I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think so. Transition times are the easiest to shave...my overall time sucked in my first race, but my T1 time was on par with the top finisher. I'm not exaggerating a bit--my overall race time was nearly 3:00 compared with 2:00 for the top competitors in this race, but my T1 time was close to the best. That may be meaningless overall, but for those of you who are competitive, this is really important!!!
I just started, so I need to work on everything---I have to swim, bike, and run faster. But I'm already good enough at transitions to tell the average triathlete this...aside from stripping off your wetsuit, you should be wearing whatever you need for the bike. Throw on sunglasses and your helmet, and start running towards the mount line with your bike. If you need gels or anything else, duct tape them onto your frame before the race even starts.
Seriously, I learned this from much better athletes than me, and this was the one thing that worked out for me and I'll keep employing as I become better and better at triathlon--transitions are not a time for rest or gathering supplies--transitions are a godsend for shaving time off your race, whether you're a newbie or a pro! You don't even need to rubber-band your shoes
(I don't have tri shoes with that handy loop
)...just have them positioned in the 9 and 3-o'clock positions and you'll be fine even with that 1,000 meter sprint to the mount line!
EDIT: what I should have mentioned, before anyone bashes me, is this: practice. I'm not particularly talented, and if I was, I would have finished my Oly in 2:20 like another cohort. I didn't. I'm slow, but I started practicing the fast mount when I bought my bike in early July, three weeks before my race. You don't need to practice constantly--just do the flying mount every time you jump on your bike, and practice the flying dismount, too. It'll save you enough time that it's worth ignoring the sideways stares from your neighbors :-
)
Edited by ehughes 2010-08-01 4:30 AM