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BIKING NAKED....triathlete racing and training gear choicesBack in the early Penticton Ironman days, biking naked or "near naked" was pretty "cool". We didn't have all the fancy triathlon clothing to choose from like there is today. I guess I'm dating myself but when I was in Penticton doing book-signings for the 2009 edition of the Penticton Ironman Triathlon this past August, I overheard a conversation that brought back a lot of memories about biking-naked. Well, almost naked anyway! This one guy said to his buddy, "can you imagine? There were guys who used to do the entire Ironman with just a Speedo swimsuit and a running top on. They were damn near biking naked".
"Hey"! I thought. "That's me they're talking about!" It's completely true. Except for that little Speedo and a flimsy running top we "were" darn near biking-naked. One year was particularly ugly that the temperature turned cold almost without warning and there was a driving rain and we were still hitting speeds of 50MPH(80k) going down the Yellow Lake Hill in the final portion of the bike course. I can remember stopping at a roadside turn-off at the bottom of the hill because I couldn't feel my arms or legs anymore. I wasn't alone. There must have been about 15 of us who had pulled off the course. Talk about biking naked. When I look back, you probably could have taken all the clothes all of us were wearing and put them in one plastic grocery bag. For all the good our Speedo's were doing that day we might as well have been biking naked. I guess those would qualify as "the good old days" of the Penticton Ironman Triathlon when almost biking naked was pretty much the way it was in the early years. I have to admit that it had it's good points. Our wetsuits fit much better with just a swim suit underneath as opposed to a trisuit. Except for a few really bad years like the one I just mentioned, it was normally pretty hot except for the early stages of the bike and you really didn't need any more clothes and biking naked was not so bad. Actually it was great in the run to be wearing as little as possible. In later years when I switched to a tri-suit they would actually become hot and constricting. I should also mention that those particular Speedo swimsuits were made for triathletes and had padding for the bike in the important areas. One thing I can tell you though about those years of biking and running near naked was that I could never get enough of all the women spectators along the course who would whistle at us. Yes sir! Biking naked. Those were the good old days.
Biking Naked Back To Triathlon Bike Training
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FIRST IRONMAN? MY IRONSTRUCK BOOKS HAVE HELPED MANY REACH THE IRONMAN FINISH LINE.
I have written three books that all serve a specific purpose when it comes to those new to the sport of triathlon or those who perhaps have the Ironman on their mind.
"Ironstruck...The Ironman Triathlon Journey" is a perfect book for those who have the Ironman on their mind and perhaps need some motivation, inspiration, and encouragement to help them make that final decision to challenge the Ironman and make it to the finish line.
"Ironstruck? 500 Ironman Triathlon Questions and Answers" is most like the only Q+A book in the world on the subject of triathlon in general and the Ironman.
This is the perfect book for the triathlete who has decided to take on the Ironman for the first time, or perhaps has done one or two and would like some insight from a different point of view.
It is a great companion book for "Ironstruck...The Ironman Journey" and the pair of books would make a great gift.
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