Nov 27, 2022
Last week Bill and I were getting geared up for El Tour de Tucson and Ironman Arizona. Today we are going to give a first-hand report on the pro races at Ironman Arizona and do a recap of El Tour de Tucson.
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In Today's Show
Feature Discussion: IM Race Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
Swim DNF:
At IMAZ Sunday, approximately 150 athletes DNFd during the swim. The most common cause seemed to be hypothermia or simply being too uncomfortable in cold water to push through. The water temperature was a cool 60.8 degrees (mandatory wetsuit) and I admit that's approaching my limit for comfort.
Tips to Avoid Swim DNF:
Bike:
The two issues I observed this weekend were mounting and mechanical. Since this was Ironman and most people have their shoes on coming out of the changing tent, not to mention the soft grass surface of the transition area, most do not have the flying mount problem where you can't get your feet in the already clipped in shoes. Most of the near collisions were due to athletes still feeling wobbles from the swim.
One guy had his chain get caught I his rear derailer and he nearly made it worse by trying to ride on it.
Another had a flat the moment he rode out of T1. He had replaced his perfectly fine tubes with brand new ones the day before the race and apparently pinch flatted them. Billy and I helped him fix his flat. Shame.
Tips to Avoid a Bike Mount Disaster:
Run:
Chaffing - avoidable by using anti chaffing products, testing what you will be wearing on race day during race rehearsals and changing into clean and dry run gear in T2.
Dehydration - having practiced your nutrition several times before showing up on race day
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Endurance News:
El Tour de Tucson and Its Dual Personality in the Desert
By Bill Plock
November 22, 2022, Tucson: El Tour de Tucson circled the fragile ecosystems surrounding Tucson where Saguaro cacti come to life, thirsty rivers cut the desert, and dreamers come to dream. For thousands of years, people have thrived in this at-first-glance difficult environment. Its dry and hot reputation, while well deserved in summer hibernates in November and offers the perfect weather to ride or race. It’s this dual purpose that gives this tour a dual personality and makes it unique.
Top racers from around the country (the world really) converge in the desert to compete. Riders can qualify for Platinum status to give them a more favorable starting position and a better shot at winning Tissot watches—no monetary prizes. Riders choose 32, 63, or 102 miles. Said ride director TJ Juskiewicz, about 500 race and the other 7,000 enjoy a well-supported tour.
The logistics of closing roads and controlling intersections for 7,500 riders to ride or race so many miles during most of the day in a big city is incredible. The winner in the 102-mile race was able to average almost 27 mph thanks to top-notch police support. I took about twice as long and received the same support.
I chose to chat as I do, meet some folks and not bonk on undertrained legs and lungs! I made it in part thanks to my podcast partner and close friend, Rich Soares who pulled me more than I pulled him, by a lot! This tour showcased so many personal missions. Whether it was the couple recently married on their honeymoon ride. Or 7-year-old Ariana who rode all 102 miles in about seven and half hours and set a record as the youngest known person to ride a century. Or, Timothy from the Pueblo Road Warrior team (supported by We Ride 4) rocked the 102 miles in his tennis shoes and smiled the whole way.
The vibe oozes a recipe of seriousness, fun, and gratefulness. The contrast of colorful cyclists streaming through the desert, pecan farms, airplane graveyards, and adobe buildings on sleepy streets made the time pass fast. Aid stations all featured friendly bike valets to hold your bike. Kids from the Optimist club or the Boy Scouts or many other local groups smiled big and made us feel very welcomed. Said Rich Soares, “The volunteers were great ambassadors of Tucson and the friendly bike valets were a nice touch and surprise”
That feeling of gratefulness is not an accident. Said Juskiewicz, “We gave away 550 free bikes to kids and our 50+ non-profit partners raised over $5,000,000 for their charities through the El Tour partnership.”
Coloradans were all over the place. Executive Director of Team Evergreen, Jen Barbour won her age group, and Pete Piccolo, Executive Director of Bicycle Colorado was 22nd overall in a very competitive field that included Primal Ambassador and Tour de France star Jens Voigt who finished 53rd. Other ex-pro’s like George Hincapie, Bob Roll, and Christian VandeVelde joined in the fun and said Juskiewicz, “having the rock star pros there was something that took this year over the top.”
Maybe this tour reflects the native Saguaro cactus more than we know. It takes 75 years for Saguaros to grow “arms” to help for better reproduction and continue to flourish and spread more seeds. They stand tall in the desert and have supported human life for thousands of years. Less than one in a million seeds germinate for this defining plant only found in this area.
As this tour ages and grows, it attracts more and more cyclists and helps more and more people. Its arms are dreams and a safe harbor for so many charities raising money to spread more seeds and help humanity. As a late-season destination, a challenging well-run ride, a trip to Tucson makes for a nice warm-up to enjoy Thanksgiving week and reflect on what’s important.
IRONMAN Arizona 2022 - Pro Race, Age Group Kona Slots, Observations
There were reasons to be excited about this pro race. On the women's side you had Sarah True, Skye Moench, Lauren Brandon, Melanie McQuade and others. On the men's side you had 70.3 World Champs 2nd place Ben Kanute taking his first swipe at the full distance. Familiar names like Sam Long, Matt Hansen, Joe Skipper and Bart Aernouts.
Pro Women:
Lauren Brandon, Sarah True and Skye Moench were 1, 2 and 3 out of the water. Skye would take Sarah's spot at mile 28. By mile 66 Laruen Brandon dropped back to 3rd with Skye leading the way and Sarah just biding her time.
Skye entered T2 about 3 minutes before Sara True and Lauren Branden arrived 2 minutes later. About a mile into the run, Sarah True took the front and held that position the rest of the run. By mile 8, Melanie McQuaid moved up to 3rd, but she would fall back to 6th by then finish. At mile 14 they came through and I was giving the pro women splits. Sarah True held on to 1st, Skye Moench held on to 2nd and Daniel Lewis would finish 3rd.
Pro Men:
Andrew Hosfall-Turner was first out of the water with Ben Kanute on his heels. By mile 30, Ben Kanute was in control with Joe Skipper in 3rd, Matt Hanson in 5th and Sam Long in 7th. Billy Edwards and I saw them come through and called out splits. At T2 it was Kristian Hogenhaug in first, followed by Joe Skipper in 2nd, Ben Kanute in 3rd, Sam Long in 4th and Matt Hanson in 5th. My mile 5, Matt has passed Sam and swapped positions. By mile 12 Joe Skipper and Hogenhaug swap positions. Hogenhaug blows at mile 23 and it's now the podium of Joe Skipper Matt Hansen and Ben Kanute in that order.
What's New in the 303:
Leaving On A Jet Plane: How To Travel With Your Bike
Article and photos by: A.V. Schmit
With the major airlines removing the draconian fees associated with flying with a bike, you may be tempted to bring your bike with you on your next vacation. Passengers on American, United and Delta will pay the same amount for a bike as they would for any other piece of checked luggage under 50 pounds — about $30. That’s a far cry from the $150 each way to fly with a bike, only a years ago.
International flights typically offer two checked bags per passenger with no additional cost, so the idea of traveling for an international IRONMAN or IM 70.3 is a lot more approachable. And… If you plan on racing, having the bike you trained with is an essential part of being successful.
“Woot, woot, I can travel with my bike,” they thought, until they realized, “Oh wait, I don’t know how to pack my bike for travel.”
Fear not, I can show you some pretty simple techniques to keep your “baby” safe on a plane.
If you are my age, I’m sure you remember the 1970’s American Tourister luggage commercial with the Gorilla. And if you don’t recall, here it is on YouTube:
The point is… baggage handlers typically tend to be a lot less careful than you might want them to be with your bike. So you need to take steps to prepare your bike for travel the best that you can.
For airline travel, there are really two basic categories of luggage to carry a bike — Padded soft case or hard plastic case. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. With a padded soft case, you typically have to disassemble less of the bike, especially on a triathlon bike. But a soft case does not offer as much protection as a rigid case.
With a rigid bike case, your bike has more protection, but more of it needs to be disassembled to fit. A rigid hard case does offer more protection than a padded soft case. In the event of a catastrophic situation, like a very heavy piece of luggage falling from a height or the bike case falling off the luggage carrier, either event will likely damage the bike contained within either type of case.
Sci-Con TSA 3.0 Triathlon Travel Bag " Trico Iron Case
Left, Sci-Con Aerocomfort TSA 3.0 Triathlon Travel Bag. Right, Trico Iron Case.
OK, onto packing a bike for travel. In this example I’m packing a Cervelo P5 three in a Sci-Con Aerocomfort 3.0 padded triathlon bag.
Step 1 – Remove the pedals, and wipe the grease off the spindles with a paper towel or shop rag. Don’t worry, we are going to pack a bit of bike grease for re-assembly when we get to our destination. I tend not to want to travel with a full tube of grease, rather I like to squirt a small blob into a heavy-duty zip lock bag. It’s lighter, and you are less likely to run afoul of any hazardous chemical limits.
Step 2 — Remove bottle cages and other accessories. Wrap them in bubble wrap for protection and storage later in the process. And, while you’re at it, remove any CO2 cartridges, as compressed gas of any kind is not allowed on a plane. Be sure to get replacements at your travel destination.
Bottle cages, pedals and rear derailleur ready for removal and padding.
Step 3 — If you don’t have access to a bike stand, then it makes the most sense to remove the wheels from the bike and use the alloy cradle of the bag to support the bike for the rest of the procedure. A P5, as well as many tri-bike frames, has horizontal drop outs, so you will need to slide the rear end of the bike into the Frame Defender Armature and then use the quick release at the front to secure the forks.
If your bike uses thru axles, you will need them to secure the bike frame to the armature.
Step 4 — At this point, I like to wrap the frame in closed cell foam to protect the finish from accidental chips or dings. With the popularity of online shopping, you probably have some thin closed cell foam hanging around the house. If not, you might stop by your local bike store to see if they have any leftover foam packing material from in-bound bike shipments. You can also use “bubble wrap,” but I’ve found it to be less effective than closed-cell foam.
Step 5 — Since the advent of 11-speed drive trains, virtually all road / triathlon groupsets have a “master link” in their chains. A master link is a special link that uses a mechanical connection to connect the chain. With a simple pair of specialized pliers, it’s easy to remove the chain and package it in bubble wrap.
While many boxes and bags make chain removal optional. It’s my thinking the more you can do to protect the frame from damage, the better. A chain moving around inside a bag or box can really do a number on your bike’s paint. Just take it off.
Step 6 — Remove the rear derailleur. On a Shimano Di2 or SRAM AXS, this is a very straightforward procedure. For Di2 you simply unplug the E-Tube wire and use a hex wrench to remove the derailleur. On a SRAM system, simple use a hex wrench and remove the rear derailleur. It is advisable to remove the battery in the case of SRAM AXS as well, prior to placing it in a zip-lock bag and bubble wrapping it.
For Di2, just make sure the shifters and the battery are disconnected to prevent accidental “shifting” during travel from draining your battery.
For a traditional mechanical derailleur, remove the mounting bolt with the appropriate hex wrench, wrap the derailleur in bubble wrap and tuck it in-between the chain stays and secure it. Be careful not to kink the cable housing.
Step 7 — Remove the quick release skewers from the wheels and place them in the pockets on the left and right side of the bag.
If your bike uses disc brakes, it’s recommended that you remove them prior to packing the bike. I know, it’s a pain, but so is a slightly bent disc that is rubbing as the wheel rotates. Most disc wheels are either 6-bolt or center-lock.
If your wheels are 6-bolt, you will likely need a T25 Torx wrench to remove and reinstall them at your destination. And if it is 6-bolt, you may want to bring a few extra bolts just in case 1 or 2 of the T25 heads get stripped during the process.
If your wheels use center-locks, be sure to pack the tools you will need to get them back on.
Step 8 — After you have removed the pedals, chain, rear derailleur, water bottle cages and accessories. Wrap them carefully in bubble wrap and place them in the storage bag that will be placed under the down tup of the frame and secure the bag. This is also a great place to stow the tools you will need to put the bike back together when you arrive at your destination.
Step 9 — Add additional padding to delicate parts of the bike, including the shifters mounted on the aero extensions. Insert the wheels into the pockets on the left and right of the bag. Be sure to remove your skewers and wrap them in bubble wrap before you stow them in the bag.
Secure the Velcro and other straps and prepare to close the bag. Before you do, it is a good idea to take some pictures of your packing job so there is no question about how the bike was packed in the event there is an incident during travel.
Step 10 — BONUS — If you use an iPhone, then I would highly recommend you place an Apple AirTag somewhere in the bag. This gives you extra piece of mind that your bike has made it on the plane safely. An AirTag is a blue tooth device that can use the location data of any iPhone it encounters to pinpoint the position of your bike.
Your bike arrives in tact, you’ve taken the time to put it back together and now it’s time to rack it and race the next day.
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Closing:
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Stay tuned, train informed, and enjoy the endurance journey!