Race day for this edition — 5 July 2026 — has passed. The guide stays up for reference.
Upcoming race guides →IRONMAN 70.3 Les Sables d'Olonne is a single-transition 70.3 on the Vendée coast — you rack at one transition on the Place du Vendée Globe, with blue and red bags for the bike and the run and a white street bag that's moved to the finish, and your bike goes in the night before. The swim starts on the Grande Plage and comes back up the Vendée Globe channel, the finish is on the Remblai seafront, and here's exactly what goes in each.
Swim, bike and run all turn through one transition on the Place du Vendée Globe — you come back to the same rack between disciplines. But the swim starts away from it on the Grande Plage, and the run finishes on the Remblai, so your white bag is moved from the start to the finish for you.
IRONMAN's colour-to-bag scheme is the same across European 70.3s, so this part is settled. Pack each bag for the discipline it powers — blue for the bike, red for the run, white for the clothes you arrive and leave in.
Les Sables runs a mandatory day-before bike check-in on the Place du Vendée Globe with the bike racked overnight — there's no race-morning bike check-in to fall back on. Check-in runs Saturday afternoon from 14:00 and closes at 19:00, and it's where you collect your timing chip.
The 2026 official guide is in. The times below are now confirmed for this edition — a few moved from last year.
Transition opens at 05:30 and closes at 07:00, then it's a 15-minute walk to the rolling start on the Grande Plage. Your white street bag drops at the start until 08:00 and is moved to the finish. The order is what matters.
The blue bag is your bike / T1 bag — helmet, bike shoes, sunglasses, race belt and ride nutrition. Your helmet goes inside it, and it's racked with your bike on the Place du Vendée Globe the day before.
Three: blue for the bike, red for the run, white for street wear. It's a single transition, so blue and red both sit at the one rack; the white bag is dropped at the swim start and moved to the Remblai finish for you.
Yes. Bike check-in is mandatory and day-before, racked overnight on the Place du Vendée Globe. There is no race-morning bike check-in, so don't plan to bring it on the day.
Bike and bag check-in opens Saturday at 14:00 and closes at 19:00 — confirmed from the 2026 athlete guide. Collect your timing chip on your way out.
The swim starts on the Grande Plage, about a 15-minute walk from transition, and finishes back up the Vendée Globe channel. Your white street bag is dropped at the start until 08:00 and moved to the Remblai finish, so dry clothes are waiting when you cross the line.
It's a rolling, self-seeded start — you queue by your estimated swim time. Wetsuits are legal up to 24.6°C; there's no in-water warm-up, so prepare in the assembly area before you go.
This edition has raced — the structure above stays for reference. Add Les Sables d'Olonneand RackSide has a personal, deadline-aware plan ready the moment the next edition's guide is published.