Tip of the Month
Pre-Race Check
The first races of the season are just around the corner. Here's something to remember when setting up your transition area at a race.
After racking your bike perform the following checklist:
1. Make sure that the bike has been left in an easy gear - you don't want to start pedalling and find out that you're in the big ring - this makes for a very awkward start to the race...
2. Spin your back wheel to make sure that your chain is properly lined up and hasn't fallen off between the time the bike was removed from your car to the time it was racked in transition. This happened to me at the Vancouver World Championships in 2008 and made for a very slow start to the bike portion of the race...
3. Spin both the back and front wheels to make sure the brake pads are evenly spaced on either side of the wheel and are not rubbing or too tight. You'll wonder why your ride feels so sluggish until afterwards when you figure it out. Once again - speaking from personal experience...
So check and double check to avoid any of the above scenarios on race day!
