Top Tips for Triathlon Transitions
By Bertie in Challenges,Cycling,EtchRock,Running,Swimming,Triathlon
Triathlon transitions often go under the radar when people think of ideas to speed up their triathlon times. We believe that transitions are key to knocking off seconds and sometimes even minutes off your overall time. Efficient transitions are quick transitions, and quick transitions are quicker triathlons!
If this is your goal then below are our top tips in streamlining the transition process and shedding time off your triathlon.
New to triathlons? Check out our beginners guide to triathlons here.
Practice practice practice!
When practicing for a triathlon, most people train for cycling, running and swimming, but rarely tie them all together. Practicing your transition is a certified way of making the process much more streamlined in time for race day.
When training your transitions, try and find a comfortable but fast method that’ll maximise efficiency and knock those seconds off!
Practice getting on and off your bike and practice your change of clothes as best you can so when it comes to race day, the process is almost like second nature!
Preparation
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail! As simple as it may seem, learning the course and packing only essentials can cut down the time you spend in transition.
Learning the course is all about knowing your areas for entry and exit. Know these areas and your transition will be just that bit quicker resulting in precious seconds being shaved off your time.
The gear, and the amount of it is incredibly important to cutting down transition times. KEEP IT SIMPLE! Overpacking and bringing too much is an easy way to over-complicate a process that needs to be uncomplicated. Bring what you need and only what you need!
(Sidenote)
When organising your gear, put it all in the order you need it.
Find your gear quicker!
A problematic part of the transition can be finding exactly where your stuff is in the first place. In the heat of the race, things can become confusing and if you know exactly where your stuff is, you won’t be caught up in all the faff.
The trick to this is writing the location of your gear on your arm. A quick glance down at your wrist can be the key factor in shredding valuable time off the transition and your race.
Use L for left, R for right then a number to indicate which station. This works for us, but at the end of the day it’s what you’re comfortable with. Just make sure it’s simple and legible!
You could also benefit from making your gear stand out from the rest. A colourful towel or something along those lines can make your stuff much easier to find amongst the rows and rows of bikes etc.
Lube… Yes, Lube
Taking a wetsuit off, when there isn’t a clock running or a race to win is a monumental task at the best of times. Being able to make this process quicker is an absolute must for anyone looking to save on their triathlon time.
Our suggestion is, before the swim, apply a lubricant on the wrists, ankles and neck before putting the wetsuit on. This will be a massive help for when it’s time to take the wetsuit off.
Being able to speed up this notoriously slow process will be key to improving transition and race times.
Keep moving!
Wherever possible, keep moving down the course. If you can put your belt on whilst running in the right direction, then seconds will be saved.
The same goes for the bike. Run with it (if you can), as it’ll help keep the time down. Be careful when running with the bike, if you lose concentration, it could cause an accident, but if executed correctly, it will be beneficial.
Keep on the move and save precious seconds.
If this is your goal then below are our top tips in streamlining the transition process and shedding time off your triathlon.
New to triathlons? Check out our beginners guide to triathlons here.
Overall, the amount of time that can be saved by preparing for the transitions before they eventually come around, knowing where to go and what to do can be the difference between the place you finish and the place behind you. Want to finish higher? Want to smash your PB? These steps will help you.
Struggling to find triathlons to take part in? Check out our friends at Go Beyond Challenge and Always Aim High to find your next triathlon!