Rent a van

Plenty of room for bike without breaking it down, children and luggage

Remove the wheels and put the frame gently on top on the luggages. I cover bags with a throw away blanket and let the frame seat on top. Put another blanket on the frame and lay the wheels on top or you can shove the wheels any space you can find.

Make sure the iPad batteries are fully charged... :)

---

"I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10, and I don't know why!"

Buy your SO something amazing? 10+ hours with the kids while you race, can't be a lot-o-fun...

"I'm bored"
"I'm hungry"
"When are they going to be done?"

Wait, who says it’s going to take me 10+ hours to finish?!

Inferred from these questions:

https://forum.slowtwitch.com/...!_P8054494/#p8054494


Does it make it appreciably different if you set a new WR at 7:30, and/or KQ?

Haha touché

Rent a van and forget the SUV.

I’ve had 3 adults and a toddler in a Pacifica with a bike in the back (diagonal with both wheels on) with a ton of luggage around it. 14+ hour road trip with no issues.

Get a kuat. You’ll be able to use it forever. A hitch mounted bike rack is great to have. I’ll be driving 7 hours to Chattanooga with 2 kids and the wife in a crossover SUV. No biggie.

This. I don't worry about my bike on the back of my SUV with my Kuat rack. I've driven from North Carolina to IM Louisville (2x), IM Florida & IM Maryland with the bike on the back with no issues.

---

Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

Do you cover your bike?
No concerns with the bike on the back of the car in terms of damage?
This is really helpful advice.

Buy a truck. Bike goes in the bed. Easy to lock it. If your really concerned, but a cab for the back of the truck.

Lift the truck and put a gun rack in the back window. No one will mess with your stuff.

Send the wife and kids to Disneyland instead.

I say the hitch rack also. I drove from Illinois to Ironman texas on some rough roads and had no problems at all

We have done 13 hour drives to Placid and Tremblant each year with kids. If your car has the rear hitch, buy the rack. If you are really concerned about the elements, possible rain etc, get a cover to put over your bike.
Your bike will be fine.

I do not cover the bike & I am not worried about damage to the bike. If you secure the bike correctly with the Kuat rack (I have the NV 2.0) then about the only damage would come from being rear ended. I'm not going to worry about that because that is out of my control.

---

Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

I've done both, the large family van is nice for a lot of reasons, especially if you encounter weather.

The bike rack is a good idea as well.. if you don't have one it for sure makes carrying your bike to rides, local races, etc a much better experience.

Respectfully. 1up. /Thread.

For that reason I always put my bike on the inside rack closest to the vehicle. Haha

Oooh. I was thinking the rack was for the kids....

Can you rent a second car and have your wife drive separately with the kids? For the full distance IMs I did, I drove by myself and the family flew down the day before the race. I love having my family there on race day, but it's easier to relax, focus, and sleep in the days before the race with them at home. I stay by myself in a cheaper hotel on the edge of town for those first couple of days and then when the family arrives we move to the more expensive hotel closest to the start/ finish for two nights.

I have driven to 70.3 races with the whole family, which required me to use a bike rack. I love my tribike and have invested a lot in it, but I don't really mind putting it onto my Saris bike rack (usually with at least one wheel removed). I feel like these bikes are pretty tough and can handle the exposure to the elements. I have a three-bike rack and putting one tribike on it feels pretty secure. I pack my various cleaning supplies, but that's more for the post-race horror of seeing my beautiful bike covered in sticky sports drink, gel, and- ahem- other fluids. Last IM I cleaned the bike in the hotel shower before I'd even gotten out of my trisuit.

The Thule hitch carrier is great to throw luggage/gear ... maybe then the bike still fits in your vehicle?

https://www.thule.com/en-us/cargo-carrier/hitch-cargo-carriers/thule-transporter-combi-_-31144

Watch for used hitch carriers.

Rear hitch rack all day!

Travelled to Lake Placid which is six hours away with my wife and kids in a Kia Sorento. I have the extender for my Thule rack so I had four bikes on the back one on the roof. I also have a roof cargo carrier that fits on the other half of the roof.

I have been using a rear bike rack for six years with my “expensive” TT bikes with no issues. I even drive into gravel road camp grounds to sleep before races.

Driven hours in the rain with my bikes uncovered too. You probably do more damage with your sweat and liquid nutrition spraying all over your bike during a race. Just dry them off well when you get home.

Not sure why the obvious and cheapest answer isn't just to get a rear-mounted hitch for your bike.

I feel like there a lot of hassle renting a vehicle for days and the cost associated with it plus risk. And at the end youve spent hundreds of dollars with nothing to show for it.

You buy a rear mounted rack and you have it forever. Or I'm sure you might even be able to scour your local scene and borrow someones or find a used one on social media.

There is no reason to worry about your bike outside on a rack.