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Clearwater 70.3 question.....
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 2008-10-09 10:46 AM |
Champion  9600     Fountain Hills, AZ |  Subject: Clearwater 70.3 question.....I know the course is fast and I know that even if you try and ride legal, nearly everybody is getting a benefit of the draft, but it just seems that people post times athat rae upwards of 20min faster than at other 70.3 races, especially on the bike where the the plits seem to plummet only for this race. To be competetive you need to go sub 4:10 and it seems lot's of people do. I like to think I am competetive but I can't conceive of going 4:10 unless the course is just so absurdly fast. For those of you that have done it, what gives? |
| 2008-10-09 11:08 AM in reply to: #1730450 |
Champion 6962  Atlanta, Ga | Subject: RE: Clearwater 70.3 question..... Last year you could ride clean if you wanted to. You would flirt with the drafting distance, but that was fine. The reason the bike splits were so fast last year was because you had a 22 mile stretch with a slight tail wind (coming from the 5 o'clock position). I think I averaged just over 30 mph on that portion. Then the 14 miles into the wind was not that bad. So during the tail wind portion, I was geared out and not really pushing. This afforded me some leg speed later. Combine that with people pushing you on a fairly flat run course with an overcast day = FAST. |
| 2008-10-09 1:12 PM in reply to: #1730450 |
Master 1920 Ann Arbor, MI | Subject: RE: Clearwater 70.3 question..... You make the choice to draft...always...you NEVER don't have the choice. Touch your breaks and back off, or hammer and get ahead. First of all, not everyone in the race drafts, I saw way more people riding legally than cheating. But, the reason there is 'rampant' drafting is because there are people that choose to do it. The competition is extremely competitive and therefore attracts a lot of Type As. Although it's not Kona, there are still people from all over the world trying to have their best race, so being there just makes you go faster. And, it is flat, as in, almost NO change in elevation, like, not even 100 feet. I have only ridden on something that flat in Clearwater- can't find it anywhere else. Just like any race- you bike for show, run for dough. And hopefully we have that really nice tailwind again  |
| 2008-10-09 1:56 PM in reply to: #1730450 |
Champion 9600 Fountain Hills, AZ | Subject: RE: Clearwater 70.3 question..... Don't misunderstand my comment regarding drafting. The benefits of a draft don't magicaly dissapear at 7 meters, it's still there and if you have large packs of riders, it's going to have even a farther reach. I can tell you that for the first 10-15 miles of Kona, it's impossible not to be part of the draft if you exit the water between :55-1:10. The road is too crowded. They only way to avoid the draft would be to stop, get off your bike, and wait 30min. |
| 2008-10-09 2:22 PM in reply to: #1730450 |
Champion 6962 Atlanta, Ga | Subject: RE: Clearwater 70.3 question..... I totally agree with you Bryan. I was going back and forth with #901 (yes...I saw him all day) and finally decided to sit behind him. When we got into the headwind, I tried to go aroud him and it took WAY too much effort. So I sat, legally, behind him and could tell when I was to the left or right of his draft. sidebar: I heard a motorcycle to my left just sitting there and I started to panic. Was I too close? He looks over at me, nods his head and drives off. I was like SCORE...perfect distance! On that course, as long as you are not sucking a wheel and making an honest effort, you're going to go fast. |
| 2008-10-09 3:43 PM in reply to: #1730450 |
Master 1920 Ann Arbor, MI | Subject: RE: Clearwater 70.3 question..... I agree- do all that's in the rules. Drafting legally isn't the same as the 'draft packs' that are also out there. And that's probably why times are faster- the entire field is faster, so it just continuously pushes everyone else. It's a fun race! |
| 2008-10-09 5:37 PM in reply to: #1730450 |
Champion 9600 Fountain Hills, AZ | Subject: RE: Clearwater 70.3 question..... It's making it difficult for me to estimate my bike split. I know how fast I'm likely to swim and I know what I can do on a very flat (with the exception of the bridge) run course, but I have only done 2 Half IM's one 2 years ago on a flat course and Vineman this year on a hilly/rolling course, more similar to what I train on. Screw it, I'm splitting a 2:05! LOL!  |
| 2008-10-10 11:04 AM in reply to: #1731681 |
| Extreme Veteran 643 Connecticut | Subject: RE: Clearwater 70.3 question..... bryancd - 2008-10-09 5:37 PM It's making it difficult for me to estimate my bike split. Bryan - I can estimate your bike split for you freaking fast. And I agree with you even at Moo it was impossible not to draft for the first 10-15 miles out of town if you are out of the water around the 1:10 mark. I would estimate within a 400 meter streach on the way out of town maybe had 200 riders so someone would pass me, like a good non-drafter I would try and drop back 4 bike lengths only to find out I couldn't drop back 4 bike lengths because someone was on my back wheel. At least we had the hills to break everyone up which it did I saw no one drafting after mile 15. |
| 2008-10-10 11:21 PM in reply to: #1730450 |
Extreme Veteran 438 Surprise, AZ | Subject: RE: Clearwater 70.3 question..... 2:05 I wish I could be a fly on your shoulder for that ride. Without the bike problems I figured I rode around a 2:10ish last weekend and that was fun. Don't forget your zone, haha |
| 2008-10-11 12:23 PM in reply to: #1730450 |
Expert 1296 | Subject: RE: Clearwater 70.3 question..... Here's the deal. I had a fairly average swim in my opinion. I just swam a pretty solid line an was very straight. A lot of folks when way left on they way back. Get a solid pair of dark goggles for yourself. You will be swimming straight into the sunrise. When I got out on the bike there was never a time where I got stuck in a pack or had the option to get stuck behind huge groups. Bryan- You have been putting in some very solid rides as per your logs. Don't be afraid to ride harder than you think you can on race day. Dan is 100% right. There is a super long stretch on the back end of the course and we were hitting it a over 30 MPH for a long long time. The course is simply fast. But the competition around you is fast too and the pace is much more critical early on than at the full distance. Mistakes on the bike get amplified over the last 10 miles if you don't take certain liberties over the first 40K... Seriously you should destroy the course out there if conditions are as good as last year. I don't see any reason you don't go 4:10 or better. You have the run legs...now get out there and destroy the bike like you know you can.... Best, Mike |
| 2008-10-11 12:26 PM in reply to: #1730450 |
Champion 9600 Fountain Hills, AZ | Subject: RE: Clearwater 70.3 question..... Thank Mike, I appreciate that buddy. I hope I can go as fast as you did last year, you amazed me. |
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