Bike Diva: March 2011

« February 2011 | Main | April 2011 »

March 2011

03/28/2011

Club Med Triathlon #2

On February 7, I posted up information on the very first triathlon that my husband and I participated in : Club Med Triathlon #1. I added a second post with pictures of the event to the Bike Diva blog: Photos of Club Med Triathlon #1. On Sunday, March 27 my husband and I participated in the Club Med Triathlon #2.

Team in Training at Club Med

After posting about the first Club Med triathlon, quite a few of our Team in Training triathlon team mates expressed interest in attending the next race. Team in Training is the main fund-raising organization for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Eight of our team mates joined us for the second triathlon at Club Med. It was pretty cool seeing all the Team in Training triathlon suits during the race - GO TEAM!

Above: Mr. & Mrs. Bike Diva, AKA Rob and Lynn Smythe, at Club Med triathlon #2 in their Team in Training triathlon suits.

Bike Diva's 2nd Triathlon

My second triathlon didn't go as well as my first, and I was struggling at the first one. I thought I would do much better at my second ever triathlon race, as it was at the same course as the first one. But I ran into a bit of trouble during the swim. Here's some of the information I posted to my Facebook page.

Above: Jelly fish wrapped around Bike Diva's hand, wrist and arm during the swim portion of Club Med triathlon #2.

Lynn's race report: jelly fish wrapped around my hand, wrist and arm during the swim causing major panic attack and breathing problems. Swim sucked, race sucked, triathlons suck. Duathlons are starting to look attractive again.
My awesome friend stayed with me for the rest of the swim. She could tell I was freaking out. :)
I even got on one of the rescue jet skis for a couple of minutes. Thank goodness for volunteers.
I also got kicked and swum over during the swim. But that's supposed to be normal for a Tri so I tried not to let that bother me. I just can't get over my fear of open water, kind of bumming me out. :(

Above: Members of the Palm Beach Team in Training triathlon team at Club Med triathlon #2. Left to right; Coach Louis Blanco, Stacey Ryerson, Lynn Smythe, Rob Smythe, Tina O'brien, Chris Maly, Jen Coull, Tami Young, Sandra Holahan.

Bike Diva's Race Results

I'm almost embarrassed to post the results of my second triathlon, since I was so much slower than my first race, 7 minutes and 37 seconds slower to be exact. I was going to throw in the towel and DNF the race after getting stung by the jelly fish. But when I realized the rescue jet skier wasn't going to chauffeur me back to shore, I got back in the water to complete the swim. I had 3 really bad panic attacks during the rest of the swim. I was going to quit after getting out of the water so I just started walking back to transition. But a lot of my friends were out there racing, 2 of whom were there for their first ever triathlon. I knew they weren't going to give up so I kept going. We also had the Team in Training cheerleader crew of Micki & Scott Fetterman and Nicole Switzer out there to keep us motivated.

I don't know if the jelly fish stings were affecting my asthma, or if I was just still freaking out from being so scared in the water, but I never felt like I could breath very well during the rest of the race. I sounded like I had gravel in my chest - just call me WHEEZY. Not being able to breath well during the bike and run sucked, but didn't cause me to panic, unlike not being able to breath well during the swim. I had to run/walk the run portion of the race, which is pretty pathetic for a run that is only 3.1 miles. I hated every minute of the race and am seriously thinking of switching back to duathlons.

Here are my official race results from the Race Smith website:

Swim: 21:35
T1: 2:08
Bike: 34:39
T2: 1:03
Run: 36:04
Total time: 1:35:27
Overall: 121 out of 134
Female: 30 out of 41
Age group: 5 out of 6 women 45-49

Above: Rob's new Jamis Xenith T triathlon bike, purchased from On Your Mark bike shop.

Mr. Bike Diva's Race Results

My husband, Rob, had a fantastic second triathlon race. He improved his time by 12 minutes and 44 seconds, that is AWESOME! Part of that time difference was that he stayed with me during the swim of our first triathlon. But this time he was in it to win it and even though I still wasn't that comfortable in the water, I have to get over my fear of open water swims so told him to go have his own race. The second reason he was so much faster, he just got his very first triathlon bike, a Jamis Xenith T. So his run split showed an almost 4 minute improvement, a triathlon bike saves your running legs so you are a much stronger runner after getting off the tri bike as opposed to using a road bike.

Additional Information

Club Med website: sandpiperbay.clubmed.us/fitness/race-series

Twitter page:

Register for the next Club Med sprint triathlon, which takes place on May 21, on Active.com: http://www.active.com/running/port-st-lucie-fl/club-med-race-series-race-3-2011

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Posted by Lynn Smythe on 03/28/2011 at 10:45 AM in Bike Diva News, Non Profit Charities, Swimming, Triathlons & Duathlons | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

03/22/2011

Train Your Triathlon Swim

How To Train Your Triathlon Swimming

A Swim Coaching Article By Swim Smooth

All the staff here at Swim Smooth are triathletes or open water swimmers. We understand the different preparation required to race in open water versus the pool and the need to balance out your training between the three disciplines.

If you are new to triathlon, here are some important pointers to maximise your performance in the water during your triathlon season:

Your Individual Stroke Technique

One of the differences between being a pure swimmer and a triathlete is that your training time is split between the three disciplines so you have time less available for swimming. As a 'time poor' triathlete it's very important to understand what you need to work on for your individual stroke so you make the best you of your available time in the water.

If you have a coach at your pool or club, seek out their help and get some advice on your stroke and how to go about improving it. Also, it's worthwhile asking what is naturally good about your stroke too (be brave!) as this will help you simplify things. There are all manner of drills and techniques you can work on with your swimming and it can be quite overwhelming – try and simplify things down to your individual needs wherever possible and you'll make much quicker progress.

Training As Well As Technique

As a distance swimmer, one of the biggest mistakes you can make with your swimming preparation is to solely focus on your technique, swimming only 50 or 100m at a time. Becoming a 'technique hermit' is bad for your swimming because as a distance swimmer you need to be able to maintain your technique over longer distances. By only ever swimming short drill sets you tend to develop a technique that overloads the smaller muscle groups of the shoulder which quickly tire beyond 100m.

Drill work is a great for your swimming but also incorporate continuous swims of 200m, 400m and even 800m into your sessions so that you develop a stroke that you can maintain over longer race distances. You may find this results in a slightly shorter stroke that is more rhythmical to you, such strokes are often more efficient over longer distances.

Include A Distance Focused Swim Once A week

Many pure swimmers come from a sprint (50/100m) or middle distance (200/400m) background and so masters swim groups often focus on short fast sets with lots of recovery. However, triathlon is a true distance event in that you will be racing for at least an hour and as such you need a distance focus to your swim training. We recommend that once a week you put in a longer distance swim at steady pace. If you're doing Sprint or Olympic distance then building up to 1500m of steady swimming will build the necessary endurance for your race. You can swim this continuously or if you prefer break it down into a set with short recoveries – e.g. 3x500m with 30 seconds rest between each 500m.

If you are training for Ironman then you have a 3800m swim ahead of you in the race and because of the longer distance, your weekly long swim arguably becomes the most important session of your swim week. If you can, build up your long swim so you reach 4000m a few weeks before the race and you'll be all set for a fantastic Ironman swim leg.

If you train with a club or masters group that never does any longer distance sets it's well worth missing one of the club sessions, replacing it with a session of your own focusing on steady distance pace.

Developing Your Pacing Skills

As a distance swimmer your ability to pace your swimming correctly is critical. With any swim that you do, be it in training or a race, it's extremely easy to start off quickly and then slow dramatically after 100m or 200m. In a race situation you might not realise this is happening because everybody else is starting too fast around you and doing the same thing!

When you swim your sets in training, keep an eye on the times you swim for each repetition. If you can, also monitor your splits within each set – so if you're swimming 200m, monitor each 25 or 50m split. Not all of us are analytical or numbers people but asking a coach or friend to check this regularly is very worthwhile to develop your pacing skills and so improve your performances in races.

If you are interested in investing in a gadget to improve this area of your swimming then we would highly recommend a Wetronome to you. You can program it to a certain time per length and then place it under your swim cap where it will beep to you at the time you should be turning each lap. It's fascinating how easy it is to get ahead of the beep over the first 25 or 50m and then how the beep catches up with you as you slow down. It's a bit like the red-line they show on the Olympic swimming coverage!

Practise Open Water Skills (even during the winter)

If we told you that by focusing on a particular drill or training method you would take several minutes off your triathlon swim split, you'd jump at the chance right? Well, you really can save several minutes by optimising your drafting and navigation skills for open water swimming.

When you swim behind, or to the side and slightly behind another swimmer you save up to 25% of your energy expenditure – or put another way, swim much faster for the same effort. This sounds easy but is actually very skillful to perfect as you have to swim very close to other swimmers to get maximum benefit. If you are not used to doing this it can be slightly unsettling at first – you need to practise this in the pool with some friends or with your training squad:

Your ability to swim straight in open water is also critical as it's easy to lose large chunks of time by swimming off course. We've recently been equipping some triathletes with GPS tracking devices and seeing how straight they swim in open water – the answer is not very straight at all! It's easy to lose anywhere between one and ten minutes by swimming off course. Our twin blog posts on this subject make fascinating reading:

Open Water Navigation

Swimming Straighter In Open Water

The key is to practise your sighting skills in the pool so that come the race you are entirely comfortable raising you head slightly to look forwards without excess effort or ruining the rhythm of your stroke. The easier and more natural sighting feels the straighter you will end up swimming!

Quick tip: Don't try and sight forward and breathe at the same time – this will mean lifting your head too far above the surface which will sink your legs. Instead, time your sighting to happen just before you're going to take a breath. Lift your eyes out of the water by pressing down lightly on the water with your lead arm (in this example your right arm). Only lift up enough to get your eyes just out of the water:

Your left arm will have now started recovering over the water, as it does so, turn your head to the right with your body to breathe. As you do so, let your head drop down in the water to a normal breathing position.

Putting It All Together

After reading the above you're probably thinking "OK, how do I fit all that in?". If we were designing your swim training, and you were swimming three times per week, we'd structure it something like this:

Session 1: A stroke technique focused warm-up followed by threshold pace work at race pace. See CSS Training

Session 2: A longer steady paced swim building up to race distance. We might split this into a set with short recoveries with a focus on good pacing.

Session 3: A stroke technique focused warm-up followed by a fun open water skills session in the pool with some friends. This would include group drafting work and sighting skills. (This is great fun and in the Swim Smooth squads in Perth is the most popular session of the week!)

Improve your swimming with Swim Smooth!

Swim Smooth is an innovate swimming coaching company famed for its straightforward approach to stroke correction. Visit our website for plenty more fascinating articles to improve your swimming. Don't miss our amazing new DVD Catch Masterclass featuring incredible underwater video of champion swimmers in action. Also see our other swimming DVDs, training plans and training tools in our swim shop. Last but not least don't miss our animated swimmer "Mr Smooth" showing you a great freestyle stroke in super-high detail. Unmissable! :

Swim Smooth!

Article © Swim Smooth 2011

Posted by Lynn Smythe on 03/22/2011 at 10:01 AM in Cross Training, Multisport, Swimming, Triathlons & Duathlons | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

03/16/2011

Review of Julbo Sunglasses

I was recently contacted by the PR department of Julbo sunglasses. Julbo makes a complete line of ski goggles along with sunglasses that they classify as either mountain, performance or travel style. They also make a few styles of sunglasses for children and babies.

The Julbo marketing rep wanted to know if I would be interested in testing a pair of the Julbo Pipeline sunglasses. I live in south Florida so having a good pair of sunglasses to use during my bike and run workouts is really important, and who can say no to free sunglasses?

Above: Julbo Pipeline sunglasses in the soft black/blue color option with grey tint lenses.

Julbo Pipeline Sunglasses

I received a pair of the soft black/red colored Pipelines with zebra anti-fog coating and yellow-brown tint lenses. The Pipeline sunglasses have a suggested retail price of $140 to $200 depending upon the options that are chosen. The model I tested retails for $160. The zebra lens was developed for the Performance range of Julbo sunglasses and is recommended for mountain biking, cross-country walking and running and climbing.

The Pipeline glasses are lightweight and provide good coverage. I liked them for both riding and running, although felt they were a bit heavier than the sunglasses I typically use while running. They provided good coverage while cycling. Other pairs of sunglasses I've tested while biking don't cover enough of my eye area, so when you go into the aero position, you can see over the top of the sunglasses. The Julbo Pipelines covered my entire face even while riding the aerobars of my triathlon bike.

Above: Julbo Micropores

Julbo Micropores Sunglasses

Besides the Pipeline model of sunglasses, they also sent me a pair of their Julbo Micropore sunglasses. That pair looked like something you would wear on ascent to Mt. Everest, so I gave them to my husband to test out. We live in Flordia, not a lot of mountains to summit down here, but my husband sure looks cool wearing his Julbo Micropore sunglasses.

I went to the Julbo website, and the Micropores are listed as "the standard for glacier adventures." Boasting mineral lenses, a metal frame, leather side shields and nosepiece, the Micropores remains the standard in mountain exploration. With complete coverage, perfect hold and absolute comfort, you can set your sights on any summit. The Julbo Micropores have a suggested retail price of $95 to $140 depending on the options chosen.

Above: Julbo Pipeline sunglasses in soft black/red color option with yellow/brown tint lenses.

Additional Information

Julbo, Inc.
25 Omega Drive
Suite 150
Williston, VT 05495

Phone:
Fax:

Website: www.julbousa.com

Facebook:

Twitter:

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Posted by Lynn Smythe on 03/16/2011 at 10:52 AM in Bike Gear, Product Reviews | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

03/07/2011

Swim a Triathlon With Snorkel

Can I use a snorkel?
A question new triathletes sometimes have is; can they use a snorkel during the swim portion of a triathlon race? Here is the answer according to USAT rules:

A. Actually, yes. Since it does not propel you forward, the use of a snorkel is allowed under USAT rules.

Well, I think I would be too embarrassed to show up to a race with a snorkel, but it is interesting to know they are allowed. However, if you are a fairly new swimmer, you might want to consider using a snorkel to help you get more comfortable in the water.

Above: A triathlete training in the pool with a Finis snorkel.

Finis Snorkel

Finis makes a snorkel that is marketed to triathletes, which retails for around $35. My husband has seen a triathlete swimming laps at our local YMCA that occasionally brings his snorkel with him when he wants to swim a FAST couple of laps. My triathlon coach doesn't recommend using the snorkel for pool training, but he did recommend I get a snorkel to use while practicing swimming in the ocean.

Why would a coach recommend a snorkel? I have extreme anxiety whenever I try doing an open water swim in the ocean, well, at least on days when there are huge waves. Getting in and out of the surf causes a major panic attack, and I basically just bob along in the water, and don't do anything resembling swimming.

My coach recommends getting a snorkel and doing a lot of ocean swims. He says I need to learn how to relax and have fun in the ocean. A snorkel should help prevent anxiety and not feel like I can't breath. I need to get my head in the water and actually swim, not bob around, when I'm in the ocean if I want any chance of being able to do a triathlon where the swim portion takes place in the ocean. My husband is a fish in the water, and loves body surfing. He says I need to stop fighting the waves and let them push me to shore. Easy for him to say.

Above: Members of spring 2011 south county Palm Beach Team in Training triathlon team. Bike Diva is the terrified looking one in the white swim cap, and this photo was taken BEFORE we went into the water.

Bike Diva in the Ocean

Here are some comments I made to my Facebook page after a recent attempt at an ocean swim. The Team in Training triathlon team had just completed a bike-to-run brick workout at the Boynton Beach Inlet.

Bike Diva: Coach , thanks for dragging my a#s through the ocean 2x today. Holly crap those waves scared the bejesus out of me! Coach's prediction: "I see a lot of ocean swim practices in your immediate future." Guess I have homework before FAU and ST. Anthony's triathlons.

Bike Diva: But the good news for the rest of the TNT Tri team, if the girl who has major water phobia could actually go out 2x in today's waves, then y'all should have no problem. And props to Louise, Miss Fish, the only one without a wetsuit to go in the ocean, awesome!

Coaches reply: Lynn, you can do this. I know that it is cliche, but you have to believe in yourself. I would go to the beach as often as possible and just have fun snorkeling, bodysurfing, etc.

Bike Diva: Have fun? In the water? R-I-G-H-T. Maybe I can take a sedative before my tri's - zzzzzzzz. HA! My competitive side won't let me quit. Luckily I only compete against me, myself and I. Unfortunately those beyatches are really competitive. :)

Bike Diva: This mornings swim technique = deer in the headlights. Yeah, major panic, didn't like those waves, everything I learned about swimming sucked right of my brain today. Didn't like getting goggles sucked off head first time going out, luckily... I caught them before they washed out to sea. Didn't like getting power slammed into the ocean bottom first time coming back to shore. But not going to let all my phobias slow me down. LOTS of room for improvement during open water swims, always look on the positive side of things. Some people find this tri swim stuff fun!?!

Above: Some of Bike Diva's swim gear. Do I see a snorkel being added to this pile of equipment in the near future!?!

Bike Diva's Final Conclusion

I probably won't go out and buy the Finis snorkel, but my husband used to be a diver so I think we have a regular snorkel or two laying around the house somewhere. Now we just have to find the time to get over to the ocean and do some practice swims. That's not the kind of thing I can do by myself, need to have a least one person with me in case I run into trouble. And I have to remember, on race day, there will be lots of volunteers in the water to help the swimmers should they have any problems. At the first triathlon we did last month, there were 3 kayak's, 2 jet skiers and 2 rescue boats filled with lifeguard and Coast Guard volunteers.

So if I do decide to practice any open water swims while wearing a snorkel, I will be sure to get a picture or two taken. :)

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Posted by Lynn Smythe on 03/07/2011 at 10:15 AM in Bike Diva News, Clothing & Accessories, Multisport, Triathlons & Duathlons | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

20th FAU Wellness Triathlon

starting race pic

My husband and I are participating in the 20th Annual FAU sprint triathlon which takes place in Boca Raton on April 17. We started training for this event with the Palm Beach Team in Training triathlon team, to help raise money for the Leukemia & Lyphoma Society. Our training and fundraising was going so well, that we have switched to the St. Anthony's Olympic distance triathlon, which takes place on May 1 in St. Petersburg. We will still be doing FAU triathlon, on our own, so we will still see all our Team in Training team mates at that event.

Event Details
Welcome to the Mercedes-Benz 20^th Anniversary Florida Atlantic University Wellness Triathlon presented by LIFETIME Fitness!

Date:Sunday April 17^th, 2011

Distance:

.25 mile ocean swim
10 mile bike
3.1 mile run

USAT Talent ID Race

This year's race is a USAT talent ID tace. The purpose of the USAT FL Junior Talent ID Race Series is to provide the junior athletes 15-19 an opportunity to race against one another on various courses throughout the State. Juniors of all levels and abilities are encouraged to participate in at least 3 of the 7 the non-drafting sprint distance race to score points for the overall series awards. Top 3 scores including participation in the Series Finale will determine the overall series winner.

Race Site
Spanish River Park, A1A, Boca Raton, Fl.There is no park entrance fee prior to race start. Download a copy of the race map.

Directions

From I-95 North
Exit Yamato Road east to Federal Hwy. Turn right on Federal (south) to Spanish River Blvd. Turn left on Spanish River Blvd., 1/2 mile turn right on A1A.

From I-95 South
Exit Palmetto Park Road. Go east to A1A. Turn left on A1A, 2 miles to Spanish River Park. Turn left into park.

From Turnpike
Exit Glades Road, go east to Federal Hwy. Turn left on Federal and right on Spanish River Blvd., 1/2 mile turn right onto A1A. Turn right into park.

Start of Race
We will move to beach for swim start before 7:00 AM. The race begins at 7:00 AM on the beach. Line up inappropriate waves. The race will start in seven waves with five minutes between each wave.

1^st WAVE	USAT FL Junior Talent ID Race Series Participants (Men & Women Ages 15 - 19) -- Blue Swim caps
2^nd WAVE	Men ages 35 to 44 -- Yellow swim caps
3^rd WAVE	Men ages 20 to 34 and under -- Red swim caps
4^th WAVE	Men ages 45 to 54 -- Orange swim caps
5^th WAVE	Clydesdale and Men ages 55 and over -- Green swim caps
6^th WAVE	Women ages 39 and under -- Purple swim caps
7^th WAVE	Women ages 40 and over -- White swim caps
8^th WAVE	Athena, FAU Faculty/Staff/Collegiate, Fat Tire, and Relay Teams -- Blue swim caps

Rules
Established triathlon rules in effect. Hard shell helmets are required. Wet suits are allowed. Swim caps are provided and are required. Drafting is prohibited. Draft marshals will be present on the course. Also, see the most commonly violated rules & penalties.

Refund and Transfer Policy
There are no refunds. To transfer an entry, send a letter and a completed entry for the person to replace your entry and a $10 transfer fee to: Today & Beyond Wellness, FAU, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton, FL 33431. To transfer your entry to the next year, send a letter of intent and $10. You will need to complete a race registration when forms are available for the 2011 race.

Post Race Awards Party
Refreshments, music, door prizes and awards. Take time to relax and enjoy the park and beach facilities. Complete race results will be posted on this website by 10 pm of the Race Day.

Awards
Overall male and female finishers, top 3 collegiate male & female, FAU Faculty/Staff/Alumni, Athena (39 and under, and 40 and over) / Clydesdales (39 and under, and 40 and over), Fat tire (39 and under), Fat tire (40 and over), top 3 male and female age groups: 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80+.

Teams: 1st place finishers - Male, Female, Co-ed, Collegiate Male, Collegiate Female, Clydesdale, Athena, FAU Faculty/Staff.

Registration
http://www.fau.edu/today/triathlon/registration.php

Hotel
Mention FAU Triathlon for special rates.

Fairfield Inn & Suites
3400 Airport Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431
(800) 228-2800

Double $69.00 plus 11.5% tax

Photography
Brightroom professional event photography will be taking photos during this year's triathlon. Photos will be available shortly after the race on the Brightroom website.

Posted by Lynn Smythe on 03/07/2011 at 07:00 AM in Bike Diva News, Non Profit Charities | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

03/04/2011

FAU Challenge Bike Ride

SATURDAY, April 16^th

Presented by Bike America

FAU Recreation & Fitness Center, 777 Glades Road Boca Raton, FL 33431
Click here for directions

Bike Ride Start Time: 7:00 AM
Bike Ride Distances: 25 & 50 miles

Registration

There are three options for registration:

1. Registration can be completed online at imATHLETE prior to MIDNIGHT THURSDAY, April 14, 2011
2. Download our registration and consent form and mailing them to Florida Atlantic University, Today & Beyond Wellness, SS-8, Room 222, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431. Make checks payable to Florida Atlantic University.
3. In person at the Bike Ride start location on Saturday, April 16^th at the Florida Atlantic University's Recreation and Fitness Center beginning at 5:30 am.

Entry Fees:

Individual Entry Fee	$30
Bike America MS 150 Team Members	$20
Full-Time FAU Student (ID required at packet pick-up)	$20
*make checks payable to Florida Atlantic University

Packet Pick Up

There are three options for bike ride packet pick-up:

Thursday, April 14^th at Bike America, East Boca from 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm.
Packet pick-up will be available to guests who attend the Meet and Greet for Athletes on Friday, April 15^th.
During CHECK IN on Saturday, April 16^th, 2011 between 5:30 to 6:45 AM at the race site.

Posted by Lynn Smythe on 03/04/2011 at 08:35 AM in Bike Racing, Florida Bike Rides, Florida Bike Shops, Road Biking | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

03/01/2011

Bike Diva Reviews Tri Clips

Faster Transition Times

Are you a triathlete or duathlete looking for faster transition times? Tri Clips may be just the product you are looking for. Tri Clips are bit fancier looking than the usual rubber band trick that many racers use. As you are coming into transition from the swim portion of the triathlon, many triathletes decide not to wear socks during the bike and run leg of their races. I am okay not wearing socks while cycling, but usually have to wear socks while running to prevent blisters from forming.

Tri Clips enable you to attach your bike shoes to your bike pedals. Instead of having to stop to put on your bike shoes in transition, you run out of T1 barefoot. When you get out of T1 and are at or past the bike mount area, you hop onto your bike and place your feet into your shoes.

Coming into T2, before you get to the bike dismount area, slow down and remove your feet from your bike shoes. You then ride the last few yards with your bare feet on top of your bike shoes. When you get to the bike dismount, simply hop off your bike and run bare foot into the transition area and get ready for the run portion of the race.

Above: Tri clips. Velcro straps attach Tri Clips to the back fork of your bicycle, to make your triathlon transition times super fast.

Setting Up Tri Clips

Above: Use the velcro straps to attach a Tri Clip to either side of the back fork of your bicycle. Once the clips are securely attached to your bike, make sure to trim off the excess velcro before using Tri Clips for the first time.

Above: Clip your bike shoes in your pedals. Then attach the Tri Clip to the back of each shoe.

Tri Clips Video

Watch the video shown below to see exactly how to use Tri Clips. I would suggest placing your bike on an indoor trainer and practice getting in and out of your bike shoes while they are clipped into your pedals, before attempting to use Tri Clips on a training ride or race.

Bike Diva's Opinion

I'm not sure if I would ever use Tri Clips during a race. I am not the most coordinated person in the world, so I think pre-clipping my shoes into my bike is just a recipe to fall. But if you are a pro triathlete, or elite age grouper looking to shave seconds off your transition time, Tri Clips may be the perfect piece of equipment for you.

The velcro straps concern me a bit. If the straps became loose during a race, the Tri Clips would slip down the bike frame and could end up jamming up in your rear derailleur and cause you to crash - YIKES! Also, they add a bit of weight to your bike, in my opinion, a couple of rubber bands are a much safer, less expensive and lighter weight way to pre clip your bike shoes into your bike.

Additional Information

A package of 2 Tri-Clips has a suggested retail price of $22.99.

Website: www.tri-clips.com

Twitter:

Facebook:

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Posted by Lynn Smythe on 03/01/2011 at 09:55 AM in Bike Gear, Multisport, Product Reviews, Triathlons & Duathlons | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Bike Diva

My Other Accounts

Categories

Duathlon Blogs

March 2011

03/28/2011

Club Med Triathlon #2

03/22/2011

Train Your Triathlon Swim

03/16/2011

Review of Julbo Sunglasses

03/07/2011

Swim a Triathlon With Snorkel

20th FAU Wellness Triathlon

03/04/2011

FAU Challenge Bike Ride

03/01/2011

Bike Diva Reviews Tri Clips

Become a Fan

Bike Diva Sponsors

Tip Jar

Twitter Updates

Archives



bikediva Delray Beach, FL
Sport: Road Cycling Photos I Videos I Updates