After racing this weekend, I have a few observations that will benefit the triathlon community.
When cycling:
LEARN TO HOLD A LINE! Today I saw countless triathletes (FOP, BOP, it doesn’t matter, poor bike handling skills abound everywhere) swerving and swooping all over the road. I don’t care if you are grabbing a water bottle, getting a GU out of your pocket, checking your watch or whatever, but RIDE IN A STRAIGHT LINE! Its a huge safety issue when someone attempts a pass and the person being passed can’t hold a line.
WHEN ATTEMPTING A PASS, COMPLETE IT! It is so annoying to come up on someone trying to pass another cyclist, but failing to do so, so the two ride side by side, making it impossible to pass them both.
RIDE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE LANE! It is very difficult to pass on the left when a cyclist is riding on the left side of the lane.
LASTLY, PICK UP YOUR TRASH! DON’T LITTER.
This stuff happens at every race. Lets learn to ride our bikes better.
Interestingly, it’s the people with below average bike skills that get annoyed by those kinds of situations. Those with good bike skills just go about their business and move on, since all those situations you described aren’t such a big deal. For instance I never once heard a pro complain about lapping age-groupers.
How did the ass cream work out for you, did you put in on before the swim or on T1?
I have pretty good bike handlng skills – I just see it as a safety issue. There have been bad wrecks at the last two races I’ve been at, and I think a lot of triathletes could learn a thing or two about how to handle a bike.
And the ass cream? Thanks for asking. Chamois butter applied before the race and body glide in on my tri suit chamois and my netherregions are doing great now, post race. I’m tired of ‘chap in the trap’ (as I saw it called on a thread a while ago), so I am pleased the chamois butter/body glide combo worked well.