Does anyone avoid the mandatory day before bike racking routine?
First, I don't think I'm above the rules.
Second, rules are sometimes meant to be bent... especially stupid rules meant to enhance local hotel revenue, er, I mean to lessen congestion into the transition area. 
I have no plans on doing this but I'd give it a lot of thought if rain was in the overnight forecast. I decided to not rack my bike during a race in 2010 because it was going to rain overnight. The RD actually called off the mandatory Saturday bike racking so it was not an issue.
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If rain is expected, just trash bag your bike (ex, saddle and handlebar areas), and I always - regardless of weather - deflate the tires a little, then repump race morning.
Bob if I recall correctly is it you that is also anti-body marking? Any other rules that you think are stupid? I'm sort of a conformist (sheep) and tend to do as told on this stuff. Although what others do doesn't phase me one way or the other.
Seems to me that there is blowing of rules (I'm kinda with you on the body marking but do it anway) and there is thinking you are the exception to the logistics the organizer has put in place for whatever reason. Yes, I agree that the reason can be to boost local hotel occupancy rates but I think that acting like you're special, rules don't apply so much to me, is disrespecting the RD.
IMs and IM70.3s are big deals to me and I'm going to be on location 2 to 3 days in advance of the race so checking in the bike hasn't been an issue. It never even occurred to me that they were doing it for revenue enhancement. There's just too many people to have a good portion showing up with their bikes on race morning.
BTW...what's the objection to body marking on the calf? I think marking the arms is just for photographers, but the calf marking helps you spot competitors in your AG. I think that's why WTC tried to stop the calf sleeves at Kona, but buckled under pressure from the sponsors.
I'm very anti-body marking. Not so much on the calf but I use calf sleeves for IM/HIM races so it's pointless. Arm markings are ridiculous. I had a new $200 tri suit completely ruined by the marker bleed. Body marking has been a big no-no for me since then. I usually enter transition wearing calf sleeves and a Desoto longsleeve Skin Cooler top and tell the volunteer I'm wearing that all day so it's pointless to mark me. Then I take the stuff off. If I forget to wear my decoy outfit, I'll just wash the markings off as soon as I can with baby wipes.
@ Rich - I don't think I'm an exception to the rule or rules don't apply to me but I'm not opposed to bending a B.S. rule like that if it would suit me and I could get away with it. When it comes to my extremely expensive bike I'm going to adopt a me first mentality. Just being honest. I find it disrespectful to all the participants that they B.S. us as to the reasons why we should rack bikes a day early. Everyone knows it's so some hotel can make an easy buck. Meanwhile our multi-thousand dollar bikes sit out in the rain with god only knows what kind of security.
Bike racking has to do with 2500 people descending upon one small space at 5am, and the very specific rules about what you can and cannot put where.
They did the overnight racking at AG Nationals last year, too. Makes for a much calmer morning.
But if everyone with expensive bikes thought the way that you did then you'd have #xxx athletes showing up race morning expecting the race and the guys who racked their $$$$ bike the night before to accommodate your expensive bike, which suddenly shows up on the rack while I'm making all of my stuff fit on my 8x10 hotel hand towel?
Why not just rack your bike the night before, toss a trash bag over it, and count on the historical fact that dozens of bikes aren't, in fact, being stolen from transition areas every weekend = you're 99.999% good to go?
I don't really care much either way, but if you're on my rack and show up race morning with your $$$$ rig asking me to move my $$$$ bike that I racked the night before and covered with a bag, I'll probably ask you who you are, why are you special...and then move my stuff over because it's all just a game
Mike - more thinking of 70.3 races but you're nuts to think it has nothing to do with hotel revenue. Why do you think athlete pickup is two days prior to a race? What rational reason would there be for that? Why different from a 70.3?
Normally, we get our own numbered spots so...
Bob, I'm nuts for a lot of reasons. Just saying that the athlete packet pickup is clearly hotel driven. The bike drop off is after that, therefore you're already there, and so early bike dropoff has nothing to do with hotel revenue.
"Normally, we get our own numbered spots so...
"
Noted! But as we're in the same rack, I reserve the right to smile and say, in a loud voice "Hey everyone, check out the non-VIP VIP who's time and junk was too valuable to rack last night!"
Yep...I never understood that one either.
I'm just trying to imagine 2700 athletes - 10% of whom have never done a triathlon, another 30% never having done an IM - at IM Louisville, who want to line up for the swim start @ 0530, trying to all get into the transition area to rack their bikes and drop their bike ... I bet a fair number would just start the process at 2300 on Saturday, just to get everything done. Those T-areas are such a mess the morning of the race WITHOUT the added confusion of roling in bikes and bags, I'm happy to pay an extra night's room rate just to keep my anxiety level down a bit getting it all done the day before.
While I do resent the markings on my arms - I've got a few ruined sleeves and trisuits from "permanent" marker rubbing off - I also understand that, if I'm unconscious bleeding by the side of the road, I want to be identified before they bury me. I wear a Road ID, and maybe THAT should be mandatory for racers.
And, as usual, I want to know who's in my AG ... I know in advance the numbers which encompass my group, and need some way to see who they are on the run (when the race belt in front doesn't help). That was true long before I ever started appearing on the podium at IM races.
Thanks Al, I was curious if anyone here wore RoadID at events. I only wear mine in training, I'm going to rethink that. (Sorry didn't mean to thread hijack, but it's related, right?)
Yep, I wear mine. I've been in the back of the house at some races (doing motorcycle support) and I don't trust the ambulance --> hospital --> ER --> who is this guy process to ID me by my race number.
I guess I worry more about dropping off my bags that have clothing and shoes in them than my bike, and I would definitely skip the afternoon mandatory bag check in if I could. I couldn't care less if my bike gets rained on, but wet shoes and clothes are a pain, and it's hard to get the bag completely sealed. Last year at IMSG, it was so hot that canned stuff was exploding in the T2 bags at afternoon drop off. Felt bad for the people who were going to find that mess in the morning.
For the recod, I piss all over my seat during races, but I want to piss on a nice clean seat! Wouldn't you rather piss in a nice clean 5-Star hotel bathroom than some nasty truck stop bathroom that hasn't been cleaned in 3 yrs. Okay, not exactly the same, but I digress...
I don't mind checking my bike the day before, makes my morning of much easier and less stressful. And honestly, 99% of the people would get to an IM the day before (and prolly a 70.3 as well) so that has to be about logistics and not for local hotel revenue. Other congested races such as the NY City OLY have always required people to rack the day before.
@ Sarah - The suit works fine it just looks like crap. It's a mostly white suit which now has marker stains all over it. Happened the first time I raced in it. Not pleased.
@ Brian - I share your sentiment when it comes to volunteers but not as much when it comes to paid event staff. They "give so much of their time to us" because they made $2 million in race fees and another $500,000 in merchandise revenue from us and our friends and family. Don't kid yourself as to the reasons why they're there.
Bob, any idea how much the police bill out for local events? Ten years ago Camp Randall Police Overtime was billed out at more than $80.00 per hour and the cops didn't cost that much. Who made the profit??? The University Police Department. Add in Dane COunty SHeriff's Office, Shorewood Hills PD, Fitchburg PD, Verona PD, Cross Plains PD, Mount Horeb PD, Capital PD, Madison PD/Fire/EMS. Madison Streets Division, Madison Parking Division.
To think that only the WTC is profitting from their races is naive. And so what if they are profitting? They're operating a busniess that we voluntarily patronize. How much profit did your bike manufacturer make off you? How much profit did the race suit maker make off you? How about the car manufacturer that made the vehicle you drive to races?
Bottom line, the schedule is created to avoid worst case scenarios. I've been a IMWI volunteer seven times and I can tell you that there are dozens of late arrivers at the bike check in every year. This creates last minute adjustments that can mess up the racks.
Some of the athletes are not only anal about their rigs, but they're downright insulting to the volunteers. They want to hang their bike from the bars, despite that fact that the only way the bikes will all fit is if you hang from the seat. God forbid you touch their bike and they witness it. Those anal types think the volunteers are too inept to move/touch/look at/or recommend how to hang the bike. Those types are willing to throw insults of both the verbal and non-verbal type.
2300 athletes all being treated alike is the only way to make cat herding events like an IM work.
Exactly my point. I could care less that everyone is making a buck. I was just pumping a little bit of reality into Brian's unicorn and rainbows viewpoint of it all.
What about butterflies? Don't forget them!!