We ask about Scody’s sleeved triathlon race suits

At Trizone we are seeing more and more athletes wearing the new Scody Optimise A.I.R sleeved triathlon race suits and we wanted to find out what the science is behind it so thought we would ask Australian professional triathlete and Scody athlete Sam Betten to tell us a bit more about it….

Trizone: What is the reason why so many people are turning to these new generation race suits?

Sam Betten: Triathletes are always wanting to go faster. The simple fact is that cyclists have been using sleeved time trial skin suits for many years. It was only going to be a matter of time before triathletes adopted this trend. Last year at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, we saw athletes using a sleeved race suit/top and since then it is becoming more and more common.

TZ: What was your first experience with the Scody Optimise A.I.R Tri Suit?

Sam: Early this year I tried on my first Scody sleeved race suit. Being such a tall athlete I was never really a huge fan of any tri suit for long course racing. Honestly I was skeptical about wearing any tri suit for long course racing. However, I was totally sold after my first long course Ironman 70.3 race. These suits just feel next level fast. The other interesting factor was that I found that I felt cooler due to the added sun protection (Scody Optimise A.I.R Tri Suit has SPF 50+ sun protection) on my back and upper arms. The suit also holds a small amount of moisture in the sleeves which I find helps keep my core temperature just that little bit lower. This is a great feature which helps me to stay cool in the heat and perform at my optimum.

TZ: What are some of the other design features of the Scody A.I.R Optimise Tri Suit?

Sam: Apart from the great sun protection, which I think is a MUST for anyone racing in hot conditions, the Italian made chamois provides great comfort for the bike portion of any race. What I found particularly interesting was that the chamois didn’t cause any chaffing even while running. Many other athletes I have talked to about this have also been impressed at how comfortable the suits are.

The two pockets are perfect to hold my energy gels and provide easy access to them during races.

TZ: Are there any downsides that people should consider when buying one of these next generation aero race suits from Scody or any other brand?

Sam: The only big downside is that if it is a non wetsuit swim the rules state that you are not allowed to swim with any arm coverage. For me I swim with my race suit pulled down to my hips and then upon exiting the swim leg I pull down the torso section of my wetsuit/swim skin and then pull up my Scody A.I.R Tri Suit. I find that with most runs to transition I have more than enough time to get my race suit pulled up before getting to my bike.

TZ: Where do people go to read more and possibly purchase the Scody Optimise A.I.R Tri Suit.