NYC Triathlon

[Greg Van Baast]

Hi All,

I am making the trek up from Texas this year and will be competing in the NYC Triathlon on August
10th. Does anyone have any tips from their previous experiences? Also, I am curious about the bike
course surface. Is it pretty smooth or rough and potholed. Is it hilly? What was the best strategy
for getting to the race expo, bike check-in, and the start?

Thanks in advance, Greg.

 

[Frank Tantillo]

The bike course pavement was reasonably smooth - however, you'll be riding on an elevated highway so
the expansion joints in the road surface are pretty good bumps.....also, you go through a toll booth
area where the road is grooved (to alert cars that they need to slow down) and will rattle your
teeth a bit.

As for the course profile, it was hillier than I expected, but if I recall correctly is best
described as "rolling." The run however, is in Central Park and fairly hilly.

As for your last questions, the answers depend on where you are staying.

Hope this helps.

"Greg Van Baast" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi All,
>
> I am making the trek up from Texas this year and will be competing in the NYC Triathlon on August
> 10th. Does anyone have any tips from their
previous
> experiences? Also, I am curious about the bike course surface. Is it
pretty
> smooth or rough and potholed. Is it hilly? What was the best strategy for getting to the race
> expo, bike check-in, and the start?
>
> Thanks in advance, Greg.

 

[Walter R. Strap]

Frank Tantillo wrote:
> The bike course pavement was reasonably smooth - however, you'll be riding on an elevated highway
> so the expansion joints in the road surface are pretty good bumps.....also, you go through a toll
> booth area where the road is grooved (to alert cars that they need to slow down) and will rattle
> your teeth a bit.
>
> As for the course profile, it was hillier than I expected, but if I recall correctly is best
> described as "rolling." The run however, is in Central Park and fairly hilly.

Central Park is considered fairly hilly? There are only two real hills going in either direction
(Cat Hill, north west hill going counter clockwise) (north east hill, reservoir hill going
clockwise).

Also, the swim is in the Hudson and last year, they miscalculated the tides, and the swim was taking
about 10 minutes and people were barely making it out of the water in no small number of cases.

Cheers,

Walter R. Strapps

--

"The sheer closeness of our two countries and the intensity of our mutual interaction combined with
the disparity between us in terms of wealth and power--all these things guarantee there will be
problems in U.S.-Canadian relations without anybody having to do anything to deliberately worsen the
situation."

Robert L. Stanfield, Oct. 28, 1971

 

[Cathy Corning]

On Fri, 18 Apr 2003 10:09:16 -0400, "Walter R. Strapps" <[email protected]> wrote:
>Also, the swim is in the Hudson and last year, they miscalculated the tides, and the swim was
>taking about 10 minutes and people were barely making it out of the water in no small number
>of cases.

Not quite accurate. The tides are very predictable. The location of the strongest currents relative
to the shoreline might be a bit less predictable, but I'm a triathlete and not a sailor so I can't
say for sure!

In 2001, the swim course was too far offshore and thus in an area where the currents were really
strong. Yes, the swim times were quite fast because the current was in the direction of the swim,
and we were swimming way out where the current was very strong.

In 2002, the swim course was right along the sea wall where the current was negligible. In fact,
last year the water was warm, no wetsuits were allowed, and in the early waves, we were actually
swimming against a very slight tide. It made for slow swim times.

I would expect the 2003 swim course to be along the sea wall again.

Cathy

 

[Frank Tantillo]

Well, for someone who's a biscuit shy of the Clydesdale division - yes, I think it's hilly. There's
a climb coming out of Riverside Park, Cat Hill as you mention and the rollers on the West
Side...thankfully, the North Hill is not on the course.....at 90 degrees with 90% humidity, I found
the run course pretty challenging.

As for the swim, I guess the tide was against us as my legs were pushed under the pontoon while
waiting in the water for the start. Best spectator course I've ever seen for a swim though......

"Walter R. Strapps" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
>
> Frank Tantillo wrote:
> > The bike course pavement was reasonably smooth - however, you'll be
riding
> > on an elevated highway so the expansion joints in the road surface are pretty good
> > bumps.....also, you go through a toll booth area where the
road
> > is grooved (to alert cars that they need to slow down) and will rattle
your
> > teeth a bit.
> >
> > As for the course profile, it was hillier than I expected, but if I
recall
> > correctly is best described as "rolling." The run however, is in
Central
> > Park and fairly hilly.
>
> Central Park is considered fairly hilly? There are only two real hills going in either direction
> (Cat Hill, north west hill going counter clockwise) (north east hill, reservoir hill going
> clockwise).
>
> Also, the swim is in the Hudson and last year, they miscalculated the tides, and the swim was
> taking about 10 minutes and people were barely making it out of the water in no small number
> of cases.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Walter R. Strapps
>
> --
>
> "The sheer closeness of our two countries and the intensity of our mutual interaction combined
> with the disparity between us in terms of wealth and power--all these things guarantee there will
> be problems in U.S.-Canadian relations without anybody having to do anything to deliberately
> worsen the situation."
>
> Robert L. Stanfield, Oct. 28, 1971