I’m new to the sport and just did my second tri this past weekend and have issues putting socks on quickly at transition. For my first tri I found it really difficult to put on socks after the swim (even with briefly towel drying my feet). Last weekend I rode without socks but had the same issue at T2 because my feet didn’t dry enough during the ride. I wear cotton/poly socks if that makes a difference. My cycling shoes are vented, but they’re not tri specific shoes. Any advice would be much appreciated!
don’t wear socks at all is the best advice. If you have to wear sock, don’t wear socks with cotton in them. since you’re knew to the sport I’m assuming your doing sprint or olympic distance races, if so, learn to run without socks.
Well, for a lot of short races, and even some long ones, many of us don’t wear socks at all. But assuming that you want to wear socks, here’s what you can do:
Put your socks on before the race, and unroll them from your foot, so they’re in a nice tight roll. Put a little baby powder in them. The baby powder should help absorb some moisture when you go to put them on, and you can roll them onto your feet, rather than trying to pull them on over wet feet. Do towel off before putting them on though, the baby powder will help with moist feet, but not sopping wet ones.
Good luck!
well if you have to wear socks because you don’t have tri cycling and running shoes then I would get several pairs of smart wool socks. you can also do the “famous sock trick” for an even faster transition. While you are setting up before the race, put your socks on and then pull the top of the sock down halfway over the front of the sock. That way when you get into transition you just shove your foot into the little pocket you made and pull up the rest of the sock.
If you have the money though get some tri-specific cycling and running shoes and you shouldn’t need to wear socks anymore.
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Take a camp chair, a towel, a water bottle, some talc and a bucket full of water to T1 before the race.
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In T1, sit down in the chair and put your feet in the bucket – this will get most of the sludge off.
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Then, squirt the remaining grime off with the water bottle.
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Towel off – make sure to get between the toes.
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Sprinkle on talc. This will absorb any further moisture.
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Use these socks. Be sure to get each of the toe pockets on properly.
- You will now have a clear shot out of T1 as all the other competitors will have left on their bikes.
=-)
I’m also a newb - have tried running/cycling without socks and invariably end up with blisters. Yes STers, I know - I just need to HTFU - but my feet don’t care about what I ant to do. Socks it is.
Couple of things that helped me (as already posted) are 1)definitely roll your socks and 2)try different socks until you find one that you can both be comfortable in and that goes on wet feet more easily (cotton is the devil anyway)
Set one of these bad boys up in transition and weave some custom socks right onto your feet…
Forget about socks pal, before the race add vaseline to your shoes and then sprinkle baby powder. For the run I definitely wear socks, I quickly dry off my feet, socks, and take off…
Forget about socks pal, before the race add vaseline to your shoes and then sprinkle baby powder. For the run I definitely wear socks, I quickly dry off my feet, socks, and take off…
If you’re going to take the time to put on socks at any point in the race, why wait until T2? You could put them on in T1 and have the “benefits” of socks for both the bike and run.
EDIT: BTW, my smartass post above notwithstanding, I do put on socks (Smartwools) in T1. I found that I can actually run a few seconds per mile faster with socks, so I recoup the time lost putting them on in transition.
I put socks on in T1, and never change them. I’m typically top 25% in T time even though
I’m BOP in actual races.
Bleeding/blistering feet is never smart racing.
-Jot
I put socks on in T1, and never change them. I’m typically top 25% in T time even though
I’m BOP in actual races.
Bleeding/blistering feet is never smart racing.
True, but it’s worth trying racing sockless before deciding that it isn’t for you. I used to put on wear socks, but I’ve settled on not wearing them for anything Olympic or shorter. I just don’t blister that easily. I did wear socks for the run of my last few HIMs, but that’s because the run was mostly trail. On a paved run, I still don’t bother with socks. (And I’ve only done one IM, with socks, so I can’t generalize from that experience.)
For those of you that put on socks in T1, do you still clip the shoes into the pedals before the race and doing a fliyng dismount at T2?
I am in same boat as the OP done 2 sprints and I am spending 1 min more than the AG leaders in T1/T2.
Its free time and I want it!
I don’t wear socks on the bike, unless it’s an IM. But, in an HIM, I will put socks on during the run as I get blisters. Shorter runs no.
olympic distance or less I don’t wear socks.
when i do wear socks the secrets to speed are:
- choose very short below the ankle socks
- scrunch them up beforehand so they are about an inch 1/2 deep
- shove in your toes to the end first then over the heel. even with wet feet they should come on easily.
putting socks on in T2 is easier than T1 and most bike shoes are fine for riding even 112 miles sockless.
Train sockless, don’t try it for the first time in a race! I made that mistake, and tore my feet up so bad I couldn’t wear real shoes for two weeks. I am going to ride sockless and put socks on in T2 this weekend.
For Oly or shorter, no socks but I put Blister Shield in my shoes. The stuff works great.
For those of you that put on socks in T1, do you still clip the shoes into the pedals before the race and doing a fliyng dismount at T2?
Yes.** **The keys to fast transitions are very simple:
- Do as little as possible in transition
- Do as much as possible on the move
Here is what I wrote up about my tactics.
-Jot
“Because everything you wear on the bike should be aerodynamic, which means it should also be hydrodynamic, so good in the water too.”
Wrong, wrong, wrong. You’ll note that water is much more dense than air, and has a greater effect on your clothes than does air. Wear it in the water only if it was specifically made for the water (or if you don’t care about speed).
For a non-wetsuit swim, I wear shorts only for the whole race, fat be damned. In fact, for tomorrow’s Oly distance race, I’m going to wear my Speedo Endurance jammers over my De Soto tri-shorts, because the former is tight and the latter is floppy in the water. Rip 'em off in T1 and off I go.
Oh, and I put on socks in T2 because I’ve never been able to get my wide feet into my running shoes quickly (can’t count how much time I’ve lost struggling into my shoes while my calves cramped up).
“Get a race belt …It’s an easy, convenient way to hold your race number, move it from back (bike) to front (run)”
Don’t wear it on the bike unless you are required to (and I’ve never been required to in any sprint or Oly distance race).
" It might be necessary to pick up the back of your bike as you start the jog to keep the last shoe from catching the pavement and popping off."
Or just push with your feet the front pedal so that it is pointing forward. My size 45 shoes don’t drag.
I just put my socks on quickly and don’t worry about whether they are on perfectly or whether they are wet. I use Wright Socks which are good for blister prevention. I have never tried the flying mount - I put my shoes and socks on and run my bike out of transition that way. I don’t do particularly well in the really big races (not because of slow transitions, but because there are lots of guys much faster than me), but I still transition in 30-seconds or so this way and have managed some age group awards in smaller local races. I would rather be comfortable and blister free and enjoy my race than save the 6 seconds it takes to put socks on, plus I think I get the 6 seconds back by not being uncomfortable.