WEEKLY TRANSITION 5TH OCTOBER 2026 – SWIM, BIKE, RUN, READ

Daylight saving started on Sunday morning, so we are on the new clock and stepping into the Summer Timetable. The biggest change this week is our return to Elwood Beach for combo sessions.

Dust off the transition bag, charge the lights, check the tyres, find the goggles and bring the full kit. Coaches will always adapt to the weather and conditions, but athletes should arrive ready for any useful combination of swim, bike, run, transition practice and skills. Thursday night is for both Short Course and Long Course athletes. Saturday morning brings the Short Course crew back to Elwood too.

The work through winter has built the engine. Summer is where we start connecting the pieces.

Monday, 6.15 pm–7.30 pm: Monday Night Squad Swim, MSAC
Tuesday, 5.45 am–7.00 am: Run Intervals, Albert Park Lake
Tuesday, 6.15 pm–7.30 pm: Wind Trainer, MSAC
Wednesday, 5.45 am–7.00 am: Wednesday Morning Squad Swim, MSAC
Thursday, 5.45 am–7.00 am: Hot Laps, Albert Park Lake (uncoached, follow your CoachingMate program)
Thursday, 6.00 pm–8.00 pm: Short Course and Long Course Combo, Elwood Beach
Friday, 5.45 am–7.00 am: Endurance Swim (programmed athletes), MSAC
Saturday, 7.00 am–10.00 am: Short Course Combo, Elwood Beach
Sunday: Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival support day

The Summer Timetable begins this week. Check the live timetable before leaving home because coaches may adapt sessions to conditions.

Triathlon is not three separate sports added together. The race asks you to move from one discipline to the next while your body, equipment and decision-making are already under load. Combo sessions let us practise that connection.

The biggest benefit is specificity. A short run after riding teaches the legs to settle into a useful stride instead of fighting the heavy first few minutes. A swim-to-bike sequence exposes all the little jobs that cost time and attention: finding your feet, removing a wetsuit, handling shoes and helmet, getting organised and starting the next discipline calmly.

Combo training also builds pacing awareness. Going too hard in the first discipline has an immediate consequence in the next one. That feedback helps athletes learn what sustainable actually feels like. Just as importantly, repeating transitions makes the process familiar. Familiar actions need less thought on race day, leaving more attention for effort, conditions and good decisions.

Bring everything because the exact mix may change with the conditions. The goal is not always a long brick. A short, well-coached sequence can deliver a powerful technical and physiological lesson.

Summer sessions at Elwood are deliberately flexible. Wind, water quality, temperature and group needs can all change what gives athletes the best session on the day. Your coach will make that call. Your job is to arrive prepared.

Bring swim gear and a bright cap, bike and helmet, front and rear lights, run shoes, weather layers, fluids, nutrition, a towel and the small spares that keep a session moving. Label your equipment and organise it so you can find what you need quickly. Preparation is part of transition practice too.

It has already been an eventful journey for Mario Staffieri. He has landed in Hawai‘i, cleared immigration and been allowed into the USA. Cancelled flights and an unexpected overnight stay in Sydney put him behind schedule. His delayed bike has finally been reunited with him too, arriving a little battered and broken but still nothing Mario cannot handle.

From here, surely nothing else can go wrong. More importantly, Mario is there. He can rebuild the bike, settle into the island and turn his attention to Saturday.

This is Mario’s second time racing on triathlon’s biggest stage. His 2024 Kona was part of the split World Championship format with an all-male field. In 2026 the IRONMAN World Championship returns to a single historic race day in Kailua-Kona, with men and women sharing the same stage again. It is a deep, legitimate world championship field on one of the toughest one-day courses in sport.

Mario, everyone at Tri Alliance is behind you. You have done the work, handled the detours and reached the start-line week. Now go enjoy the race you earned.

TRACKING: Use the official tracker below on Saturday 10 October and search for Mario Staffieri. Melbourne is 21 hours ahead of Hawai‘i once daylight saving begins, so his Saturday race unfolds across our Sunday morning.

This weekend belongs to Melbourne’s runners. The 2026 Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival takes over Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October, with the marathon and half marathon on Sunday and the 10 km among Saturday’s events.

We know Coach Dan, Jo and Andy are all taking on the marathon. Jo and Andy line up as a husband-and-wife duo, sharing the build and now the same huge finish-line goal. TA athletes will also be lining up across the marathon, half marathon and 10 km.

Whatever the distance, getting to race week is an achievement. The long runs, early alarms, tired legs and quiet consistency are already banked. Trust the pacing plan, start with restraint, fuel before you feel behind and take in the MCG finish. We are proud of everyone getting out there.

Hot Laps is a roughly 5 km circuit around Albert Park Lake. The two long straights are the work, with the back straight usually the faster and harder effort. The shorter ends are where the group recovers, corners and regroups before building speed again.

It is not simply an interval session done near other riders. The group rides close, fast and as one unit. That means concentration and anticipation matter as much as fitness. Keep your eyes up, listen for changes, hold a predictable line and act early rather than braking or changing direction suddenly. Do not use tri bars while riding inside the group.

Thursday Hot Laps runs from 5.45 am to 7.00 am, meeting outside the MSAC main entrance. It is uncoached and will appear on the online timetable during build weeks, then come off during recovery weeks. The timetable will clearly mark it as uncoached. Follow the session written in your CoachingMate program rather than copying somebody else’s effort. If you are not yet confident in a fast bunch, practise laps at your own pace first and build the skills before adding speed.

Bring working front and rear lights, your phone, a spare tube, tyre levers, CO2 and a gel. Wear Tri Alliance kit so the group is easy to identify and keep together.

In a close group, the riders behind often cannot see the hazard, traffic light or vehicle that the front riders can see. Every call and signal must be clear, early and passed all the way through the bunch.

CAR BACK means a vehicle is approaching from behind. CAR UP warns of a vehicle ahead. CLEAR LEFT confirms the left side is clear at an intersection only when you have genuinely checked it. LIGHTS UP warns that the group may need to slow. STOPPING means the bunch is stopping. ROLLING means the lead riders have decided it is safe to continue. Repeat the call so nobody is left guessing.

Point clearly at potholes and fixed hazards. Use an open hand to wave over loose gravel or glass. Hold a lowered open palm towards riders behind when slowing. Signal turns early. Ride directly behind the wheel in front, avoid half-wheeling, and move to the back if you are not comfortable holding the formation.

Strong legs do not automatically make a safe bunch rider. Predictability, awareness and communication are the skills that let everyone train well together.

Sunday 1 November. Keep the final build controlled and protect consistency.

A new 6 km swim from the Quarantine Station to Sorrento launches on Saturday 13 March 2027. The adventure begins with a jump from the ferry, follows a flowing tide and finishes close to the post-swim celebration.

There are wetsuit and non-wetsuit waves, plus smaller groups for swimmers who want to cruise. Every swimmer receives a time. Sunday 14 March is held as the bad-weather back-up date.

As outlined in the member communication sent on 1 October, payment processing costs are now incorporated into your training fees as Tri Alliance aligns with Australia’s new card-surcharge rules. Tri Alliance also covers the setup and administration fees.

The one charge members still need to be aware of is a dishonour fee when a debit is returned for insufficient funds. Tri Alliance absorbs part of the failed-payment cost, but Ezidebit may also charge the member a separate payer dishonour fee directly. Ezidebit’s current disclosure lists this fee as up to $21.90. It is paid to Ezidebit, not Tri Alliance, and it may appear on your statement several days after the original debit was declined.

Please keep enough cleared funds in your account around your scheduled debit date. If you believe an Ezidebit dishonour fee has been applied incorrectly, contact Ezidebit directly using the link below. You can also send Tri Alliance a screenshot showing the date and amount if you need help matching it to the original membership debit.

Send us your result, first finish, personal best, return from injury, volunteer moment or a great squad photo. The best Weekly Transition stories come from what our athletes are doing.

Monday, 6.15 pm–7.30 pm: Monday Night Squad Swim, MSAC
Tuesday, 5.45 am–7.00 am: Run Intervals, Albert Park Lake
Tuesday, 6.15 pm–7.30 pm: Wind Trainer, MSAC
Wednesday, 5.45 am–7.00 am: Wednesday Morning Squad Swim, MSAC
Thursday, 5.45 am–7.00 am: Hot Laps, Albert Park Lake (uncoached, follow your CoachingMate program)
Thursday, 6.00 pm–8.00 pm: Short Course and Long Course Combo, Elwood Beach
Friday, 5.45 am–7.00 am: Endurance Swim (programmed athletes), MSAC
Saturday, 7.00 am–10.00 am: Short Course Combo, Elwood Beach
Sunday: Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival support day

Daylight saving started on Sunday morning. Check the live timetable before leaving home because coaches may adapt sessions to conditions.