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2010-08-14 1:22 PM

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Veteran
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Ft. Myers, Florida
Subject: Aid station questions for HIM & IM
I'm doing a HIM next year and have some questions for those who have already been there...

When on the bike going through an aid station what do you do with the bottles of water and/or Gatorade they hand off to you? If I've already got two water bottles on my bike that are empty, and I don't want to get rid of them, is it reasonable to think I can just refill them with what they hand to me? If I did that I would have to stop so I could refill and then throw out the empty...right?

Would it be more reasonable to just bring junk bottles for the bike and toss those when I grab bottles from the aid station? I don't have one of those cool easy to refill mega bottles for the front or the frame, just two 24oz size bottle cages. I am, however planning on getting a behind the seat bottle cage so I can carry more than just two bottles.

I'm sorry if these questions sound so noob, but I just got to thinking about it today during my ride. I don't want to toss my good insulated bottles, but if I had to refill them, I would have to stop to do it.

So to those of you who have been there, how do handle the bottle hand off?


2010-08-14 1:25 PM
in reply to: #3043739

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Elite
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Roswell, GA
Subject: RE: Aid station questions for HIM & IM

I would roll with the aero bottle filled up and enough sports drink to make it to the first aid station.  Generally at an IM brand race this means just the aero bottle.

2010-08-14 1:40 PM
in reply to: #3043739

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Expert
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Dodge County, MN (out in the corn)
Subject: RE: Aid station questions for HIM & IM
If there's a bottle exchange, I'll take junk bottles and just trade off.  I never race with my good bottles.  I have PLENTY of junk bottles. 
2010-08-14 1:58 PM
in reply to: #3043739

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Elite
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Austin, TX
Gold member
Subject: RE: Aid station questions for HIM & IM
Don't even start with your own bottles. If you're going to be using Gatorade and/or water from the aid stations, just start with sport top bottles like the ones they'll give you. Just about every convenience store sells them.
2010-08-14 2:02 PM
in reply to: #3043739

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Extreme Veteran
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Chelmsford, MA
Subject: RE: Aid station questions for HIM & IM
cafenervosa - 2010-08-14 2:22 PM

I'm doing a HIM next year and have some questions for those who have already been there...

When on the bike going through an aid station what do you do with the bottles of water and/or Gatorade they hand off to you? If I've already got two water bottles on my bike that are empty, and I don't want to get rid of them, is it reasonable to think I can just refill them with what they hand to me? If I did that I would have to stop so I could refill and then throw out the empty...right?

Would it be more reasonable to just bring junk bottles for the bike and toss those when I grab bottles from the aid station? I don't have one of those cool easy to refill mega bottles for the front or the frame, just two 24oz size bottle cages. I am, however planning on getting a behind the seat bottle cage so I can carry more than just two bottles.

I'm sorry if these questions sound so noob, but I just got to thinking about it today during my ride. I don't want to toss my good insulated bottles, but if I had to refill them, I would have to stop to do it.

So to those of you who have been there, how do handle the bottle hand off?


You have a few options I can think of:
1) Ride with junk bottles and toss the old and replace the new. Works great except that sometimes the bottles they give you don't fit cages.

2) Ride with an aero bottle and use what they give you to fill aero then toss bottles. You should practice this first. Have someone hand you a bottle, open it, and squeeze into aero, then toss all while riding carefully.

3) Pull off to the side post aid station making sure not to block traffic or volunteers to refill your bottles.

4) Dehydrate and wither to dust...

I've done a combo of 1 and 2 in the past depending on whether I am swapping in water or HEED and what I need at the time.

3 is better than crashing if you're not comfortable refilling on the fly.

4 is never a good plan
2010-08-14 4:08 PM
in reply to: #3043739

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Veteran
363
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Ft. Myers, Florida
Subject: RE: Aid station questions for HIM & IM
Great ideas so far thanks. I was kind of leaning toward using the junk bottles and tossing them. I hate Gatorade, so I was thinking of grabbing water bottles and dropping one or two Nuun tabs in for electrolytes. I tried using a front Aero bottle on my bike but it didn't fit right and fell off during a ride and cracked. I don't want to spend more money on another one if I don't have to. But I will be adding a double cage behind the seat to carry two additional bottles.

I was wondering how hard it would be to try to refill my bottles on the go. Or at the very least how hard it will be to drop the Nuun tabs into the junk bottles they hand to you.


2010-08-14 4:25 PM
in reply to: #3043739

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Champion
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Albuquerque, New Mexico
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Subject: RE: Aid station questions for HIM & IM

Junky bottles that you can discard. 

Toss the empty at the beginning of the aid station. 
Slow down.
Grab a bottle from the volunteer and put in the cage. 

Carrying more than 2 bottles is great for training where you might be out for 3-4 hours unsupported.  In a HIM/IM, you should hit aid stations within an hour of each other and 2 bottles should be enough for all but the hottest courses.  The only reason to carry 4 bottles would be if you're doing your own nutrition (in which case, the aid station question is irrelevant). 

2010-08-15 5:18 AM
in reply to: #3043909

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Champion
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Subject: RE: Aid station questions for HIM & IM
In all the halfs i have done in the last few years i've just taken one frame bottle, replaced at each aid station, and been on my way.

never really had a need for more. in an IM branded race you'll hit a bike aid station every 10 miles, and even in smaller ones you'll still normally hit at least two of them.
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