Bike check in question

Augusta 70.3 has the same set up. Transition is at swim finish, and because it's a downcurrent river swim, the swim start is 1.2 miles away. Bikes are required to be checked the night before.

That said, transition was still open the next morning so that you could set up your gear, air up tires, put your water/nutrition on your bike, set up running shoes, etc. The only thing I left the day before was my bike. I then brought everything else in my transition bag and borrowed someone else's tire pump.

I then walked 1.2 miles (though there were shuttles) in tennis shoes and carried my wetsuit to swim start where they had a bag drop area for anything you wanted to pick up after the race. I found that the nice morning walk was good for me before the chaos of being around 3000+ people at swim start ensued.

Edited by glfprncs 2014-07-14 7:19 AM

Drop your bike only the night before. Morning of go to transition and set up as usual. Check air pressure that morning, you may want to let air out the night before depending on how high you pump your tires.

Do the 1.2 mile walk to the start, it's no big deal. You probably pace that much in any other tri anyway.

It varies a little by race. Check the race guide, I would be surprised if they don't give more specifics?

Having said that, typically you check in the bike the night before then bring the rest of your gear in the morning. As for pumping the tires, pumping them the night before is going to be just fine generally... although the usual stressed out triathlete (including myself) will prefer to pump them in the morning. You can bring one but I rely on the ones the organizers (bike maintenance guys) provide or occasionally borrow one. As to the 1.2 miles, I would be very surprised if they don't run a shuttle from T1 to swim start. The only one I'm familiar with that doesn't is Steelhead and there you have to walk down the beach to swim start (or at least you used to).

If you pump tires the night before and have latex tubes you will lose anywhere from 10psi to 30psi over night.

If you don't use latex and pump it 5psi over where you like it, you should be good.

If you pump you're tire anywhere near the max and the morning sun hits your tire they can explode. Just saw(heard actually) about 20 people at Eagleman do that this year. Also seen at bike rides a lot, people pump to the max in their cool garage and after 10 minutes in the sun--BOOM!

Yeah I see nothing in the athlete guide about shuttles. Parking by T1 and walking won't kill me. I was thinking I'd park at swim start but parking by T1 would make way more sense. I just remember last year at my first HIM having to go back to my car 3 or 4 times because I kept forgetting stuff (who needs a wet suit... oh ...I do!). It was close to 4.5 miles I did in sandals before the race even started. I should be more prepared this time with way calmer nerves.

Edited by Blastman 2014-07-14 8:00 PM