Please reveal your transition tricks “for the love of the game”. I have questions.
1rst ? How do you put your bike shoes on? In transition or on the bike? I see the pros at IM’s doing both but at shorter dist races I’m not too sure. I still put my shoes on in transition for the following reasons: 1) The time it takes me to slip them on and strap off the bike, is faster than the time it takes me slipping them on and strapping “on the bike”. Traditionally coming out of the water the guys that beat me out of T1 I pass within 100 yards, (while they are slipping their feet into their shoes) 2) my shoes drag the ground so hard when they are left dangling from the pedals I’m afraid of loosing one or at the least burning a hole through them.
T2 - the slipping the feet out of the pedals seems to be the way to go, but here again while others are coasting in and unstrapping shoes I have passed many a bike. Do you just bend down to put on the run shoes or does anyone actually sit?
I need to find an extra 10 sec in T1 and T2. Your imput is always appreciated!
I do it all on the bike and have never been passed going out or coming in. If you do it right and practice you can do it without losing much if any momentum. Also add in the fact that you can run to/from the dismount line much quicker without cycling shoes.
In IM races where your T1 bag is far from the bike, I always carry my shoes to my bike and put them on there. If my bike is really far from the mounting line, I will also run to the line, ask someone to hold my bike and then put them on. I have a hard time running in my bike shoes so this works for me. Same thing when I get to T2, take off the shoes, hand over the bike, and run like crazy.
I tried the bike shoes on the bike transitions in a sprint tri a couple of weeks ago and found it to be much faster. Running barefoot is much faster than running in bike shoes. I used the rubber band trick to hold the shoes in a horizontal position, making them easy to slip into on the bike. Getting out was easy as well, I loosened the strap slipped my heel up and continued to pedal strongly right up to the dismount line, then out came my feel easily. I had never done this before and only practiced the night before the race. My T1 time was 0:39, T2 was 0:30.
Of course getting a good spot on the bike rack is helpful if possible. I’ve found at many races getting there as transition opens results in a good spot. Racking the bike is also typically better when you have the bike pointed out so to don’t have to turn it around before starting to run.
The best idea is to practice everything. Analyze it all to determine what is fastest. Watch the pros and top age groupers if possible. Our club had a transition clinic. Simulating coming from the swim, doing T1, riding a loop around a parking lot, then T2 and a simulated run start. A pro was completely through before some people even had their bike shoes on in T1. It was amazing to watch!
I put my shoes on the bike. Well, I tried, but leaving them just on the pedals isn’t good because they tend to clip out easily. I need to use rubberbands from now on if I want to do this. It is much, much easier and safer to run through T areas in bare feet instead of cycling shoes. In my race this past weekend, I passed about 5 people alone in the T1 area because they had shoes on and I didn’t. If you practice and get good at it, you’ll be able to go fast while slipping your feet in your shoes.
For the run, I put on my socks, have speed laces, and that’s it. I grab my hat, my race belt, and my Gus and I deal with all of that stuff on the run. If you can do anything while making forward progress, do it. You can put your hat on and your race belt on while running. There is no need to stop making forward progress to deal with this stuff. This is partially a reason why shoes clipped on the pedals for the bike is advantageous as well.
Wetsuit off as much as possible before getting to the rack. Have your cap and goggles off and just throw them down.
Run. I passed 8 people going from the swim exit to the bike rack this past weekend alone. It’s still a race so run it like you’re racing.
I used to leave the shoes in the pedals but found I was having a hard time getting my wet feet in them and I would swerve all over the road that I switched to putting them on and then running with the bike. For me this was faster than shoes on the pedals and I’ve been competitive in races that those few seconds count.
For T2 -getting out of the shoes and on top of them is standard and the best for saving time. I come in and bend over to put on my running shoes. When that’s done I take off my helmet while I’m still bent over and grab my hat, and race belt and I’m off and running. If you are going to put on socks the sock condom is a good trick. The night before put your socks on and roll them down your ankle and foot until you have about three to four inches left for the toes. Lay them out in front of your running shoes in transition. Put them on your toes and roll them up. Takes about 5 seconds.
“I have been doing races about 5 seasons. Never saw a race that allowed you to pick a bike race spot.”
I’ve done mostly sprints and a few Olys over the past 5 years and at almost all of them it was possible to pick a good spot. Some had certain racks assigned to certain heats, waves, or age groups, but I’ve found it more desireable to have a spot on the end of a rack rather than the middle so there is no problem with trying to get around people. I’ve had to work to find ways to save time because my running sucks.
Similar thing but I put my sunglasses in my helmet. Specifically just above the line where my eyes are and in upside down and backwards to hold them in.
Same idea of being able to put them on my face once I’m moving though.
I have to say I am also a newbie to the bike shoes already in the pedals and after 1 race I am a convert. I always thought I could pass people getting into their shoes also but it is not the case. I practiced it for about 1 hour at my house and not only did my T times plummet, no one passed me on the beginning of the bike due to me putting my feet in.
Also good trick is a little vaseline on the heel of the running shoes (assuming you don’t wear socks). Makes it much easier to get your sweaty feet in.
I basically try and keep everything as minimal as possible on a sprint race for transition…no hat, no sunglasses, no socks. I can suck it up for that short distance and save the time.
I tried the shoes on the bike, leave the shoes on the pedals dismount earlier this year. On the dismount, the shoes were dragging, flipping on the ground to the point that it was kicking the bike up into the air. Sadly, I don’t think this trick works for 48 cm bikes, unless one has truly pixie like feet.
actually, you can make that work even on a midget bike. When dismounting in T2 try to dismount with pedals in 3-9 position and you should be ok, unless your pedal/cleat position is really far forward and the shoes still drag even in 3-9. Also depends on the model of your pedals, different brands balance the shoes at slightly different angles. I ride a 47cm bike and it works for me, but it took some practice.
When you do a flying dismount (off your bike) hold your bike by the saddle when you are starting to run and Yank up on the saddle , thus straightening the pedals to the 3-9 position, they won’t drag.
