Newbie Questions
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kylie posted 1 year ago.
First off, best of luck with the first race!
1. I wear tri shorts (which are bike shorts but with a thin pad) under my wetsuit along with a sports bra (not sure if you are male or female) and a tri top. Then I peel off the wetsuit and am ready to bike and then run. Tri shorts are sorta like a combo of bike and compression shorts (the non-padded spandex ones) -- the lack of pad is nice for swimming and running, but it has enough pad to help some on the bike. When wet tri shorts are less chaffing than wet bike shorts.
2. The exact transition setup will depend on the race, but the general format is that you'll set up your bike and your bike gear and your run gear all at your spot before the race starts. The spot is a place on a rack for bikes -- sometimes you are assigned one and sometimes it is first come, first serve. It can be helpful to have a towel to place your gear on (but remember the area will be crowded, so stay as compact as possible). Usually only competators (with numbers) are allowed into the transition area (it's often fenced). And there are volunteers that are around it so no bikes walk off.
The bike to run transition is often in the same exact place (especially on smaller or local races). You come in with your bike, rack it at the same place it was before, pull off your helmet and bike shoes and pull on the run shoes you set up and have waiting there for you.
Some of these details will depend on the race itself, as I said. And what you wear will sometimes depend on the length of the race. But that's the basic idea.
Have fun!
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810 days
fastdog5 posted 1 year ago.
OK, another newbie here with a follow-up question: I have a pair of Pearl Izumi tri shorts (purchased based on good reviews online) and I'm finding them to be pretty uncomfortable on the bike. So do you just deal with the discomfort during the bike leg to be more comfortable on the swim and run legs? Or is there a better pair of tri shorts out there that I can try? Thanks!
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1408 days
brittda posted 1 year ago.
Are they uncomfortable because they are not as padded as your bike shorts? If so you could try different brands, but by design they will not have the padding bike shorts do so you can swim and run comfortably in them.
I would suggest:
1. getting a comfortable saddle
2. train when you can in them so you get used to them
I did all my long rides for my IM in them and while it was hard at first, I got used to them--but getting a good saddle was the key.
4508
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1646 days
kylie posted 1 year ago.
I love my PI tri shorts, but it is a personal preference thing. Like britt said, make sure it is the shorts (and not the saddle or the rear) by riding in some other shorts and seeing if they are better. If it is the shorts, try some bike ones, and try some other brands of tri shorts. It really is a personal thing.
Some people just don't find tri shorts as comfortable and save them for race days (my boyfriend is one, as he perfers to arrive at a race with no saddle sores and doesn't notice during a race). Other people find bike shorts uncomfortable and do all their training rides in tri shorts (like me, since bike shorts seem to give me more saddle sore issues). So it does take some experimenting... good luck!
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615 days
The Tortoise posted 1 year ago.
Thanks for the information - this is exactly what I was looking for. I'm going to try the IM shorts under my wet suit.
I wear my running shoes on the bike, so there isn't much for me to do at the second transition point except leave the bike and take off the helmet. Any other tips for the transitions? I like the idea of a towel at the first transition.
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1412 days
bromine99 posted 1 year ago.
Although I don't know what your race is going to be like, if you're first transition is after a sandy exit, you might want to have water, or a spare pair of socks at your transition to wash your feet off. I used half a spare water bottle to wash my feet off after my first race which exited from a lake onto a beach. On a sillier note I forgot to untie my running shoes before that triathlon and during T2 I was so jittery and anxious to start the run I managed to tie a knot in one of my shoes which cost me minutes and prompted much cursing on my part! Yeah I'm not very good with transitions!
As far as your tri-shorts go I wish you luck, I've found one piece tri-suits to be very comfortable, they're lighter on the padding and surprisingly easy to swim in, but that's just me.
Best of luck with your race! You'll never forget it!
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1051 days
Homebrewermike posted 1 year ago.
Go with tri-shorts or a one piece tri suit. They're both much more comfortable if you lube them up with something. Bag Balm works really well but it may react with your wetsuit. In a sprint with warmer waters you probably shouldn't wear a wetsuit anyway.
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1325 days
Tamara posted 1 year ago.
Good luck, Tortoise. A few other transition tips.... Having your bicycle helmet on and strapped is usually a requirement before taking your bike off the race, and you can't take it off until your bike is racked again when you get to T2. So that you don't forget, it might help to put your helmet on your bike saddle, or hanging from the handlebars, that way you can't move the bike without noticing it.
Same thing with your race number. If you have it on a clip-on belt (as opposed to pinned to your top under your wetsuit), have it laying on there as well. You can be penalized if you run without it.
Depending on how long your race is going to be, you might also want to have a gel or something already partially torn open and sitting there for you to grab at one of the transitions in case you need extra nutrition. It'll save you time if you're jittery to just be able to grab it and go rather than fumbling to open it.
I'm going to compete in my first tri June 23 in Poland, ME. If anyone else here is competing in that race I'd like to hear from you.
I have a couple of questions for those more experienced.
1. WHat do you wear for your bike and run? Do you wear bike shorts under your wetsuit and then strip down to them, or do people just change at the transition point or what? I don't want to ride in wet bike shorts, and I don't really want to run in bike shorts at all (although, I am considering wearing non-padded spendex "bike" shorts which wouldn't be so bad when they are wet). How is this generally done?
2. How is the swim to bike transition set up? I'm assuming I get my bike out there myself before the race and that someone will be watching the gear there. WHat about after the bike - does someone watch the gear at the bike to run transition point?
Any help is appreciated.