What do you do, if anything, to protect your transition area if it is raining? I’ve never had this issue before and I thought I wasn’t going to have it this weekend. That is, until this morning when the weatherman changed his mind on when the rain was going to get here from tomorrow evening (after the race) to late tonight/early tomorrow morning.
Any other special tips I should keep in mind for competing in the rain–other than “don’t wreck your bike” 
?
Thanks.
No special tricks for me. I just put a small plastic bag over my running shoes to keep them from filling with water before I get them on. Otherwise, everything’s going to be soaked anyway!
I also put my shoes in a bag to at least start out dry. The biggest thing to me is being extra careful of OTHER riders that are not experienced riding in the rain. Too many people are weather wimps and don’t get that you need to train in bad weather to understand how to race in it. People have a problem sliding on wet pavement when they unclip at the bike dimount, I had two people in a row wipe out in front of me doing exactly that. If you want, carry an extra tube and co2. Keep tabs on your nutrition as people have a tendancy to not do that in the cold and/or rain.
Good luck and enjoy!
Put your running shoes and socks( if you wear socks) in a plasric bag. That’s about it really.
I normally use the bag from registration.
Shoes, socks and a small towel go in it.
jaretj
if you don’t bring your big transition bag back to your car to keep it dry until it’s time to pack up, bring a big garbage bag and put it in there. At least your clothes and extra towel will be dry too.
just a thought, after you rack your bike, brush off the tires to make sure you haven’t picked up any sharp objects on your walk from the car to the racks.
good luck, keep the rubber side down, and try to stay off the painted road lines they’re slippery.
nothing
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Great tips, everyone. I will definitely remember to bring a trash bag to store my transition pack in as I’ll have to ride a half mile or more from the car to the transition and don’t want to walk my pack all the way back to the car. I’ll also bring a small plastic bag to cover my running shoes until T2. The bike shoes can just stay on the bike the whole time so I don’t bust my butt walking in them.
The weatherman says 60% chance of rain. I say 40% chance of no rain and just keep smiling.
Its good to get wet racing once in awhile…makes you appreciate the hot sunny days 
Remember to that roads get slick…so easy in the corners. Every race I have done in the rain I’ve always seen someone who went down.
my first race was on a rainy, fairly miserable day. i couldn’t be stuffed to try to keep anything dry in the transition area, as i’d be wet when putting it on anyway. didn’t even notice the wetness of the gear, although the puddle that had accumulated on the little mat included with my desoto transition pack made an easy 1 second foot wash in T1
i do wish i’d made more of an effort to keep my clothes dry, though. my trousers were in the front of my bag, and got fairly soaked, so i was really chilly after the race. if i’d left them with my husband in the same plastic bag as the sweater he hung onto for me, i would have been better off, or even putting them in a plastic bag inside the transition bag.
cheers!
-mistress k
Bring an extra trash bag to lie down under your transition towel as well.
Bring an extra trash bag to lie down under your transition towel as well.
What is this for?
I have a projected rainy race tomorrow also…first race with my new race wheels (tubulars). I have heard that you can drop the pressure in tubulars to make it easier to ride in the rain. I am 230 pound rider…what pressure would you recommend for that weight and rainy conditions?
Remember that stuff that bugs you normally will fade away on race day. You won’t notice a little grass or grit in your shoes. Sometimes I’m shocked to find out how much sand is still in my shoes when I get back and clean up in transition. Not that you shouldn’t cover them, but even if your shoes are wet, you won’t notice.
Chad
Bring an extra trash bag to lie down under your transition towel as well.
Also remember to cover your 10 gallon transition foot wash tub. You don’t want foot redness caused by low ph rain water mixing with your neutral distilled water.
Its raining out or has rained. Do you want to start the day by throwing your stuff down on wet grass, mud, etc?
Its raining out or has rained. Do you want to start the day by throwing your stuff down on wet grass, mud, etc?
Oh, gotcha. The transition area for this one is a paved area–that’s why the wet grass/mud thing didn’t click for me. Of course, the pavement will still be wet but it wouldn’t be as bad as having to put your stuff down in some muddy spot.
Thanks.
No worries. The only time I’ve ever used a bag underneath is at Chicago Triathlon where the transition is a big grassy incline and if you’re unlucky, you might be at the racked at the bottom after rain (such as this weekend), and at the Elkhart Lake Triathlon in Wis. where the grassy transition area has turned into a mud pit some years. A small kitchen trash bag folds up and fits into one of those unused pockets in the transition bag that appears to have no real purpose.
In Reply ToBring an extra trash bag to lie down under your transition towel as well.
What is this for?
I do that too. But I don’t know why!
Mike