Preparing For a Triathlon Part 2

Transition:

As we enter summer & race season check out GPC’s advice on how to make sure you are organised and ready for your first race of the season.

If you have read part 1 of our guide, you should have all your kit ready to race. Next step is to head to transition:

Have your security wrist band, stickers & race number on your bike, body & helmet
Have your helmet on your head and done up- this will be checked by the technical officials on entry, they will also check the condition of your bike
Locate your transition area marked with your race number
At the end of each bike rack row there is a sign indicating the race numbers on that row of racks. On the racks you will find bike rack stickers in race number sequence with each competitor’s name, swim cap colour and wave start time
It is usually best to rack your bike using the saddle, or in some cases the brake levers
Look around you to find a point of reference or count the number of racks leading in from the swim so you know exactly where your bike is
Place a bright towel next to your bike on the right hand side of your bike
Place your running shoes on the towel ready to slip on. Put a little Vaseline or baby powder inside your shoes on any points that your feet may rub so you don’t get blisters, and a little on the tongue so you can easily slip them on
Put your bike shoes on your towel in front of your runners if you haven’t practiced getting them on while you are riding, otherwise if you use toe clips or shoes already attached to your bike make sure your pedals are at 9 and 3 o’clock. This way your shoes are level and won’t drag on the ground
Elastic laces in your runners make it much quicker to slip your shoes on
Use elastic to hold the bike shoes onto your bike if it helps you not to stress about it
Practice putting your running shoes on
Put Vaseline on the sides of your bike seat to reduce chafing
Make sure your bike is in an easy gear to make your take-off easy
Go through the transition area before the race and know where the entries and exits are for the swim, bike and run. If you are not sure, ask the referees and walk the transition before the race start
If you have any questions in transition, there is always a couple of technical officials available or ask fellow athletes