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Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread (Page 2)
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 2009-10-12 2:39 PM in reply to: #2430700 |
Veteran  197  |  Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread"Mind the Bump" That thning was nasty, i saw the sign and then looked ahead looking for the bump just to see the rider infront of me take the bump head on. Kudos to the officers keeping the majority of the cars out of the lanes; however I did almost get creamed twice by a very very elderly woman who entered the bike lanes twice, once doing about 40mph. I agree that swim was pretty choppy, I don't have a ton of open water experince but could tell that there should have been less boats. X3 on the time chip band, mine initally came undone in the swim luckily i grabbed it right before it came all the way off, and then during the run started to dig on in, leaving me with a nice cut all the way around. Edited by jdowhin 2009-10-12 2:44 PM |
| 2009-10-12 3:39 PM in reply to: #2430700 |
Member 11 | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread Did anyone hear a reason for the lack of buses going from T2 to T1? I was in line by 5:45. It was 7:10 before my bus pulled out. Combine that with the bus getting lost and we didn't get to the race until after 8:00. I had to run to setup my T1, but still missed my age group start. I can't think of a worse way to mentally start a race. |
| 2009-10-12 5:26 PM in reply to: #2430700 |
Extreme Veteran 601  Bainbridge Island, Washington | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread I'm sooooooooo glad I decided not to do this one after reading all your race reports! I did go to the Expo though, and was very disappointed. It was LAME! So those of you that did it - will you do it next year? |
| 2009-10-12 6:05 PM in reply to: #2455726 |
Member 27 The Colony | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread TX_Sooner - 2009-10-12 3:39 PM Did anyone hear a reason for the lack of buses going from T2 to T1? I was in line by 5:45. It was 7:10 before my bus pulled out. Combine that with the bus getting lost and we didn't get to the race until after 8:00. I had to run to setup my T1, but still missed my age group start. I can't think of a worse way to mentally start a race. I was on the same bus as you. The best part was that the driver didn't pay attention to road signs on US - 67 saying "Joe Pool Lake - next 2 exits". Instead he went back to get on I-20. I also missed my AG start and just jumped the transition fence instead walking all the way around the crowd. I was glad I was already bodymarked, that would have been another nuisance. Because of all this, I am not sure about doing this race next year even though it is the premier triathlon of Dallas. Also, I think a lot of people skipped the race because when I picked up my timing chip, there were still a lot of chips waiting to be picked up. |
| 2009-10-12 6:25 PM in reply to: #2430700 |
Member 11 | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread I'll pass on next year. The logistics of the point to point race were too much for the benefit of riding your bike one way. Especially when the logistics were not handled well (for me and the other 60+ people on my bus that arrived after 8:00), and the bike course was not that great. |
| 2009-10-12 7:05 PM in reply to: #2430700 |
| Member 5 | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread Dear Dallas streets department .... Thanks for a rough ride! My glutes won't forget this ride for at least a week, and not because of the climbing! Signed, should I buy a special saddle just for this race? |
| 2009-10-12 7:21 PM in reply to: #2430700 |
Champion 5522 Frisco, TX | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread Next year again? Probably... maybe... we'll see... My prediction is that they are going to give the city of Dallas a lot of heat for the road conditions and resulting crashes and injuries. It will be up to Dallas to decide to fix the roads or not. If not, then I bet they start looking for another venue... I bet Frisco or Arlington would be more than happy to take another premier sporting event away from Dallas.... |
| 2009-10-12 7:38 PM in reply to: #2430700 |
Master 2381 Frisco, Texas | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread I did the US Open the first year '07. And this year. I think it's a great race. Well supported and organized. I like the bike course because of the challenging hills. Yes the roads need work, hopefully they'll address that. I liked the run around the AAC, I thought that was very cool and the run on the Katy trail was nice. I like an out and back because I can see the pro athletes and then see my competition. I tried to catch one of my TTT team mates on the run but he was a bit too far ahead! While the expo was small I thought it was well done and at a great venue - the Hyatt. I went through the Toyota exhibit and got a nice Fuel Belt race belt. Some of my friends won areo bars and running shoes at the Toyota exhbit. I'm waiting for word on winning the Kuota bike  . The finish at the AAC was awesome and the awards at Victory Park was great. They can't control the weather. Would I do this one again...absolutely. |
| 2009-10-12 7:47 PM in reply to: #2456139 |
Champion 5522 Frisco, TX | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread zia_cyclist - 2009-10-12 7:38 PM I did the US Open the first year '07. And this year. I think it's a great race. Well supported and organized. I like the bike course because of the challenging hills. Yes the roads need work, hopefully they'll address that. I liked the run around the AAC, I thought that was very cool and the run on the Katy trail was nice. I like an out and back because I can see the pro athletes and then see my competition. I tried to catch one of my TTT team mates on the run but he was a bit too far ahead! While the expo was small I thought it was well done and at a great venue - the Hyatt. I went through the Toyota exhibit and got a nice Fuel Belt race belt. Some of my friends won areo bars and running shoes at the Toyota exhbit. I'm waiting for word on winning the Kuota bike . The finish at the AAC was awesome and the awards at Victory Park was great. They can't control the weather. Would I do this one again...absolutely. Don't get me wrong - I thought the bike course was one of the best I have done this year. Just need some better road surfaces and maybe a few less turns if they could work it out with the city.
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| 2009-10-12 8:14 PM in reply to: #2430700 |
Regular 142 | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread I did not do the race, however, my parents had two of the pros staying with them so we went and watched the race. It was so cool meeting these guys and they are able to do things a little differently. We drove the guys to T2 sunday morning and they dropped off their stuff. Then we drove to T1. They didn't have to drop their bikes off on Saturday so we were hauling their bikes with us. So, when we got there, they took their bikes and went to transition and set up and then gave us all their stuff so we wouldn't have to come back at a later point. After they were off on the bike, one of the transition people gave us their speed suits and anything they left in transition and we drove as quickly as we could back to the AA center. That part sucked cuz we would have loved seeing them on the bike. After finishing the tri, they got their bikes and then we came home and they packed up and left for the airport. The guys told us they were FREEZING the whole time (they don't like the cold very much.) They said they hated the bike ride because the roads were really bad. One of the guys was really lucky because when going back to transition, he saw a rock in his front tire and when he pulled it out, he lost all the air in his tire. Good thing that didn't happen on the ride!!! They did say the run was nice, except for the trail still being open to the public and there were bikers and other joggers on the trail that get in their way. They said they would do it again and hopefully they will fix the roads by then. But they did like it overall!!! Hopefully, I will be doing the sprint next year :-/ |
| 2009-10-13 8:31 AM in reply to: #2455982 |
Pro 4311 Texas | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread Rkhosla26 - 2009-10-12 6:05 PM even though it is the premier triathlon of Dallas. That's a self-appointed title of theirs. Other groups in Dallas do it better(and cheaper) than the US Open. |
| 2009-10-13 8:40 AM in reply to: #2456648 |
Champion 5522 Frisco, TX | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread JBrashear - 2009-10-13 8:31 AM Rkhosla26 - 2009-10-12 6:05 PM even though it is the premier triathlon of Dallas. That's a self-appointed title of theirs. Other groups in Dallas do it better(and cheaper) than the US Open.I will say the best race productions I have been to so far (1 year) were by Playtri - the US open had a couple of bigger name sponsers, but the expos were about the same. Playtri seemed to me be more organized and just, well, smoother... Iron Jack's events seem to be rather workman like - not alot of fluff, just a well organized race with few "extras". I have not done any of the DA events. I was relatively impressed with the Blackland event from an organizational and "extras" perspective...
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| 2009-10-13 9:39 AM in reply to: #2430700 |
Member 58 Calgary, Alberta | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread I'd just like to thank you guys for the encouragement to switch from the Sprint to Oly for this race. I had only started sprint training for this race 9 weeks ago. At that point I could barely swim 50 m in the pool without wheezing violently (no OWS experience), I hadn’t run in 2 months and I only rode a mountain bike previously! I only switched to Oly training 2 weeks ago as well. I set a goal of 2h 50 min to finish and I actually crossed the line at 2h 49 min so I am ecstatic. This is only my second triathlon to date as well, my first being a sprint at Stonebridge which I entered at the last min to mentally prep for this event. I only had a couple of challenges on each leg. I did find the water a bit choppy but that wasn’t my biggest worry. I swam off course a few times which probably put the 1500m at more like 1700m ahah and it was my first time ever swimming in a wetsuit (I know a big nono but it just worked out that way). All in all good though I got it done in 30 min. I can see where everyone is coming from with the conditions of the roads…I thought my race was over when I was going 30mph downhill and while taking a drink and not paying attention. I came up on a deep foot and a half wide crack that I literally hopped at the last minute with my rear tire luckily going down in and popping out safely. The run was real fast. I didn’t mind the fact it was open to the public as there wasn’t too much traffic in that regard. This was the only part where my body started wailing at me when my ham locked up and I had to walk it out for a min. All in all though, weather and all this was one of the biggest experiences of my life. I actually think I might write one of those first time tri articles. Again thanks for all the help guys. |
| 2009-10-13 12:16 PM in reply to: #2430700 |
Master 1651 Breckenridge, CO | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread I really loved the race, especially the bike course. I have a feeling that the pros hated the conditions far more than the bumps. It certainly wasn't as smooth as the perfect asphalt I ride back home but I've ridden a lot of urban bike courses and it's hard to put together a bike course in the city that's smooth and closed, especially in Texas where they build roads out of concrete for some reason. It appeared to me that they did a lot of good repairs on the asphalts parts of the road for the race. I thought that the remaining obstacles were clearly marked although with the rain I can see where they'd be hard to see. To me, I'd much rather ride a closed urban course even if it's a bit bumpy compared to an open country course like Longhorn 70.3 . I thought it was a miracle they were able to close two lanes over 25 miles of busy Dallas area roads and control so many intersections and curb cuts. I loved the run course too and I thought the swim water was fine if they'd get the motor boats out of the way. Overall, I loved the course so much that I plan on making this race my regular October OLY benchmark race. And I live 800 miles away. |
| 2009-10-13 3:21 PM in reply to: #2430700 |
Regular 143 Collegeville, PA | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread This was my second year doing the US Open, and I think I'll be back again if I can fit it in the schedule. I think the weather conditions had a lot to do with the feedback on the bike course this year - and from what I understand, this was sort of anomalous weather conditions for Dallas this time of year (It was 10x nicer back in PA!!!). The course was 90% the same as last year, and while the roads aren't in the best shape, they really aren't that bad when its dry (and a little warmer). Having a totally closed course is very nice. I liked the swim course a lot - the little bit of chop was fun, and I appreciated the organizers moving it as I had my swim impacted quite a bit by the blinding sun last year (not that it would have been an issue with the cloud cover this year). As long as they solve the shuttle issues and Mother Nature cooperates, I think this will continue to be a great event. |
| 2009-10-13 3:52 PM in reply to: #2430700 |
Member 92 | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread just to answer the question yes I will do it next year just like every year before. |
| 2009-10-14 8:08 AM in reply to: #2430700 |
Pro 4827 McKinney, TX | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread |
| 2009-10-14 8:59 AM in reply to: #2458615 |
Champion 8540 the colony texas | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread was this last weekend??? did I mess up what day it is again |
| 2009-10-14 9:02 AM in reply to: #2458709 |
Pro 4827 McKinney, TX | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread Gaarryy - 2009-10-14 8:59 AM was this last weekend??? did I mess up what day it is again Yep, Gary, it was Sunday, 10/11/2009. |
| 2009-10-14 9:05 AM in reply to: #2458615 |
Pro 4311 Texas | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread LOL, man I look miserable on the bike. ...probably because I was. |
| 2009-10-14 9:10 AM in reply to: #2458714 |
Champion 8540 the colony texas | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread KenD - 2009-10-14 9:02 AM Gaarryy - 2009-10-14 8:59 AM was this last weekend??? did I mess up what day it is again Yep, Gary, it was Sunday, 10/11/2009. bastards !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| 2009-10-14 10:39 AM in reply to: #2458720 |
Member 58 Calgary, Alberta | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread Weren't so miserable when ya took gold in the relay ahah |
| 2009-10-15 11:00 AM in reply to: #2457175 |
Master 2381 Frisco, Texas | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread breckview - 2009-10-13 12:16 PM I thought it was a miracle they were able to close two lanes over 25 miles of busy Dallas area roads and control so many intersections and curb cuts. If you like closed bike courses then you should do New Orleans 70.3. Both the bike and run courses are closed to traffic. The bike course is 56 miles of closed road. They even closed a 4 lane highway for the race. It was great. |
| 2009-10-15 11:31 AM in reply to: #2461043 |
Champion 5522 Frisco, TX | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread zia_cyclist - 2009-10-15 11:00 AM breckview - 2009-10-13 12:16 PM I thought it was a miracle they were able to close two lanes over 25 miles of busy Dallas area roads and control so many intersections and curb cuts. If you like closed bike courses then you should do New Orleans 70.3. Both the bike and run courses are closed to traffic. The bike course is 56 miles of closed road. They even closed a 4 lane highway for the race. It was great. Tommy - is that because noone lives in NO anymore? Actually, I bet NO70.3 is a good time - those people know how to put on an event! Plenty of fine grub afterwards too I would think! |
| 2009-10-15 5:31 PM in reply to: #2430700 |
Champion 10471 Dallas, TX | Subject: RE: Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Olympic : Official Thread Overall the organization of the race was great. The towel, free socks, medal, etc. were all very nice touches. The only issues were lack of shuttles (luckily we got a ride to the start from Derek), and the lack of port-o-johns BY T1. I saw some on my way out next to the "animal farm" and stopped there. Otherwise, I would of had to go off the course and out of my way to pee before riding. The weather made this a completely miserable race for me. Well... the swim was dismal and the bike was surviving... the run was great. In fact, this is the first race I have ever done where I thought I was going to get fished out of the water. Luckily there was a lot of support to pull me out of the water- had I needed it. Yeah, I don't like cold water and my neither does my head and ear. Yes the roads were rough. It being slick didn't help any that's for sure. My goal was to simply make sure I didn't have a wreck. That's all I cared about. Longhorn is my A race, this was a training day. The Katy trail was nice and I swear it was all downhill after the turnaround (I did the Oly)... which was sweet. I think it was because I sped up as the miles went on. Yes, it sucked that it was open, but that's thanks to the city. I might go back in 2010. We will see how my season works out. |
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