It’s time trial week at NYVC and I’m trying desperately to stay awake. Before I go into my usual TT-ers are soft diatribe, maybe we should take a step back and thank our slow twitching brethren. Where would time trial equipment be without triathletes? Would there be any TT innovations at all without the rush of cash flow from triathletes looking for the extra second to break a PR? Even Mr. Lance himself came in through the triathlon back door.
Should we be thankful for tri-guys? Even though they wobble when they race? I feel a little weird thanking guys in Speedos, but my cycling shorts aren’t going to be on the Hell’s Angels uniform list anytime soon.
This is a log-in free page, but you’re on double secret probation, knuckleheads. I’ll be watching.
What’s with men wearing bikini-type tri outfits? Have they no shame? Are they that far removed from society?
Yeah, they spend so much on the sport that they encourage local shops to carry more high-end stuff, which is good. Also, the explosion of that sport just puts more guys on the road riding high-end bikes, which, on balance has to be positive for cycling, right?
I’m all for getting more riders in to the sport. If 5% of those who take up triathlon migrate to cycling, that’s a good thing. Women especially seem to take up triathlon rather than cycling. I think it’s because triathlon is a more social sport. Often if a triathlete can master the bike handling side of things they actually make pretty good road racers.
I will do a tri in October with a tri friend. It has a 29 mile bike segment.
Dudes wearing bikini like gear on a bike cant be good for anyone (image wise that is). I’ve never seen any guys in the park rolling around in speedo’s, thank god.
greg…you’re crazy if you think triathlons are more social…have you ever done a 112 mile time trial?
I’d like to see Jeff King in a tri bikini suit. That would be just about the funniest thing I can imagine.
In the true ADD spirit of this site, I am going to stray from the topic at hand. In this case men wearing bikinis on bikes. I
In the true ADD spirit of this site, I am going to stray from the topic at hand. In this case men wearing bikinis on bikes. I
yeah that’s pretty funny, I’ll wear all lycra all day every day and shave my legs (?!) but I draw the line at wearing something that looks like a bikini!!!
the topic is man-kinis…creatine screws up your liver and causes water retention making you look bloated…
95% of the tris we see in the park are not doing 112 mile time trials. They do social events lasting an hour or 2. Everyone gets a medal. There are group dinners and breakfasts. There are all kinds of freebies and promotions. Sometimes even BEER. I’m doing it for the BEER!
Really? Sign me up.
Im always curious why people flock in droves to do triathalons, while cycling gets newcomers in smaller numbers. I think its because somwhere along the way the triathalons became associated with proving toughness, kinda along the lines of those ultra-endurance races a-la Eco-Challenge. People, esp Type A NYorkers, want to show everyone they are tough, so they set a goal of finishing a triathalon. The result: A crazy mix of really fit amateur athletes combined with a huge bunch of fat and unfit types that we all rag on. I say its not bad to get couch potatoes moving, but its a funny commentary on our culture that they all go for the "Iron Man" sport straight away. Maybe we cyclists just dont advertise well enough or get enough visibility to draw them in directly.
The WTA should enlist WADA to erradicate some of the dopers that compete in the biggest TRI events. I mean, come-on, an Ironman in under 8 hours. They gotta be doing something. And guess what, they aint being tested.
Not to say that TRI dudes/gals aint strong – they are. It is a tough man sport = which is why alot of people flock to it. Also, it is more like a marathon – people just want to finish and that is it. And you can pretty much ride anything or wear anything you want -only the competitive top tier will care what they ride/wear etc.
Part of the reason why cycling has little money compared to the TRi sport is becuase it is more selective. Imagine doing a RR in CP with 1000 guys. That would be impossible.
To Supplements:
Creatine doesn’t do squat for me other than give me gas and make me bloated. Then again, I am perpetually bloated and have gas. There goes that then.
Ray
In triathlons, everyone is a winner every time. In bike races, almost everyone is a loser every time.
I think its a totally different vibe, kind of like the NY Marathon. Most people do it to finish. Results are measured in times and % of age group, etc. If you finish and/or show some improvement, you’re a winner.
If you’re an inch short in a bike race, you lost . . . btw, if you were to put most crca pack-fillers in a charity bike ride, they would probably all be top 1%— if that makes you feel better.
By comparison bike racing is mentally tougher and frankly a less positive environment, especially when you throw in the crashes and some of the negative attitudes.
I think its a totally different vibe, kind of like the NY Marathon. Most people do it to finish. Results are measured in times and % of age group, etc. If you finish and/or show some improvement, you’re a winner.
If you’re an inch short in a bike race, you lost . . . btw, if you were to put most crca pack-fillers in a charity bike ride, they would probably all be top 1%— if that makes you feel better.
By comparison bike racing is mentally tougher and frankly a less positive environment, especially when you throw in the crashes and some of the negative attitudes.
as some of you have touched on, triathlons and duathlons are more accessible to entry-level athletes. you don’t get dropped. you rarely come in last. there is a feel-good element that is harder to come by in competitive cycliing. some of us who started out as runners did the tri or duathlon thing before taking the plunge and trying a bike race. for me anyway it was a less intimidating starting point.
when we promote our crca women’s clinic we go after triathletes because they are fit and may only be avoiding crca racing because it seems inaccessible. in the past few years several strong female riders have come to crca from the clinic and/or from ross galitsky’s tri teams. this year we’ve seen some really impressive new riders join the club, and we hope they stay and continue to improve…
i still don’t understand the duathlon (DUATHLON…no swim, just bike and run) guys who insist on competing in speedos.
"By comparison bike racing is mentally tougher and frankly a less positive environment, especially when you throw in the crashes and some of the negative attitudes."
There’s a negative attitude here??
Guys in speedos in duathlons? That’s hot.
don’t be so quick to shit on tri-geeks…the great thing about a tri (especially ironman) is that it means something different to each participant…
that being said, i’ve had a LOT more fun bike racing than doing tris…
Did the TOBAY triathlon (sprint distance) last weekend as part of a relay team. HUGE event, 1500+ entrants all willing to pay over $50 to enter. I was in the top 15 bike splits, so yeah, bike racers can do well in this field, to put it mildly.
Adam Duncan (who came to racing from tri) and I were talking about this event, and why tri is so much more popular than our sport, and he offered this insight. To participate in bike racing, even at its lowest level, requires HUGE levels of physical fitness compared to the general population. However "any slob can roll off the couch and do a tri if all they wanna do is finish". I think therein lies the rub. The level of time and commitment required to have a positive experience in triathlon is nowhere close to bike racing, which opens it up to a much broader audience. This leads to better-funded events, more money for staff, promotion, publicity and political clout (what politician is going to stand in the way of a 1500 person event that raises $15,000 for breast cancer research, or some other hot-button cause?)
seems like most tri people are out to prove something to themselves. it’s a very insular sport but has a social aspect that everyone seems to enjoy. it’s competitive but in a ‘personal best’ kind of way.
bike racing is a bit different – it’s direct competition. you’re literially fighting to beat someone to the line. it’s real, it’s dirty, and it’s freaken fantastic. but i think it’s a lot more intimidating to the average person, however, which is why triathlons are more popular.
Agree with TH.
You can do a tri at your own pace. For most participants it’s about challenging oneself.
Road racing, riding in a pack, for the beginer can seem a bit more intimidating. So people gravitate towards Triathlons.
endurance athletics in the US take the marathon as template (ask Justin Reid about that one) and a triathlon is very similar. Plus most people are involved from a little older age, when they’re looking for fitness, and the fact that you’re using very different groups of muscles for a much more even look and all-around fitness is also appealing. Not every guy out there thinks it’s cool that their wife/girlfriend can beat them in an arm-wrestling match.
I’d like to thank tri-"atheletes" for providing Americans with an image of who they think cyclists are.
Example conversation:
>I’m a competitive cyclist.
>Oh, do you do triathlons?
>(Ugh!)
hello?!?!
minimal chances of a crash in a tri vs. a road race. If you really stop to think about it, we are idiots for taking the risks we take in amateur road races.
whoever the marketing genius was at timex to jump on the ironman bandwagon hopefully is having a long and lucrative career, notwithstanding the mankinis.
Lets get back to the important point…MANKINIS…how do they no chafe their inner thighs riding in those things? Is it the 0.0001% body fat means their legs never touch the seat except at the sits bones, or some superlube they use to keep from rubbing themselves raw on the seats?
Ha ha. Ive wondered the same thing re: chafing. Its what crosses my mind first when I see pics of tri-aths. Right before the other thought along the lines of "what is he thinking with that skimpy bikini?". I suppose the answer is they dont train in them.
To Victor: I suppose we could not ride at all and avoid all chances of crashing a bike. What fun would that be though? I accept the crashes as a risk associated with the rush of racing bikes in a pack and going head to head in real racing – and btw find TT’ing all alone quite tedious (sorry to the TTers in the club, whom I still respect and envy for their ability and strength…).
To Chris M
>>I accept the crashes as a risk associated with the rush of racing bikes in a pack and going head to head in real racing>>
Understood…idiots, or a breed apart, however you want to think about it, you’ve got to admit there is something a bit insane about road racing amateur. Nevertheless, if you want full on, full bore, head to head competition, there’s nothing like road racing–danger be damned.
Tri’s on the other hand give entry level participants a chance to get a taste of competition with minimal risk (to body or ego). Not true for road racing…unless you race with a mankini.
actually…it chaffes like a mo fo! one of the worst parts of triathlons (besides the mind-numbing hours alone swimming, biking and running)
So the why of the tri is:
* why do it if it means chafing?
* why do it if it is so mindnumbingly boring?
* why do it if it requires wearing a mankini?
* why not just be British and focus on riding a ton of time trials?
Mankini notwithstanding what?
There’s a constant element of danger in bike racing, and we have to be aware of it. But that’s part of the appeal to some. I also think it’s not as dangerous as it’s made out to be — or at least a lot of the danger is easy to avoid, though doing so might take you out of the mix for a high placing. But to just participate and occasionally get up there, it’s not that bad. Really random danger exists, but it exists in many sports.
In terms of explaning sports to non-athletes, have some sympathy for real biathletes (the sport that combines cross-country skiing with rifle marksmanship). They’re always being asked things like "Oh that’t she swimming/biking thing right?" I know one guy who just gave up on explaining it and say "Yeah, and I’m a really fast runner."
Due to "issues"
Issues? That’s hot.
why? hmmm…still no good answer to that one. better than sitting on the couch i guess.
schmalz…is there any combination of key strokes used to convey sarcasm in writing?
notwithstanding that he missed the marketing genius of the mankini. think borat.
Walter, the sarcasm keystrokes are:
b.a.l.d.w.i.n.
Maybe we’re just jealous since they’ve got better legs, and shave more of their bodies–as well as having the sweet TT rigs that we all want.
Where’s the anger! The outrage! People got incensed about the last CP race, were callign for the destruction of the CRCA and I heard rumors that a bounty had even been placed on someone’s head. Now, people are like "well, mankinis are kind of cool sometimes except for the chafing". That’s BS.
I’ll start: triathletes suck. They can’t ride a bike and their fashion choices make our uniforms (even Merrill’s) look good. Bottles wedged in between their aero bars look stupid and bottles behind the seat is actually LESS aero than in the frame, further proving their stupidity. I think all triathletes should be banned from central park. Discuss.
P.S. Don’t get me started on duathletes MH.
Notwithstanding my British mankini? Huh? Gherkin?
to WTF
i couldn’t agree more…triathletes suck…i can’t believe there hasn’t been more "road"ie rage about this
Triathlon is the reason bikes are sooo damn expensive. My bike cost 15K. Junior racers…too bad. Grow up, get a high paying job, get fat, have a midlife crisis, by a million dollar bike, start "racing" and bring home the "Hardware" for your age group, all while setting a PR. Maybe get in real deep and call yourself a coach….
I fucking hate triathletes.
Ciao!
One thing is more cetain that taxes – that the dual bottle holders (or launchers) that many tri geeks ride with do not hold the bottles on any other road surface other than freshly laid blacktop. As soon as they hit a pebble bottles go flying… so watch out..
"As soon as they hit a pebble bottles go flying… so watch out".
Sounds a bit like the triathlete’s themselves. As soon as they hit a pebble, THEY go flying.
Stop dancing around the issue already. I’ts officially sanctioned cross dressing hiding behind a "sport". I mean look at the teddies those guys wear.
hey WTF and hater what the triathletes did to you that you hate them?
ewww baldwin! that’s disgusting!
borat approves.
What about the way Tri people fly around the park down in the aero bars, ignoring lights when red and skimming pedestrians, and generally giving cyclists a bad rap in the park?
What about the tri-jerks who attempt to draft even when down in the aero bars – I sometimes have to wave them off my wheel or just attack them to get them away to avoid the crashes…
I’ve never had the experience of a dude in a mankini trying to draft my wheel but if it happened I’d just give’em the what the fukc are you wearing look and then break it down like "No can do hollywood, I dont get down like that" and kindly usher’em off the draft. I think that would drive the wardrobe point home for’em.
I did many years of Tri until I really found out that I enjoyed riding bikes the best…and I could not really deal with swimming next to a floating rat along the Hudson…for what? the sake of getting satisfaction of *participating* in a *tough* event? Everybody wins in Tri, and we know that is not the case with bike racing. There are many serious tri folks out there and my hats off to them. I have lots of respect for the training and discipline that they go through. However, for the most part, as others wrote many Triathetes I encountered in the NYC area are semi-well-to-do guys who can no longer do contact sports, or semi-athletic guys(fat guys) who can hide behind the perceived notion of this ultimate endurance sports. I quit b/c I was getting really bored of conversation(at some fundraising event or Post-block party)those who were so happy to call themselves triatheletes b/c they did 1 Olympic distance tri…and their tech talk. I think the majority of the triathletes are happy to be being a part of some social group b/c riding outside on 9W in January alone is no fun.
At one point everyone at the gym(spinning class) seemed like a triathlete…Cycling is a much tougher sport even at our amateur level. I won a few races in my age group easily with half the training and preparation I do for bike races. Though many outsiders think Tri and bike racing are related sports, but I think they are of fundamentally different culture and spirit…sort of like Rugby and American Football? or even Formula 1 and NASCAR…Sure there are more babes in Tri ; )
Oooh yea, without question – most Tri-gals are the hottest. No doubt.
…..second only to the happenings @ kissena’s track. The pics dont lie!
Etsu makes one slight reference to hot chix and with Pavlovian dependability Malone is all over the subject. Good to know some guys can be counted on.
Mankini withstanding tri-gals! My gherkin!
If NYVC has 1001 pages, then I must have read 5,000 posts from Lee3. He has become a dependable little man in my computer that I can always rely on for a laugh. So it’s now time to return the favor. Based on his emails over the last couple of weeks, I think we all need to work our rolladexes (do people have those anymore?) to get him a date with one of the Track Ladies. Editors – – maybe we can have a "dating game" page where we can get Lee3 a Track Date (probably want to have a sign-in for that one). Haters, please don’t jump on this. If it works, we can try and get you dates too. Sort of like a tri, everybody wins.
the only thing worse than triathletes on bikes is packs of foundation guys on bikes…
….let me get this right….you’re basically suggesting rewarding the guy for spending his entire work day surfing the net as opposed to doing the job that he’s paid good money for. What happened to having a work ethic, moral character, the American dream, reap what you sow, ask not what your country can……?
I think it’s a great idea and hopefully it works. He seems like a straight shooter and he never hides behind the "anonymous" curtain. Good luck!!
Reason #57 why triathletes suck: Team In Training. Acronym is TIT, pretty cool, but they insist that it’s TNT, way less cool.
Hey WTF, wtf! Why is it that you and your bike superior friends claim your so superior to triathletes. Sure some are poseurs, so are some bikers, but a lot are very dedicated athletes who work very hard to master 3 very different and very difficult sports. I am a tri-guy myself, but read this cite b/c I ride a bike in NYC just like you, and this kind of bias towards tirathletes makes me sad.
Mankini makes man’s manx micro…
Fred, youre missing the point here. Dont be sad, poor fellow. NYVC put this thread up just so we could crap on Tri people as part of the general process of making ourselves feel ok about participating in our silly little niche sport. Gotta have someone to feel superior too, you see? We all love fellow cyclists – even a measure of kinship to the overweight urban-cross-bike riding weekend warriors. Its just fun to deflect our insecurity about wearing too much lycra onto a group that wears, well, too little lycra! Cheer up, lad, we dont really hate you…
I know plenty of Tri people – and I have even recruited some on my team. The reason why cyclists are frustrated with Tri folk is I believe due to the following facts:
1) They spend to much money on equipment – that they dont know how to use
2) they use silly equipment like those saddle water bottle carriers – now that is STUPID and just a gimmick
3) They always ride their tri/tt bikes – you dont see top cyclists train on their TT bikes – use regular bars – then the week or 2 prior to the race, break out the tt bike to practice.
4) FOREVER IN THE AERO POSITION even while going at 10 mph.
5) Most Tri folk dont pay attention to pedestrian traffic in the park – I have witnessed this countless times and guess what – the parks dept and the NYPD blame the CRCA – like they can control that
6) Brag about finishing 14 hours when the winner finished in like 8 or 9 hours – go figure that one. Not that I can finish an IRONMAN – cause I suck.
7) Typically don’t like talking to cyclists. And I talk to everyone – the other day when I was giving some women a tip – while she was riding her fancy P3 Cervelo in the park all wrong, and at like 12MPH – she made a pretty nasty remark. go figure – no love their back to us racers.
8) They think they are great cyclist cause they have better stuff than me!
Again these are all my opinions.
Oh yes-
MANKINIS- what is with that. I mean, You are not losing much time if they put a nice pair of shorts on – I mean- you will probably ride faster – thus making up the time you lost.
"NYVC put this thread up just so we could crap on Tri people"
Chris M – mindreader! We put this up not so people would crap on tri-folks, it was to discuss whether there would be any TT equipment or innovation at all w/o tri-people.
Mankini – term of the week for sure!
ray…you looked up my time on the ironman?
Mankini makes man’s manx micro….nutsack notwithstanding
mankini my love
you keep my jewels safe, the chaf-
ing notwithstanding
Schmalz, why do you have to try to bring the thread back to the original theme? Lets continue to discuss the one thing on all our minds: MANKINIS! (just typing it makes me giggle like a little school girl).
Guys who want to win big stage races work at it – like weekly rides on the TT bike
they don’t ride them ALL the time though…and they’re called TT bikes, not tri-bikes…and the pros don’t dork out their bikes with crap (extra water bottle holders, bento boxes)
Duuuuude. Those links are too much. Also the first post in some time that I think was well advised to stay anon.
As for the advancement of bike tech, I think Alex O. did a nice job of explaining to me that the official rules are actually to blame for basically keeping bike tech advancement in check as weight and geometric restrictions ensure we dont have the most aero or lightweight rides possible. I gather a bike was designed some 20 years ago that was much lighter and more aero but without the triangle design thats mandated, and has since disappeared from stores as a result since the pros dont use them. Maybe a good topic for a future debate?
pros don’t ride them ALL the time though…and they’re called TT bikes, not tri-bikes…and the pros don’t dork out their bikes with crap (extra water bottle holders, bento boxes)…and most importantly, they don’t wear monaco tops and mankinis!!!
Oh mankini so scandalous,
never knew another biker who could handle this
Thong, thong, thong, thong, thong
Yea….any mention of track & tri-gals and I turn into Glenn Quagmire!
why not have an "ultimate mankini" competition?
some suggested rules:
– athlete garb photos/links only – clippings from International Male are not allowed
– any time period/culture ok
– nothing too obscene – or, if the picture is taken far enough away that it’s hard to see exactly what’s going on but we get the general gist of the manx destruction – that might be fine
– intent to wear the mankini required (no drunks, vagabond prostitutes, etc)
any takers?
while many triathletes are merely participants, finishing hours down on the overall winner, not to mention the 750 "sub-categories" like 205-215 over 40 yr. old "winner" etc., but the top athlete usually does win the overall. This IMHO makes it a truer test as compared to park races where sprinters like JJ sit in behind the likes , then outsprint him for the win…
You guys are so focused on the mankini that you’ve all overlooked the Brittney Spears full zip sleeveless mini-halfshirt which shows off my Michelob lite midsection. I think the fashion term is "muffin top" all at 12-14% bodyfat. If I’m cold I’ll add more "fashion" with Hammer Gel armwarmers.
One photo:
Lee3, at the track, IN A MANKINI!!!!
(Might not help with the whole dating plan however.)
So Tri Guy, you’re saying you all take your fashion cues from the likes of Britany Spears? No wonder you all are so easy to mock. Maybe hillbilly teen idols aren’t the best role models for grown men to be looking up to for fashion advice?
DHR,
My bike costs more than yours and the "Ironman" tattoo on my lower back says it all. Get out the grease pencil and I’ll write "You Suck" on my thigh. As far as fashion, I hope Tri only has the good sense to poach the day-glow colors cyclists wore in the 80’s.
3 sport 4-eva.
-TG
red beret, red ascot, tiger print mankini and shoe covers and maybe a phony Antonio Bandaras accent!
chixdiggit
HEY!!! That’s Me!!!
-TG
So Tri Guy, (the one with the tat, and $$$ bike) did you at least get paid for defacing your flesh with a corprate logo? Did the tattoo pay for that expensive bike? Otherwise how do those two things go together? Also are you sure that all that expensive stuff really makes you faster? Have you done objective testing to determine whether the equipment makes you faster or just feel better about yourself?
For the record, almost everybody has a more expensive bike than I do, I’ve already stated I get my machines on eBay for cheap when lawyers with more money than time or sense get rid of their year old equipment.
ascot = over the green monster manx destruction