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Bedford Traktors Sprint Tri
Hi,
I am tempted to have a go at my first Tri and the Bedford Sprint on 5th October seems a reasonable distance!
Any advice, I have a mounrtain bike that I use on the roads and I am reasonably ok at swimming, but I am predominantly a runner.
I don't want to spend out loads until I have tried the event, what is the minimum I shall need without looking like i'm out on my mums bike looking for the corner shop!!
Can you swim in a tri -suit that you can keep on for the bike and run.
A brief explanation of how it all comes together on the day wold be fab! Bit nervous don't you know!
Hopefully yours
FC
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Comments
Hi,
you'll be fine with the mountain bike - just take off anything you don't need for a road race (mudguards, lights). The minimum you need for a triathlon is stuff you already have - swimsuit, bike, trainers, shorts & shirt. You can pull short & shirt on after the swim. (leave the swimsuit on....no nudity permitted!) You have to dry off first though, or getting clothes on is ridiculously hard!!
If you're happy to spend a bit, then a trisuit is a reasonable purchase. You swim, bike & run in it - no changing needed. A tri-suit will have a small amount of padding to protect you on the bike - not as much as regular bike shorts, but enough, and it dries much quicker than bike-short padding would.
Another good (and cheap) purchase is a number belt. It's an elastic strap that you attach your number to. Then when you come out from the swim, you pull the belt on....number at the back for the bike, twist it round to the front for the run. If you don't have one, then you have to either pull on a shirt with the number pinned on, or spend time in transition pinning your number to your tri-suit.....
How it comes together?
- register
- rack bike (means put it in the transition area, with your trainers & anything else you need for the bike/run)
- swim a bit
- head to transition (the place where bikes are stored)
- dump goggles, hat, stand on a towel to clean/dry bottom of feet, pull on socks/shoes/number belt
- put on helmet BEFORE you take the bike off rack (DQ if you don't have helmet on and fastened when bike is loose)
- bike a bit
- back to transition
- bike back on rack
- take off helmet
- change shoes if you use cleats on the bike~
- number belt twisted number to front
- run a bit
- feel chuffed that you've finished your first tri
- go home, enter another one and spend the rest of the weekend perusing bike & kit websites
Enjoy
Thanks for that Heckenhocker,
I think I'll probably invest in a tri-suit , sounds like less effort!
Looking forward to Bedford I think?
Cheers, FC
Can't add any more, except that I've done the sprint & it's a nice race.
Good luck