Question about transitioning between swimming and biking in a triathlon?
Posted by Ray Gill
Filed under Triathlon Answers
I’m not sure what kind of clothes I’m supposed to wear. I don’t think I can manage to run without a sports bra/just in a swimsuit. Should I just slip on my sports bra over my swim suit?
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I had to help my GF with this at her first race last year. I’ve competed in everything including IronMan so i’ve seen it all. Since it’s your first race you probably don’t want to spend $75 on a tri suit until you see if you even like the sport. But what you will need are small spandex bike shorts or even better, tri-shorts (which just means they have a smaller pad so they don’t absorb water like a diaper). Wear these during your swim because if you don’t you will have to put them on during the transition which will cost you time. Believe me you will be the only one on the beach without them if you don’t wear them. You can buy a cheap pair on the internet for $20. As for the top just wear your sports bra swimming, if you don’t wear it you will need to put it on anyway during the transition because you definately can’t run without one. The only argument to you not wearing it during the swim is that it will create slightly more drag in the water than a swimsuit top will. But are you an Olympic swimmer that’s gonna notice the 1 second difference? It’s gonna take you longer than that to put it on in the transition station anyway. If you wanna really help save time buy elastic shoe laces. Everyone there with any experience will have them on. They’ll save you a good 20 seconds not having to tie your laces. Again, you can order cheaply on the internet. I’m assuming it’s just a sprint race so bring water, no need for gatorade or anything sticky.
What I’ve done in the past, is wear my sports bra with a pair of black spandex "boy shorts" that I bought for $25 at a sports store (like Sports Authority, etc). Mine are Nike. Then at transition I throw on a non-cotton shirt & bike shorts over them, for both bike & run. For me it’s more comfy than wearing a swim suit & bra over it. And it totally worked in the sprints I’ve done.
I have since "upgraded" & invested in a pair of triathlon shorts. I also bought a tri top, but still wear a sports bra underneath it. I swim in these with a sleeveless wetsuit over them, but they are tight enough so I could get away with no wetsuit if I had to. I just wouldn’t be as buoyant & have a bit more drag without it.
Hope that helps, let me know if you have more questions.
Most folks wear what is known as a "tri" suit. It is a quick drying type suit that has the padding you will need for the bike portion of a triathalon and is well suited for swimming as well as the running portion. In other words you will NOT be changing clothes if you are at all serious about your performance. Find a store in your area that perhaps specializes in triathalons such as All 3 Sports that we here in the Atlanta area have access to. You can also search the web by "googling" tri suits.
Make your transition as rapidly as possible—races have been lost due to poor transitions. Make sure your bike shoes are already clipped onto your pedals and be ready to splash the sand or dirt off your feet and then get onto your bike barefoot while simultaneously pedaling and tightening your shoes. You will need to practice this as it is an acquired skill.
Hope this helps!