Cycling & Triathlon Skills Checklist
Skills are just as important as fitness in athletic success. This survey will help you identify areas for improvement.
12
▶
1
2
  • Choose all that apply

  • Cycling

    General Skills
  • Weakness Needs work Unsure Good Strength
    Look back riding straight & pedaling
    Put either foot down when stopping
    Eat/drink and access pockets riding straight & pedaling
    Know which way to shift and when
    Know how many gears are left w/o looking
    Spin 90 rpm comfortably for several hours
    Ride mulitiple hours without pain
    Ride a hill of any gradient w/o breathing hard
    Take a bottle, drink & return bottle while pedaling
    Use clipless pedals without anxiety
    Adjust brakes and deraileurs
    Change a flat tire in a few minutes
    Dress for any weather conditions in which I would ride
    Track Stand the length of a stop light
    Recognize your Lactate Threshold effort by feel
    Recognize if your legs are tired or fresh without referring to any electronics

  • Cycling Skills

    Road Specific
  • Weakness Needs work Unsure Good Strength
    Emergency brake without skidding rear wheel on the road
    Dismount to both sides
    Ride on a road stripe indefinitely
    Ride in a single paceline, pulling off to either side
    Take a bottle, drink & return bottle while in a paceline
    Corner on the road without anxiety
    Descend on the road without anxiety
    Corner as fast as others I usually ride with
    Take a 90 degree corner at 20+ mph on an unobstructed road
    Take off/put on jacket/vest/arm warmers/etc while riding on the road
    Bunny hop up a short curb or over speed bump or pothole
    Ride off a curb at full speed
    Ride the gutter (near the road shoulder) without anxiety
    Ride off the edge of the road into the dirt and back on, at least where the transition is smooth
    Tack (zig-zag) up steep hill
    Ride with hands off bars
    Ride packed dirt on a road bike
    Ride in the drops for at least an hour
    Ride training rollers including no hands and sprinting

  • Road Skills

    Racing
  • Weakness Needs Work Unsure Good Strength
    Ride aerobars comfortably for over an hour
    Ride bumping elbows with another rider
    Spin 100 rpm for more than an hour
    Sprint at 130+ rpm
    Comfortably ride within a wheel length of the rider in front of me
    Take a bottle, drink, put it back with people around me
    Ride in single or double paceline
    Ride in a rotating paceline
    Ride in an echelon in wind
    Ride rollers
    Take a feed from the side of the road
    Stand up on the bike without kicking the bike back
    Take a 90 degree turn on closed road at full speed, no braking
    Drink from a water bottle through a turn or in a tight peloton
    Descend as fast as my competitors
    Clip in without looking at pedals or feet
    Move into a gap that is handlebar width plus a couple of inches
    Know where the wind-protected side will be after a turn
    Block or disrupt a paceline
    Recognize blocking or disruption in a paceline
    Push another rider (up the road or out of the way)
    Throw the bike at the finish line
    Know the numbers of teeth on your gears, front and back
    Have packing lists for all race types and weather I’ll face

  • Mountain Bike Skills

    General
  • Weakness Needs work Unsure Good Strength
    Emergency brake without skidding rear wheel on the trail
    Ride on narrow single-track
    Take a bottle, drink, and return bottle while riding on a trail
    Corner without anxiety on the trail
    Corner as fast as others I ride with on the trail
    Descend without anxiety on the trail
    Descend as fast as others I ride with on the trail
    Hop a log up to 4 inches diameter at speed
    Drop off a 1 ft ledge without anxiety
    Ride off-camber turns without anxiety
    Descend a chute with a clear exit without braking
    Ride rocky terrain without anxiety
    Ride loose surfaces such as gravel or sand without anxiety
    Ride through a shallow stream or other water at least 6 inches deep
    Climb a super steep hill without slipping the rear wheel

  • Mountain Bike

    Racing Skills
  • Weakness Needs work Unsure Good Strength
    Corner as fast as my competitors
    Descend as fast as my competitors
    Ride off-camber turns as fast as my competitors
    Ride bumping elbows with another rider off-road
    Ride between two other riders on the trail
    Pass on single track without the rider in front having to pull over
    Descend tight switchbacks without putting a foot down or dismounting
    Sprint to 130 rpm on dirt
    Stand up on the bike without kicking the bike back
    Change tire in less than 3 minutes (in dark for 24-hr racers)

  • Cyclocross Skills

    Essential
  • Weakness Needs work Unsure Good Strength
    Ride bumping elbows with another rider
    Accelerate to speed as quickly as competitors
    Ride between two other riders
    Hop an obstacle up to 4" at speed
    Draft another rider on the dirt
    Dismount at full speed
    Dismount/Remount without a stutter step
    Remount at full speed
    Clip in without looking at pedals or feet
    Dismount in a turn
    Remount on a slight uphill
    Remount on a slight downhill
    Descend without braking on a chute with a clear exit
    Stand up on the bike without kicking the bike back
    Take a drop of at least 1 foot without anxiety
    Ride in sand
    Ride in soupy mud
    Ride through standing water
    Ride on snow or ice without anxiety
    Corner on loose terrain such as gravel
    Ride on off-camber terrain
    Run stairs at speed

  • Cyclocross Skills

    Advanced
  • Weakness Needs work Unsure Good Strength
    Accelerate to speed quickly enough to pass others from the line
    Pass a rider on singletrack without the rider pulling over
    Move into a gap that is handlebar width plus a couple of inches
    Dismount to either side of the bike
    Remount from either side of the bike
    Have a pit crew and spare bike

  • Cycling Skills

    Triathlon Specific
  • Weakness Needs work Unsure Good Strength
    Clip in without looking at pedals
    Accelerate up to speed out of the saddle
    Ride in aerobars for the length of longest goal race
    Take corners and descents on aerobars wihtout anxiety
    Ride aerobars in the wind
    Ride without back pain
    Ride without neck pain
    Ride without saddle pain
    Draft legal: draft the rider in front
    Quickly and safely grab food and hydration from bike aid station
    Eat and drink while on aerobars
    Ride a tight turn-around quickly

  • Swimming Skills

    General
  • Weakness Needs work Unsure Good Strength
    Swim confidently in a crowded start
    Pace to control heart rate and calm breathing
    Swim open water without anxiety (if needed for event)
    Stay warm while swimming in race conditions
    Elbows higher than wrists for recovery
    Fingers towards bottom during pull
    Hands come to hips before recovery
    Kick provides meaningful propulsion
    Bilateral breathe
    Breathe to side w/o raising head rather than to the front with raised head
    Swim with heels breaking surface
    Swim freestyle the whole event distance
    Swim straight enough to sight every 10 strokes or less often without getting off course
    Swim a 25 yard pool in 14 strokes or less
    Draft other swimmers
    Swim event distance without nausea
    Swim event distance without chafing
    Have a consistent breathing pattern for open water
    Finish the swim portion ready to ride

  • Running Skills

    General
  • Weakness Needs work Unsure Good Strength
    Run event distance without blisters or chafing
    Know what to wear in different weather conditions
    Run downhill smoothly and without jarring
    Run up steep hills without blowing up
    Drink and eat (at least gels) while running
    Run event distance without joint or muscle pain or cramps
    Run close beside another runner
    Run close behind another runner
    Run with another runner on my heels
    Hold a steady pace when passing or being passed
    Run confidently in rough terrain (for trail runners)
    Adjust speed to maintain a steady effort in undulating terrain
    Quickly and safely grab food and hydration from run aid station
    Recognize if your legs are tired or fresh without referring to any electronics

  • Triathlon-Specific Skills

    Including Transition Skills
  • Weakness Needs work Unsure Good Strength
    Set up transition area
    Have a set pre-race warm up that works for you
    Have a pacing plan for each segment of the race
    Adhere to a pacing plan
    Complete Swim-Bike transition in 3 minutes or less
    Remove wetsuit quickly without anxiety
    Tighten cycling shoes while riding
    Ride 1 hr in swimsuit without pain (short course athletes)
    Complete Bike-Run transition in 3 minutes or less
    Count laps while swimming, riding, or running
    Have a hydration and nutrition plan for event distance
    Adhere to hydration and nutrition plan during a race

  • 1 / 2