Was anyone else surprised when they saw the results that the bike course was 17.5 km rather than 20km? My time was much faster than I expected so it made sense, but I thought the course was advertised as a 20km bike? I don't know, maybe I just missed something!
I was surprised as it was supposed to be 20k, and the distance signs on the course still indicated 20k. But I had strong suspicions based on the time i got off the bike. Talked to a few people after and their bike computers indicated 17k. Looking forward to the explanation, but based on the way I felt on the run maybe its a good thing..
There's a message on the race website saying sprint results were adjusted with details to follow in the post-race report. I assume they will explain all there. I agree with you, I welcomed the minutes I saved, too!
I talked with John Salt and it seems there was an error made by the person responsible for measuring the bike course correctly. I didn't do the race, but my fiance did and was a little disappointed that the course was not the right distance. For beginners, it may not be an issue. But for someone who is trying to get a PR at the sprint distance, it sucks.
I was disappointed when I realized that my time did not so much reflect a better effort, but a shorter course. Oh well, my big achievement this race was my swim. Much better than Woodstock.