Our editors share the gear that they’ve been reaching for throughout June, including tech-free tool for better sleep and a bike helmet that is so breathable, it makes biking in a Phoenix summer possible.
(Photo: Triathlete)
Published June 26, 2026 11:25AM
It’s officially summer. And while that means peak triathlon season, it also means more careful planning for how and when you train as temperatures rise and the humidity knocks your socks off (maybe that’s why triathletes don’t wear socks).
Our editors are sharing the gear that’s gotten them through June, and spoiler alert, it can help you conquer the miles during July, which in most parts of the country is even hotter.
Precision Fuel Carb Only Drink Mix
(Photo: Chris Foster/Triathlete)
OK, I’m sure I’m like the last to Precision’s high-carb drink mix party, but let me explain myself: First, I haven’t really been “competitive” in a do workouts, go race way in a long time, so I never felt this trend was for me. With all of the warnings about upset tummies, the cost, and, again, the fact that I just don’t go fast anymore, I’ve been mostly disinterested in high-carb nutrition. Second, if I’m honest, I find Precision’s overwhelmingly extroverted brand presence at events anathema to my own personality. They sure have fun (and are really, really nice), but they are also a lot.
So it was with great hesitancy that I loaded up my water bottle on Wednesday morning with Precision Fuel’s Carb Only drink mix. Why hesitant? The day before, I had sat across from an over-the-top makeshift watermelon stand Precision Fuel promotional booth for Trailcon at Olympic Valley in Palisades Tahoe for an hour, while more marketers than I’d ever seen slung Precision products. Later, I’d sit at a restaurant table screaming into my editors’ ears over Loud DJ Beats while Precision hosted a promotional 100-meter sprint event in the lead-up to the start of the hallowed and tradition-soaked Western States 100 trail race. Irony? Not found.
All that is to say that the only reason I put that fuel mix into my bottle was because it was literally the only thing in my room at 5 a.m. before I headed out on a run route to Emigrant Pass that had pretty decidedly beaten me down the day before. The result was infuriating: I had an incredible run. I tackled about 2,700 feet of gain in almost two hours, poorly prehydrated and fatigued/humbled by my embarrassing attempt the day before. The only difference was that hydration mix, laughing at me all the way, like one of the inflated Precision character-people smiling and hawking product all week. No upset tummy (even at 8,000 feet), and I had a smooth band of energy to the top, down the intense descent, and even in the hours after the run. Consider me a reluctant convert.
– Chris Foster, editor-in-chief
Specialized S-Works Prevail 3 Bike Helmet
(Photo: Courtesy Specialized)
As I write this, it is 107 degrees in Phoenix, Arizona, where I live and train. But if you think I’m hiding on an indoor trainer, you are sorely mistaken. I simply can’t stand hours of pedaling and getting nowhere, so instead I set an early alarm, put on my lightest kit, and head out to race the sunrise. The most critical part of my hot-weather getup is this helmet, which has the most ventilation of any brain bucket in my collection.
When it’s this hot, I want as much breathability as I can get. I’ve used a few bike helmets in the past with more holes to tout an “open” design, but still overheated – that’s because airflow matters more than exposure. With this helmet, I can literally feel the channels directing airflow over my forehead and scalp, pulling the heat away from my head. It’s a psychological boost as much as a physical one, and frankly, I’ll take anything I can get to survive the summer months. The only thing I wish is that it came in a high-vis colorway so I can glow in the predawn hours.
– Susan Lacke, senior editor
Contour Legacy Leg Pillow
(Photo: Courtesy Contour)
Sleep is essential, whether you’re in a heavy training block or not. Recently, we covered the struggle many tech-focused athletes face with the condition Orthosomnia, or anxiety about trying to land a perfect sleep score in our ever-more-connected world. While I love my triathlon smartwatch, I’m also keenly aware that it doesn’t tell the whole story when it comes to sleep.
Healthy sleep habits, such as completing training sessions several hours before sleeping, turning off tech, finishing dinner several hours before bedtime, and spending time to wind down, beat anything a sleep score can try to tell you.
One comfort measure I’ve found recently is switching out a traditional pillow between the knees when side sleeping for a pillow specifically designed to align the back and hips. While using an older, worn-out pillow is obviously more economical, it is also bulky and doesn’t move with me during those restless moments.
The Contour Legacy Leg Pillow is compact, but perfectly contoured to provide good support for side sleepers. Research found that placing a firm pillow between the knees while side sleeping can prevent your upper leg from pulling your spine out of alignment.
– Rebekah Brately, associate editor