The Tri Town Times 6/29/2020

More races are being cancelled as new cases of COVID-19 are currently on the rise: Ironman 70.3 Lubbock was cancelled last week, just 3 days before the event. And just recently, Boulder 70.3 and Traverse City 70.3 have announced cancellations for their 2020 event.

 

I've been asked if I think any racing will take place in 2020. My gut feeling is that we will not see any large-scale competitions take place this year. So, what to do if you are currently signed up for an event in 2020? You keep training. You keep living the athlete life. Why? Because it's a good lifestyle. The daily habits required to be successful at sport are similar to the habits required to live a healthy life.

 

 

I regularly receive questions at the shop about road tubeless tires and the benefits of running your wheels/tires without tubes. The key thing to know is that you must have both a rim and a tire designed specifically for tubeless use. The benefits of riding tubeless is the ability to run lower air pressure, and thus possibly lowering rolling resistance on rough terrain and roads. This can also increase traction (a big benefit off-road). Finally, the sealant required to maintain a tubeless seal tends to be exceptional at preventing flats.

 

But a little known fact is that no universal standard exists for road tubeless design. Meaning? The reliability, ease of installation, and safety of a tubeless tire and rim combination is completely random. Some tire-rim combinations work well, others do not. The European Tire and Rim Technical Organization (ETRTO) is taking steps to standardize road tubeless and gravel tire design. What does this mean? If you have a tubeless rim and want to run tubeless tires, be open minded to which tires will fit your rims best: there is no guarantee your favorite tire will provide a reliable fit.

 

 

The Segway has had a bumpy road during its 20 years of existence, but I'm actually blown away it made it this far.

 

 

 

You can find the last 3 editions of the Tri Town Times here: edition 114, 113, and 112.