01Mar Bella, breakwater sea start
Keep breathing steady on the single swim circuit
Breakwater protection keeps this swim genuinely calm. Settle into a repeatable rhythm early and use the Olympic Port and Parc del Fòrum as sighting landmarks.
Settle by 300 m. Sight off the port, not the swimmer ahead.
02Montgat link, first bike stage
Set your effort before the coastal repeats
The course moves from the Olympic Port out along the coast towards Mataró. Use the early kilometres to settle position and start fuelling.
Start drinking before the open coast road. Check effort before average speed.
03N-II towards Vilassar de Mar, early repeats
Maintain legal gaps and sustainable power
Nothing on this stretch will slow you down, which is exactly why it's easy to overspend. Ride the same effort you planned, regardless of how easy the speed feels.
Ride the plan by power or perceived effort. Do not bank a fast-feeling split.
04N-II return and Barcelona approach
Keep eating and finish the ride with running legs
The route back through the heart of Barcelona, past the Sagrada Família, is genuinely spectacular and genuinely distracting. Finish your nutrition and prepare for the run rather than racing the scenery.
Finish the bottle you planned. Let cadence rise before T2.
05Barcelona seafront, opening run circuits
Let the first promenade lap feel manageable
The seafront promenade puts you in front of large, vocal crowds from the first kilometre. Use the opening lap to convert bike legs into running legs, not to bank on the noise.
Shorten your stride out of T2. Take the early aid stations deliberately.
06Barcelona seafront, final run lap
Make the last circuit an earned increase
Use the first half as honest evidence of how the day is going. If it's gone well, decide deliberately whether to push; if it hasn't, protect the finish.
Compare the second half to the first honestly. Keep the finish decision yours, not the crowd's.