Alright, the dark arts of aerodynamics are discussed to death on this forum; we all know that bike fit is king, wrinkles are bad, round bottles are criminal and disc brakes are a topic you don’t even want to mention (oops!). But I have a question that’s been bugging me for a while:
What on earth should I do with my race number?
Sure, for a bike race or a TT you can pin your number on in a neat fashion or even use a Nopinz pocket and I’m reasonably happy that it’s not causing too much of an issue. But for a triathlon where it’s often **mandatory **to use a race belt, what on earth do you do on the bike to stop it flapping in the wind and sucking away all your hard-earned Watts?
The only satisfactory solution that I’ve found to this is try to find a race that has guaranteed bad weather and hope that it starts pouring down with rain and the water just sticks the number to your ass. Every other (dry) race that I’ve had, sooner or later it starts flapping around in the wind and annoys the hell out of me.
Surely there must be a good solution to this, what does everyone else do?!
Most races you can bike with just the stickers, only buckle up the race bet in T2
No way around it if organizers make it a must to bike with the belt, flapping sound is more annoying than anything else
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i used to pre-crumple the hell out of my race number, so it was soft, pliable etc.
On the bike, I turned it forward so it was in my lap. With it pre-crumpled, it didnt obstruct any leg movement, make any sound and didnt flap behind me.
Small bits of iron on velcro attached to rear of tri suit, then use sticky backed velcro on race number (with race belt) to hold in place. There you have a simple and effective aero number
i used to pre-crumple the hell out of my race number, so it was soft, pliable etc.
On the bike, I turned it forward so it was in my lap. With it pre-crumpled, it didnt obstruct any leg movement, make any sound and didnt flap behind me.
Every race I do, it’s obligatory to wear a number on both the bike and run. It’s also required that it’s to the rear on the bike and front on the run. It wouldn’t make much sense to oblige riders to wear a number but allow them put it where no-one could see it!
Do people not usually wear race belts/numbers on the bike leg in the US then? That would probably explain why it’s not discussed much on here! At every event I’ve done in the UK it’s mandatory and annoyingly everyone stipulates that your number has to be on your *back *for the bike and on your *front *for the run; so unless it’s one of the few races that issue you with duplicate race numbers then basically your only option is a race belt that you swing around to the front in T2. For example in the IMUK athlete guide:
You will also have a race number to wear on your back for the bike and front for the run. You can use safety pins if you wish. However because you need to change the position in transition it is strongly recommended that you get a race belt which saves you time, allows you to easily switch clothing and avoids putting holes in your clothing.
In fairness they do highlight this again in the “Local Rules” section, so maybe this is just some dumbass ruling that the British Triathlon Federation require? It’s a bit unnecessary when you already have a number on your bike, helmet and body marking too.
Small bits of iron on velcro attached to rear of tri suit, then use sticky backed velcro on race number (with race belt) to hold in place. There you have a simple and effective aero number
I like the idea of this but I can’t imagine it’s easy to stick it on straight in T1? Have you actually done this successfully? I’m worried it’s just going to be wonky and end up like a massive deployed parachute on my back.
I just found a picture of Kienle with his number flapping around in the wind, so it’s good to know I’m not the only one:
Do people not usually wear race belts/numbers on the bike leg in the US then? That would probably explain why it’s not discussed much on here! At every event I’ve done in the UK it’s mandatory and annoyingly everyone stipulates that your number has to be on your *back *for the bike and on your *front *for the run; so unless it’s one of the few races that issue you with duplicate race numbers then basically your only option is a race belt that you swing around to the front in T2. For example in the IMUK athlete guide:
You will also have a race number to wear on your back for the bike and front for the run. You can use safety pins if you wish. However because you need to change the position in transition it is strongly recommended that you get a race belt which saves you time, allows you to easily switch clothing and avoids putting holes in your clothing.
In fairness they do highlight this again in the “Local Rules” section, so maybe this is just some dumbass ruling that the British Triathlon Federation require? It’s a bit unnecessary when you already have a number on your bike, helmet and body marking too.
It’s not just a British Tri Rule, it’s an ITU rule that numbers must be worn on bike and run legs (Back on the bike, front on the run). Given that many national federation rules (with USAT being an exception) follow the ITU rules (with the odd exception), that is why in many jurisdictions you’re required to wear the numbers. The rule only came back this year (after a brief hiatus), at least in Canada, it varied by race director. This year it’s been a large issue at many races, people remember last year where they hadn’t have to wear it, and then go out on the bike without a number… Technically the penalty is “stop and correct, or DSQ” meaning technically they need to return to T1, grab their bib, before continuing, or face a DQ… typically for local events, we’ve been warning athletes that they could face a DQ for that, and issuing warnings or stop & go penalties. I’ve always opted to wear the number on both the bike and run, in case there was any uncertainty, and to avoid forgetting to grab it in T2…
Alright, the dark arts of aerodynamics are discussed to death on this forum; we all know that bike fit is king, wrinkles are bad, round bottles are criminal and disc brakes are a topic you don’t even want to mention (oops!). But I have a question that’s been bugging me for a while:
What on earth should I do with my race number?
Sure, for a bike race or a TT you can pin your number on in a neat fashion or even use a Nopinz pocket and I’m reasonably happy that it’s not causing too much of an issue. But for a triathlon where it’s often **mandatory **to use a race belt, what on earth do you do on the bike to stop it flapping in the wind and sucking away all your hard-earned Watts?
The only satisfactory solution that I’ve found to this is try to find a race that has guaranteed bad weather and hope that it starts pouring down with rain and the water just sticks the number to your ass. Every other (dry) race that I’ve had, sooner or later it starts flapping around in the wind and annoys the hell out of me.
Surely there must be a good solution to this, what does everyone else do?!
If everybody in the race has to wear the number like you would then is’t you doing this skirting the rules for an unfair advantage?
