Triathlon Transition

If you are confident in your swimming skills for the triathlon, you must next master the bike transition. After all, the clock is ticking the entire race; not just while you are swimming, biking or running. Follow the tips below to improve your transition time in between your swim and your bike portions of your triathlon.

1.Simplicity– Make sure that your transition is as simple and easy as possible to reduce wasteful time. Keep the amount of tasks that you need to complete during this transition phase to a minimum. The fastest athletes simply put on their helmets and grab their bikes once they get to their bike. They are able to do this as they choose to wear a one piece swimming suit, suitable for each components of the race. Some competitors choose to attach their shoes to their pedals so that they simply have to slip their feet into them as they are coming out of the water. You may also want to consider attaching food (like Gu or whatever fuels you) and water as well as sunglasses to your bike.

2.Master Multi Tasking– Are you skilled at managing multiple tasks at once? For purposes of getting things done in your work day, this usually isn’t very effective. For racdes, you want to be thinking of everything that you need to do as you are exiting the water- sunglasses, shoes, swimsuit adjustments or removal as each one of these tasks can add seconds to your race time. Think ahead to reduce time when you get to your bike.

3.Train, Train, Train– Don’t wait until the race day to learn how to transition from the water to your bike. Just like you train for every component of your race, you must also practice transitions in order to master them. Walk through the process, what items you will need and develop a checklist for race day. This way you will be sure not to forget crucial items. Then, be sure to actually time yourself transitioning from the water to your bike enough times until you are comfortable throughout your training regimen.

4.Set Up– Take time on the day of your race to set everything up. Make sure that you arrive early enough so that you have a proper amount of time to get all of your items ready and to review your gear. Nothing is worse than being rushed on the morning of your race.

As you can see, there are multiple components to consider as you prepare for not only your race, but the transitions within your race.

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