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Post by sammyb on Apr 22, 2020 7:33:10 GMT 8
How do you manage the logistics of travelling to events/races etc?
Being based in Perth mine are/would be pretty vanilla for local stuff. But going Sth to Busso is only a "Chuck the bike in the back of the Ute" proposition.
When you travel interstate or overseas, do you hire a bike?
Say, would you recommend hiring a bike for Cairns Ironman and 70.3 or would you box up your own bike and fly with it?
Ideally you should use your own bike because that's what you have trained on but.... I've heard some horror stories about the airlines....
I'd like to hear from you guys who travel a bit. And any advice in general around the way you get yourself, your gear and your family/loved ones to distant race destinations.
Accommodation too... Do you ALWAYS stay in the same place? Are you fussy or superstitious about that stuff?
Cheers
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Post by cottoneyes on Apr 22, 2020 8:06:10 GMT 8
Don't travel much for tris anymore (and my wife would say something if I tried to take a bike on a plane these days), but used to box the bike up in a cardboard box and put it on the plane - never had an issue. I used to ensure the bike had all of my gear other than wetsuit really put around it as well which helped. I don't think I could do a bike hire - with the exception if the race was a stop in a much larger holiday.
The only thing with Cairns or any other major ironman is making sure the airline will be able to get the bike on the same flight as you
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Post by sammyb on Apr 23, 2020 6:15:24 GMT 8
Don't travel much for tris anymore (and my wife would say something if I tried to take a bike on a plane these days), but used to box the bike up in a cardboard box and put it on the plane - never had an issue. I used to ensure the bike had all of my gear other than wetsuit really put around it as well which helped. I don't think I could do a bike hire - with the exception if the race was a stop in a much larger holiday. The only thing with Cairns or any other major ironman is making sure the airline will be able to get the bike on the same flight as you Yeah, hiring for me would be ideal. Saves the stress I suffer knowing that my bike is in baggage compartments etc. One thing that I did learn the hard way.... Buy enough luggage. I got stung at the airport and it was soooooooo expensive. But lessons learnt 👌 |
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Post by FatPom on Apr 23, 2020 16:42:04 GMT 8
It's a situational case by case basis for me. I try and do one camp a year in Mallorca or Canaries, for these I've both taken my own roadie and hired. Back a few years, hiring was a no brainer but the hire costs have crept up a lot. Also, if it's a really important event, there is nothing like having your own bike. For an important road race or tri, I'd like to have my own bike.
However, I usually attend these things on my own. If family attended, then dragging a bike case along with family luggage and trying to keep an eye in kids is a ball ache, plus it means less room at the hotel etc. I reckon the only exception to this would be IM Lanza or if we drove to Europe.
Driving to any race, always take my own, always have it on the roof, that way the car is free for family luggage, also in means there isn't a bike flying around the car in the case of an accident. I'm much less interested in flying with a bike these days. If we're flying, it's far more likely to be a family surfing holiday (hire boards) or a trail running event.
Post COVID, most of my disposable income will be spent on supporting English races and events.
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Post by Slunnie on Apr 18, 2021 23:07:06 GMT 8
How do you manage the logistics of travelling to events/races etc? Being based in Perth mine are/would be pretty vanilla for local stuff. But going Sth to Busso is only a "Chuck the bike in the back of the Ute" proposition. When you travel interstate or overseas, do you hire a bike? Say, would you recommend hiring a bike for Cairns Ironman and 70.3 or would you box up your own bike and fly with it? Ideally you should use your own bike because that's what you have trained on but.... I've heard some horror stories about the airlines.... I'd like to hear from you guys who travel a bit. And any advice in general around the way you get yourself, your gear and your family/loved ones to distant race destinations. Accommodation too... Do you ALWAYS stay in the same place? Are you fussy or superstitious about that stuff? Cheers I keep a calander on a spreadsheet which also flags the logisitcal side of things which include race entry, travel, accommodation, work leave and the dogs arrangements - Red if it needs something done, Green if it has been locked down and confirmed. I also have notes if needed, eg to book early etc.
For the details of the logisitcs I keep another word document that includes all of the logistic details, bookings, reference/confirmation details, contacts timings etc so I know exactly where and when I'm meant to be places, what I've paid and still to pay and arrangements that are still to be done etc. Its also good because you can keep notes of any weird things, like making sure I prebook a taxi from Avalon airport to Geelong, contact details of my favourite taxi driver in Singapore etc
These things are really important for me, because I do travel a bit with Triathlon and it doesn't take much of a stuff up or oversight for the wheels to fall off in a big way, especially when the arrangements are complex and there are a lot of events in different states of organisation.
For interstate and international I take my own bike and kit. I use a hard case to travel (Scicon Evolution) and it has had some pretty big knocks. Actually its pretty common to see at least 1 bike box damaged somehow after a flight or for a bike to be damaged or knocked out of its holding frame in the soft bags. Even with the hard case I arrived in Bintan Indonesia with a broken Zipp wheel!
In terms of accomodation, if I have flown there then I look for something next to Transition and food. If the hotel is near Transition then you don't have to hire a car. I also prefer apartments with cooking facilities to better control what I do there. I do typically use the same place, although not always. I'm not superstitious like that, its just that when you find something that works then stick to that system.
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Cape_Horn
Full Member
Some idiot who thinks Triathlon seemed like a good idea at the time.
Posts: 128
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Post by Cape_Horn on May 14, 2021 9:48:14 GMT 8
Depends on the distance from home.
Up to ~10h driving and we drive (so from Canberra, will do Murray Man/Port Mac/Geelong and anything closer by car)
Accom lives in the bucket of "If we can get it cheap, then we stay there, if not, try and get close to transition".
Staying at the same place sometimes happens, but not always.
For places further away, we fly, bike goes in a bike bag (Scicon aerocomfort Tri) and pray. Currently the bag is mostly fine, the bag wheels are damaged, but the bike has been fine. Currently flown to Perth twice, Cairns and NZ.
I have considered hiring a bike, but... I like my bike, and finding somewhere that will hire something I want to ride isn't always easy. (Now, grabbing a DH bike in Rotorua is a different matter - so many choices)
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Ayto
New Member
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Post by Ayto on Jun 2, 2021 7:22:12 GMT 8
One thing that I did learn the hard way.... Buy enough luggage. I got stung at the airport and it was soooooooo expensive. But lessons learnt 👌 I digress, but your comment reminded me of a story. A few years ago my wife and I were flying MELB / ADL for a conference. Went to check in and it wouldn't accept my bag. So we head up to the service desk and advised that when booking the tickets, my wife had mistakenly only booked luggage with her ticket - so $280 later my bag was checked in and we were on our way. Lesson learnt. To add insult to injury though, when we got to our Hotel I open up my bag to unpack and I find 12 litres of UHT milk that my wife had chucked in there "just in case we couldn't find any". Cause, you know, apparently Sa doesn't have any f@#king milk anywhere!!! So if anyone is interested to know it costs about $24 a litre to fly milk to SA!! |
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steve
Junior Member
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Post by steve on Jun 3, 2021 23:39:34 GMT 8
I take my bike to races, haven't tried renting. I did borrow a friend's bike once. 180km on an unfamiliar bike was not a great idea.
Usually, I pack my bike in a Trico Ironcase when I fly. It's heavy and packing just the bike will put you right on the 23kg limit. But it's bomb proof. The only problems I ever have with it is when U.S. airport security inspects it out of my sight. I bought a B&W case on a Slowtwitch special last year but haven't had a chance to use it.
Sometimes I pack the bike in cardboard box I get from a local bike shop. That's usually when I'm doing point to point bike touring and can't haul around the case. I've only had one problem doing it that way. It went onboard the plane in Budapest just fine (or so I thought), but came off the plane in Oslo as a pile of parts. Which was okay because it was Oslo – didn't lose anything.
The Trico case ships really well. It's within most shipping companies' specs and can be locked. Which makes it good for leaving at hotels for a few days too.
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