Black Bear Olympic Triathlon : Official Thread

PompEner - 2010-03-26 1:00 PM Hey guys, I did the inaugural BB sprint and did the sprint my following year (at that point it was either sprint or HIM). I also have ridden the course with my tri club. It is hilly but one you ride it once or twice, its manageable. I can tell you this: if you can't ride the course on your bike, drive it. that way you can see where you need to shift, hard turns, etc. It is invaluable. I did that the first year and thank god. No joking, there were half a dozen people laying on the road and off their bike after they came up on a huge hill and couldnt shift quick enough. And that is what I witnessed, forget the horror stories from everyone else! But honestly it really isnt that bad if you do some hill training. If you are a flat rider, its going to be a long day! Larry Redrow and his wife Michelle and CGI racing are top notch! I have not been around any other triathlon or road race with the level of professionalism that they have. They are the best.

rpcv - 2010-03-26 1:06 PM

 

x2 re: switching gears.

I did the HIM last year and a year later I still have nightmares about this race. I got caught on one nasty hill and didn't switch gears fast enough and my chain came off. I put the chain back on, but I had to walk my bike up the hill. On the second loop, I swear I thought about pushing my bike up some of those hills. I probably would have gone faster!

If I were to do it again, Id bring a road bike instead of my TT bike. I was rarely, if ever, on the aerobars. 

 

Pector55 - 2010-03-27 12:03 AM I'll be in attendance this year.  I'll be the slow, lumbering clyde.  I set a goal of 2:59 but I've not done enough outdoor biking to be confident with that yet.  I need to pick up the pace on my training and I definitely want to drive up and ride the course a couple times in April.  If anyone in the central PA area is interested, let me know.  I have a truck we can use to haul the bikes.

2moremiles - 2010-03-27 7:54 AM It's getting closer!

There's ~1939' of climbing. 2 loops right? Should be a hoot. Just stick an 11-27 cassette on the back and you should be g2g.

jessm - 2010-03-28 9:56 AM Hmm...I'm in the process of buying a tri-bike and will have it and be fitted before this race...but now I'm wondering if maybe I should just stick with my road bike for this!  Only thing is, my new tri-bike is soooo much better of a ride generally and my road bike is pretty low end, but it does have a triple!

I might just need to find another race for my new tri bike before my A race in July.

Seriously, I'm up for a group pre-ride...

Pector55 - 2010-03-28 9:18 AM

2 loops?  Looking at the mapped route, it appears to be only 23 miles and one loop?  I thought I read that the previous HIM was 2 loops but I am not 100% sure since this will be my first time at Black Bear.

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/pa/lehighton/984126962717318443

WittyCityGirl - 2010-04-06 2:56 PM How were the conditions of the road? Pot hole central? Not bad?