Triathlon training - the bike part!

lparke88

Does anyone have any good bike training tips for a triathlon (sprint distance)?

Thanks!

markos1963

Any sort of TT type training should fit the bill. So intervals based on 5 x 5min, 2x 20 mins or tempo rides of around an hour or so. Try in the training forum for a more detailed expert explanation than what I can give you. I do sprint tri's as a way to train over the winter when I can't ride, so I swim and run instead then in the spring I do my TT training and hopefully the two merge together(still cr%p at it though)

slowlanejane

It's not a long ride, so just ride ride ride. The b*gger in Tri is multi-discipline of it, so riding out of the swim is hard. Running out of the ride is harder.

You need a good base aerobic engine but you don;t need to do kazillion miles in any discipline. So stay shorter, go fast, choose bendy routes, as tri's tend to do repeat loop runs and poor bike handling skills will let you down.

Hill sessions and sprint sessions will do you a power of good too.

Wean yourself off heavily padded shorts so you can ride in a thin pad. You can then wear your shorts swimming without feeling like you've pooped your nappy when you get to the run.

Whatever time or distance you do on the bike, when you get home immediately pop on your running shoes and run, even if for 5 mins around the block. One discipline straight into another is a "brick" and bike:run is v v hard - jellylegs for a while.

A favourite brick session: 10 mins warmup, stretch. Then 4 x (10 mins medium intensity bike on turob, followed by 1 mile run). then 10 mins cool down & stretch. Feel fab on the first 2 - superstrong. Getting tired on the third. Amazing strength sap on the 4th.

You lose most of your time in transition so practise that.

And a brilliant book - Time Crunched Triathlete by Chris Carmichael