cold weather start
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catwood posted 27 weeks ago.
Just be a man and go. I did a tri like that last year - 43 degrees 20mph wind in my swim suit the whole way. Ok, I had the fastest T1 in the whole race by 10 seconds over a couple of other crazies and 30 seconds over other 'fast' transitions of the people in the top 10 overall. I wondered why everybody else had taken the time to put on jackets and long spandex and gloves and hats until I was done with the bike and my fingers wouldn't work... If you take time to put on anything extra and it really is under 50 degrees, I recommend gloves. Check out my race report for the Tower Triathlon.
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Anton posted 27 weeks ago.
"Be a man" may mean you'll finish with a less than stellar performance.
Bicycling magazine recommends long sleeves and tights for temps between 32 and 60 degrees F.
Why? You create your own wind chill when you ride which leads to a drop in core body temps.
When your core temps drop below 98.6 (or whatever your base temp may be) the body requires 15 to 20% more oxygen to maintain the same pace...partly due to diminished cardiac output in the the cold. Hemoglobin and oxygen bind tightly together in low temps, making it difficult to extract oxygen from the blood when it gets to the muscles...
Taking the time to put on the shirt and gloves as Cat recommended will make for a better race.
Sources: Bicycling, Runners World and Jenkins, Kemnitz and Tortora "Anatomy and Physiology"
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://agingsuperhero.blogspot.com
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RV posted 27 weeks ago.
Depends - How long do you expect to be on the bike - and how tolerant you are too the cold?
I was able to do an IM in a tri-top with gloves and arm warmers in the rain and temps that topped out at 50. There were also people that suffered with hypothermia in that race. So it is variable.
Throwing on a jacket in T1 might be faster than trying to wrestle on a jersey when wet.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
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Bullet posted 27 weeks ago.
I'd throw a shirt on for sure. I'm still finicky enough though that it'd have to be some type of streamlined jersey. I wouldn't want a t-shirt flapping in the wind. Go with a full zipp jersey. It puts on like a jacket. You can zip it up while on the bike.
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Anton posted 27 weeks ago.
Full zip jersey! I like it... nice option...long sleeves for really cold starts.
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://agingsuperhero.blogspot.com
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404 days
max ping posted 27 weeks ago.
well i think "something on" is probably the best option. interestingly the ride starts with a decent downhill of all things. i was considering a windbreaker i have that i can slide in backwards so the back is just open. the course turns around after a few miles and hits the hill again and i think by then i can just slip out of it and wrap it around my bars or something.
i dont have a full zip and at this time can afford one but that is excellent advice
at my first race in october i went with shorts only, no shirt. i was about to buy a top and was convinced by a female training friend that if she were a he she would just wear the shorts.
anyway, my first race is one week from today in gatlinburg tennessee and morning temps are in the forties highs in the 60's. its a pool swim and the issue is hopping on the bike and FREEZING! has anyone had experience with these kinds of temps?
I was thinking of having a dri fit type long sleeve in t1 rolled and ready to slip over my head. or is there something im not thinking of? i think that no matter how ready the shirt is, being damp is going to make it difficult to get on.
or should i just take it like a man, hop on the bike and go?