6 Race Tips and Refreshers for Triathletes

Dan Empfield
Slowtwitch.com

Having just returned from the Wildflower Triathlon, I thought I'd write a few things that first-timers--and event 10th- and 20th-timers--might want to remember. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Bring all manner of race apparel with you

One thing you can be sure of at Wildflower is it never rains. It's never cold. It's always good weather for the first half of the event, and hot weather for second half.

Then there was this time, when it was cold, rainy, windy and muddy throughout the day.

This doesn't mean you have to choose between freezing and boiling. Wear stuff you can peel back or unzip. A thin layer (a  tank top, T-shirt or polypro sleeveless running jersey) underneath a full-zip cycling jersey will help keep your torso warm, but you can unzip the jersey if it gets hot. Arm or leg warmers can be pushed down when you need to.

Or split the difference on a cold ride and wear a pair of knickers. Wear a half-shoe cover instead of a full (it'll keep your feet warm, but they won't get hot). Wear an ear band, or ear warmer, not a full head cover. Don't worry about transition time so much. Dress appropriately.

2. Learn the rules of the road

I've talked about the rules of the road befor. It's apparent to me that many of you haven't read this. Or the USAT rule book. Or any rule book. Or attended pre-race meetings. Or have inquired of your friends, or stuck your nose up and looked around to what's going on around you during the bike ride.

Assuming you've got A.D.D. and you just can't stand to concentrate for more than the first rule or two of the rule book, let me just give you three tips which will help you--and me.

• Ride on the right, pass on the left. This should seem intuitive. But apparently a lot of riders lack intuition. I doubt Germans have a tough time with this, because driving on the Autobahn teaches one to stay in the slow lane (the right lane, just like here in North America) until you need to pass. This is because, though you're driving 120 mph and you can't see anything for miles in your rearview mirror, 30 seconds later a V8 Audi will be on your bumper flashing his high beams at you. When you go to bed tonight, keep repeating this phrase until you fall asleep: "Pass on the left, ride on the right." When you do need to move to the left to pass, take a quick glance and make sure nobody's coming up behind you. A guy swerved right in front of me this past weekend, almost clipping my front wheel with his rear. He felt justified, as the person he was drafting behind was commencing to pee. My potential road rage was secondary to his need to execute a splatter-avoidance maneuver. This excuse didn't wash with me.

• If you're going to have your water bottles stored behind your saddle, make SURE they're not going to launch when you hit a bump. How? Do not mount the bottles at a backward angle, like a mortar launcher, but as vertically as possible. Use strong, and maybe more expensive, cages; and never freeze your bottles before the race. Bottles on the course are a very real and serious threat to your competitors (me in particular), and launched bottles are or ought to be cause for a penalty (there is a rule called "equipment abandonment" and if it's enforced this means a launched bottle is an immediate infraction).

• (Not only as concerns apparel, but also with an eye toward the rules): Don't be in too much of a hurry in transition. Think about what you're doing. Best to put your helmet on and clip it at the first possible moment, and take it off at the last possible moment (and always after your bike is racked). They don't give you a penalty for having your helmet on too long.

Rack your bike properly. If you don't know where the "mount" and "dismount" zones are, just watch the people around you. It's best to find out before the race starts where you ride out of transition, where you run out of transition, and where you mount and dismount.

Races are expensive. So is traveling. Training is arduous. It's a bummer to spend all that time and money, just to have your experience soured by an infraction. Penalties are relatively easy to avoid.