Confused about Triathlons!

artisttobe

I have never done a Triathlon... So I am a bit confused.
Some triathlons require you to wear swim suits.
Which is fine.

Here is my question: How.... do you cycle in them?
What do you do with them after the swim?
Do you take them off?
Do you have clothes underneath?

Thanks!

catweazle

Ya keep the clothes on underneath the wetsuit and off you go, I usally wear one of those tight shorts and a t-shirt, are they lycra? Just pop the shoes on and off I go

jb-ski

artisttobe wrote: »

Some triathlons require you to wear swim suits.

hi,
All(?) open water triathlons require you to wear a wetsuit.
ideally worn over tri-suit or lycra(ish) shorts and top, or cycle shorts and putting on a dry t-shirt would be grand just to get started.

general idea is to spent as little time as possible in transition!

best of luck.

911sc

jb-ski wrote: »

All(?) open water triathlons require you to wear a wetsuit.

Depends on the temperature of the water...Irish waters being cold, wetsuits are mandatory. But if you go abroad, e.g IronMan Nice, you have the choice (water approx 26degres).
Though, pretty much all athletes wear a wetsuit (sleeveless or short in warm water) as they gain buoyancy and speed

Highway_To_Hell

jb-ski wrote: »

hi,
All(?) open water triathlons require you to wear a wetsuit.
ideally worn over tri-suit or lycra(ish) shorts and top, or cycle shorts and putting on a dry t-shirt would be grand just to get started.

general idea is to spent as little time as possible in transition!

best of luck.

Just be careful, hard to run in cycle shorts due to the additional padding and pulling a dry t-shirt over wet body can be hard especially when arms are tired from the swim section. my advice would be to wear tri shorts and lycra top under your wetsuit.

dario28

I need some tri-shorts for my first Duathlon on Sunday , question is are they a bit thicker than say a pair of sports skins , basically skins leave nothing to the imignation are tri-shorts a bit more discreet !!!!



I have seen alot of people out running in just skins I'd feel a bit exposed down below as the misses pointed out " Ha ya can see the whole shape of it hanging there!"

mloc123

They leave a 'little less' to the imagination but I would not worry too much, you'll be surrounded by alot of other men in the same boat.

jonnyfingers

I presume the OP is talking about triathlons where the swim is in a pool rather than open water. In that case you can wear a normal swimsuit. However it is very difficult to get a dry top on a wet body after the swim. Also you will probably want to change into a pair of shorts for the cycle and run.

If this is your first triathlon and it is a short one, then your best bet might be to wear a pair of lycra running shorts for the swim. You'll be able to swim fairly comfortably in them. You wont have padding for the bike but if the cycle distance isn't too long or if your bike has a good padded saddle this won't be an issue. As for putting a top on over a wet body you should take the extra time to give yourself a good dry and then try putting on a loose t-shirt. A tight t-shirt would be very hard to get on after the swim. Another problem you'll have is if you have to have a race number pinned to your top, this could come off when trying to get the top on.

So if you plan on doing a few triathlons it would be well worth investing in a trisuit. This could be a one-piece, or two-piece suit. You can swim, cycle and run in it without any hassle changing clothes.

As others have said, if the triathlon is an open water swim in a river, lake or the sea you will have to wear a wetusuit. This is compulsory in Ireland. Again it's easier to wear a tri suit under your wetsuit rather than wearing a swimsuit and trying to put on a t-shirt in transition.

jb-ski

911sc wrote: »

But if you go abroad, e.g IronMan Nice,

hi 911sc, considering OP hasn't done a triathlon before, i kind of figured he wasn't planning on doing IronMan Nice or suchlike, more likely something nice and cold:eek: in an Irish lake or river,:D

jb