The roads did seem a bit better this year, less potholes; can’t decide if there was a bit of a wind though, think there was coming back down the Spine Road. The turn at Kempsford was totally momentum sapping. As always, later on in the bike there were cars driving down the middle of the road, so you had to stay vigilant.
What time would you look to do your IM in?
People keep asking me and I have no idea…?!
Is Hamburg’ a fast course?
It is fast, but pretty relentless, as there’s no decent undulations from what I can tell. Only 400m ascent; plus I think it can be exposed around there. @jeffb may have a better idea; but a mate who’s done it says it can be windy.
Realistically, anything under 10:30 would be workmanlike for me. Run should be mentally a lot easier than Outlaw 
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Definitely, it was rapido!
I didn’t notice it anywhere else.
In other news;
The swim was lovely.
Single lap swims are where it’s at.
Far less “biff” and easier to not get swim over.
This was the second most enjoyable swim I’ve ever had (first was Outlaw year 1)
Loved the bike, too.
Whilst not mega scenic, the surfaces were great (for the most part) and it was nice and quick.
(Saw A LOT of people sat up on their expensive Tri bikes - also heard a few people in the massage tent talking about how the constant pedalling was brutal 
)
Run was my fault. I made the wrong shoe choice 
Wrong shoes…?!
Don’t you use the ones you train in?!?
Did you panic with no power?
You wear a hr monitor?
On lap 2 you must have passed the guy a few minutes before me, on the Plasma w/disc sat up on the base bars. I passed him in Marston Meysey; he shouted something at me twice…no idea what but I checked everything was still attached to my bike.
Paley? In the GBR suit?? He was motoring in Lap 1.
Then something must’ve happened to his bike, as I caught him and he didn’t latch on.
@Mungo2 - I wore 4%. You don’t wear them to train in. I should’ve worn either my normal road shoe, or the Zoom Fly. No grip on the 4%. So I lost whatever benefit I had.
RE: No power. I was annoyed, but I’ve done enough 90-180 minute rides at 79-84% to know what each increment feels like, or at least how that translates to RPE/HR. Strava estimate my power at 229W, which would be 82%, So seems about right.
Yes. I wear HR, so used that with RPE.
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Looked a power meters several times then put off by the horror stories plus I’m not very tech minded.
Might get a crank based one on one bike just to have a see…
I ride to heart rate and works well on flat courses.
On hilly ones it’s just a limiter…
I’ve wore a hr so much this winter I can get within 5 beats without looking unless I’m particularly tired or rested.
Think it’s some tri specific shoes for me next
Hoka or on clouds
My k Swiss that I can run in sockless for any distance ripped my feet to pieces last weekend, there destined for the bin!
Thanks
I’m not looking to be anywhere near that but see how we go next month.
First full is just a completer I guess.
I am so, so frustrated by today. 5:01:55. 
Disappointed with the swim. 34:59. Thought I would be comfortably sub 33. Got into a little group of 3 and found some feet that were swimming straight and when I got out thought it had gone well so was a bit ‘meh’. Also felt quite sick towards the end of the swim; the lake was quite smelly in parts.
Had a ‘mare in T1. I just couldn’t get my left leg out of my wet suit. I was thrashing around on the grass like a landed fish on the end of a line. I must have looked utterly insane. Finally managed to get the bloody thing off and trotted out to the start of the bike.
The plan for the bike was to ride at 0.75 IF which should have left me with enough for a decent run, only problem was when I switched on my Garmin none of my set data fields, including 3 second power and IF were on the screen and it was just on the default speed, distance, time etc. I had done a factory reset on it earlier in the week as it had not been uploading and as I had not used it since, that’s why all my settings were gone. Never mind, just decided to ride to RPE. I quite liked the course although I had a couple of cars come at me head on when they were overtaking riders in the opposite direction. Fuelling went well and I just used the High5 on the course, topping up my xlab bottle. The bottle was covering most of my Garmin screen so I could only really see distance covered and this would bite me on the bum. Rolled in to T2 feeling good, and thinking I’d nailed it. I’d actually ridden 2:40, my slowest HIM bike leg by quite some distance. Glad I didn’t know it at the time. T2 much faster, 2:30 and out onto the run.
I’d have a mild calf strain from a training run last weekend and genuinely thought I might not make it round. As it turned out, it went (almost) perfectly. I think I only had 3 people go past me and overtook loads and was running between 4:20-4:40 Kms depending on how much I got held up at various points, but I was flying. Got to the end of the first lap and desperately needed a wee so dashed into the loos and lost a minute there. Got going again, still feeling good, still staying on pace. Got towards the end of lap 2 and my bowels decided to have a big movement. I got to the loos again just in time and lost another 90 seconds. The last lap was a bit of a grind but kept it going, only losing a bit when I got held up on the contraflow section with more runners on the course. Moving time 1:36 but 3 minutes extra in the bogs for a 1:39.
Went to get my times and genuinely believed I was comfortably under 5 hours. My face when I got my print out; like a kid who’d dropped his ice cream.
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Just read all that back and it sounds very self pitying. I’m pleased I was able to finish and a few more lessons learnt.
@Poet. That’s one hell of a comeback. Well done fella. 
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If that was where the new stretch of tarmac was it was me. Your BTS bottle was pointing downward and you reached round and tilted it back up.
On a blue Giant. I spent about 80% of the time aero but my lack of training really caught up with me. 1st time I’ve ridden my TT outside in over a year.
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Was always going to be a tough day for me.
Swim was uneventful. 37 mins. I’ll take that for 2nd swim of the year.
Took a wrong turn on the bike and somehow headed back to the lake so got to the lap 2 turnaround after 10 miles 
And ended up in the mix at the pointy end, that’s how you ended up passing me Jorgan. I realised where I went wrong and did a full 2nd loop then back round the roundabout I went wrong at and did another loop so did the full distance. 2:50 (garmin pauses when sorting out my mistake with an official).
Found my timing chip on the floor in T2 so it must have come off with my wetsuit.
Didn’t wear my watch on the run as to not depress myself. Set out slow. Toilet break on lap 1 & 3, nearly fell asleep on the lap 3 one.
Really picked up the pace for last 2 miles and finished strong. Deffo a negative split but no proof. 2:08 run.
5:44. Said I would be close to 6.
Didn’t cramp. Paced the bike well. First time I’ve ever run a 70.3 without stopping and having to walk (apart from aid stations).
Pretty pleased given the circumstances. Loved it. Great race and great roads mostly.
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Nice reports folks 
It’s a bit like the TT of Yore!
Looking through Athlinks, This is my fastest half 
Previous was Vit in 4:23, but Vitruvian is only an 84km bike leg, I was 1.6km/h quicker today, for 88.85km.
Swim was a minute faster today and I ran faster, too.
That’s it for me this year.
Time to run, swim and ride a normal bike again.
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Well done all. Really solid time Poet considering the drama you had.
Out of interest when was your last race?
I was on a bright blue Trek, disc wheel? That bottle was empty, so I didn’t bother putting the bungee around the nozzle again. It took me ages to fumble it free earlier on, I didn’t realise how cold my hands were!
Yep was deffo you. I recognised your bike and shouted “Jorgan, your bottle is falling out”
I was on a blue Giant. Sat about 20m behind you for a while but I was doing 220w so dropped back to my pace and power. 
I averaged 19.5mph off 170w ave, 180w NP. 94kg and sat up for a few mins here and there so prob 15-25mins total.
Nothing wrong with being pissed off at a race result at all. For many, that’s what drives us.
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Nice racing folks, almost makes me wish I was still racing tris, almost…
In honour of #HalfIronWar I did wear my 113 tshirt for the SDW100 this weekend
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In the centre of Hamburg it could be a bit twisty, the roads weren’t terrible but obviously there’s manhole covers etc. which will be lethal if it’s wet, but on the bit out of town near the river the wind could pick, although there was a bit of an embankment on the side in places. It will be hard to avoid drafting down there, particularly on the first lap as the road is only single carriageway.
It should be fast though.
Jeff