Cancun 70.3, Part 0

This could become an epic tale so I'm splitting it into parts. I'm writing this in case anyone has ever wondered about the logistics of taking a bike on an airplane like I have. If that topic holds no interest for you, there's no need to read this post. I'll get to the actual race report eventually.

On Transporting a Bike

I admit that I didn't think this event was a good idea. It's his third 70.3 this year, for starters. He can do the distance. That's not an issue.

He met his time goal at Vineman. The heat and humidity in Cancun would ensure that he'd have a slow event, so he wasn’t going to do it for time.

He's decided to do two marathons this winter, so his focus was supposed to be on running. Swim and bike just to keep the skills up but no serious training until the push for full Ironman begins.

So why do it? For fun, he says.

A big expense and hassle for fun, I say. We have to get the bike down there. A week of event plus vacation in Cancun is not cheap.

We'll get to see how transporting a bike goes, he says. Plus, it'll be fun! He really wanted to do it.

Ok, we'll do it. A group of friends from work who also do triathlons also said, 'yeah! It'll be fun! We'll do it, too!' Two of them actually did, too. One to compete and one to spectate along with me.

So the four of us made plans for Cancun. Figured out the logistics of getting a bike there. In the Continental US you can ship your bike to events and that may be the way to go sometimes. But when going to an international destination, really the only way to do it is to take it on the airplane with you as luggage. Otherwise it is extremely expensive, plus your bike may get hung up in customs and not even be cleared by the time of your event. Flying with it is by far the better way to go.

Basta borrowed a bike box from the bike store and they showed him what to disassemble on the bike to get it to fit in there. I point out to Basta that you must reassemble it before you can ride it again. We booked our flight on Alaska and confirmed that they charge $50 each way for an oversized box such as this.

The day came and we headed off to the airport. No trouble with the bike box on the shuttle bus. They just put it in the aisle along with all the other extra luggage. It's light, so it's easy to get up the steps of the bus. Bueno.

Checking in and paying the extra for the oversized box was no big deal. I'd read somewhere that it's a good idea to print out the airline's policy regarding bike boxes in case the counter personnel tries to charge anything other than the defined cost. Sometimes the staffer isn't aware of the company's set charge for bikes or sporting equipment and tries to charge more. But at Alaska, the attendant asked if it was a bike, nodded, and said he was sorry but it'd be $50 extra. No hassle there.

The 4ish-hour flight to Cancun was uneventful and our bike boxes came out of the baggage chute intact. There were two other bike boxes besides ours on this plane. They belonged to a couple from Seattle who were doing this event for the first time, too. We chatted with them as we waited for the rest of our bags.

We'd been advised that TSA always opens the bike box and rarely bothers to put it back together correctly and the bike may get damaged in the process. So one should open the bike box as soon as it comes off the conveyor and check it. If damage exists, file a claim right away. We did check both bikes and they had been inspected by TSA and the lids weren't on quite right any more, but the bikes were ok.

Through customs without a hitch and then off to find a shuttle to take us to the hotel. September is the off-season in Cancun and the airport was far quieter than last time we were here. Instead of the typical chaos and hordes of taxi drivers outside yelling for your attention and trying to take your bags, there were uniformed representatives asking, 'do you need a shuttle or taxi today?' The taxis and vans were lined up in an orderly fashion. Shocking.

Here we are at the airport. The humidity fogged the lense of my camera instantly.
I inquired as to price for a van from several representatives and all said $14/person. No bartering to be done today. Everyone had the same price. Ah well. I chose a polite and non-aggressive young man who was managing a fleet of vans. $14, 4 people, $56 total he said. Ok. A taxi might have been cheaper but the bikes don't fit in the trunk of a car.

The bike boxes filled the back of the van. They had to wedge the rest of our luggage in around them. The young man frowned, talked on his radio a bit, then explained to me that because of the bikes this would have to be a private van. There was no room for any more luggage and yet the back seat could still fit four more people. Total cost would be $60. 4 whole dollars more than the shared-van price.

Fair enough. 6 miles to the hotel and then vacation began.
Transporting a bike does add some expense to a trip but is not nearly the hassle I was anticipating.