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OLY/HIM on Same course

ebe4zippyebe4zippy
in General Training Discussions

I am in the 8th of 9 "waves" for a TT swim start at a local race in 2 weeks. They are running an OLY and a HIM on the same course. OLY is 2 "swim waves" men and women, but still a TT start. Then Elite HIM swimmers will start in a wave. Then TT start for waves 4-9.

Here is my question; is it better to start in the front on my AG and get swam over by a few people in the process, but get out on the course quicker. Or, to start almost dead last in my "wave" and have fewer people on the bike course to fight through.

With the Oly sharing the same bike course with an earlier turn around point, I see the first 12 miles being very crowded with riders of both races (500+ signed up right now).

I am leaning towards starting at the back of my swim wave thinking that 5 minutes later start is 5 minutes more the OLY racers have to make the turn around.

Comments

  • Al TruscottAl Truscott

     My 2¢: ignore what MIGHT happen behind you, and seed yourself in the swim wave where you normally would, based on your relative ability within that wave. The shorter length of the Oly swim, and the presumed harder effort you'll be making on the bike compared to the HIM folks mean (a) the elite HIM swimmers won't catch you in the water and (b) when they do on the bike, there won't be a huge peloton of them - just one at a time zipping by, if ever.

    Once you make the turn around on the bike, it's home free.

    I've never seen a cyclist run down (hit) from behind by another cyclist in a triathlon.

  • cgres123cgres123
    what ever keeps you comfortable and your heart rate stays on the low side.
  • ebe4zippyebe4zippy
    @ Al
    I am doing the Half, with OLY people in front of me...I am thinking the bigger the gap they put on me in the water and the bike, the less crowded the road is going to be when I get close to the turn around point. This has been a crowded race in the past, so I am trying to strategically set myself up in the swim start to have as many of them off my side of the road as possible. Or, if that is a bad idea/strategy, why??? And I actually got hit from behind by someone at the sprint version of this race my first year...guy yelled on your left and then hit me from the right...turned out he was the head ER physician at the hospital I work at...I told him "Just like a doctor to say one thing, do another, and blame you for not reading his mind"...He has never questioned my ventilator settings to this day image
    @David
    I am sure my heart rate will stay down until I get to the shore and start sprinting to T-1...then all bets are off image
  • Al TruscottAl Truscott
    Well...considering your experience, maybe there is cause for concern. Still, as a racer, I always prefer to have the "box" attitude, meaning I dont worry about the behaviour of others on the course, just my own. If the bike course is crowded, that just means more opportunities for slingshot drafting off slower others in front. Race *your* race.
  • MattAaronsonMattAaronson
    Posted By Al Truscott on 06 Aug 2012 12:25 AM

    If the bike course is crowded, that just means more opportunities for slingshot drafting off slower others in front.



     

    I totally agree with this. Even if the actual impact isn't much, it keeps your mind on being tactical alongside implementing your EN-style execution plan. Personally I've never found a bike course to be so crowded that I felt unsafe or even annoyed. And I've raced the Chicago Tri a couple of times, which has to be one of the most crowded courses out there.

  • coop6coop6
    I think you have a valid concern, Ebe and while I agree that once the race starts you just need to race your own race I think the question of where to start is an interesting one. Being a slower swimmer (usually in a later wave) and 3.6-3.7 watts/kg, I usually end up biking past a fair number of people. At best, its nerve wracking, at worst I've been blocked, cut off, nearly side swiped, driven across the double yellow... Assuming the only oly riders left on the course by the time we get there will be on the slower side, you potentially have a lot of people of varying experience and ability ahead of you. I don't blame you for wanting to let that clear out a bit before you get there.

    I don't plan on changing my start place within my swim wave, but I'm just curious what your thoughts are at the moment. If this ends up being wetsuit legal, would that change your thinking at all?
  • ebe4zippyebe4zippy
    Sarah,
    I rode the course yesterday for "fun" and where the Oly turns around is on a hilly curvy section. When I did this race 2 seasons ago, I had the same swim wave and the course was packed with slower riders until I got to the turn around and by then the hills had spread them out.
    As far as wetsuits go, John has a history of finding cold water in that lake to make it a wetsuit swim.
    I think in the end, I am going to seed myself towards the back and chase down the people in my AG on the bike and run.
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