I’m doing a sprint tri tomorrow that has a start temp forecast of 43 degrees. Since I am a Texan I’m not crazy about being cold on my bike. If you were doing this race would you put on anything extra at all such as a wind breaker, pull over, beanie, gloves or would you “tough it out”? The only other race I’ve done that was this cold was Fl IM in 06 I wore a beanie and a long sleeve jersey and gloves and was very glad I did, but since this is so short I was wondering if the suffering would be short enough to endure.
Thanks for your opinion. p.s. 40% chance of rain too!
You could leave your swim cap on under you bike helmet.
I have a tight fitting cycling jacket for this kind of race condition.
jaretj
First, theres a good chance the swim won’t end up happening. be ready for a duathlon
if the swim happens, have a wind breaker ready.
if it doesn’t just wear tight fitting long sleeved something, tights, and gloves.
I would wear the same as at IMFL in 2006. Then the air temp was 45, so very similar. I sure remember 2006—if I hadn’t trained all year I would have bagged it. It wasn’t just the cold it was the wind. I found if I got behind somebody else even at 40’ I could enjoy the drafting.
I second what jackmott writes.
If it were me competing, then I would wear a long sleeve jersey, tights and gloves.
Totally depends on your time goals, but for a sprint I’d just grin & bear it. Gloves maybe, so your claws still work when it comes time to fumble w/ shoes in T2; otherwise, the colder you feel, the harder you hammer… you’ll get a fire lit soon enough not to notice the numb extremities anymore. We should only be talking 45 minutes or so of exposure out of the water, right? It’s not like it’s below freezing where you could really do damage, or a longer race where comfort starts to count more.
Leaving the swim cap on might not be such a bad idea depending upon what order you put on your goggles and cap at the start.
For riding in temps like this I’d want a shell to keep my chest and core as warm as possible. I’d probably even opt for some full coverage gloves on the bike. I’d likely leave the jacket and gloves on for the run (a decision you can make as you get close to the end of the ride).
Don’t forget dry clothes for afterwards. If there’s any breeze at all you’ll cool off quick.
Temps here in Maine are supposed to get above 40 both days this weekend. That and enough road salt has washed away to finally take my bike off the trainer and get it outside.
Good luck with your race!
Rob
I would put on knee warmers and a tight fitting windbreaker vest or jacket in T1. When I get on the bike after a cold swim with cold weather my legs always seize up…naturally. So I would put emphasis on warming up those legs.
You can’t go wrong with a setup like this:
.
Yeah, I’m doing one tomorrow with a 40ish degree start temp, and rain. Yay. If i had ever DNF’d or DNS’d, I might consider bagging it altogether. But i’ve never done that yet, and don’t want to start now. it seems like an easy habit to get into once you’ve done it the first time.
This is gonna suck ass…
That sounds like a lot of my early season races. They are mostly short with pool swims. I would have toe covers 9 or (tape) on the bike shoes, gloves, beanie and a vest. I like the jacket but a vest goes on a lot easier when you are wet. I have one that is a stretchy sort of micro fleece but pretty wind resistant. Try to avoid parachute like outer-wear
Yeah…tough it out? Not a good idea. And this coming from a Marine. I know a thing or two about toughing it out.
If you were just running, you could tough it out. But 43, and on the bike…with chance of rain? That’s a recipe for hypothermia. Trust me, I’ve been there…Powerman Ohio, 2006 (correct year?)…low 50s, and raining. By mile 5 of the bike I was absolutely freezing since I only had my one piece tri suit on. By mile 15 I was genuinely hypothermic. I had to stop and warm myself up before continuing. The people with long sleeves and tights did ok that day…at least they did better on the bike. I salvaged the day by having the top run split for the second run…but its hard to come back from giving up 10-15 minutes on the bike just due to poor clothing prep.
Wear long sleeves (an Under Armour long T is perfect), and tights. A skullcap for the ride would not be a bad idea either. If the rain is truly threatening tomorrow…I’d wear long MTB style gloves too. If its just cold…I’d probably tough out the hands…especially for a sprint.