I would like to compete in my first triathlon this summer. I am very clueless on how it all works. First of all, I own a cheap mountain bike, will this do for the bike section or am I going to get laughed at on my huffy? Second, do you have to wear a wet suit and if not and don’t own one do you just wear a bathing suit? When in transition after the swim do you put other clothes on? How do you find your bike? I just don’t know all the little things and if someone could help me out or point me in the right direction for a beginner I would appreciate it so very much. I don’t want to go pro I just love challenging myself. I’ve done a marathon and now I want to try something new. All the websites I’ve gone to don’t offer answers on the little things and I’ve never seen one so like I said, I’m very clueless.
Oh my. You need to come up to speed very quickly.
Read.
http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/Beginner_s_triathlon_gear_list__No_need_to_break_the_bank.htm
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/
http://ezinearticles.com/?Triathlon-Beginner—7-Tips-For-Your-First-Triathlon&id=618481
To the bike part. You don’t necessarily need a tri/trials bike, but you will see plenty of them. What you do need is a competent road bike. I doubt you could finish the bicycle leg on a mountain bike.
March 30th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
Sure you can use a mountain bike, but I highly advise against it because you’ll be working harder to go slower than people with road bikes.
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March 30th, 2010 at 9:51 pm
Oh my. You need to come up to speed very quickly.
Read.
http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/Beginner_s_triathlon_gear_list__No_need_to_break_the_bank.htm
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/
http://ezinearticles.com/?Triathlon-Beginner—7-Tips-For-Your-First-Triathlon&id=618481
To the bike part. You don’t necessarily need a tri/trials bike, but you will see plenty of them. What you do need is a competent road bike. I doubt you could finish the bicycle leg on a mountain bike.
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March 30th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
check out http://www.beginner-triathlon-training-tips.com/ for a perspective of just a triathlete just starting out as well.
As far as the mountain biking goes, you might want to check out an Xterra triathlon (http://www.xterraplanet.com) They are triathlons that are more trail riding rather than road riding.
I don’t know where you live but if the water temp is lower than about 70 you will want a wetsuit. Cold water can cramp muscles and you don’t want to cramp up in the middle of a lake or ocean…YIKES.
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March 30th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
In your first couple Triathlons, most people try to complete, not compete. To complete a triathlon you will need: a bike (any type), a swim suit, goggles, and running shoes. That’ really it. One only needs the more expensive equipment to race competitively (when seconds count).
1) The bike: Your Huffy mountain bike is fine. Most people do their first few tri’s on the bike they have sitting around. Other people will understand that you are new, but that’ OK. Consider replacing the knobby tires with road slicks for 26" tires. This will greatly increase your speed.
2) Wetsuit: These are convenient and help you swim faster, but are expensive. Many people who are just starting out just use a swim suit. The swim of a Sprint tri is only 10-20 min long. Unless you are doing a polar bear triathlon, most people can swim that long without a wetsuit.
3) Changing: You don’t change out of your swim clothes in a tri. You will ride your bike and run in your swimsuit. Some people bring shorts to put on over the swim suit during the bike-run for a bit of modesty, but is not needed.
4) Finding your bike: Before the triathlon, you will place your bike in the place you are told. You will need to remember the location after the swim and after the bike ride.
Have fun!
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March 30th, 2010 at 10:58 pm
check this out http://www.triathlontrainingschedule.org/
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