t do this if you only have 1!
The bottles will fit in your cages. M-dot races have IM Perform and water, both in a size similar enough to a standard water bottle that it will fit just fine. Some non m-dot branded races give you a real bike water bottle with the race logo and everything on it (that they don’t sell at the expo), so they make great souvenirs.
I do two bottles to start. One with concentrated Infinit and the other water. Ditch the water at the air station and grab another. Haven’t had any problems with that strategy yet.
Stupid question from someone who has not yet done a 70.3:
How is the water handed out on course? For those who have a torpedo-mount bottle, does what they give you fit in the standard bottle mount? Or do you need to refill yours somehow as you would with a mounted aero-bottle?
I used three mini zip ties to anchor the base of my horizontal mount such that it’s tilted slightly upward to help the fit with smaller bottles (that way they aren’t flat or prone to rolling out on descents). A cage you can tighten works well, the XLAB Gorilla cage is recommended for behind the saddles and could work well. I personally don’t like buying carbon bottle cages as I haven’t found them superior in quality only a lot more expensive. Bottles are handed out by aid station volunteers. You toss your empty, coast by and grab a new one, typically the narrower plastic bottles you’d purchase retail. As always, make sure it fits before the race. You don’t want to eject a bottle that’ll ruin someone else’s day with a crash.