Blue bagBike / T1 — what you ride in
- Helmet
- Bike shoes
- Sunglasses
- Race belt + number
- Bike nutritiongels · bars
- Socksoptional
Racked with your bike at check-in, the day before. Your wetsuit goes in here after the swim.
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What to pack for IRONMAN 70.3 Vichy
IRONMAN 70.3 Vichy is a flat, fast single-transition 70.3 — you rack at one transition by the Lac d'Allier, with two colour-coded bags for the bike and the run, and your bike goes in the night before. Here's exactly what goes in each, when check-in closes, and how race morning runs.
70.3Single transitionVichy, FranceSun 23 Aug 2026
ⓘThe layout, bags and check-in shape come from the race calendar and don't change year to year. Exact times are carried from the 2025 athlete guide — this edition has raced, so they stay as a reference to the week's shape, never a live deadline.
A single transition, in two places.
Swim, bike and run all turn through one transition at the Parc Omnisports — you come back to the same rack between disciplines, and the run finishes on the lakeshore right there. Two bags, one spot, no kit to move across town.
T1 / T2 · one transitionParc Omnisports, Lac d'AllierSwim exit, bike out, then bike in and run out — all at the same rack. Your blue and red bags are both here.
→finishLac d'Allier waterfrontRun finish by the lake, beside the transition.
▪A single transition with a flat, fast course — there's little to track and little to climb. Both bags wait at the one rack, so pack each for its discipline and bring a small personal bag for the dry clothes you leave at your spot.
Two bags, by colour.
IRONMAN's colour-to-bag scheme is the same across European 70.3s, so this part is settled. It's a two-bag race: pack each for the discipline it powers and label nothing else.
Red bagRun / T2 — what you finish in
- Running shoes
- Run cap or visor
- Run nutritiongels
- Anti-chafe balm
- Sunscreensmall
- Electrolyteslate-Aug heat
Racked at the transition the day before. It's waiting for you off the bike.
+What you carry to the water (not in a bag): wetsuit, goggles, timing chip on the ankle, and the swim cap from your race pack. There's no separate street bag on this race — leave the dry clothes you arrive in at your own rack space, or with a supporter at the finish.
Your bike goes in the night before.
Vichy runs a mandatory day-before bike check-in with the bike racked overnight at the Parc Omnisports — there's no race-morning bike check-in to fall back on. The shape of that is fixed; the exact closing minute is this edition's detail.
Parc Omnisports, Lac d'Allier
Day beforeMandatoryRacked overnightNo race-morning check-in
Bike check-in & bag drop closecut-off
from the 2025 guide
These are the 2025-guide times. This edition has raced — they stay as a reference to the shape of the week, not a live deadline.
How the morning typically runs.
The choreography barely moves year to year — transition opens early, it closes before the gun, then the rolling swim start on the Lac d'Allier. The order is what matters.
Saturday — day before
Athlete check-in opens
Bag drop (blue + red) closes
Bike check-in closes
Sunday — race day
Transition opens
Transition closes
Rolling swim start
Bike cut-off
Final finish cut-off
Vichy, answered.
How many bags does Vichy use?
Two: blue for the bike, red for the run. It's a single-transition 70.3, so both bags sit at the one rack and there's no separate tracked street bag.
What colour bag is the bike bag?
The blue bag is your bike / T1 bag — helmet, bike shoes, sunglasses, race belt and ride nutrition. It's racked with your bike at the Parc Omnisports the day before.
Do I have to check my bike in the day before?
Yes. Bike check-in is mandatory and day-before, racked overnight by the lake. There is no race-morning bike check-in, so don't plan to bring it on the day.
Where do my morning clothes go?
There's no separate street bag, so the dry clothes you arrive in stay at your own rack space or with a supporter. The compact, walkable layout makes that easy — most central hotels are minutes from transition.
What time does check-in close?
In 2025 it closed around 18:00–18:30 on Saturday. The 2026 athlete guide was never published anywhere we could reach, so this edition ran on the 2025 structure and we never confirmed the exact minute — read it as the shape of the day, not a confirmed deadline.
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