Of the three events in triathlon, you could argue that cycling is the most important of them all. The bike portion of the race takes the longest to complete, covering more than half of the distance.You can make or break a race based on your mental and physical preparation for the bike, which can leave you bonking on the bike and dead-legged for the run portion.
Preparation Time
It takes time to get ready to safely complete a triathlon. Take a look at your first race date of the season well in advance and begin to plan how you will take advantage of that time to nail the bike portion. Because the bike event takes up half the race, Joe Friel, author of the "Triathlete's Training Bible," suggests spending half of your training time on the bike. You can reasonably train for your first sprint distance race in eight to 12 weeks, an olympic distance event in 12 to 16 weeks, a half-ironman in 18 to 24 weeks. A full-ironman event will require closer to 24 or more weeks. At eight to 30 hours of total training per week, depending on your chosen distance, utilize half of that time as bike time.
Have a Plan
As the old proverb states, "failing to plan is planning to fail." Once you've established a race date and the amount of time needed to adequately prepare, generate a specific plan on how you will reach your biking race day goals. Be specific with what you'll be doing for each ride and stick to the plan. Plan your days to focus on a particular aspect of your bike training, such as speed or muscular endurance. Don't just go out and ride with no clear training objective in mind. While sticking to the plan is imperative, you can expect weaknesses to emerge as you get deeper into your plan. In order to address those weaknesses, you may need to make small modifications to your plan.
Train Like You Expect to Race
To prepare physically and mentally, ask yourself: how can I best simulate race-day riding during my training sessions? Consider all aspects of your race-day ride from the clothing to your bike to hydration and terrain. While training, ride the bike you plan to ride during the race as often as possible. Also, ride terrain similar to what you'll find in the race. If the same terrain isn't available to you, mimic the terrain you expect by shifting the gears to lower, more difficult gears to simulate hills and higher to mid-range gears to mimic flats. To avoid surprises, like chafing, wear the clothing you plan on wearing during the race. Carry your hydration and food with you on rides so you become accustomed to the process of eating and drinking while riding.
Build a Strong Base
Base training, which occurs toward the beginning weeks of your training schedule, emphasizes building endurance and getting the body accustomed to exercise. During this time, ride for distance, improving technique or for a time goal. As endurance improves, gradually work in short-duration intervals of 10 to 30 seconds at higher intensities. Include some more difficult rides requiring more strength, which will continue to improve the foundation skills by adding some speed and muscular strength to your riding repertoire. In preparing for your first race of the season, base training should take up the first half of your training schedule and be revisited periodically throughout the season.
How Much and How Hard
The objective of your training is two-fold. First, make sure you get enough volume necessary to complete the bike leg with gas in the tank left for the run. Second, train at an intense enough level to improve your speed on the bike. To accomplish this, researcher George Brooks and colleagues prescribe rotating through periods of high volume with periods of high intensity followed by adequate recovery. Additionally, Brooks states that each rotation, or cycle, should begin at a lower intensity than at the end of the previous cycle.
For example, ride for distance on Monday, ride a shorter distance but high intensity intervals on Wednesday and a mid-range distance on Friday. Use this model for approximately three weeks, followed by a recovery week. Don't forget to balance out your bike periods of high volume and intensity with running and swimming.
References
- "The Triathlete's Training Bible"; Joe Friel; 2004
- "Exercise Physiology: Human Bioenergitics and Its Application"; George A. Brooks, PhD, Thomas D. Fahey, PhD, Kenneth M. Baldwin, PhD; 2005
Member Comments