Watched my first (in person) tri yesterday - observations/questions

I did the race and I would say it is very large.

There were a lot of nice bikes. Can't imagine going 26 or 27 MPH.

It was by far the best race I have done and would highly recommend it.

I went down and watch parts of the St Anthony's Triathlon (St Pete, FL, Oly distance) yesterday.  Around 4000 participants - not sure if that's large or small.  I'm not doing my first until end of June, but since I had family in the race, I wanted to go watch.  I came away excited and a bit overwhelmed.  A few things I noticed:

very very large race, one of the biggest

Really nice bikes - I was surprised by how many people had nice bikes.  I have a decent road bike, and I don't have any real bike envy or need to upgrade, but was a bit surprised that what I thought was a nice bike would be on the low end in this event.

it is all about the engine, not the bike. ride what you have, enjoy your first race!!!

Really, really fast - the cyclists were flying.  Makes sense, because if you look at the times, even the MOP age groupers are going faster than I can hope to sustain.

St. A's get the cream of the crop, very prestigious race.

Those aero wheels make an odd sound.  I overheard a few athletes complaining that they hate hearing them come up behind them.

disc and deep dish wheels howl, for lack of a better word. I love the sound a disc wheel makes, it is road noise reverberating off the carbon disc.

Amazing amount of sand going in and out of transition.  Was surprised to see how many cyclists left their shoes on their bikes and ran barefoot through the sand back into transition.  Given that it's a coastal area, I guess I should expect I'll encounter this.

baby powder in your shoes helps with the sand. it drys you feet off so you have less chance at chafing.

Was surprised by how many people fell while running with their bike in transition - is this common?

I would not call it common, but i have seen it happen, some people try to do to  much while running and get tangled in their pedals.i

The clock at the finish line starts when the first wave goes?  Seemed to show the same count no matter which wave the athlete crossing was from.  So, a picture of yourself crossing the finish line will most likely have an incorrect time on it?

yes, the chip on your ankle will give you your time, and only the first wave that goes off is clock time, everyone else is chip time in a multiple wave race, they will fix that when they post results. Having a watch to get total time can tell you how long it took prior to results being posted.

Have a great time in your race!!  Enjoy the moment and don't forget to thank the volunteers!!!

hahahaha - x2

because you know if you are in the front of your AG and the moment you start hearing the loud whoosh of a disc wheel you know that someone is about to pass you....

anthony's is a huge race.  usually anything over 2k is considered a big race.  you have to remember with triathlon its not the same as run race like a HM that might have 12k people.  logistics are much more difficult and distances covered are MUCH larger. 

25 miles on a bike means blocking out some serious amount of streets.

Did this race as well, it was my first tri and it was a great race.  And yes there were tons of nice bikes, even when I was going around 20-22 (fast for me) people seemed to just fly by.

Here's my report if any one is interested  http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=250623&posts=1&start=1

I know reading race reports was a great tool for me to help understand what happens during the actual event. 

I actually love the sound of the wheel!

I want a bike that when I am just walking to transition in the morning it sounds fast, that click click click sound I think is so cool.

I ride sport bikes and just love watching better riders pass me, and the exhaust coming up from behind the whole time is humbling.  Similar on the tribike, I can cruise a nice pace and then whooooom just blasted by someone who looks like they are putting in a 3rd of the effort. Puts you in your place, reminds me; you are not fast get out and train!

Many of those fancy and expensive bikes probably weren't as fancy and expensive as you think, though many are on the pricey side.

Most of us did our first triathlons on mountain bikes or very basic road bikes!

Brian

Don't believe the hype.

St. A's is a drag race. It's a marquee event, it's a measuring stick for all the northerners that can't race outside in their own 'hood until June, and it's a mid-season event for most of the rest of the country - so they're in shape.

The best spot to watch St. A's is on the bike exit and bike entrance. Bike exit: you'll get to see AFV that is all the novices try to mount a bike with shoes on the pedals. You can't make that stuff up. And on the way in?  Yes, overcooking the entrance, running after a hard bike yield superior results. Yes, tis' common.

I was there as well and it was my first time at a tri too.  I watched for quite a while at the bike mount line and it was quite the learning experience.  I saw a few nasty spills and a few more close calls.  The biggest problem I noticed was people with their shoes already on the pedal and the toes catching the ground when they started taking off.  What a NASTY sounds that makes and I am sure its quite unnerving when your on the bike as well.