Transitions Between Disciplines - For Triathletes and Triathlons by Paul Scott

Transitions are the fourth discipline, taking you from swim finish to bike and from bike to run. They vary in their length, degree of crowdedness and the obstacles they pose. Think about transitions as they are the key to saving energy for the real racing.

Welcome to T1 - Swimming to cycling

As you reach the poolside or the edge of a river, lake or the sea, the swim has ended and T1 begins. You may just have to remove your hat and goggles and jog out of the pool to your nearby racked bike, but it could involve half a mile of running in your wetsuit, climbing steps and trying to miss literally hundreds of other athletes. Know what your planned event's T1 is like and build it into your training. A useful skill is to swim 200-1,000m, then haul yourself out of the pool, or every 100m in a 800m swim before walking to the far end of the pool, jump back in and carry on. Some events necessitate you get out halfway, duck under lane ropes or run up the beach and dive back in.

No two transitions are the same from the end of the swim to the start of the bike. The key is to know where you are on the transition racking. You have to don the appropriate clothing, put your helmet on, and only then can you pick your bike up. You wheel it to the mount line and you're off on the cycle leg - the clock does not stop.

T2 - Cycling to Running

As you finish the cycle leg, there will be a dismount line. From there onward, you are on foot in T2 until you are out on the run. This involves wheeling the bike to your transition racking point and then removing your helmet. Those athletes using cycle shoes must change, whilst those cycling in run shoes are ready to go. As you exit T2 and start the run, the hard part of triathlon hits home: you still have cycling legs and they are not yet ready to run.

This bike-to-run transition, known as a 'brick', is worth practising many times over, e.g. 6 minutes bike plus 4 minutes run repeated 3-6 times, It can be done outdoors or using gym equipment. An ideal session is when you're on the road; gym training can get boring. The more you practice, the better your muscles get at making the transition and your brain becomes at dealing with heavy legs trying to run.

Top Tip

Being a triathlete is about not just one fast element or 'split'; it's also about the complete package. Having a fast swim split is pointless if you have disasters in T1 and T2 plus you walk half the run. You have to think, train and race with everything from start whistle to finish line in mind.