Bike Course Conduct

On Saturday I participated in a triathlon that involved 8x5km laps of a closed course and each lap had six ninety degree turns (four of which were back to back as you finished each lap) and one hairpin.  There were about 150 athletes who participated in the race and it started to rain shortly after the first wave started the ride.

During the ride I personally witnessed three crashes and know of at least five more crashes that occured during this race.  There are some key pointers that I would like to highlight when it comes to handling yourself on the bike course that can help to reduce these issues.

* Riding in the rain - there is a possibility that it will rain on race day so you should have some wet weather riding experience prior to race day

* Avoid painted lines - when they are wet these may as well be a sheet of ice

* The first few minutes of rain are the worst - like you learned with driver training, the first few minutes of rain bring oil, fuel, etc to the surface and it makes the road very slippery

* Braking effectiveness is reduced - when your rims are wet, you have significantly less stopping power

* Slow before turns - you want to adjust your speed accordingly before the turn as hitting the brakes in the midst of a turn in the rain is a good way to hit the ground

In addition to these wet weather tips, there are a few crashes that were a result of poor conduct on the course by athletes such as:

* Ride as far right as possible - it is your responsibility to ride as far right as is safe to do so unless you are passing

* Hold your line - sudden changes in direction of travel should be minimized

* Avoid passing in technical areas - if you are overtaking someone heading into a technical area, either pass before this area or wait until after

* Pass left - at no point should you be passing on the right hand side; regardless of how justified you feel in passing on the right, it is forbidden to do so

* Inside pedal is up on all turns - your inside pedal should be in the 12 o'clock position if you are not pedaling through the turn and your weight should be on the outside pedal

Ultimately, remember that it is your responsibility to ride safely, predictably and within the rules.  If this means that you have to adjust your speed, tactics, etc so that you keep yourself and other racers safe, then you need to keep that in mind.

Ride safe,

Shane