The rules of Ironman

[Eldron]

I like the "man alleen" nature of IM. Having back up vehicles ruins the whole idea/ethos of Ironman - plus if the drafting is a problem with just the bikes imagine what it will be like with a bunch of vehicles dotted round the course too.

 

Cape Epic has a "no outside assistance" rule and the chances of a puncture/mechanical are way higher.

 

Anyone riding a bike in Ironman should know how to fix a puncture/replace a tubby/wield an allen key. Spending that much time, energy and money on a race then not bothering to learn the basics of bike maintenance really is the problem of the athlete not the organisers.

 

That LA quote is priceless - I couldn't agree more!

[Garfield2010]

I like the "man alleen" nature of IM. Having back up vehicles ruins the whole idea/ethos of Ironman - plus if the drafting is a problem with just the bikes imagine what it will be like with a bunch of vehicles dotted round the course too.

 

Cape Epic has a "no outside assistance" rule and the chances of a puncture/mechanical are way higher.

 

Anyone riding a bike in Ironman should know how to fix a puncture/replace a tubby/wield an allen key. Spending that much time, energy and money on a race then not bothering to learn the basics of bike maintenance really is the problem of the athlete not the organisers.

 

That LA quote is priceless - I couldn't agree more!

 

So if your chain breaks at 5km or you break 2 spokes then you are not an Ironman or don't deserve to be one. Then 9 months of training and a R4,500 entry fee let alone fuel and accommodation is all moertoe cause you cant fix it man alleen??

 

What if you puncture 3 times and don't have any tubes left. Honestly if any of the above happens to me and I cant complete the race then I will quit the sport or at least my wife will force me. So many sacrifices from the families side as well.....

 

A mechanical incident should not ruin 9 months of hard work in my opinion.

Edited March 4, 2014 by Garfield2010

[Sidekick Racer]

So if your chain breaks at 5km or you break 2 spokes then you are not an Ironman or don't deserve to be one. Then 9 months of training and a R4,500 entry fee let alone fuel and accommodation is all moertoe cause you cant fix it man alleen??

 

What if you puncture 3 times and don't have any tubes left. Honestly if any of the above happens to me and I cant complete the race then I will quit the sport or at least my wife will force me. So many sacrifices from the families side as well.....

 

A mechanical incident should not ruin 9 months of hard work in my opinion.

 

Have to agree, if I had to pull out do to a mechanical like the above after what I have sacrificed over the past year it would leave me with an extremely bitter feeling of the sport. Some would say "that is the way it is"... but why not avoid it if reasonable and possible?

 

Beating someone who had to pull out because of terrible luck does not make you better than them.

[davem]

So if your chain breaks at 5km or you break 2 spokes then you are not an Ironman or don't deserve to be one. Then 9 months of training and a R4,500 entry fee let alone fuel and accommodation is all moertoe cause you cant fix it man alleen??

 

What if you puncture 3 times and don't have any tubes left. Honestly if any of the above happens to me and I cant complete the race then I will quit the sport or at least my wife will force me. So many sacrifices from the families side as well.....

 

A mechanical incident should not ruin 9 months of hard work in my opinion.

 

But there is official technical support. Not sure what you are so upset about. Your time will be dramatically slower but you will finish. If you break two spokes, tuck them in, open your brake caliper and ride. If your wheel is completely broken, then that will be the end of the day for you.

 

By not having more than the official technical support, you are forced to be a bit more conservative with your equipment. You have to plan to finish the race.Takes a bit of the arms race aspect of equipment away.

[davem]

Beating someone who had to pull out because of terrible luck does not make you better than them.

 

Unless you are in the money spots, does it matter who you beat and what position you come? I would like to believe that for the vast majority of us, it is about facing the challenge (including the hiccups) and overcoming them.

 

Sometimes overcoming the additional challenges is what makes it extra satisfying. Ask anyone who raced 2012.

[Sidekick Racer]

Nevermind.... Will save the energy for training

Edited March 4, 2014 by Sidekick Racer

[Eldron]

So if your chain breaks at 5km or you break 2 spokes then you are not an Ironman or don't deserve to be one. Then 9 months of training and a R4,500 entry fee let alone fuel and accommodation is all moertoe cause you cant fix it man alleen??

 

What if you puncture 3 times and don't have any tubes left. Honestly if any of the above happens to me and I cant complete the race then I will quit the sport or at least my wife will force me. So many sacrifices from the families side as well.....

 

A mechanical incident should not ruin 9 months of hard work in my opinion.

 

Short answer? Yes. Be self sufficient - all the stuff you mentioned is repairable on the roadside with minimal tools and training.

 

At least two months before something as big as Ironman you should give your bike and overhaul. That will reduce your chances of broken chain/spokes etc to almost zero.

 

If you do puncture then check to see if the offending glass/metal is still in the tyre. That's one of the main reasons for multiple punctures.

 

People spend months/years picking the right training, shoes, wetsuit, goggles etc. They should do the same with their bike.

 

Man alleen is the only way in my opinion.

 

I'm doing Epic and I love the fact that my partner and I are responsible for our own destinies. Right now I'm fitting new chain, cassette, brake pads, derailleur wheels, brake rotors, tyres, sealant, replacing the tubeless system and bleeding both brakes. All part of the prep.

 

If anything I should be agreeing with you - Epic is a much higher risk than R4,500 - but I don't.

 

Nothing personal against you but but in general I hate this mamby pamby "the organisers must make sure I finish because I put in the all the hard work" new world nanny state stuff. Anyone can learn how to fix a bike and the tools are relatively cheap.

 

We should all be the masters of our own destinies.

[Garfield2010]

Nothing personal against you but but in general I hate this mamby pamby "the organisers must make sure I finish because I put in the all the hard work" new world nanny state stuff. Anyone can learn how to fix a bike and the tools are relatively cheap.

 

I am not expecting the organiser to go out of their way to help me. @ontheflywheelhire has actually offered to support the cyclists from their side so why the hell not?

 

If the pros get support then so should we.

 

And no not anyone can fix a bike. A tyre maybe but not a bike. Not everyone is hardcore bike mechanics in their spare time like you and the Davemeister. I am not a handyman - in fact I suck at anything with my hands.

 

You being a MTB'er what do you think on MTB cross country series the teams have guys all lining the route with spare wheels etc?

 

I will do everything in my power to make sure my bike is right (new chain tyres etc) but should anything unforeseen happen it would be nice to know there is support close by - not just one vehicle circling the route.

 

Everything is evolving and so should IM.

[JGR]

Yip, unless you want to ride at the pace of the good swimmers (read slower cyclists) you are going to be doing a whole lot of passing in the first 45 km of the bike in EL, it only really opens up when the speeds increase after the turn around. I was forced to ride the first half harder than I wanted to, just to keep passing in order to prevent being caught in a slow moving line of riders. The problem is that to keep passing, the refs think you are blocking because you are not moving left after passing.

hey hey, that's me you talking about

[Eldron]

I am not expecting the organiser to go out of their way to help me. @ontheflywheelhire has actually offered to support the cyclists from their side so why the hell not?

 

If the pros get support then so should we.

 

And no not anyone can fix a bike. A tyre maybe but not a bike. Not everyone is hardcore bike mechanics in their spare time like you and the Davemeister. I am not a handyman - in fact I suck at anything with my hands.

 

You being a MTB'er what do you think on MTB cross country series the teams have guys all lining the route with spare wheels etc?

 

I will do everything in my power to make sure my bike is right (new chain tyres etc) but should anything unforeseen happen it would be nice to know there is support close by - not just one vehicle circling the route.

 

Everything is evolving and so should IM.

 

Fixing a bike is easy. Really. I've trained a few people socially and the biggest obstacle is normally picking up the allen key. Once they have turned a few bolts and glued a few punctures the usual response is "what was I afraid of?".

 

In MTB XCO there are two dedicated tech zones per lap not people standing all over with wheels etc. If you have a mechanical outside of the zone you need to run/ride/crawl to the next zone for assistance.

 

I guess we'll never agree but I think offering assistance is the devolution of IM not the evolution.

 

Bottom line - I think nobody should receive assistance (pros or groupers).

[SwissVan]

 

 

I'm doing Epic and I love the fact that my partner and I are responsible for our own destinies. Right now I'm fitting new chain, cassette, brake pads, derailleur wheels, brake rotors, tyres, sealant, replacing the tubeless system and bleeding both brakes. All part of the prep.

 

 

 

You win the Lotto...no not the epic lotto the other one...

 

 

 

I am not a handyman - in fact I suck at anything with my hands.

 

 

Its those claws, try retracting them in when you fix punctures and change tyres

[JGR]

I am not expecting the organiser to go out of their way to help me. @ontheflywheelhire has actually offered to support the cyclists from their side so why the hell not?

 

If the pros get support then so should we.

 

And no not anyone can fix a bike. A tyre maybe but not a bike. Not everyone is hardcore bike mechanics in their spare time like you and the Davemeister. I am not a handyman - in fact I suck at anything with my hands.

 

You being a MTB'er what do you think on MTB cross country series the teams have guys all lining the route with spare wheels etc?

 

I will do everything in my power to make sure my bike is right (new chain tyres etc) but should anything unforeseen happen it would be nice to know there is support close by - not just one vehicle circling the route.

 

Everything is evolving and so should IM.

I thought you were an Xbox Champion? and surely there must have been some lonely times as a teenager ...

[Garfield2010]

Fixing a bike is easy. Really. I've trained a few people socially and the biggest obstacle is normally picking up the allen key. Once they have turned a few bolts and glued a few punctures the usual response is "what was I afraid of?".

 

In MTB XCO there are two dedicated tech zones per lap not people standing all over with wheels etc. If you have a mechanical outside of the zone you need to run/ride/crawl to the next zone for assistance.

 

I guess we'll never agree but I think offering assistance is the devolution of IM not the evolution.

 

Bottom line - I think nobody should receive assistance (pros or groupers).

 

Whats an allen key?

 

We are not allowed to crawl in IM.

[Eldron]

Whats an allen key?

 

We are not allowed to crawl in IM.

 

Please tell me you're being sarcastic.

[Garfield2010]

Please tell me you're being sarcastic.

 

Hahaha yes don't worry!

 

So what do you take along for IM?

 

Tubes, pump, chain tool? What if a spoke or two breaks?

[SwissVan]

Whats an allen key?

 

We are not allowed to crawl in IM.

 

Zurich IM you can crawl, but probably not allowed to roll tho...

 

§ 7 Running

 

1. It is permitted to run, walk or crawl, other forms of forward motion are not permitted. Unaffected by this are other forms of motion in cases of bodily disablement, as permitted by the organizer.

 

Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/emea/ironman/switzerland/athletes/rules-regulations.aspx#ixzz2uz1SRuQ9