Triathlon Bike Transitions, Fight or Flight? Part 2 Running Mounts

Transitioning smoothly between the swim, bike, and run segments in a triathlon can save valuable seconds or even minutes. One of the most challenging parts is mounting and dismounting the bike quickly without losing balance or wasting energy. This skill requires practice, technique, and confidence. Improving your transitions can boost your overall race time and reduce stress during the event

Specificity in Training

Silky skills need learning, then refining, then making second nature. A fast transition onto and off bike can literally save a minute, boost your confidence and get a round of applause. This blog is NOT about setting up your transitions but learning how to mount and dismount a bike fast to integrate into your racing took kit. Find a quiet place, maybe a flat grassy area, or tarmac with somewhere soft to fall for later. Preferably a straight bit of road or layby. Wear your helmet and bike gloves, practice is where IF you're going to fall you will, and concussion and grazes is not what you want, however, this is worst case. In 20 years of doing this I've never had an athlete crash

Running / Flying Mount

Get this right: Many athletes, even at Podium ability level, completely pause or stop to mount their bike, risking faster athletes running into them, and having to rebuild what speed they had running next to the bike from scratch Mounting the bike surely and quickly requires a smooth, practiced motion. Follow these steps that will apply whether or not you wear your bike shoes and run through transition with them on or whether they are attached to your bike pedals Do these drills wearing your trainers until you are confident to move to your bike shoes. A down day or swim day is always a good day to practice skills. Think of a flying mount as a scoot and a hurdle!

1. Go back to being a child. Just like you may have used a scooter or scooted on a bike is how you'll start this skill. Stand next to the bike, place your outside foot on the pedal, with your inside leg and foot behind it and hanging and push off with that leg. Your hands are on the tops of the handlebars, not on the hoods and no where near the brake levers, you won't need to brake, just step off the bike if you need to stop, a slight downward facing hill can help

2. Look ahead or you'll follow where you're looking, down or to the side and the bike will follow your gaze and spiral out of control and you'll lose confidence

3. 💡Push the frame away from you enough to balance the bike and counter act your weight on one side. Take bigger 'push offs' from the rear foot and focus on going further each push off, get used to the uneasy feeling of moving whilst balancing the bike. Use the opposite hand on the handlebar to lead the counterweighting

4. Remain as vertical as you can and resist the temptation to lean over the middle of the bike or lean away, keep loose, keeping tight will not work

5. Finally, experiment with leaning the bike slightly towards you and away from you to manage direction of travel, don't turn the handlebars, the bike will pivot on the front wheel and go over

6. The final step, do in two stages, lift your back leg so it's parallel with the ground, lower again, do this several times, finally, when you're comfy, hook it over the saddle and move to a sitting position. Do not look down, or your body weight will simply follow your leg and you'll put the bike and you on your side

NEVER do what you see mainly females doing, attempting to fold the leg over the cross bar knee first. This unweights the bike, shortens it's base of balance, means if the bike goes over you go knee and head first, is easy to catch your shoe or leg on your other leg and it's so hard to unfold the leg and take it down to the other pedal ⭐Master Tip You can practice this with care on your turbo trainer, especially the swinging of the leg over the saddle, easy on a heavier wattbike or gym bike, and it will instill confidence. Remember if you carry bottles behind the saddle you'll need to lift your leg higher When you're confident transition to using bike shoes. This will feel like a retrograde step as you'll be running with the bike properly, see previous blog. You'll come to a stop, set your pedal at the lowest point nearest to you, and either a) click in immediately or b) get a good enough purchase to take your weight and scoot and click in once on the bike and moving. The point of this is that you're scooting to around 10KPH and mounting a securely moving bike. This is a lot quicker than standing, tipping bike, throwing leg over, bringing pedal up, engaging cleats, then moving from zero onto the course The final evolving of this move of course is to jump onto the moving bike, but this is something that requires confidence and bravery and much practice. If your shoes are already on the bike then you simply place your feet on top of the shoe, and treat it like a pedal Preparing of the pedal may include stuffing the opening with newspaper to ensure a big wide opening and lots of practice in wiggling your feet in, bending over to snap the rubber band and fasten the shoes, all when the bike has reached a good speed, you're not in traffic and you're confident. Happy flying mounts

Triathlete mounting bike after existing transition

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Not practicing enough. If this becomes a habit then it's one less thing to worry about

• Confidence Pick a race, decide to do it, and....do it. If you don't do it in races and only practice training sessions what's the point

  
  

You got this. Look out for the next blog talking you through a flying dismount