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IMUK70.3 bike/run bag query

The rules say.

- After the swim, athletes must pick up their bike gear bag.
- After bike portion, athletes must pick up their run gear bag

I was planning on taking a single box like normal.

This is probably covered somewhere on the site but I cant see it. Is it a split transition? Can anyone enlighten me further as to how this is going to work?

Cheers
Ade

Comments

  • TRIumphantTRIumphant Posts: 850
    You'll be given three bags.

    A white bag for your dry kit to wear after you've finished. So prior to start what ever you wear to the start, and plan on wearing after the finish goes into the white bag. This will be available at the finish.

    A blue bag for your bike kit. So everything you are planning on using on the bike, including shoes and hel,et goes into the blue bag. This will be emptied at T1 and anything not used re-packed, along with your wetsuit, goggles and hat etc. You'll collect this after the finish.

    A red bag for your run kit. So again, everything you plan on using during the run. anything you take off after the bike, shoes, helmet etc, wil be re-packed into this bag.

    It is all on the site, http://www.ironmanuk.com/ironman-uk-703 ... ay-process
  • diddsdidds Posts: 655
    +1 for that.

    You will likely NOT be allowed a box by your bike, and if its a split transition (like Austria 70.3)that wouldn;t work anyway.

    Commiserations - 70.3 and IM distance racing is a total step into the unknown wrt logistics until you've actually done one. With my recent experience of AT70.3 I'd say this... Other's mileage may vary

    get to registration early, and get your bags. That means Friday for a Sunday race if that is possible. You will get your various bags then.

    take the bags home. pack them then and there. Don;t pout it off "until later" - it will take you AGES!

    Next day (Sat) return to site EARLY with bike and bags. rack and drop bags. Do not expect ANYBODY at any one drop/racking point to know where the other one is! Other competitors are probably your best bet to ask, especially the smug ones (or those looking REALLY frazzled!) with no bags or bikes

    Then chill at expo/whatever, go home, eat and sleep, return next day. If weather is hot let your tyres down overnight and pump them up first thing on Sunday morning - at AT70.3 less than 100m from the mount line I saw one bloke replacing BOTH tubes.

    If you can;t make a Friday registration, and sat is your first day there I would suggest you making up your own bags in advance and then just transferring them on the saturday. You likely will not be permitted to rack and drop on race day (except streetwear bag), and transition closes early then. At AT70.3 it closed at 0630, pros starting at 0700... last wave (mine!) was 0825...

    Oh - street wear bag... I took my swim gear in it, changed and then put my clothes into the streewear bag which was dropped near the swim entrance. Of course if you are there with friends they can look after that bag if you prefer.

    over on the forums at bcttt.com there will be a few people that have done UK70.3 before, and there will be lots over at tritalk.com as well that can be very helpful. there is also a big thread there which will be discussing the course and its complexities which you may find useful.

    cheers

    didds
  • largeadelargeade Posts: 166
    Thanks chaps, much appreciated.

    "You will have full access to your bike on race morning. You will not be allowed access to your blue bike transition bag or your red run transition bag."

    Better get it right then ;-)
  • largeadelargeade Posts: 166
    Thanks for the advice CH.

    There are still three days to go till Saturday so personally I dont think its that late to learn about how its going to work. It might be different were I going for a win, but for this one I'm only aiming for a sub 6 hour time.

    Packing in advance for changeable weather is the only thing I can think that I might do differently now armed with this information. Its not like I'll be needing to buy anything else is it....?

    ...oh yes...

    My biggest problem this week is that on my last ride my bottom bracket has decided to play up, so now I'll be racing on a re-built or new part. Now that is making me nervous and the LBS had better do a damn good job.

    But theres nothing I can do about it, other than make sure I've got a race bike available for the next time, and make sure I learn how to refurb/change a Bottom Bracket.
  • TRIumphantTRIumphant Posts: 850
    I would have to agree with Conehead on this issue. I may be a little anal about organising my time for events like these, but I've scheduled out my time from when I get up early Saturday morning until when I finally reload the car to come home on Sunday afternoon. I have scheduled out almost everything I need to do in 30 minute slots, and for certain issues down to 5 minute slots. I know where I should be, what I should be doing, what I should be wearing, and even what I should be eating and drinking, and it's all been tested in training. I'm currently sorting out all my kit into various bags, as hinted at by Didds, so come Saturday I won;t be sorting through a box of kit trying to remember what I need, I just need to transfer kit from my bags to the official bags.

    I'm working on the basis that I want Sunday to go as smoothly as it possibly can, with very little to think about apart from the race itself. However, I'm doing this race as a learning curve for IM UK on 01/08, working on the basis that the organisation, logistics, feed stations etc will be the same, so anything that needs tweaking can be.
  • diddsdidds Posts: 655
    once again, totally agreeing with CH and triumphant.

    CH's words are spot on... I KNEW about split transitions and bike/run bags and had prepped myself... BUT... come the time it is still bloody confusing so really you do need to get your head around it NOW.

    I would even suggest you pack your bike and run bags in advance into whatever you have handy so you just need to transfer them at the weekend... less stress and hassle.

    Does IMUK 70.3 have special needs bags? (AT70.3 doesn;t)

    didds
  • diddsdidds Posts: 655
    Oh - just remembered something that may make you feel a little happier...

    Two nights before AT70.3, a friend emailed me to say she had seen on Macca's twitter thing that he was packing his bags for the race and that he NEVER gets used to it...

    Take a deep breath, and plan it NOW

    And don't forget the RR, warts and all afterwards!

    didds
  • largeadelargeade Posts: 166
    Lol. I am listening to what you are saying.

    Personally I've never had a issue with last minute arrangements, or asking seemingly dumb questions to expidite answers.

    Maybe I'm spoilt by the type of job that means I get back from a fortnights holiday to have a voicemail telling me to be in Geneva the following morning because an customer is in the mire; or to have work onsite in Norwich cancelled midweek and unexpectedly sent the following day to Bangor; or to give a short notice presentation to customers for a major sale on something I've only ever read about.

    Unforseen problems do occur and they need dealing with. Sometimes they are surmountable sometimes they are not. My job requires anality, for me triathlon is supposed to be fun, and it is the training (not necessarily the race) that I both enjoy and spend most of my time doing.

    Stuff happens, and probably will. I'll let you know what mistakes I made on Monday. If I get in on this hilly course in under 6 hours at 41 years old on an £850 bike I'll be over the moon.

    And if it goes tits up, and I've avoided injury, I've got the Cowman in a fortnight to try again.

    Whatever happens nothing will take away 28 weeks of toil, sweat and 2 stone lost. That was the most enjoyable thing. For a middle fielder at the end of the day the race is nothing more than a target for the completion of a training plan.

    Cheers
    ade
  • largeadelargeade Posts: 166
    Hi,

    As promised:

    No problems with my packing. Two nutrition mistakes were made, leading to an awful run time.

    #1: I started with 2x800ml High5 which I finished before the last bike feed. At the station I was handed a half empty bottle of water, but I kept going. Doh, should have stopped for a full one. [Next time I'll take onboard an extra bottle just in case.]

    #2: I had a bottle of nuun water in my bag at T2. when I finished it I threw it away. [Next time I'll keep it till I know I'm feeling fine.]

    So... shortly afterwards on the first big downhill on the run my quads cramped badly and I realised I was dehydrated (see #1). It took me 4 feed stations before I could rehydrate enough to run properly. And its very hard mixing nuun in paper cups (see #2).

    Sub 6.00 became sub 6.30, but hey, it wasnt so bad for a first one. PB 35mins for the swim. Feeling fine today so bring on the cowman.

    Cheers
    Ade
  • TravisTravis Posts: 2
    largeade wrote:
    Hi,



    #1: I started with 2x800ml High5 which I finished before the last bike feed. At the station I was handed a half empty bottle of water, but I kept going. Doh, should have stopped for a full one. [Next time I'll take onboard an extra bottle just in case.]

    #2: I had a bottle of nuun water in my bag at T2. when I finished it I threw it away. [Next time I'll keep it till I know I'm feeling fine.]

    i also started with 2x800ml High5. Further consequences needn't to describe.
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