col1 shpiIndian Wells Ironman 70.3, California, December 5, 2021 (L)
Race Reporters: John
When my brother-in-law suggested that I join him for the Indian Wells Ironman 70.3, located in the heart of California’s Sonoran desert, I foolishly agreed. The website promotes this event as “flat,” and having survived – just in October- the hurricane conditions and mountains of the Sardegna 70.3, I thought Indian Wells, with its lovely climate and lack of elevation, would be a walk in the park. I was very wrong. More on this later. I flew with my bike from CDG to LA (11 hours). When I was exiting the LA airport luggage area, I was stopped by a customs official who asked where I was coming from and how long I would be staying. When I told him I arrived from Paris and I would be staying three days, he became suspicious and asked, “All of that luggage for three days!?” I proudly informed him that the large box contained a road bike and that I would be doing a Half-Ironman on Sunday. “JUST a Half-Ironman? Not a real Ironman?!” he sneered condescendingly. It is never a good idea to argue with customs officials, but I really didn’t like this guy…… My sister and brother-in-law were fortunately waiting for me in the airport lobby. We then picked up my son at his university dorm (he’s a first year student in LA) and drove due east for three hours to Indian Wells. We didn’t get to our Airbnb until midnight, so triathlon registration would have to wait until Saturday. Saturday Warmup Ride
disinfect our wetsuits and leave (overnight) in the wetsuit zone
check our bicycles in to the T1 bike area
leave our “cycling gear” bag in the T1 transition zone (which is separate from the bikes)Wetsuit Zone
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