If all things are equal, how did I “win”?

Lean and quick, Russell generally gets the better of me on race results pages. He is a disciplined athlete with drive, passion and a full-loving training club. He’s even older than me. But that doesn’t stop him from knocking me off out at the races. Yet, I managed to bag one at the recent Nathan’s Timex Triathlon.

What was the secret? I raced smarter, he said. Now, me and smarts generally do not get close enough to be confused. But efficiency is another matter entirely. You can win or lose a race in transition. In this one, it appeared, I gained the edge right there. I was about 50 percent faster in transition than Russell. And in the end, that made all the difference.

So, again, what’s the secret? Practice, preparation and trying some new things in transition, can help. Here are some tips:

Be quick, yet deliberate. Know the transition process and set yourself up for success. If you put your racebelt on before your sunglasses, don’t put it under your sunglasses. Use your helmet as a tray to hold all of your bike gear and place items inside the helmet in the order you intend to use them.

In training, practice mounting and dismounting the bike while leaving your cycling shoes attached. This helped allow me to get on and off the bike course with greater speed because I was already moving forward while Russell was still stopped in transition.

Know your route into and out of transition. This is simple because most events have giant blow-up structures indicating where these things are. Nevertheless, understand the flow of the transition area and where you are at inside of it.
Don’t put too much thought into it. Losing time is easier when you think it’s more complicated than it really is. Grab your stuff and go, go, go.

Now, with the secret out of the bag, watch for Russell. He’ll be just a few steps in front of me.

~ Brian