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Eton sprint - DNF'd and Gutted.

Hi all.

Raced the Eton sprint today (sunday 17th) in the 35- 36 wave.

Came out of the water in second, was sitting in 3rd on the bike leg after 2 laps then bang, 2 punctures in the space of 1 lap. Out of tubes and out of time I had to pull out. really really dissapointed now.

Saw a lot of people examining flats. If anyone else got visited by the flat fairy today, you have my sympathies.



D

Comments

  • Jelly legsJelly legs Posts: 278
    Feel for you dude.





    Whens your next event

  • DavidHDavidH Posts: 47
    Cheers Jelly,



    Next one is the Windsor Olympic in a few weeks.

    I'm now thinking of trying to squeeze in another sprint to try and banish some demons.



    Well, i'm pretty pleased with my swim time, T1 was ok, and i was holding a swift but comfortable pace on the 10k of the bike leg i did manage. got to take some positives out of it I suppose.

    I've not dnf'd before and it's a funny feeling. didn't think i'd feel as dissapointed as I do.



    D

  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    But... You'll be really set up for the next one!

  • MGMG Posts: 470
    DNF'ing sucks, totally, and I know how you feel!!



    Eton has a history of people getting flats on the bike after rain, they say its due pieces of flint being on the grass verges next to the bike course and then washing on to the track.



    Move on dont dwell on it, you were just unlucky today. However, getting two flats concurrently usualy sugests that the first puncture wasnt sorted (foriegn body still in tyre) or you got a pinch flat from hastily changing the first tube.....



    Just think of it as a swim to bike brick session!!
  • BlinkybazBlinkybaz Posts: 1,144
    Dude thats a complete bummer. 2 punctures that musr be almost unheard of!!!



    I reckon you will have a spare bike in your under saddle bag next time. I hope you nail the OD in windsor!
  • DavidHDavidH Posts: 47
    Thanks guys.



    Yep, definitely a few others suffering at dorney today.

    thorougly checked the tyre after the first flat to make sure there was nothing in the tyre. You could be right with the pinch flat tho.

    Haven't bothered checking the second tube yet. It was game over once it went.



    D




  • DNF is the worst feeling, especially when it’s not down to you....DNF is not a great feeling full stop.



    It happened to me in the 2007 Ironman UK, got a flat tyre then stomach cramps.

    Still gutted about it now, even though i went on to finish last year’s race.



    Just keeping looking forward to the next one, there is only so much you can do to prepare for a race.

    The rest is your luck on the day.



    GOOD LUCK for your next race
  • joolzdjoolzd Posts: 245
    What a bummer David H...I saw a few people on the side changing tyres....that must be unusual..still doesn't help though..but at least you have some positive's to take home!! I hope it doesn't happen to me next week as no idea how to change one and thinking about it don't even own a spare..hmmmm maybe I should get one now!!! Still don't want to gloat.. but I did finish today and was so chuffed as managed to wipe off 12 mins on last year's time and finished 1h23approx....!! Had a new experience and that was managing to swim along with the majority of my field (40+)...swalllowed sh**te loads of water and had too many feet in my face, but was happy to be there rather than bringing up the rear and watching the birds fly by..even had to spot!!!!!!![:D][:D][:D][:D]
  • risris Posts: 1,002
    sounds like really rough luck, some eventualities are almost impossible to prepare for.



    hopefully that's your lot for the season now though and you can race with impunity for the rest of the summer!
  • willieverfinishwillieverfinish Posts: 1,381
    Sorry to hear that mate.



    And how unlucky to have 2 punctures!!!!



    Sounds like you were flying too but think of al that pent up frustration for your next race - you'll hammer the next one all the way home.



    Best of luck

  • stratoTomstratoTom Posts: 36
    It happens to the best of them - Hawaii IM 2005 defending world champ Norman Stadler gets 2 flats on the bike and it's a DNF for him too...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJWhNg-QiTc

  • garyrobertsgaryroberts Posts: 869
    sorry dude, thats a real bummer, are you runner puncture resistant tyres? i haven't been that unlucky but i can't imagine the disappointment:(
  • FlavadaveFlavadave Posts: 749
    A guy who I met on Sunday and was next to in transition got a flat just as he passed the transition on the first lap... Another guy going in a later wave saw him and shouted "Do you want to borrow my wheel?"



    Yes he did... Cue a rapid swap of front wheels and he was off again and at the finish swapped the wheel back again. How good is that? He didn't even know the guy!



    And he still beat me as well. You gotta love this sport.
  • PC_67PC_67 Posts: 196
    Cue a rapid swap of front wheels and he was off again and at the finish swapped the wheel back again. How good is that? He didn't even know the guy!



    And he still beat me as well. You gotta love this sport.



    I was at the World Age Group Championships in Vancouver last year (woo, get me - benefit of being from a small country!) and at the transition zone the front wheel of bike next to me just exploded - BANG! - as it'd been pumped to too high a pressure. Unfortunately the owner wasn't around. A Canadian who had already finished saw what happened and exchanged the front wheel for his own. He didn't know the guy at all. What a gesture - otherwise the owner would have arrived in transition during the race to find his bike punctured.



    After the race I was beside the guy it hapened to, a nice Welsh bloke. He couldn't work out why he had a new front wheel so I explained. Then the Canadian came back with the old wheel. Funny thing is, the Welsh bloke then fitted a new inner tube, pumped his tyre up and BANG! - it popped again!
  • DavidHDavidH Posts: 47
    Feeling a bit better about it today. Having never DNF'd before, i'd never contemplated how i would feel about it. Guess i'm just more passionate about it than i realised [:)]



    SuperDan, I can only imagine how bad it must feel to DNF in an Ironman. At least at sprint distance i can chalk it up and esily go find another one to take it out on.

    Entered in my first HIM this year so hopefully get the bad luck out the way by then.



    Joolzd, that's fantastic knocking 12 minutes off last years time. it's a great feeling knowing that your training is paying off

    Still think Dorney is a good venue an a great event.

    A friend of mine was taking part in his first race in a later wave, so still had a nice day there cheering everyone on with my daughter despite the dodgy weather.

    For me, the worst day out swim/bike/running is still better than the best day stuck in an office!



    Offering wheels to people you don't know epitomises the camaraderie in this sport and why I love it.

    I'm also feeling the love in here. Thanks for all the words of encoragement.

  • MowfMowf Posts: 272
    Sorry to crash your post, but you have made me think:



    I am doing Dorney Steel man in July. Is it the same bike course? If so I will need to dismiss my 'it'll never happen to me' attitude towards repairing punctures.
  • JonhinioJonhinio Posts: 289
    Sorry to hear about the DNF. Best of luck for Windsor though.
  • deeessdeeess Posts: 150
    i saw one chap walking back from the far end of the lake with a pedal in his hand that appeared to have sheared off the crank!
  • THE YEOTHE YEO Posts: 20
    Hi DavidH - feelin' your pain. I was the guy in front of you in the swim (1st wave) and you made me zip out of T1 sharp. It was always going to be a puncher day with the grit sticking up in the surface water. I got my puncher on the very top bend on my last lap with 2.5km to go. Lost 2 minutes crawling back on the disc hoping that it wasn't going to cause any £££££ damage. First flat in 3 yrs, so about time. Michelin Pros are cracking tires, then again 4000 too for grip. Never carry a spare - too much time waste - so gamble
  • garyrobertsgaryroberts Posts: 869
    If so I will need to dismiss my 'it'll never happen to me' attitude towards repairing punctures.


    Get practising fast tube changes....it really doesn't have to take longer than a couple of minutes if you're well practised!



    I had never done a practice tube change before the weekend and i managed it without any drama in about 4 mins, and that was relaxed, so i guess that time could be halved with a bit more practice.



    Just a thought.[8|]
  • DavidHDavidH Posts: 47
    Hi The Yeo, yep, you certainly didn't hang around in T1 and was long gone by the time I got out.

    Been really happy with the pro races, been using them for a while and hadn't punctured in over 3000k.

    Saw you checking out the rim after the race, hope there wasn't any damage.

    Lovely bike by the way.

    Have promised myself something along those lines if i go sub 5.30 at HIM.



    Congrats on the overall result, great race.

    I'll be back next year [;)]



  • hazohazo Posts: 18
    Really tough break. Sounded like you were right up there too.



    OK - mountain bike dude talking here but.....don't you roadies ever use 'slim' in your tubes? Yes, weight is a big issue (especially with wheels) but on shorter races it might be worth the weight penalty. The last time I changed the tubes, on my MTB, I had a total of 12 holes in the tubes, all of them had self sealed.

    Just a thought!

    Probably important to point out - I don't actually own a road bike, so I might be missing something really obvious here.
  • YonethYoneth Posts: 2
    Gutted for you.



    I was in the 37 to 39 wave and passed a girl from the previous wave who was cycling in on a flat. maybe the Eton students had been out with the drawing pins the day before, pesky kids!!!



    I had a different handicap. i came out of T1 cycling past the clubhouse and looked down to check my pace on the speedometer and it was not working. looking at the sensor on the forks it had been knocked away from the magnet on the spokes. Obviously not wishing to stop, i decided to adjust it inwards untill i got a reading. Only i went too far, the sensor flew 30 feet into the spectators and dragged my finger in to the spokes on its way. it looks like a pork sausage now and hurts like mad but on the day it went numb by the start of lap 2. I remember thinking 'that was obviosly going to happen you muppet'



    Good luck with the Eton Olympic. I am thinking about entering but it will be my first at that distance so i'm not sure yet.



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