Your Guide
to Triathlon Cycling

The triathlon cycling stage nearly always takes place on a public highway. It is normally impossible to close the whole of the route to traffic but there will be race marshals standing at potential danger spots such as roundabouts or junctions. Before the race starts there will be a briefing where these will be pointed out.

Having said that, wherever possible, it is a good idea to certainly have driven the course and, ideally, to also have ridden it! It is amazing how much that can boost your confidence when you already know how fast you can take various bends or what a downhill section, or also uphill section, is like.

The triathlon cycling stage will nearly always finish back at the starting point where your running shoes will be waiting for you!

For those of you that have never done a triathlon there are two absolute necessities for this stage, a bike and a helmet!

Whilst you are still discovering the triathlon, don't be tempted to spend a fortune on your bike.

My latest bike cost me 100 euros at a second hand sale at a Decathlon sports store in France, and it is brilliant.

That said, you may want to go a little more upmarket than that, and there are some very good triathlon cycles on the market that don't need to be too expensive.

A cycle helmet is also obligatory in all races but, again, can be reasonably priced. Just make sure that it has the necessary safety approval stamp or sticker. This will be checked by race organisers.

Although you could not do a triathlon without a cycle and helmet, there are other items that are also very important.

You should certainly have a water bottle and a means of attaching it to your bike. Hydrating during the triathlon cycling stage is essential as we will mention later.

Although not obligatory, it is a really good idea to cycle in sunglasses. This is not only to protect against glare, but from flying objects such bits of grit and insects. It's not a bad idea to get glasses with interchangable lenses for when you are, maybe, training when the weather is dull.

Something we haven't mentioned yet is what to wear. Once you have done one triathlon you will almost certainly want to do more! That is when your 'transition time' (the time taken changing from one discipline to another ie.swim/cycle) will become important to you.

During my first few triathlon I used to chuck running gear on after my swim. Those of you you that have tried pulling on a vest over a wet body will probably agree that it is not the easiest of tasks, and it is also time consuming.

Nowadays you can get trisuits which you will wear under your wetsuit and so you can wear it from start to finish without having to worry about changing clothes!

Again, these can be of varying prices but don't spend too much to start with.

In fact, mine cost me nothing because it was given to me by someone who did not want it. You can probably tell that from the picture!

You may want a trisuit with a bit of padding for the cycle section. This won't affect your run.

For women, it may be better to look for a specific ladies trisuit. These would tend to give more support as they are normally two piece trisuits.

A very inexpensive bit of kit, but well worth it, is a number belt where you pin your number to it and just clip it around your waist after your swim.

Although they seem unnatural at first, cycle shoes are well worth getting used to. The time and energy saved by having your feet firmly clipped into your pedals well outdoes the time saved in transition by wearing the same shoes (ie trainers) for the cycle and run.

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