Ironman Wisconsin : Official Thread (Page 39)

Good pictures.  Shows better what I was trying to articulate...and description too.  It just wouldn't work out as well if all your stuff stayed in the same place.

You may be right.  The rules say helmets, bike shoes, and other cycling gear needs to go in the bag.  No idea if a race belt consitutes "other cycling gear", or if anyone would even notice or care that you left it on your bike.  Personally, I wouldn't risk the four minute penalty (I'm guessing that's what it would be if in fact it's not allowed and someone actually decided to make an issue of it).

So, do I fill my water bottles and leave them on my bike, or put them in my Bike Gear bag?

Also, I'm planning to have a small collapsable cooler at T1 with a couple bottles in it.  Do I just stick that in my gear bag?  
If they're unracking my bike and handing it to me when/how do I chug my drink and eat my banana at in T1?

I'm sure it makes more sense when I get there, but for a first timer these transitions are really confusing.  lol

Once you get things set up, you won't have to think during the race.  The volunteers will point you where to go, follow them and the person in front of you.

You can keep them on your bike while you're swimming.  No reason to have them in your transition bag, they just take up extra space. 

There should be room for a small cooler, but maybe not depending on the size.  You can eat and drink in the changing room (they'll have water available) or at your bike (but make sure you put the trash in your pocket, your transition bag, or in a garbage can...time penalty for intentially littering). 

You can put water bottles on your bike before the race Sunday morning.  You can also visit your transition bags race morning to add anything you need.  Keep in mind, the bags are big but they have to contain all of your gear.  So your little cooler not only needs to fit with your bike helmet and shoes, but also with the wetsuit that you'll have to cram in to it.

After you grab your bag you'll go in to a changing room with seats (if you can find one).  Anything you don't plan on carrying on to the bike shouldn't leave that room. I don't think there's a trash can in the bike rack area.  You'll go through the sunscreen area and past johnnies before you get to the bike racks, and there might be trash cans there.  I guess take a look race morning at where the last trash can is before the bikes and plan on tossing everything there.

+1

I try to decrease the amount of thinking involved.  Anything that I tell myself to remember is going to end up forgotten in the heat of the race.

The idea is to get everything where you want it before heading down to the beach.  Put the bottles on your bike so you don't have to lug them through transition.  The low is in the 50s, so they're not going to be hot when you hit the road. 

After 2.4 miles in the lake, I need some time to de-waterlog myself before eating.  I'd stuff the banana in a jersey pocket and eat it once you're a couple miles down the road.  (Plus, you'll get to enjoy all of the 'Is that a banana in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?' jokes). 

For any garbage, just stow it in a pocket and/or pitch it when you get to the first aid station. 

There should be a trash can near the changing room, but there are a few trash cans along T2 where the bikes are racked.

Listen for the call to start heading down the Helix to the swim start.  They try to kick everyone out of the bike area by 6:30 am since it takes awhile for everyone to get into the water.

GOOD LUCK, RACERS!!

Yes, you may fill your water bottles/Hammer/InfinIT/etc. in the bike area in the morning.  You may consider (and recommended) to have replacement bottles in your bike Special Needs bag at the bike halfway (you dump the Special Needs bag on the square in a box that is numerically ordered, a couple of blocks from the Monona Terrace).

As someone else responded, you would need to put your wetsuit in the T1 bag after the swim, so will the cooler fit in with the wetsuit?

You can do that in the changing room, or while walking/hobbling/jogging/running/sprinting/skipping/etc. to bike transition out of the changing area in the Monona Terrace, or at the bike.  Just don't attempt to chug and drink while moving with the bike and getting to the mount area, or at the mount area, or heading down the Helix.

Answered in blue, above.  I've been a volunteer since 2004 and have entered and completed the race twice - '07 and '09.  Good luck!

Thanks, that makes a lot more sense.  Yeah my cooler is just a $5 collapsable 4 pack cooler from Walmart.  I'll just have one Naked Protein zone drink in it with a cold pack so it folds down to the size of a sandwich. 

Just finished packing the RV and the minivan is loaded on the tow dolly.  Yeesh, I need to log that workout.  Glad I'm doing all this on Wednesday.

IMMOO bound first thing in the AM

Oh my.  I'm trying to get some last minute things done at work and literally vibrating. 

Safe travels everyone.

THREEEEEEE MORRRRRRE DAAAAAAAYSSSSSS!!!

Getting more excited for you, peeps!

I work just off the UW Campus area and receive UW Campus information, and when I received an e-mail today with a web article (posted in the link below), it pizzed me off a little and I sent my thoughts in an e-mail to the web person:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=459562&posts=1&start=1

Update to post with reply back from the editor to me:
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=459562&posts=3#M4398392

OWS this morning…great conditions…lake was glass, lake was
cool, air was warm.

Looks like tomorrow morning will be rainy, then dry through the weekend. Cool
at night too.

Love seeing all the awesomeness invading my city. Don't forget to spend all
your money this weekend. We appreciate it.

Heading to Pasqual's for the best margaritas in the city and then the Essen
House (across the street from the swim start) for half-price boots of beer and
polka music...got to love the off year.

tuwood - 2012-09-06 8:37 PM Where do you plan to park for the 7:30 swim tomorrow?  We drove down there this evening and it's really confusing for us out of towners.  

You can park in the Monona Terrace parking ramp or there is parking right next to the swim site.  To park at the swim site go to Machinery Row bikes and turn right into park parking.  There's metered parking at the end of that lot, close to the tri bike transport location.

6 of us met about 7:30 for a 30 minute swim! was nice to meet everyone!

Attaching my garmin file for people to see.

Good luck all!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/219815008