Home Chat Race Chat

Ironman Switzerland 2010

md6md6 Posts: 969
I've signed up for this - who else is doing it?

Anyone sorted their hotel/flights yet or, like me, was this completely unplanned and so i will arrange that as and when i can afford each section???

If any of you are in the London area, then as the ime draws near if you want someone to train with for the long bike rides (or at least part of them) then drop me a message - although it's probably a bit early for that now.
«13

Comments

  • kevinfkevinf Posts: 3
    Hello

    just got back from Zurich last week. Had a good first Ironman; perfect weather, reasonable finish time and plenty to see and do afterwards. However, Zurich is one v expensive city. I live in Ireland and am used to expensive food and drink when out and about but Zurich beats this hands down. The only tips I can gve you are book your hotel early and independently. I paid £417 at hotel neufeld in the Wiedikon district. This included 4 nights, breakfast and the bus back to the airport. They even laid on a special early ironman breakfast on event day. there were plenty of other competitors at the hotel. It was a double room that was just big enough to open my bike box on the floor. I made the reservation in January and gave credit card number, was set to pay more but sterling just got a bit stronger at the right time and this brought the price down a abit when i was checking out. The hotel has excellent transport connections. Two stops on tram to wiedikon train station, then another two stops to Wollishofen, the station for the triathlon transition. Day tickets for the tram only were chf4, for tram and train chf8. This is cheaper than buying individual journey tickets.

    At Wollishofen you cross under the rails to get to Landiwiesee. However, i would recommend early registration, at least two days before or early the day before the race. I paid £20 for my race number so that I had an early bike check in the day before. It was worth it as the bike check in queues were very long and chaotic to say the least. Transition was open and not what i was told it would be like at an IM. No T1 and T2 tents for changing - you just left your gear beside your bike as at any sprint or olympic event.

    After all that the IM went well. Some of the aid stations on the run could have been more evenly spaced but i finished and that's all that mattered!

    Hope this helps

    Kevin
  • md6md6 Posts: 969
    Cheers kevin that's very useful intel there. I was planning on booking the hotel asap although most don't seem to take bookings this far in advance - i will check again at the start of Aug and if not then at the end and regularly after that. I am expecting it to be an expensive trip, but then i figure you can only do your first IM once so I may as well make it an experience.

    With the lack of tents in T1/2, did people still change or was it tri suit the whole way?

    Cheers again
  • kevinfkevinf Posts: 3
    Hello again

    transition was chaotic to say the least. Lots of people changed in transition from swim to bike then bike to run. I wore tri shorts under wetsuit, put one top on for cycle then another for run. It probably depended on personal preference and whether you were going for a quick time or being a pleb like me - just wanting to finish!!

    The no nudity rule was ignored by a few liberal europeans - some guy getting out of his wetsuit stumbled and nearly threw his hairy back end in front of my bike as i was trying to exit t1! Apart from that it was just like a shorter distance event. You did not get any extra room for gear, which was a pain as many people had floor pumps and what semed like tons of other kit. Best practice seems to be a bag or box in front of your bike to keep everything contained.

    Kevin
  • md6md6 Posts: 969
    cheers Kevin, it's good to have some idea what i'm going to be getting into
  • macmmacm Posts: 11
    Hi

    I signed up for Ironman Switz 2010 last week. I have been thinking about doing an IM for about 6 months and had not realised how quick the spaces get filled, so when I saw that registration was open I jumped in quickly.

    I picked up from other posts that Zurich was expensive so after a quick search found the local Youth Hostel. Its about 1/2 mile from the event and a fraction of the price of a 'standard' hotel. I used their on line booking system and everything went smoothly - I even had an email back double checking if I really meant to book for 2010, not 2009. Anyway, Ive booked for the night before and race day and will probably stay somewhere (cheaper) within a short drive for a couple of days before that.

    I've entered the Little Woody middle distance at the end of Aug to check on my fitness and then its full on for a hard winter. Its the swimming that I need to work on but I will certainly be up for some long training rides nearer the time.

    mac

    mac
  • macmmacm Posts: 11
    Hi

    I forgot to say in my previous post - I'm off to Lake Annecy for a holiday next week and intend to stop over in Zurich on the way back. I'll check the bike course out and let you know my thoughts when I get back. Without seeing it I'm expecting 2/3 to be fast flat on the lakeside and the other 1/3 challenging hills. I live in Herts where major hills are hide to find so will have to plan some 'away days' for serious training.

    mac
  • jules653jules653 Posts: 11
    All this talk about entering Ironmans frightened me that i might not get a place, so I have also entered IM Switzerland rather than wait for IM UK (I note Austria is already sold out). Its great though - once you take the plunge it suddenly focuses the mind - starting to plan the training already.

    The best bit is that I told the other half that as I would be spending a lot of time on my own riding around in Chilterns over the next year, she could pick a holiday pre-xmas anywere as compensation. She has chosen a week swim training in Lanzarote which was a result! (I am sure it is because she knows I can't swim and wants to prove to me that doing an Ironman is an absurd notion).

    I think I might book travel / acc through an organised operator to avoid the hassle and to gvie me peace of mind over the bike.

    Would be cool if people wanted to keep each other updated on training progress.
  • md6md6 Posts: 969
    Mac, that'll be great if you could do a quick recce of the course. I ws also expecting the spilt to be what you thought.

    Welcome on board Jules, we should start a thread for the training updates. I just ordered Be Iron Fit as i figured i'm not smart enough to work out my own training plan, but this year i can't start specific training, but have 2 more OD then a half mara and plan an early season mara next year so should be sorted for the run section. Just need to build up to the Century rides and 4k swims...gulp
  • JellybabyJellybaby Posts: 180
    I'm doing IM Switzerland too. Definitely up for some long rides: never too early to start training I don't think! Still working out where I'm staying and when. Fancy getting involved with Little Woody at the end of August? I'm doing it as a long distance training session rather than a race. There is no cutoff for the bike or run so it works well for me

    PM me on the bcttt forum if you want to go for a ride: going south from london seems sensible. there are loads of hills in surrey and sussex
  • md6md6 Posts: 969
    me too, can't start to book anything until the GAT officer decides if she is joining me for the trip.

    JB I'l drop you a line in a week or so as my bike is currently out of action while she gets fixed, then i have another tri, but after that I am definately up for some long rides.
  • JonhinioJonhinio Posts: 289
    Just having a peek at the entry form for this event and was wondering if someone could pass on some advice regarding some of the info.

    Firstly do you have to give Accident Insurance comapny info? And Secondly what is the "Bib" bit all about?

    Cheers,

    Jon
  • jules653jules653 Posts: 11
    They also confused me. I managed to enter without an insurance number but not sure what I put against Bib. My bank also thought the payment was fraudulent as it was to Switzerland so I had to have a conversation with them to authorise it.

    I was also unsure about the pre-race intro which you needed tickets for - in the end I opted for an extra ticket for my partner but no idea what it is.

    Go for it - take the plunge. The more the merrier!
  • bathtubbathtub Posts: 280
    The pre race intro is the pasta party. A good choice in buying your partner a ticket as it is It the mother of all pasta parties.
    Last year it was held in a large old Swiss traditional hall which in itself was an amazing building.

    It was a sit down 4 course jobbie with waiter service and on real plates, a fantastic meal. In between course there was a video show of a previous event plus entertainment, also for those that wanted it free beer.
    Service was above excellent considering there must have been 3000+ peeps there.

    You will not be dissapointed.
  • jules653jules653 Posts: 11
    Thanks bathtub - i'm getting excited already. Any other inside info / tips for Switzerland?
  • macmmacm Posts: 11
    Hi all

    Ref Bid Ni and insurance.

    The bib number drop down menu is so you can choose a particular bib number - but you have to pay for it.

    I phoned the organisers about the accident insurance - they said if you are a member of your national tri authority you should be covered to race but alo recommended 'normal' holiday insurance as well (to cover for bike theft etc). I have yet to check the Tri England membership details to ensure it covers overseas events. I dont think it will so I was thinking of ensuring my holiday insurance covered me for 'dangerous sports' just in case.
  • JonhinioJonhinio Posts: 289
    Cheers Macm. Right now to take the leap....
  • JonhinioJonhinio Posts: 289
    Gulp... I'm in.....


    ... gulp again....
  • Some friend recently had a holiday in Switzerland, and my wife spotted their wonderful photos on facebook yesterday.

    To cut a long story short she virtually forced me (honest!) to enter next year's race as an excuse for a family holiday. I didn't need much persuading, believe me!

    We've done nothing more that register for the race so far, so any tips from you more experienced people out there will be gratefully received.

    I live in East Devon, but work away all week in East Dorset, so anyone up for some training in either of those areas let me know.

    Hmmmm... Now how do I convince her I need a new bike??

    FK
  • agent_tiagent_ti Posts: 306
    420 Euros!!!!

    Ruddy exchange rate, thats good bye to my paycheck this month!

    Will be worth it though, just hope the knee is fixed by then...
  • Hi,

    I have signed for Switzerland 2010 too. Throughly looking forward to it as it will be my first Ironman. I competed in the cambridge OD this Sunday and spoke to a guy that did Switzerland a few years back. I asked him for a few tips and the main advice he gave was to keep aware of the mass start. He said about 2000 people started out of the water and when the horn went it was a mass free-for-all!! He said he even saw fights breaking out between competitors!! As I mentioned he did this a few years ago, so does anyone know if they will they be doing the mass start in 2010?
    I love the whole traithlon scene and find the people great, but i find myself being far too polite during mass starts and Im sure this adds a good 3-5minutes on my swim time, and for sprints & OD's this make a lot of difference but i just dont want to get into the whole closed fist front crawl for the 50 feet business!!

    Anyway, i will be watching this thread closely for tips as Im sure this Triathlon will be all consuming for the next 11 months of my life!!
  • Me and the hubby are in too for our first long distance! We live just over the rive in East London so often ride Kent way, so may well be up for some of the dreaded long rides.....just got to get Monaco 70.3 (and then maybe Hever) over this this year.

    Good luck everyone with the training, here's hoping the winter is a bit warmer than last year!
  • macmmacm Posts: 11
    Hi all

    I set some time aside during my recents hols in the Alps to drive over to Zurich and have a quick look at the IM bike course.

    Generally it is pretty much what I expected from looking at the course map/profile. The long outgoing stretch of each lap is along the lake and passes through what is predominently city/industrial areas. Its flat and fast although I would imagine the wind direction would make a big difference - on the day I visited it was quite strong and directly into your face for the entire section. This section is also quite boring - but the second half makes up for this in scenic value.

    The later half is the more interesting. Living in Herts I have to admit to not being the best on the hills but apart from a couple of shortish sections I did not see anything that scared me too much. The majority being long drags rather than sharp shocks. The route map was quite difficult to follow without the obvious event signs/helpers and I am sure I went wrong in a couple of places; however, the general impression I got is a tough second half but nothing to instill any fear. I dont want to give anyone a false impression here - the hills are still significant and will require a lot of solid training. Speaking to friends who did IMCH this year they mentioned there is also a short sharp section when you are back in the city and transition from lap 1 to 2. I saw this and yes it is steep; however, my friends said the crowds were at their best at this location and cheered them over.

    I also drove through the general city area where the run leg is held - its flat.

    Having never done a long distance Tri event before the thing that stuck me was how long each of the 2 laps is! All my current training has been focussed on nothing further than middle distance Tri and 10K runs and I am not looking forward to the step change in distance - too late now, I've paid my Euros.
  • Great post that, thanks. 112 miles really is a long way eh!
  • bbambbam Posts: 30
    To macm

    I am thinking of doing Ironman Switzerland;

    Do you know what % the climbs were?

    Can you compare them to the climbs on the UK Half Ironman Course at Wimbleball (thats if you have done it or know anyone who has done it), as iv done that twice and live near the course so I train on that a lot.

    Also, in your opinion would a triathlon bike be ok on the course? and finally, when you say the run is flat, is it dead flat, no hills?

    This go's to anyone out there: is anyone doing Ironman Switzerland who lives in Somerset?? As I'd really like to find someone doing it to train with who lives near me!!

    Thanks

    BBAM
  • I'm in...

    Training starts on the the 21st Sept!!! day after my A race this year!!

    Scotty
  • bbambbam Posts: 30
    To scott_burrows

    Did u mean that you live in Somerset?

    BBAM
  • macmmacm Posts: 11
    To bbam....

    Sorry, I've never done the Wimborne course or cycled in that part of the country so I could not really give you a comparison of the hill gradients.

    The area of Zurich where the run course is located is flat. By that I mean no significant hills - or anything approaching that. I saw some inclines and underpasses but thats about it. Maybe someone who has done the course could confirm this.......

    I personally like a hill or two as it breaks up the boredom of a long run and allows different muscles to get involved; however, I am looking to finish IMCH rather than set a blistering pace so on this occasion the flatter the better!

    The bike route is suited to a Tri bike. The first half of the bike laps that take you away from the city is perfectely OK for an aero position. I intend to use my current bike which has Xentis aero bars but I have SRAM STI shifters fitted rather than bar end - just personal taste I suppose but I do find them a lot easier to use on hillier routes and think they will be a good compromise for IMCH.
  • transittransit Posts: 163
    Don't think I've posted on this thread yet, but all this IM training for this event has sent me doolaly (sp?) and it's 11 months away. The bike profile is on the website so you can easily work out the gradient from there. Appreciate the summary macm, that'll do me, analysing profiles is too much for me. I live in the North East so my problem is trying to find flatter rides with no hills rather than trying to simulate the hills!! Can't wait!
  • ironkavironkav Posts: 259
    Im in also . Currently training for Dublin Marathon.. Doing the odd bit of bike and swim work. Will get more tri focused again in November.

    Looking forward to all the banter.

    IK
  • This should be a slighlty more detailed bike profile for you all, IMCH is a good course, not too tough.......
Sign In or Register to comment.