Kona, Revisited
images by Nick Salazar
Oct 10, 2011  hits 114,487

This is the view on Alii drive leading up to the finish line of the race. Not a bad way to complete a 140.6-mile journey, I'd say.
This is the view on Alii drive leading up to the finish line of the race. Not a bad way to complete a 140.6-mile journey, I'd say.
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Before we sign off for Kona, we thought we'd shot you just a few more bits and pieces from the Big Island, and some extra gear from the Ironman Village expo, open to the public all week leading up to race day.



Tags » hawaii2011
  • This is the view on Alii drive leading up to the finish line of the race. Not a bad way to complete a 140.6-mile journey, I'd say.
  • There were a lot of cool age-grouper bikes in Kona, one of which was this custom-painted Cervelo P2C. Its owner had crudely drawn some Hawaiian themes in Sharpie, and written the names of family friends who had passed away from cancer. A bike with some meaning is something I can definitely respect.
  • Here's the downtube of that funky paint scheme. The names written here are cancer victims the racer wants to remember.
  • These little pigeons are everywhere on the island, especially where there are crumbs of food on the ground.
  • Linsey Corbin looks perpetually relaxed, and was strolling Alii with her husband Chris the day before the race, enjoying a snowcone. Linsey is triathlon's quintissential sweetheart. Like a super-fast, super-fit Julia Roberts.
  • Tim O'Donnell is one of triathlon's resident rockstars. Just check out those green shades! That's the Prestige model from Rudy Project.
  • Okay, Rudy. I want a set of these. But make them in TriRig Orange for me!
  • 3T has officially announced the Brezza II Nano, a tiny 30cm bar that is better for very small riders, or those who want to eke out just a little more aerodynamics (less frontal area = less drag, all else equal).
  • Shown from the front, you can see how narrow it is - those hand holds are barely outside the arm cups.
  • 3T's tiny bar will be called the Brezza II Nano.
  • 3T had another surprise up its sleeve - a new disc wheel to complement its Mercurio set. It's slightly lenticular in shape. No word on weight or specs.
  • The 3T disc also has a sculpted valve hole, presumably to make things easier to use while improving aerodynamics on the other side.
  • Here you can see the lenticular shape of the wheel - a bit less pronounced on one side on account of the cassette body.
  • Pro triathlete Ben Hoffman is one of the new breed of athletes. He's a super biker, knows his gear well, and has won three 70.3 titles this year. Look for an interview I did with Ben about tech.
  • Hoffman makes it a point to know a lot about his gear, and was happy to answer questions for an age grouper who stopped by asking him about the Shiv.
  • Sean 'Wattie' Watkins showed up to put a little decal on Ben's bike, and to have a quick chat with Ben about the race on Saturday.
  • The madfiber boys made an appearance at the expo, though honestly didn't seem to be all that busy there. I suspect that if they want to make a dent in triathlon, they'll have to present a better story about why their wheels make sense aerodynamically, or some other reason why triathletes should buy them.
  • A replica of Chrissie Wellington's bike was on display at the Cannondale booth. It's a standard Slice Hi-Mod frameset, Di2 drivetrain, and HED takes care of the aero bits. Pretty simple and straightforward, much like Chrissie herself.
  • Saw this on an age-grouper's bike. This is a very zany way to mount a BTA bottle - double-sided tape to stick the bottles in place, and a semi-flexible wire to keep them in place. Um, you know cages work just fine, are much less hassle, and they weigh next to nothing, right? For all those wondering, I think this is one of those times that someone makes a solution where a problem never existed.
  • Past champ Michellie Jones was on site doing a demo of the LeMond Revolution trainer.
  • Years later, and Jones still has the legs to show who's boss. This year though, she'll just be commetating the race, not participating.
  • And Jones still gets the custom wheel treatment from Zipp.
  • Michellie still gets treated nicely by her sponsors - these Boxing Kangaroo shifters are actually custom-painted Zipp R2C's.
  • Another neat R2C modification I saw on an age-grouper's bike was this grip tape placed on top, which keeps the shifters from slipping under his thumbs. Nice touch.

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