Clothing for 70.3 racing

EC1000

I'm not sure if this has been discussed recently but as I (and a few others afaik) am heading to Galway for my first 70.3, I was looking for advice from a few of the more experienced racers.

Is your preference to go with specific bicycle shorts and then proper running shorts (w/out the padding) for each discipline or should I just HTFU and go with two piece tri suit from the beginning...

Cheers in advance,
EC

Oryx

Did my only HIM to date in a one piece trisuit. Have you done other races in your tri gear? If so, and you found it ok I would say use the same stuff. It simplifies transition.

When I asked about using bike shorts with proper padding for half iron distance a while ago one of the replies was HTFU.

EC1000

Oryx wrote: »

Have you done other races in your tri gear?

Yep - done loads of sprints and olympics in club gear.

Oryx wrote: »

When I asked about using bike shorts with proper padding for half iron distance a while ago one of the replies was HTFU.

Ha, I thought as much!

pgibbo

Go with either a one piece tri suit or tri shorts and top.

One area that would concern me at the moment is the drop in temperature. I went for a lunchtime pedal yesterday and I had to wear gloves and a jacket. It was raining when I went out and damn cold too. Let's hope it's not that way on the day.

So, bring arm warmers, overshoes, a jacket and gloves to be safe.

Bambaata

Two piece tri suit for me and i will bring arm warmers and a cycle top if its raining or cold

Oryx

DON'T WEAR A JACKET. Arm warmers at most. I made that fatal mistake in Antwerp, because I was shivering out of the swim, and the day was dull and windy. I warmed up on the bike tho, and the day warmed up too, so I was a ball of sweat mid way through the bike. It won't be that cold (only September) and you'll be working hard and generating heat. I would much rather put up with a slight chill on the fast downhills than be choking with heat on the harder bits.

pgibbo

Oryx wrote: »

DON'T WEAR A JACKET. Arm warmers at most. I made that fatal mistake in Antwerp, because I was shivering out of the swim, and the day was dull and windy. I warmed up on the bike tho, and the day warmed up too, so I was a ball of sweat mid way through the bike. It won't be that cold (only September) and you'll be working hard and generating heat. I would much rather put up with a slight chill on the fast downhills than be choking with heat on the harder bits.

If it's a day like it was here yesterday then some people might need a jacket. It was cold and raining. My legs were freezing in shorts on the bike. Granted I warmed up when the showers stopped but when it was raining it was damn cold. If it's a wet day a jacket might be required. Better to be looking at it than for it on the day!

Don't know where the mad face on the top came from. #confused

EC1000

pgibbo wrote: »

So, bring arm warmers, overshoes, a jacket and gloves to be safe.

Hmmmm.... not sure what type of overshoes you have but mine take me about 5 minutes to put on in the comfort of my own home!!

pgibbo

EC1000 wrote: »

Hmmmm.... not sure what type of overshoes you have but mine take me about 5 minutes to put on in the comfort of my own home!!

You'll know what the weather is like that morning. If it's bad just have the overshoes on the shoes already and you only have to velcro them at the back. Only takes a few seconds.

catweazle

I always will remember a quote from a boardie called Huff'n Puff who disregarded his potential competitiors by the amount of clothes they wore.

Anything more than a straight tri suit on the bike and they were werent going hard enough!

Listen to that puff PGibbo, arm warmers, overshoes, a jacket and gloves, you would swear you were doing the Arctic Marathon

I brought that man down to the lake before work last year and I swore never again after waiting for him to dismount the ladder, tipping a toe in and squealing like a girl. I was nearly 30 minutes late for work waiting for him to man up and jump in.

Now wheres that turbo of mine

pgibbo

catweazle wrote: »

I always will remember a quote from a boardie called Huff'n Puff who disregarded his potential competitiors by the amount of clothes they wore.

Anything more than a straight tri suit on the bike and they were werent going hard enough!

Listen to that puff PGibbo, arm warmers, overshoes, a jacket and gloves, you would swear you were doing the Arctic Marathon

I brought that man down to the lake before work last year and I swore never again after waiting for him to dismount the ladder, tipping a toe in and squealing like a girl. I was nearly 30 minutes late for work waiting for him to man up and jump in.

Now wheres that turbo of mine

LMAO - True, I'm a wuss when it comes to the cold!

Just been out for a run there. Man, there was hail in the rain. It was unreal. Soaked to the skin in under a minute. Savage stuff. I hope this weather blows over for the 4th! :eek:

Bambaata

when i say cycling top im most likely just going to have a gilet with me.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

For me in IMUK it was just a tri suit with cycling jersey over and arm warmers then ditch them in T2 before you start the run.

pgibbo

Rodney Screeching Vitamin wrote: »

For me in IMUK it was just a tri suit with cycling jersey over and arm warmers then ditch them in T2 before you start the run.

This is what I did for my last HIM. However, the change in the Galway weather prompted my comments above.

bryangiggsy

pgibbo wrote: »

If it's a day like it was here yesterday then some people might need a jacket. It was cold and raining. My legs were freezing in shorts on the bike. Granted I warmed up when the showers stopped but when it was raining it was damn cold. If it's a wet day a jacket might be required. Better to be looking at it than for it on the day!

Don't know where the mad face on the top came from. #confused

HTFU!!! Tri shorts and top ..wind rain or sun!

Izoard

Ask yourself, "what would Faris wear"?:)

El Director

I tell ye what guys...I wouldn't take what pgibbo said too likely. IT is getting very cold in the mornings and if there is rain with that then it could prove difficult.

For me I will certainly be wearing arm warmers and I am 90% sure a gilet as well. With my long compression socks the knees will be the only part exposed as well as the top of my arms.

EC1000

El Director wrote: »

I tell ye what guys...I wouldn't take what pgibbo said too likely. IT is getting very cold in the mornings and if there is rain with that then it could prove difficult.

For me I will certainly be wearing arm warmers and I am 90% sure a gilet as well. With my long compression socks the knees will be the only part exposed as well as the top of my arms.

If you're going to go with arm warmers and a gilet, would there not be a case to be made for just lashing on a long sleeved cycling top? Might even be quicker?

Bambaata

6C here in Dublin this morning!! Bloody nippy!

pgibbo

EC1000 wrote: »

If you're going to go with arm warmers and a gilet, would there not be a case to be made for just lashing on a long sleeved cycling top? Might even be quicker?

Marginally quicker, but at least you can roll down the warmers a lot more than you can roll up the sleeves of a jacket. I'm assuming that's the thinking anyway.

El Director

EC1000 wrote: »

If you're going to go with arm warmers and a gilet, would there not be a case to be made for just lashing on a long sleeved cycling top? Might even be quicker?

I actually don't own a long sleeved cycling jersey. I suppose I could put my skins under my tri suit but that would be wet then coming out of the water and feel even more chilly on the bike. As pgibbo eluded to the arm warmers do give you the option of rolling down and also they would be easy to whip off in T2 and disgard the gilet too, by the time I hit the run the temp will be fine and I prefer to run with less on

kingQuez

Tri shorts/tri top

Although... if its going to be a cold wet windy day, and you're slow on the bike, then I'd throw on a pair of arm warmers, or a tight fitting longsleeve jersey over the tri top for the bike. Don't overdress or you'll roast; certainly no rainjackets!

NeedsTraining

Weather for Sunday is highs of 16C with light rain

More annoying for spectators than us hardened athletes

gottarun

Knowing how cold it got after Spiddal and COPE triathlon this summer, you should definitely be planning some additional bike clothing. I'll be rooting out the arm warmers and possibly a light sleeveless gillet which I will have stuffed under the seat.

bryangiggsy

HTFU.... 16 degrees on the bike going 30km+ an hour...alls u will need is a tri suit . Wasting time putting on anything else

bryangiggsy

PS If your working hard enough you wont need extra clothing

ronanmac

bryangiggsy wrote: »

HTFU.... 16 degrees on the bike going 30km+ an hour...alls u will need is a tri suit . Wasting time putting on anything else

It was 7 degrees at 8am here in west Galway the morning before yesterday. Don't know what it was at 7am, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't 16 degrees!

bryangiggsy

It was 10 degrees going into the Liffey Sunday morning at 8am. Half an hour later and on the bike and it was not cold. If you worried about getting cold wear socks . Other than that a tri suit will do the job.However If your planning on just 'plodding' along then wear a cycling jacket, rain coat etc Different strokes for different folks

hootini

bryangiggsy wrote: »

It was 10 degrees going into the Liffey Sunday morning at 8am.

Were you planning on doing a pre bike swim or something?

mcathlete

You could just get toe warmers instead of complete overshoes. You can just leave them on your shoes at all times....

Bambaata

Im putting a gilet, armwarmers and long sleeve jersey into the bike bag. Depending on conditions ill decide that morning what to do. Ill most likely wear the arm warmers anyway. I will also have toe cap covers on the shoes and will be putting socks on in T1 with a spare set in the run bag should they get wet.

ronanmac

I've been wondering about socks. I can see the benefit of wearing socks on a dry day, but am wondering if there's merit in wearing socks on a wet day, when your feet will be drenched by the time you get to your bike and put your feet into wet shoes?

kingQuez

ronanmac wrote: »

I've been wondering about socks. I can see the benefit of wearing socks on a dry day, but am wondering if there's merit in wearing socks on a wet day, when your feet will be drenched by the time you get to your bike and put your feet into wet shoes?

I'd say stick to what you normally do, it's not going to make a huge change to your race either way - but if you do whatever is your normal routine it's one less thing to stress about!

I'm not doing this race, but it sounds like there's going to be a great buzz in Galway for the weekend. No doubt everyone's packing up tonight in prep for travelling down... hope you all have a brilliant race, and enjoy the afterparty pints! Remember to smile for the cameras, thank the volunteers and most importantly enjoy the weekend, you've done all the work to deserve it! Cant wait to read the race reports

El Director

ronanmac wrote: »

I've been wondering about socks. I can see the benefit of wearing socks on a dry day, but am wondering if there's merit in wearing socks on a wet day, when your feet will be drenched by the time you get to your bike and put your feet into wet shoes?

Well Ronan your runners should be dry as they will be in a bag and maybe if you wish just change your socks in T2, only take a few seconds and maybe more comfortable.

pgibbo

ronanmac wrote: »

I've been wondering about socks. I can see the benefit of wearing socks on a dry day, but am wondering if there's merit in wearing socks on a wet day, when your feet will be drenched by the time you get to your bike and put your feet into wet shoes?

Why not put your shoes in to the T1 bag and then they'll be dry when you get to T1?

ratracer

pgibbo wrote: »

Why not put your shoes in to the T1 bag and then they'll be dry when you get to T1?

I was gonna do that, but it's quite a long run from the changing tent to transition, to bike mount line. I'd probably end up on my arse along the way with cycle shoes on.:o

pgibbo

ratracer wrote: »

I was gonna do that, but it's quite a long run from the changing tent to transition, to bike mount line. I'd probably end up on my arse along the way with cycle shoes on.:o

Carry them to the bike and put them on there?

ratracer

pgibbo wrote: »

Carry them to the bike and put them on there?

Kinda defeats the purpose tho, socks/feet will still be wet by the time I get to the bike.

pgibbo

Are people leaving Garmins and the likes on bikes or putting them in the bike or run bags?

El Director

pgibbo wrote: »

Are people leaving Garmins and the likes on bikes or putting them in the bike or run bags?

So the rumours are false P.....you are still racing

My garmin will be left on my bike so it will already have the sat's located.

pgibbo

El Director wrote: »

So the rumours are false P.....you are still racing

My garmin will be left on my bike so it will already have the sat's located.

LOL....Not sure you'd call it racing but I'll be there!

I assume you'll be turning on the Garmin before the swim starts then. I was just worried that if it's a cold night it might drain the battery.

El Director

pgibbo wrote: »

LOL....Not sure you'd call it racing but I'll be there!

I assume you'll be turning on the Garmin before the swim starts then. I was just worried that if it's a cold night it might drain the battery.

I won't be putting the garmin, shoes or bottles on my bike until Sunday morning actually. Then before the swim I will turn on the garmin and have it all set to go.

pgibbo

Should have gone with my initial recommendation :mad: That was a damn wet, windy and cold cycle.

sconhome

Peer pressure got to you

connundrum

Looking back, I probably would have gone with the over shoes and a light rain jacket, but in reality I was never cold at any stage and I don't know if it was due to the rain or the length of the cycle that my feet went numb

I was in a sleeveless trisuit, I'd calf guards on which were well soaked too. Dunno if arm warmers would've helped much.

Bambaata

I went arm warmers, gilet and toe cap covers. Was happy enough with that but something more on the legs might have been an idea. Upper body was fine but had some aches and pains in the legs (I dont know for sure if that was cold related though)

El Director

I was happy with what I went with - arm warmers, gilet and my long compression socks. Only parts exposed were my knees, top of shoulders and hands (and face ) My fingers went numb so gloves would have been a good idea and I was jealous when I saw Bambatta's toe covers

Bambaata

glad i got those toe covers alright but i might look into compression calf guards if i come up against something like that again! That and an engine!

EC1000

Was thinking of this thread when I was turning at Maam Cross. A voice in my head was saying that those w*nkers on boards know nothing about staying warm. Not one person recommended a hot water bottle or a nip of brandy for the bike.............

Went with arm warmers and tri suit with calf guards myself. Was ok apart from my hands which were so cold that I couldn't open a gel without covering myself in carbohydrates (is it possible to absorb them through the skin?) and my feet which were numb.

Thanks for all the replies though!

BTH

EC1000 wrote: »

Was thinking of this thread when I was turning at Maam Cross. A voice in my head was saying that those w*nkers on boards know nothing about staying warm. Not one person recommended a hot water bottle or a nip of brandy for the bike.............

Went with arm warmers and tri suit with calf guards myself. Was ok apart from my hands which were so cold that I couldn't open a gel without covering myself in carbohydrates (is it possible to absord them through the skin?) and my feet which were numb.

Thanks for all the replies though!

Headin out this weekend to pick up some mini hot water bottles and a hip flask for Kenmare so!!

longshank

EC1000 wrote: »

Was thinking of this thread when I was turning at Maam Cross. A voice in my head was saying that those w*nkers on boards know nothing about staying warm. Not one person recommended a hot water bottle or a nip of brandy for the bike.............

Went with arm warmers and tri suit with calf guards myself. Was ok apart from my hands which were so cold that I couldn't open a gel without covering myself in carbohydrates (is it possible to absorb them through the skin?) and my feet which were numb.

Thanks for all the replies though!

had the very same thoughts at Maam Cross!!!..will never listen to advice from this board again