- It doesn't matter how many hours you spend
studying that triathlon rule,
but there are some that you're just not going to find.
- And rather than you finding out the hard way,
we put together a few hints
to prevent you from making those mistakes,
or upsetting fellow athletes.
(jazzy music)
- Oh, hey there.
- Again, Mark?
You've been wearing that suit every day, for the last month.
- I like it! Look at it.
- Checking that your new tri suit fits
and feels comfortable, is of course important.
But that doesn't mean that you need to wear it
to every pool session.
Not only will it decrease its life expectancy,
but also you might look a little silly on poolside.
- The same goes for running.
You should try and just keep it for race day, really.
And I know they do look cool, but try not to wear it
every day for a week leading into a race.
- Oh hey, guys.
Yeah, no, I'm just waiting for Heather,
and then we'll be on our way.
Whoa, hang on guys, whoa.
What are you riding?
- What do you mean?
- You're on your TT bike!
We're doing a club ride! - Well, I know.
- We're all on our road bikes.
- But I'm comfortable like this.
Some cycling clubs don't actually allow you to ride
a time trial bike in their club sessions,
but even if it's not a written rule,
it's worth trying to avoid if possible.
Especially if your time trial bike
has the gear shifters on the end of the poles,
not next to your brakes.
But if you only have a time trial bike,
then it's worth checking ahead, just to see if it is okay.
- And if you do insist on riding your TT bike
with others that are riding road bikes,
then I'd probably advise
not going anywhere near your aero bars,
because you probably won't have many friends left
at the end of the ride.
I've had a bit of a shocker in my race over the weekend.
- Oh, really?
- I thought it would be cool to wear
this nice, new, white tri suit, but ...
- Oh! My gosh, that is really classy, too, isn't it.
- Yeah. It's quite bad.
- Not pretty.
- Right, clothing technology has come a long way,
and fabrics are much better designed for sports,
but wearing a white tri suit or cycling shorts
is a pretty bold move,
so it's probably best left to the pros.
But if you are set on standing out,
then it's probably worth checking that your bowel movements
are under control, and maybe get a friend just to check
that your tri suit isn't see-through when it's wet.
(jazzy music)
- If your coach has set you a steady state run,
and you're lucky enough to get to do it in a group,
make sure it stays as a steady state.
There's no point, just because you've got
someone next to you, to get faster and faster,
'cause it can end up turning into a race.
And that's completely not the point of the session.
- Yeah, this is one of my pet hates.
It's a bit like half-wheeling on the bike.
If you try matching the speed of that person
just ahead of you, you're just gonna get faster,
and faster, and faster.
I hate it.
(laughs)
- Transition areas can often be pretty tight for space,
when it comes to race day.
And you're not the only person
trying to frantically get your kit set up.
So just remember, try and keep your stuff out of the way
of others, and it's not your hotel room, so do all of your
pre-organization before you get there, and then hopefully,
on race day, it's pretty easy and you can just stay relaxed.
- And whilst we're on the topic of transition areas,
I'm quite precious about my transition setup,
so make sure you don't end up moving anyone's stuff.
And if you do have to squeeze your bike in,
just do so carefully, and if you do end up moving anything,
just make sure it goes back exactly as you found it.
- [Daniel] Hey, Heather.
- Whoa. What's going on?
What happened to your face?
- Yeah, got a bit scrappy in the open water swimming event.
- A bit? Ouch. - Yeah.
In a master, it's going to be impossible
to swim without touching the other swimmers next to you,
at least for the first few hundred metres.
And it is physical.
With your strength, you're naturally gonna knock
the people next to you by mistake, and it's part of it.
It's accepted, it's expected, it is open water swimming.
- However, dunking is not.
Intentionally dunking another swimmer
to help propel yourself forward,
or just allow out a bit of rage, is a serious no-no.
Now, I've been in a fair few physical swims over the years,
- Yeah, you have. (laughs)
- And I can tell you, getting into scrap
wastes you far more time and energy
than you would've gained.
(jazzy music)
- Getting comfortable and finding
the right aero position can take some time,
and making sure that your aero helmet fits correctly
is really important.
So riding that out on your own on your TT bike, or in races,
is completely fine, and makes sense.
But turning up to a club ride
wearing your aero helmet and your full aero gear,
you're gonna look a little bit silly,
and any aero gains you might have got will be lost
in all the respect that you will lose just there and then.
Just because these rules aren't written down,
doesn't mean they're not important.
Demonstrating good sportsmanship is essential,
whatever sport you're doing, and having respect
for your fellow athletes is equally important.
Just remember, if you're not sure, think.
If that's how you like to be treated,
then you're probably on the right track.
- Yeah, and if there are any unwritten rules
that we haven't covered, we'd love to hear them.
Please share them in the comments below.
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