What’s the best trick/skill to master during the offseason, for next year ? Which will pay more dividends and why ? As an example, is it better to master flip turns or pull off the shoes-in-the-pedals transistions ? and why ? i’m leaning toward the shoes-in-the-pedals, what do you all think ?
Get your running cadence over or at 90rpm.
t~
I say learn both. Neither are terribly difficult (and I have zero coordination).
I did the Ultimate Training Camp at the NTTC in Victoria a couple of years ago and it was a blast. There was a lot to learn there but the fun part was doing the shoes in the pedal, jump on the bike on the fly, shoes on and shoes off, jump off the bike and rack it drill. We had a lot of the pro’s there including world junior champ Sweetland. She is amazingly fast in transition. I picked it up pretty quickly and can say that, if you can master this you will save a ton of time in transition.
The last race I did, I was 34th out of the water, I passed 4 people on the bike and when I started the run I was in 5th (5th fastest bike ride). So after looking at my bike time on my computer and my overall bike time, both transitions took me 1:35. I think it is worth doing.
Flip turns are only useful if you are doing pool swim triathlons as far as I am concerned.
I think the shoe in the pedal thing is just a matter of comfort, doesn’t require much skill. I think transitions in general are overlooked. I know I lose time with my wetsuit even though emilio can get his off in .5 seconds.
I’ve spent this year doing nothing but trail runs of up to 90 minutes. No speed work at all. I held my own in the runs this year, but speed work will help. Next year the “trick” is to add some speed work. I’ll start track sprints in January. My first race is in March.
I’ve been racing for 15 years, 51 years old…so speed work is a “trick” : )
In 15 years I’ve never used the shoe in the pedals trick. I think…and I said “think”…that I’ll probably pass you or catch you as you are getting your feet into the shoes and I motor by, already pushing watts. OH…and at my age its a long way down to the shoes : ) I have very long legs and its tough to reach the shoes while on the bike : )
My transitions are normally high in my age group if not overall. After 15 years you learn lots about transitions. Shoes…helmet…glasses…and GO.
there was a thread here awhile ago - someone thought they had the ‘take your feet out of the shoes and pedal on top up to the dismount line’ thing down… then one race his shoe dropped down forward (lifting the rear wheel) and he wiped out right at the dismount line.
hear is some free advice for MY ag - slow and steady wins the race
shoes in pedals may or may not be a worthwhile trick to learn. For me, its a bit of a waste as I put my shoes on a lot faster on the ground (takes all of 8 seconds), whereas on the bike I always get some part of the shoe wedged in my toes as I try to put them on. With Time “cafe” cleats I can run pretty quick through the transition area, same with Shimano SPD SL cleats. I also don’t need to worry about catching a shoe on the ground and losing it during the run through the transition area.
Like any trick, learn it and see if it works for you, then either use it in races or not.
If you want something that will really pay off in races (in the swim) work on sighting drills. Work on being able to swim a straight line with your eyes closed. Work on your sprinting to be able to get clear water at the beginning of a race.
I use the “feet out of the shoes” for T2. I’ve been doing it for years. I’ll say this is more time savings then doing the shoes on pedals for T1. I have crashed once…over the bars as I was on a side dismount and used a tad too much front brake as I stopped…yep, it hurt!!! And I lost a shoe with it hanging on the pedal as I was running thru T2. I left it there and a race volunteer had it at my bike when I finished the race!!! : )
Definitely track stands.
I'm going with work on drafting skills, should show the most time gains.
kidding, just kidding
"shoes in pedals may or may not be a worthwhile trick to learn. For me, its a bit of a waste as I put my shoes on a lot faster on the ground (takes all of 8 seconds), whereas on the bike I always get some part of the shoe wedged in my toes as I try to put them on. With Time “cafe” cleats I can run pretty quick through the transition area, same with Shimano SPD SL cleats. I also don’t need to worry about catching a shoe on the ground and losing it during the run through the transition area.
Like any trick, learn it and see if it works for you, then either use it in races or not.
If you want something that will really pay off in races (in the swim) work on sighting drills. Work on being able to swim a straight line with your eyes closed. Work on your sprinting to be able to get clear water at the beginning of a race. "
i’m with you on the shoes in pedals in T1; it just never has made sense to me, although at a race this year i couldn’t click in because of a clump of mud on my cleat. other than that, though, i think i’m just as fast putting 'em and running. i do think coming out at T2 might make some sense.
i don’t have to worry about sprinting at the start of the swim, it clears out in front of me pretty quick !!
I used to think this way about shoes on pedals in T1, especially when I kept passing people who struggled to get into their shoes while riding that first mile. One day I decided I would learn it anyway and see what it was like. I noticed a few things:
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You can save a TON of time in T1 itself. Maybe there were other factors involved, but in my first race doing this, I knocked 30 seconds off my T1 from the same race 2 years prior. It didn’t make sense at first (like you, I figured it was only 8-10sec for me to get those shoes on), but then I realized that my whole mental approach to T1 changed to “helmet on, grab bike, go”. No bending down, thinking about multiple movements, just do a good job clipping your helmet and you are gone. This is especially useful in the short races where I am seeing stars after a hard swim.
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You don’t have to lose that much time slipping into those shoes if you practice. Also, scouting the terrain around transition and figuring out the best spot to soft pedal a second to get your feet in is useful (I often go 5min on the tops before there is a good spot, and by then my HR has dropped as well so it is easier to do). Once you get to the point where seconds count, it is amazing how useful it is to look at the technical aspects of the course and transition areas.
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The flipside of 2 is that you might be in a situation where you can’t hammer right out of T1 due to heavy bike traffic. No stress - use the opportunity to slip into those shoes. At least you are not wasting your time in T1 and THEN hitting the traffic jam. Of course, learning to get into your shoes without weaving all over the place is important too
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There are still many cases where the circumstances just don’t support this strategy. As you suggested, learn the trick, try it out, and then choose whether to use it. I say that these days, I use this trick in 70% of my races.
Just a reality check, but do you already bilateral breathe okay. i.e. breathe to both sides equally well? If not, I would definitely work on getting that down. Then you can pay a lot more attention to your stroke and balance in the water. Then throw in the flip turn.
Changing a flat in under 2 mins…dismount to remount.
It can be done.
“Just a reality check, but do you already bilateral breathe okay. i.e. breathe to both sides equally well? If not, I would definitely work on getting that down. Then you can pay a lot more attention to your stroke and balance in the water. Then throw in the flip turn.”
That’s a good one; i’ve definitely got a "flavored"side and a vanilla one !!