ITU star Vicky Holland shares her top triathlon tips

Vicky Holland certainly knows her stuff when it comes to race day preparation – here are her top tips for triathlon success…

– Crumple your race number so that it acts as less of a sail – it’s a shame to catch drag from something so simple as this when most of us will have invested heavily on aero bikes and kit!

– Always do a warm up before the swim in the water so your body can adjust to the cold.

– If it is a cold-water race, always wear arm warmers under your wetsuit as this will really help on the bike.

– Ensure you have plenty of layers, especially socks and gloves to put on after your warm-up in colder races so you will remain warm before the start.

– Always remember to sight and never rely on the person in front… you never know, they may be going in the wrong direction anyway!

– Put baby oil/wetsuit lube on both the neck of your wetsuit and from the knee down to help get it off quicker.

– Remember nutrition is key – always eat and drink plenty on the bike especially in hot conditions and during longer distance races to avoid bonking.

– Ensure you get a good tri-specific bike fit, this will help you to run off the bike quicker and help you to avoid potenital injury.

A proper bike fit will significantly help you on the run

– Attach your shoes to your bike pedals using elastic bands to save time in transition – practice this a few times and you will definitely reap the rewards!

– Ensure you’re prepared – from checking the course maps before you arrive, getting there early (or ideally the night before), and if possible driving/riding the bike and run routes beforehand so there are no surprises come raceday.

– It’s simple but effective… always have a post race recovery drink to help rebuild your muscles after the hard work you’ve just put in!

For more advice and tailored training sessions, head to the Training section of our website

Jack Sexty Editor at road.cc

About

Former 220 staff writer Jack Sexty is now editor at Road.cc. Jack has raced everything up to Ironman distance, is a sub-2hr Olympic-distance athlete and has represented GB at the ITU World AG Champs on several occasions. He's also a regular kit tester on the pages of 220 and holds two world records for pogo jumping – Longest distance pogo stick jumping in 24 hours and Most consecutive jumps on a pogo stick.