New York Times Magazine: "How the 1% Runs an Ironman"

[benb]

No sense in name calling as I'm sure we have some members here who spend similar money and have similar ideas about training.

Doing all that trainer time could never be for me but I know people IRL who have that kind of bias of indoor/outdoor. Partly just cause they're doing all their training when it's dark outside and/or freezing outside.

[unterhausen]

There's nothing wrong with doing all your training indoors. If he were mass start racing it would be different, but Jay Vine seems to do okay.

Triathletes do crash in ways that demonstrate they should do some training on roads and group rides though. But it provides for some entertainment.

On the risk assessment, the guy in the OP is definitely off, unless he rides on roads that no other cyclist would ride on. And there is a non-zero incidence of deaths during triathlons, even on nominally closed roads.

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by bigbill

If I had stupid money, I'd donate a bunch and then do stupid things. I've always thought about sponsoring a cycling team so that I could go to training camps and group rides.

It would be like a remake of "Heaven Can Wait."

[peanutgallery]

Getting an article like this in the new Yorker is probably not dissimilar to getting a wedding announcement in the NY times. Next month, the banker that spent a weekend upstate and "discovers" the weed eater. Interesting that the article didn't mention the tread count of the towels he uses for cleaning up the sweat or the brand of the flooring used for the training area

From what little I know about the activities of triathlete, riding inside is a common theme. Safer and maximizes time/boredom so it makes sense. I can only imagine how gnarly his Gucci bike gets. Wonder if he uses a carbon front wheel ?

To each their own

[cgates66]

A friend of mine forwarded me this article last week - I've done a few tris (Olympic - they're fun) - and the article seems to have provoked the desired response, as it was intentionally provocative.

The "working rich" - and I'm not one of them but I know some who are - usually have very limited time, and these enthusiasts have found a way to keep their careers while still training for serious endurance events. I'd say unlike the usual "race" or group run as I like to call them, even up to marathon distance, finishing a full Iron is serious business. I applaud the effort an commitment. At a high cost, but if it's life defining, for those that earn in that high range - worth it.

I did fine the reference to SES wheels amusing, though, as the best wheel for many tris - not all - is a rear disc (maybe not Kona I don't know), and I'm not aware of an Enve SES disc. Go to all that trouble, and then miss on the aero...very unfortunate.

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by cgates66

I did fine the reference to SES wheels amusing, though, as the best wheel for many tris - not all - is a rear disc (maybe not Kona I don't know), and I'm not aware of an Enve SES disc. Go to all that trouble, and then miss on the aero...very unfortunate.

Kona doesn't allow discs due to the gusty crosswinds on part of the course.

This is why the HED Jet 180 exists...
https://hedcycling.com/products/jet-...u=J180-4314121

[PaMtbRider]

On a somewhat related note I was talking to my cousin yesterday. I found out that her son won the Maryland Ironman overall at age 45 with an overall time time of 8:37:53 Even more impressive was his bike split time of 4:19:57 I believe she said that it was an overall course record for Maryland as well as a world record for his age group(45-49) in the bike split.

[Waldo62]

During 2020 and '21 California Triple Crown allowed participants to ride their own double centuries wherever we wanted, and required us to submit Strava files for approval. Indoor rides were acceptable. A friend did several doubles on Zwift. On one of the rides he watched the entire Star Wars saga and on another he had a Tom Hanks film festival in his garage. I wouldn't have done this, but to each his own. We also rode three diy doubles in Marin, Sonoma, and East Bay, including Oakland (), without incident.

[GParkes]

I've done about 15 tri's including half iron distance. The simple reason so many tri-nerds (including myself then) that train indoors so frequently is that it makes doing brick work and t-runs so much easier. You don't have to pull into drive- way, unlock the doors, schlep the bike in, change footwear, etc, etc. You just hop off the bike/trainer put sneakers on and go. Lock the door on your way out - there's your 3:30 transition time. Try doing this living in NYC with your place on the 10th floor!

That being said, they should all be outdoors for their long ride when possible. As for his likelihood of getting hit and killed..............he's likely a bit off base with his assumptions.

[Peter P.]

Originally Posted by GParkes

I've done about 15 tri's including half iron distance. The simple reason so many tri-nerds (including myself then) that train indoors so frequently is that it makes doing brick work and t-runs so much easier. You don't have to pull into drive- way, unlock the doors, schlep the bike in, change footwear, etc, etc. You just hop off the bike/trainer put sneakers on and go. Lock the door on your way out - there's your 3:30 transition time. Try doing this living in NYC with your place on the 10th floor!

That being said, they should all be outdoors for their long ride when possible. As for his likelihood of getting hit and killed..............he's likely a bit off base with his assumptions.

Next trend-the INDOOR Ironman distance triathlon!

You heard it here first!

[kppolich]

30 inch screen....peasant.

[peanutgallery]

I know, right

The New Yorker will have to publish a correction...and an apology

Originally Posted by kppolich

30 inch screen....peasant.

[bigbill]

I used to ride with a guy in Charleston that qualified for the Hawaiian Ironman each year. He would do his swims at lunch and his runs in the early morning. His bike training involved team rides at high tempo for two hours then he'd go home and get on his Computrainer (mid 90s) and ride another two hours. He said his best cycling training was indoors, I get that, no traffic lights, no other riders, any time of day, and you controlled the weather.

[unterhausen]

Originally Posted by bigbill

and you controlled the weather.

One thing I really dislike about zwift is how often it rains. If I wanted rain, I would be outside.

[verticaldoug]

Originally Posted by Dude

I'm interested in how he got to the math of getting killed by riding on the open roads.

Obvs, there are variables that will be hyper specific to his situation. I'm not talking about that but the actual formula he used and what the inputs were and were he sourced those inputs.

My guess is that if his math is correct we'd all be dead 10x over. However, no matter the math you will drastically reduce your chance of getting killed on the road if you never ride on it.

He didn't do the math. It's a hand wave bluff to appear smart to a stupid reporter who doesn't do math.

You find this a lot in risk management executives.. garbage in, garbage out as traders like to say.

(You could argue if you ride in the aero position on Westchester county roads, you are bound to crash. But the choice to ride in the aerobars in an suburban setting is an irrational poor risk decision)