Longhorn HIM - hilly (Page 3)

Good call Keith. I was out there yesterday and did the route. That corner is tough and Monkey is a much better call.

btw- who put the two hills at mile 55? I want to have a word with that guy!

thanks! I was out inspecting the course today, saw quite a few bikes....Maybe you passed me

There are 3 or so blind corners, that I wasn't comfortable with...So, this eliminates those....

Everything's rolling along! Got the race programs and medals on Friday, booked the dive team, Traffic Control Plan has been sent to TX DOT, we're getting ready!

Map and cue sheet have been updated.

Um, this may be a stupid question...but, what's the DIVE TEAM for??? Is it for search and rescue/recovery missions for the swim? That scares me!

Not meant to scare you...It's a requirement for Austin events...
They're more like lifeguards, as they'll actually be in boats, but equipped for rescue quickly....

Don't worry, you'll be in good hands!!!!!!!

We'll have 30 lifeguards, 3 jetskis, 2-3 dive team members, etc. NO boats allowed on the lake during the race, as the only access to the lake is through the park, and it's closed for the race.

What?  We have to swim?

maybe...unless it's windy, then it may be uphill and downhill

I think the biggest difference is Timberman has some bigger hills, but you get a big break for the middle 36 miles at Timberman.

Longhorn doesn't have anything as steep or as long as the hills at Timberman, but there isn't as much a break in the middle portion of the course. I'd say there's more climbing by quite a bit at Timberman, but there are more rollers throughout the course at Longhorn.

The runs are similar, although there is shade on the Timberman run course. VERY little shade on the Longhorn course. There is one good hill on the Longhorn run course, but the rest is pretty flat with some rollers....

I'd say one of the biggest differences will be temperature and lack of shade at Longhorn. The avg high in early Oct is 84, with a low of 63. That'd be great, and even better if it's in the 70's. Of course, it could be 90, too....Suppose it's not that much different than Timberman, in that regard.....Timberman has quite a bit of shade on the course, not much on the Longhorn course....

Maybe you could also request that the rain stay away.  Although it was fun fishing for gear in the transition area after the LoneStar sprint!

Question: Will there be Port-O-Johns in the transition area?

I'm having a huge delima with which bike to take. Both my tri and road bike have their pros and cons. The big con with the road bike is that there is no way I can sit on the saddle for 56 miles without my butt having some huge issues when it's over.

So, I think maybe I'll change into cycling shorts in T1... and then into tri shorts in T2... yea, I'm not going for the win, can you tell?

But how much of a hassle will it be to change? Maybe I can just put a huge towel around my lower half and change at my bike. I would secure the towel with a big clip so it would not fall down and create nudity in the transition area.

Believe me, the one thing that I wish I had control over is the weather.....

I'd love no rain and 75. It's a possibility, but my track record says otherwise

Either way, remember that we have EXTENSIVE experience in dealing with crappy weather

there will be porta potties in transition, if that helps

 

just set one of these up next to your stuff.

 

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Gary... I like the way you think.

I'm sure that won't get in the way! Now... how do I keep the other competitors OUT of it? You know they are all going to be jealous.

Keith -- How many participants are you expecting for the olympic and sprint distance races? On the web site it looks like the Oly and Sprint waves start at the same time (or at least near the same time) and will be on the course together. I'm just curious to know how crowded the course is going to be, particularly the second bike lap.

It'll be sold out at 1000 combined...The Olympic is going to start first. Once the Olympic swim is done/nearly done, we'll start the sprint. Working out waves right now. There are fewer in the Olympic. I'm estimating 300 for the Olympic, 700 for the Sprint.

There are fewer than 100 spots left right now, combined.....

For the sprint/oly course, it's essentially a closed course. You'll head out on Decker, which is completely closed. Then, through the Expo Center (closed), then onto 3177, which will give you a coned/closed lane and shoulder. Then, Lindell, Blue Bluff, and Bloor are all closed for cyclists. The new access road off of 973 will have a coned/closed lane for you as well. Once on 973, you'll have 1 lane as well....

It really shouldn't be too crowded, and you have a lot of room.

A good report on the course is posted on ST if anybody is interested.

Keith is answering good questions over there too!

Wow, I just got the race e-newsletter, and to say I'm insanely excited is an understatment.  It sounds like it's going to be an incredibly good time.  Hills or no hills, it's going to be one fun race!!!

That's kinda our goal....
Working on the Seminar schedule for Sat, and will have that shortly for everyone....

Lots o' fun ahead!!!

Keith, you certainly left the door wide open on the wetsuits. No indication?

Being 3.5 weeks away, it's really impossible to tell. As mentioned, it'll depend wholly on the weather for the next 3 weeks, I'd guess. It's certainly over 78 right now, I'm sure. I'm going to get a water temp reading this weekend, just to see where we are on it....

If it cools off, or we get cooler nights, there's a good chance....If it stays hot, all bets are off....

I wish I had a crystal ball and knew the answer now. I don't. I also don't really know what the weather will be tomorrow