Camelback during a race (bike leg)

I have been known to do a long ride or two with my Camelback ... and love the ease of staying hydrated.  That said, it has it's draw backs:

 (a) it is difficult to guage how much liquid you have consumed (important factor to ensure that you are hydrated for the run;
 (b) it might get hot on your back and (c) you ought to drink something more than water; 
 (c) those bladders are a PIA to clean sticky stuff out of;
 (d) [insert what I have forgotted .....]

Other than that, I cannot see a reason why not to use it  ... just be sure that regardless of what you use that you drink at least 24 oz./hour - complete with some complex sugars + can help with electrolyte replentishment.

Good luck tomorrow!

I'm planning to fill it with gatorade.  They can be a pain to clean, but if you soak them even sticky stuff comes out eventually.  If I drink the whole thing it should be plenty to get me through the run.  And that will be MUCH easier for me to do with the camelback than with 2 20oz bottles because I can take a sip every few minutes. 

Thanks!

used my 2l camelbak today on my training ride - got through that, about another 500ml electrolyte drink and about 300/400ml water. also took a go bar with me for energy.

seemed fine.

btw i did 30 miles in 3 hours so it was a toughy and it pissed it down!

I used my camelbak during an Olympic and two sprints last year.  I filled it with Gatoraid and filled my water bottle with water.  I find it much easieir to drink from it rather than reaching down for my water bottle. (Over the years, I've fallen off my bike too many times while growing up that I'm not comfortable reaching down for a water bottle while going 18 mph.)   Honestly, I don't think it slowed me down any during the race.  On the bike, I finished the gatoraid and my hydration was near where it should have been. 

Good luck with your race tomorrow!

I used one during a 1/2 IM I recently did.

The negs I can think of are:

1.  If you forgot it, you're sol until a water station.  Water bottles are already attached so now you have one more thing to remember after the swim.  During t1, there's so much going on, you may forget it. 

2.  To me, it's not the most comfortable thing, carrying a pack on your back.  Since you may be wearing a tri top, parts of the pack straps can be cafing you. 

3.  When you're done, you can't unload it like an empty water bottle at a water station.  You got to carry it the whole way. 

4.  If you get very aero, the thing will start to slid forward toward your head.  

5.  Like others said, you can't gauge how much you have drank or how much you have left.

That's all I can think of that I had thought of or ran into during my race. 

Got to agree there, almost as funny as seeing someone run a 5K with a 6-bottle Fuelbelt.

I use a camelback on my olies 50 oz er and I usually have one bottle with gatorade. I freeze the camelback about half full then fill it the rest of the way up when I get to the race. It's easy on, easy off, makes drinking a bit easier and you will have colder water longer, especially if you are a desert dweller.

I keep my spare tube and tire change stuff in it as well.

Two Negatives not already mentioned:

1. Having all of that weight up on your back alters your sense of gravity, affecting how your bike handles. If you're not prepared for it, it can be a bit surprising.
2. Having all of that weight on your back can cause back pain.

I raced MTBs for several seasons and really had to get used to riding with a CamelBack for those reasons.

Not as bad as a 6-bottle belt, but at my last 5k it was mid 40's, windy and rainy and a guy had a 20 oz. bottle full of Gatorade in a belt pack.  I didn't get a chance to chuckle about it because I never caught up to him.  I think he took third in about 20 minutes.

Jim makes some good points. Make sure you have used it in your training. On long rides here in Nevada I often use a hydration system with two blatters 100oz each and another frozen 20oz bike bottle plus sandals, bike cable lock and some munchies. When I put the 70oz CB on it's not that noticeable but it I still know it's there.

WHEN would he possibly have time to drink? Probably could have left it in his car and drank when he got back.

I will be the devils advocate here and say that I think that a camelback is overkill (way much overkill) for any triathlon.

The only reason to carry 3-4 pounds of liquid is where you are in a situation where you are not going to be able to get to water (ie epic MTB rides, unsupported 3+ hour training rides in the desert and like that). Tris are well supported. The long ones have bottle hand-ups and the shorter ones have water stops on the run. Why waste time in transition fooling around with a backpack full of water.

For an oly, a single bottle (two if it's real hot or you are slow) should suffice. Just take water at the stops on the run to top off.

If you can't drink from a bottle while riding a straight line, that is just a skill you need to master. Practice it.

With that said, I do know that some of the top tour riders wear camelbacks UNDER their skinsuits on the TT to enhance their aerodynamic profile.