Whirlpool Steelhead 70.3 Triathlon (Page 5)

This was not true the last 3 years, but I just checked the website and you are correct:

Bikes can be racked in the Transiiton Area at Jean Klock Park on Friday between 5pm and 8pm, OR on race morning between 4:30am and 6:15am.

However it looks like there is still no race morning packet pickup.

This kind of changes things as race morning parking and shuttle buses have been a bit of a mess if you are not really early.

I have picked up gels at the bike aid stations the last 3 years, so I don't imagine this would change without them saying something. However if you are at all picky about gel flavors then you certainly want to carry your own.

They've had shuttles to the swim start, but they get very busy, so I just walked down the beach when I did it in '06.  Check your bike on Friday night, bring the rest of the gear on Saturday morning. 

Bike stations had gatorade endurance, water, Powergel (not sure of the flavor) and bananas.

Run stations had gatorade endurance, water, powergel, fruit (grapes, orange slices, bananas). 

If you haven't done much training with salt tablets, skip them for the race.  It's typically low-mid 80's for the run so they can be helpful if you know what you're doing, but not *necessary* (like some really hot races). 

Anyone else a little concerned that Steelhead is allowing us to rack bikes on race morning? I have never been in a large race where you did not have to rack your bike the day before. Steelhead already has a bit of a reputation for congestion on race morning with long lines for parking, shuttles and porta-potties. If they are allowing racers to drive right up to transition on race morning to drop off bikes then I would think that congestion problems will be worse. Perhaps they are thinking that racers will ride their bikes in to the transition area from the parking lots?

Anyone know what they are doing with starting waves this year? In previous years they had the pros in the first wave, and then the next several waves are older/slower waves with the young/fast racers starting in the last waves. I assume that they do this so that they have a shorter day, but I think it leads to the early waves  being swum over and more drafting on the bike.

I think that they do require the bib number on the bike. I just put it on a race belt and turn it around to my back for the bike so that it does not flap.

The race director posts on ST, so I asked him the questions about waves and bike racking and got this response:

Bike check-in - Not sure if this will cause problems for race morning. We are assuming that about 500-700 athletes will choose to place their bikes in on Friday. (I would do so, as I love getting things done early) That means about 1000-1200 athletes will bring their bikes in on Saturday morning. The bike racks are individually numbered so athletes have assigned spots on the racks. Athletes bringing bikes is on race morning will not be able to ride the schuttle busses to the park. The 3/4 mile road from parking to the park is very well lit. I guess we will see if athletes arrive a little bit earlier to park, get the bike ready, and get to transition in time. The race will start at 7:00 AM, so athletes need to plan for the time it will take to get to the park, get ready and walk to the start. If it does not work, we will go back to madatory bike check in next year.

If anyone claims that they were late to the start because the did not have time to get their bike into the transition are and walk to the start, then they did not get up early enough and should have placed their bike into transition on Friday and road the bus from the parking lot to the race site!

Waves - We will have a swim this year! - We are going with 6 min. between waves and might look at 7-8 min. This will make the bike course much less crowded that last years duathlon. Older age-groups will go off in the early waves as that gives them more time to complete the event. Drafting in only a problem because athletes choose to draft. We will have plenty of officials on the course and they will be giving out time penalties for drafting.

Not racing this year, but we (BAMBAM66 and I) are coming up to volunteer for the weekend.  Anybody putting together a BT dinner Friday evening? 

Hmmm...air conditioned wi-fi may be a bit of a challenge, especially since roads into the park will be boogered up with race routes.  If it is a hot day, Lake Michigan will feel G-R-E-A-T.  Swimsuit, sunscreen, a small cooler of food/drink, and enjoy the sunshine, sand, and waves. 

We'll be hanging around most of the day and can spend some time keeping her company. 

I just looked, and the course isn't much different than what I rode in 2006.  FWIW, my volunteer assignment in 2007 was to drive the guy from Computrainer around the bike course ahead of the lead cyclist so he could videotape the route. 

The first "climb" is really just getting out of the park and over the dune.  You really don't notice it either riding or driving (it isn't like you look at it and think "WOW!"  Most of the rest are just little rollers, up/down 30 feet at a time and my momentum carried me up most of the way. 

What are the general conditions of the roads on the bike course this year? I heard there is a lot of "gravel" on the roads.