T1 • Coming into T1, the elites are stripping out of their wetsuits (provided it’s a wetsuit-legal swim), putting on their helmets and removing their bikes at a quick pace. How quick? Great Britain’s Alistair Brownlee, the top-ranked male triathlete in the world, completed T1 in 36 seconds at the London WCS race (a non-wetsuit swim). • Although no two transition areas are exactly alike, at USA Triathlon’s 2011 Age Group National Championship, the majority of competitors took over a minute in T1.
BIKE • Elites race on road bikes in draft-legal races and don’t wear aero helmets since they’ll likely be racing in a pack. • In draft-legal races, some elites opt to race without aero bars depending on the course. Athletes who try to break away on the bike — like Hunter Kemper (left) and Matt Chrabot (right) — often keep aerobars on their bikes in case they find themselves going solo. • Top age-group competitors often use more aero tri bikes for races instead of road bikes. Because age-group races are not draft-legal, the position of a tri bike, coupled with an aero helmet, allows athletes to reduce resistance and ride faster.
Delly Carr Delly Carr
T2 • The recent trend in ITU racing is a large bike pack coming into T2 all together, making for an exciting (but crowded) transition and run. • Depending on the size of transition, many athletes can complete T2 in around 20 seconds,
like they did at the Madrid WCS race in 2011. Athletes dismount their bikes, run to their transition area, rack their bikes, slip on running shoes and go.
RUN • Run courses in WCS racing consist of spectator-friendly laps instead of an out-and-back 10k or other variations of the distance. Courses often feature 180-degree turns and send athletes back through the transition area multiple times. • With a number of WCS races coming down to the run, the athletes boast world-class run speed. Many of the top elites have a background in high- level running, including 2012 U.S. Olympic Team member Gwen Jorgensen, who was an All-American in track and cross country at the University of Wisconsin and posted the fastest women’s run (33:43) at the London WCS race. • In age-group racing, athletes are finishing with athletes from other waves, making it more difficult for spectators to see the exciting head-to-head battles you see in WCS racing.
Delly Carr
POST-RACE • After a tough day at the office, a top elite athlete’s day is not done. He/she must do media interviews, participate in medal ceremonies (and likely get doused with champagne) and also many times complete drug testing.
Delly Carr
USATRIATHLON.ORG USA TRIATHLON 53
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