So I made a point of actually looking at my bike computer during yesterday’s NJ Triathlon while I was putting my left foot into my shoe. When I stopped pedaling on a flat stretch of road, I was at 21.3mph. When I started pedaling after getting my foot in (strap not yet tightened), I was at 21.0mph. Tightening the strap, going up a slight incline, dropped my speed from a bit over 20mph to a bit over 19mph, uphill.
Bottom line: “coasting” while getting your feet in the shoes, if done with a modicum of skill, costs next to nothing in terms of time.
On a related note, I tried to emulate Doug Clark and minimize transition times. Out of almost 700 finishers, I had the 7th lowest total transition time, :10 behind the fastest.
I’ve always done the shoes on the bike thing, but not the flying mount. I was thinking about working on that this weekend and then noticed how high my behind the seat bottles are. I’m not sure I can clear those things with the 24oz polar bottles I normally use. What’s your water setup?
I’ve always done the shoes on the bike thing, but not the flying mount. I was thinking about working on that this weekend and then noticed how high my behind the seat bottles are. I’m not sure I can clear those things with the 24oz polar bottles I normally use. What’s your water setup?
Water? We don’t need no steenkin’ water! HTFU.
Actually, I use an aerobottle in front. Have to be one heckuva mount for that to get in the way.
“Bottom line: “coasting” while getting your feet in the shoes, if done with a modicum of skill, costs next to nothing in terms of time.”
The thing the naysayers don’t seem to grasp is you’re moving along at a much faster speed than the zero they are going when putting their shoes on at the rack. Plus you likely can run much faster through the TA without bike shoes on your feet.
do you tie or tape your shoes that they are level or just let them hang loose as you’re running out of T-1?
Hanging loose. I do a left-side mount, so I really don’t have somewhere to tie my left shoe (ain’t gonna tie it to my front skewer) forward. I usually use my foot to flick the shoe right-side-up; it’s often swinging so this is pretty quick. Stand on the left pedal, quarter turn pedaling while swinging leg over, flick right pedal with other foot, and off I go.
This T1 had 150yds from swim exit to my bike rack (about in the middle of transition), then 50yds with bike to the timing mats, then another 50yds to the mount line, all slightly uphill. That’d be a lot of running in bike shoes!
do you tie or tape your shoes that they are level or just let them hang loose as you’re running out of T-1?
Hanging loose. I do a left-side mount, so I really don’t have somewhere to tie my left shoe (ain’t gonna tie it to my front skewer) forward. I usually use my foot to flick the shoe right-side-up; it’s often swinging so this is pretty quick. Stand on the left pedal, quarter turn pedaling while swinging leg over, flick right pedal with other foot, and off I go.
This T1 had 150yds from swim exit to my bike rack (about in the middle of transition), then 50yds with bike to the timing mats, then another 50yds to the mount line, all slightly uphill. That’d be a lot of running in bike shoes!
Local international tri, my N=1 for the "slow" method had me a second slower than Dan Moss in T2, and 4 sec ahead of Silver for the same transition. (I only have T2 to compare, because I did the local tri as a team with the girlfriend swimming...) I'd guess that I'm pretty good at the slow method, but there was a guy who went 7 sec faster, maybe he's a good example of what is possible if you do the fast method, AND you're good at it. Food for thought.
I’ve always done the shoes on the bike thing, but not the flying mount. I was thinking about working on that this weekend and then noticed how high my behind the seat bottles are. I’m not sure I can clear those things with the 24oz polar bottles I normally use. What’s your water setup?
Not only that… remember your legs sometimes don’t want to jump as well coming out of the water as if you are just practicing
You were one of the lucky ones! My wife and I were volunteering yesterday. After body marking, I was at the bike mount and dismount. (I was short guy in the IMLP hat and Infinit shirt yelling at people to “move up to mount.”) The majority of people who tried to save time by either running with their shoes on their bikes or taking their shoes off before their dismount lost a lot of time. I would say that 75% of the riders who attempted either technique dropped a shoe or had to pull onto the grass to put on their shoes. I even caught two riders who were about to fall as a result of their struggle. I guess we should all take your and Dev Paul’s example and learn to shorten our transition times. Congrats on a great race!
The majority of people who tried to save time by either running with their shoes on their bikes or taking their shoes off before their dismount lost a lot of time. I would say that 75% of the riders who attempted either technique dropped a shoe or had to pull onto the grass to put on their shoes. I even caught two riders who were about to fall as a result of their struggle.
I’m not sure if this speaks to the general cycling ineptitude of Ironman athletes or triathletes in general. Flying mounts and coasting dismounts to a near dead run are just not that hard. I have learned to weave in between the goof balls who stop at the dismount line and then weave back and forth until they are clicked in. Last week at the Pendleton tri I ran past guys either stopped or on their bikes until I had a clear area and then jumped on the bike. I was probably a good 20-30 meters beyond the dismount line at that point, but still moving faster than the riders. None of those guys with their feet already clipped in caught me. It just takes a little practice until you are comfortable with all the movements, but I suspect it is not something to which most people devote enough thought.
Chad
One handlebar-mounted bottle only. If your rear mount bottles are mounted high enough to interfere with a flying dismount then you may as well put up a sail or throw away your aero frame because your are losing all the benefit by having them stir up all that air coming off your back.
For half-IM I add a frame mounted bottle.
Chad
I’ve used this newly learned trick as well in crowded areas. Just run about 20 feet past the mounting line to get by all the people stopped/fumbling around on their bikes. I even did it in a small race last weekend (140 racers) because about 10 people were crossing the mount line at the same time. Last year I would’ve mounted behind all those guys and patiently waited until they moved by…
You were one of the lucky ones! My wife and I were volunteering yesterday. After body marking, I was at the bike mount and dismount. (I was short guy in the IMLP hat and Infinit shirt yelling at people to “move up to mount.”) The majority of people who tried to save time by either running with their shoes on their bikes or taking their shoes off before their dismount lost a lot of time. I would say that 75% of the riders who attempted either technique dropped a shoe or had to pull onto the grass to put on their shoes. I even caught two riders who were about to fall as a result of their struggle. I guess we should all take your and Dev Paul’s example and learn to shorten our transition times. Congrats on a great race!
Todd
Doesn’t end there, the carnage continues up the road a ways. I’m to the left passing people (sucks being a bad swimmer) a quarter mile into the bike leg of a little race, and a guy is working to get his foot in and kicks his left shoe out across my line, he swerves to get to it, luckily I was close enough that I just screamed at him and body checked him back into his line. A wheel more back, and I would have t-boned him. Sadly, I think lots of guys are just emulating the top guys with their shoes on bike approach, sans the skill.
I’m not worried about a flying DISmount. I can swing my leg up high enough to clear the bottles when I have my non-swinging foot on the pedal.
It’s the flying mount I’m concered with. I’m not sure about going from 2 feet on the ground to getting one across the seat and over the bottles.
FWIW, I’ve done the shoes on the pedals thing for years. Just never done the flying mount.
Put me in the rubber band and step on method. I’d lose far more time recovering from crushing the twins using the flying mount.
I set the left shoe at the bottom, rubberbanded to the skewer, which lifts off when I start pedalling. The right shoe, at the top, is rubberbanded the the brake mounting bolt, and either breaks or flicked off. The rubberbands help keep my size 12 shoes from dragging on the ground and possibly popping off.
For the dismount, I swing my right leg over the frame, in FRONT of the left, taking my first step with the right.
