| Triathlon is one of the best things that has | | | | need to learn to ride with the fast bike riders. I |
| happened to bicycling. Many people who were | | | | know this is so easy to say and so hard to do, |
| runners and swimmers, or just people wanting to | | | | and that is why I am mentioning it. More people |
| challenge themselves in a race against the clock, | | | | lose time on the bike than anything, followed |
| have taken up the Swim, Bike, Run phenomenon. | | | | closely by losing time on the run because the bike |
| I think it is super as it brings a different type of | | | | leg was a disaster. The runner-centric thought |
| person into cycling. There is much to learn, | | | | process also contributes here, stating that if the |
| however, and I have always been adding to my | | | | bike leg is too taxing, the run is blown, so take it |
| "triathlon bank" of information. | | | | easy on the bike leg. |
| When cyclists dabble in triathlons, they are already | | | | My thought is, the people finishing at the front of |
| good cyclists and running is relatively easy to | | | | their age groups or overall are not taking it easy |
| learn. I remember when I was a full-time | | | | on the bike. They train like bike racers on the |
| Category 2 bike racer in Dallas, I found a | | | | bike, just like they do swimming and running. Here |
| "Thursday Night Group" of runners at White Rock | | | | is how you can do it: |
| Lake in Dallas who seemed to be having a great | | | | 1) Ride a road bike in group rides. Tri bikes are |
| time running and then going to a place afterward | | | | inherently designed to ride in a timed race, not in |
| to drink beer and eat. I did some 10K runs and | | | | packs. You need the speed work and intensity of |
| found it easy enough to get to a 6:15 pace, but | | | | road group rides, particularly with people who are |
| as luck would have it, I turned my ankle badlyand | | | | better than you. Get a good road bike and learn |
| my running career was over. It also hurt my | | | | the tricks of the road racers. This finesse and |
| cycling and I remembered this when I started | | | | expertise will transfer back to the triathlon. It's |
| seeing people try triathlons back in the 80's. | | | | not easy to learn to ride with bike racers but it is |
| I see many people who are triathletes and a | | | | well worth it. |
| trend has developed, at least to my perspective. I | | | | 2) You need to ride in a straight line in a triathlon. |
| sense that triathletes will spend inordinate | | | | This is the shortest distance between two points. |
| amounts of time in the pool learning to perfect a | | | | You learn to ride in a straight line in a peloton as |
| swim stroke. They do intervals, speed work, and | | | | you are close to other riders and the better the |
| emulate the fast swimmers who can win a | | | | group, the closer they can ride together. You |
| competitive swim meet. Additionally they run with | | | | eventually learn to relax and ride gracefully and |
| the fast runners. I hear of all sorts of organized | | | | smoothly. |
| run workouts; hill intervals, fartlek, speed work, | | | | 3) Do intervals. Hill intervals, speed intervals, short |
| track workouts, you name it. Here is the rub: I | | | | and long intervals. You already do this on the |
| also hear so many of these people "just getting | | | | swim and run, just do the same on the bike. |
| on their tri bike and riding." This does not compute | | | | 4) When riding in groups, get used to going fast. |
| to me! | | | | Once you are used to 30 miles an hour, holding 25 |
| In many past articles I have elaborated how | | | | mph on the tri bike doesn't seem so bad. |
| much one needs to learn to ride a bicycle | | | | 5) Push your limits on hard training days. When |
| properly. I think that this fear of the unknown | | | | you do intervals or go on a hard group ride, |
| combined with bad anecdotal urban myths ("I | | | | exceed your expectations. You may suffer. You |
| don't draft on a group ride because I can't draft in | | | | may get dropped. This kind of conditioning will |
| a triathlon," etc.) causes triathletes to suffer on | | | | make you better. The logic is to train hard enough |
| the bike and subsequently the run. With this in | | | | that two things happen. First, when you recover, |
| mind, there are two things I ask triathletes to | | | | you will get stronger. Second, the training is so |
| think about as they work on their bike leg; Fitting | | | | hard that the race is easier. |
| and Training. | | | | 6) Get a coach. A good coach will make a huge |
| Since I talk about fitting a lot, we can get this one | | | | difference in your progress. You need to be |
| out of the way. I believe the best and most | | | | accountable and the coach can help keep you |
| aerodynamic position on a triathlon bike is one | | | | from over training. You may need more input |
| that is efficient enough to generate loads of | | | | than one coach can give. If your coach is weak |
| power, balanced enough to avoid muscle | | | | on swimming, for instance, you may need a |
| imbalances that can cause premature fatigue and | | | | separate swim coach to work in tandem with |
| comfortable enough (read high enough!) to allow | | | | your main coach. It's ok. Nobody knows |
| you to stay in the aerobars the entire event. I | | | | everything about everything. I don't coach running |
| cannot stress this last part. If the bike is set up | | | | or swimming, but focus strictly on the bike. You |
| so that you have to sit up and rest during the | | | | need experthelp from three disciplines. |
| triathlon then you are going to pay a huge time | | | | At the end of the day, getting your position on |
| penalty. My fitting process deals with this and I | | | | the bike better and learning to ride both the road |
| can answer direct questions from you regarding | | | | bike and the triathlon bike well is not only |
| this part of the program. | | | | important, but a realistic pathway to cut huge |
| The main topic of this article is "When in Rome, | | | | chunks of time from your events. Nobody said |
| do as the Romans do." Translated into triathlon | | | | triathlon was easy, but so many people are finding |
| bikespeak, this means that if you swim with the | | | | the rewards that it must be worth it. Stay |
| fast swimmers and run with the fast runners, you | | | | focused! |