by Coach Brendon

If you have a look through race results you can often see that the difference between final placings is the transitions. Even at the elite level there can be as much as 10 seconds between a good transition and a poor one.

Let's take a closer look at the two transitions in triathlon.

BASIC PRINCIPLES

Where ever possible do two things at once - that's running and taking off your goggles, wetsuit top and swim cap or putting on your helmet while kicking off your wetsuit.

T1: Swim to Bike

This transition has 3 main parts:
1. From the swim exit to the bike rack
2. From the bike rack to the bike mounting zone
3. From the mounting zone until up to full speed with feet in shoes

1. From the swim exit to the bike rack

The first transition starts when you can touch the bottom of the beach or reach the exit ramp.
Before the race, check the distance to the bike rack from this point - if it's short (150m or less) you need to get cracking and get to the bike with as much done as possible. That's the following:
- Goggles Up
- Wetsuit unzipped
- Wetsuit top pulled off
- Swim cap and goggles off and in hand
- Wetsuit pulled down to hip level (do this just prior to reaching your bike so that you can run properly)

NZ elite triathlete Sam Warriner running with her wetsuit down to hip level having already completed the other steps in preparation for T1.

Note: If it's a long run (300m or more) it may pay to just get the goggles up and get running. If you pull your wetsuit down early, you may find that it drains of water and sticks as you try to get the legs off over your heels. Note also that at many races you cannot drop your cap and goggles before reaching your rack, in any case it's expensive as you may not get your goggles back.

For non wetsuit swims T1 is a lot easier. For men, using tri suits in non wetsuit swims makes things faster as there is no need to put a top on.

Remember to check out the course from the swim to the bike prior to the race - at some of the big races it's easy to go down the wrong bike row and you can lose a lot of time trying to find your bike.

When you check out the run to the bike, look for obstacles such as tree roots, slippery surfaces (especially just near the swim exit and at turns) and make a mental note to be careful. Always expect the unexpected with transitions, it's common to find your neatly placed run shoes kicked away in the chaos and your bike may be knocked off the rack by another competitor (if this happens, be calm - check that your chain is on, drink bottle in place, and both cycling shoes are still attached, then go).

2. From the bike rack to the bike mounting zone

Once at your bike you need to get your helmet on (this must be done before unracking your bike) and your wetsuit off. If you practice this enough you can actually do these two things at the same time. You may need to cut a few inches off your wetsuit legs and put baby oil on the back of the calf region of the suit.

Sam Warriner shows how to complete a slick T1 by taking her wetsuit off whilst putting on her helmet.

Some athletes like to put on their sunglasses at this time, this can also be done once on the bike and up to speed (for example place your glasses looped around a gear cable). For beginners and longer races (Ironman) it often pays to also put shoes on at this time its much safer. Also if the bike goes right into a steep hill out of the transition, it can also pay to put your shoes on first - it's quite hard to put feet into your shoes if your bike is not moving!

The final part of this section is grabbing your bike and running to the mount line. It's a good idea to check this out prior to the race too. Make sure you know exactly where you can mount your bike. If there are lots of other competitors it can often pay to run holding you bike by the handlebars. For the elite, and skilled, it's faster to run with your bike holding the seat.

3. From the mounting zone up to full speed with feet in shoes

The transition does not finish here! You still need to get up to full speed and get your feet into your shoes. If you have already put your shoes on it's a simple case of clicking in and getting going. If you are yet to put your shoes on, get up to speed first and then put one foot in, get back up to speed and put the other shoe in. For draft legal racing, it can pay to sprint up to the athletes in front, get in the draft and then put your feet into your shoes.

T2 Bike to Run

The Second Transition has three main parts:
1. From race pace riding to dismount line
2. From dismount line to bike rack
3. From bike rack to race running pace

1. From race pace riding to dismount line

As you near T2 you need to get ready to dismount - beginners should just simply roll up, stop the bike, unclick the pedals and run into the transition. For everyone else you need to undo your cycling shoe velcro and place your feet on the tops of shoes prior to the dismount zone - look to do this as late as possible (except in draft legal races where you need to do this early) and ride around the pack as they start to do this - that way you can enter the transition near the front. For the really skilled, you can roll up to the dismount line with one foot on a shoe 'side saddle' style. Be careful stepping off the bike and watch for other competitors, their wheels and their pedals.

Sam Warriner showing how to dismount her bike having already taken her feet out of pedals and come out in front of the pack.

2. From dismount line to bike rack

Make sure you know your bike rack position - check this out prior to the race. As with T1 exit, it's faster to run holding your seat, if it's crowded it will pay to run holding your handlebars.

3. From bike rack to race running pace

Once you reach your rack, place the bike on the rack - again, check this prior to the race. It's always different. Make sure you keep your helmet clipped up until you have racked your bike. Unclip your helmet and put your shoes on, run out towards the exit and up to race speed.

Things you can do to increase your speed

Practice, Practice, Practice - start by running through the sequence slowly (it's best if you can do a short swim of 100m to get yourself wet like you will be in the race). Once it's all working slowly, start to move towards race speed. Be careful, transitions are a common pace to get injured and you need to keep your eyes open for cars, spectators and other people. During the event, it's amazing how some people react to competition by doing very silly things - make sure you keep a cool head, think (and feel) fast but controlled.

From a physical ability perspective it's also important to have your body comfortable with changing from swimming to the transition run to the bike and from the bike to the run (the hardest part of the race for many).

I like to see athletes have many bike to run workouts as they approach their main event. It's also good to include mini triathlon sessions (swim-bike-run) and shorter races. You can also modify your equipment, such as cutting the tongue out of cycling shoes, attaching a dome or safety pin to the velcro strap of your cycling shoes so the strap doesn't undo. Elastic in running shoes means no stopping to tie or pull laces tight and you can talc shoes so you slip in easily. The latest trend on the world cup circuit is to rubber band bike shoes (so cranks are horizontal) so that they don't spin around and unclick in the run out of T1.

So there you have it, your complete guide to slick transitions.

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