SPORTSCIENCE |
|
Original Research / Performance |
|
Commentary on Competitive Performance of
Elite Olympic-Distance Triathletes
Brendon M Downey
Sportscience 9, 42
(sportsci.org/jour/05/bmd.htm)
Endurance Coach Ltd, Cudgen, NSW 2487, Australia. Email.
Reprint pdf · Reprint doc
You have not dealt with the women's triathlon.
The smallest worthwhile improvement is likely to be greater for women than for
men, given that the men's competition is generally closer (that is, the top ten
finish closer together). The International Triathlon Union takes this
difference between sexes into account by setting different cut-offs for
triathletes to earn competition points: 5% of the men's winning time is the
cut-off for men, but for women it is 8% of the women's winning time.
Regarding the transitions, I think that in
practice it is still possible to make mistakes that place athletes back a group
on the bike ride. Of course, the measured transition (between timing mats) does
not reflect the actual full transition (from stand up at swim exit to up to full
speed on the bike). So while I agree that the measured period you have in your
paper is probably not worth much, this does not reflect the full picture of
what can be worked on by the athletes to improve performance in transitions. On many occasions I have seen athletes losing
a group in the ride by not being able to take their wetsuit off quickly (stuck
zipper, not finding the zipper cord, wetsuit stuck at ankles) or through errors
at transition exit (shoes coming off bikes, crashing into other cyclists at
mounting/dismounting, being penalized by incorrect bike racking). The frequency
of such errors can be reduced through practice and through experience of the
heat of competition.