Paula wins the 70.3 North American Championship, gravel vs. road bikes, Ironman race swag, and more!

Paula wins the 70.3 North American Championship in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania. Her fourth North American title. We do a full race recap covering Paula's pre-race warmup adjustments, the bike leg where she went full throttle up a climb, fueling breakthroughs, timing chip chafe as a legitimate race threat, and shoutout to Lindee Kent for delivering the best aid station splits anyone has ever heard. Then we get into your questions.

This week we discussed:

• Paula's 70.3 North American Championship race recap: swim warmup changes, crushing the bike climb, and why fueling more actually worked
• Is Happy Valley the best riding location of any North American 70.3?
• Paula is a four-time North American champion, most wins of any pro female ever.
• Front and rear hydration setups explained: torpedo bottles, bento boxes, behind-the-seat cages, and how to actually refill on course
• Gravel bike vs. road bike as a do-it-all rig, especially for New Zealand chip seal roads (via a hilarious poem)
• When to switch to race tires before Ironman Lake Placid
• Is a swim skin worth it for a 300-meter pool swim sprint triathlon?
• Pull buoy preferences and swim run buoy sizing for open water racing
• What to actually do with all your Ironman finisher t-shirts and medals
• Eric's "pro athlete vs. former pro triathlete" status, officially addressed
• Electric bike pumps for disc wheels: what actually works

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