Youth & Junior
TRANSITION TIPS By Alan Ley
Triathlons consist of four disciplines: swimming, cycling, running and transitions. Young triathletes
always practice running drills, swimming skills and cycling to gain a few seconds of speed and efficiency. The shorter races are lightning fast and the young athletes must be skilled in wetsuit removal, bike mounts, dismounts and speedy, efficient transitions.
Transitions Tips 1. Keep your transition area simple and clutter- free. Leave all the gimmicks and non-race essential gear in the car.
2. Practice putting your bike and run shoes on with wet feet.
3. Your helmet is the first item to put on and the last
to take off.
4. Set up your transition area the same way all the time. Everything should be automatic and rehearsed before race morning. Repetition creates efficiency. 5. Make sure your bike is in the right gear for the course demands.
6. Rack your bike securely. The last thing you want to happen is for your bike to fall over or get knocked down.
7. Mentally rehearse and jog the bike in, bike out, run in and run out.
8. Know where the mount and dismount lines are. 9. Place your glasses in your helmet with the straps on the outside of the helmet. 10. If you use Bodyglide or another lubricant, be careful not to touch your swim goggles. 11. Your first transition begins about a minute before you exit the water. Start thinking where your bike is racked and how methodical and relaxed you will be during the transition.
12. After leaving T1, get away from the confusion and get up to speed — FAST — then settle in and hydrate.
13. After leaving T2, focus on form, form, form, relax, breathe and get going to the finish!
The biggest mistakes made in T1 and T2 happen before the race: not practicing, poor bike set-up, im- proper tire pressure, loose components and not find- ing your bike/running shoes fast enough in transition.
Junior and Youth National Championship photo by Rich Cruse
4 Andrea Arriaga at the USA Triathlon
T1 and T2 should be a critical part of every young athlete’s training. Don’t neglect practicing and plan- ning for the fourth discipline. It can make or break your race!
Alan Ley lives in Colorado and coaches the Wicked Fast Triathlon Team. He enjoys helping young triath- letes become better in the sport.
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