Triathlon Bike Training Tips

Hopefully I can give you a few Triathlon bike training tips that will help you prepare for your first Ironman Triathlon.

I'll repeat what I said in the triathlon bike equipment page. Be sure when you purchase I bike that it is the proper frame size for you. Also make sure that experienced bike outlet personal fit you to that bike. That's most likely one of the more important tips to remember.



Another important triathlon bike training tip to remember is if you are really stretch at the bottom of the pedal stroke, the bike is not set up properly. If you are all scrunched up and are not extending your legs far enough, the bike is not set up properly. Something as simple as raising or lowering the seat can make a huge difference to your pedal stroke. It's important to make use of all the big muscles. This will make your triathlon bike training more productive and enjoyable at the same time.

You'll find that Triathlon bike training involves much more than biking itself. Something as simple as having the bike set up properly will make your transition into the run a lot less painful.

When it comes to actually getting out on the road and beginning their triathlon bike training, many first time Ironman hopefuls have the wrong idea. You don't have to go out and cycle hundreds and hundreds of miles. Maybe one day if you decide to really go for it and try and place in your age group you might want to look at more intense training. For your first attempt at an Ironman just remember. You're not going out to set a new record for the bike split. You want to FINISH this thing and gear your triathon bike training with that in mind!

I would recommend doing one 6-8 hour ride about 8 weeks from Ironman day. Go out with a couple of people. Pack lots of food and water and plan to be gone for the day. Don't worry about how MANY miles. All you are doing is getting an idea of what it will be like to be on the bike for that long.

For the rest of the triathlon bike training year, try and bike 3 or 4 times a week. You can do 1 or 2 of those rides on a wind-trainer or at a gym on one of their exercise bikes. As your season progresses, try and plan for one longer ride of 2 or 3 hours once a week. Don't worry about how many miles. Pay more attention to actual time on the bike and finding a cadence and speed that you're comfortable with. I strongly recommend heart-monitor use on the bike.(see section on heart-monitor training). Try and stay at or below your target heart rate and your fitness level will continue to improve over time.

Be sure to try different fluid supplements and different types of solid nourishment until you find what agrees with you and then go with it. Remember that proper nourishment is an important part of your triathlon bike training. I would recommend getting used to one of the gels, because they are handy, and packed with nourishment and most likely found on every Ironman course.

As your season progresses, you should try and do one transition ride every week. The best day for this is the day you're on your wind-trainer. Ride for at least an hour and then run IMMEDIATELY after for at least half an hour. This will help you get used to the bike-run transition. Its not necessary to bike 4 or 5 hours and then run 15 miles in order to see what it feels like. Trust me, after an hour on the bike, you'll get the idea after about 4 strides into the run.

I won't kid you. There's nothing on earth that will 'truly' prepare you for what you will experience when you leave the bike transition tent and head out on your first Ironman marathon. DEAL WITH IT! YOU CAN DO THIS!

It is at about this point that you will truly be looking into the eye of the tiger. It is here that you will begin to find out what you are made of.

On a lighter note, its time to go back to Kona and tell you a bit about my first Ironman bike experience.

Its one hour before swim start. Someone said don't put air in your tires because they may burst overnight with the humidity as your bike sits in the transition zone. So here I am pumping up my tires. Being clever I had put a brand new tubes in the night before. I pumped and pumped and just like a gunshot the first tire I was pumping exploded. Like EVERYONE looked and went oh-oh. I hadn't noticed, but the tube had come right out of the tire and exploded. IT WAS THE WRONG SIZE! No problem I thought(sort of). I had a spare(one spare). I put it on. Being as I bought it at the same time as the other one, it was also THE WRONG SIZE and this time I saw it begin to bulge out of the tire. I did the only thing I could. I let air out until the tube went back into the tire and pumped the other tire up to about the same air pressure. Most likely I had about 65-70 lbs of air pressure in both my tires.

It's 4 hours later. Here I am on the King K. highway. The heat waves are massive. Its just over 100 degrees in the lava fields. Every pedal stroke I hear my tires squish into the soft asphalt. I have no spare left. My Ironman dream pretty well rests on those squishy tires. Each torrid mile merges into the next.

I feel alone. Nobody around me. I see a vision.
A beautiful Hawaiian girl in a grass skirt a few hundred meters ahead. This can't be real-- but it is. She's holding something out. My gorgeous savior. She has a sponge for me. I straighten my helmet and glide in towards her gracefully---thinking---I AM IRONMAN!--I would impress her to no end--and deftly take her precious gift from her small hand and SMASH THAT GUAVA JELLY SANDWICH ON BROWN BREAD ALL OVER THE BACK OF MY NECK!

If you're ever in Hawaii and get a chance to have lunch with a local---have a guava jelly sandwich, because they really, really pack it on.

Even to this day, I wonder what my angel in the grass skirt thought of the crazy guy on the bike. Well, it sure looked like a sponge. Give me a break.

It was such a relief when I finally reached the bike-run transition. Words can't express how the first few dozen strides into the marathon felt.

I told you a bit about my first Ironman bike for a reason....

Consider this. The furthest I ever biked in training was about 40 miles. I didn't really know how to train, how far to go or how fast I should be going. I just went until I felt tired and turned around.

I didn't really know what to eat or drink.

My bike was impossibly heavy. I had a rear tire that was missing about 40 pounds of air. I had no aero-bars---no clipless pedals. I hadn't even been on a bike for 20 years until I started training for the Ironman. My triathlon bike training was pretty well non-existent.

Yet, my bike time was 7 hours and 39 minutes. That's all you need! 7-8 hours on the bike and you are left with enough time to beat the cut-off and finish the marathon

My point is. If I could do that ride, under those circumstances than YOU CAN CERTAINLY DO THIS!! It is well within the physical limits of many people to accomplish the same feat without having to be a super athlete. If you are willing to put in the time it takes to get the most out of your triathlon bike training, and ensure that you bike is properly set up for you, most likely your first Ironman bike ride will go "way" smoother than mine did.

Don't think for a moment you need hundreds and hundreds of miles of triathlon bike training, because that's not true at all if your primary goal is to reach the Ironman finish line without worrying too much about time. There is plenty of time for that later if you decide to extend your career.

Get yourself into overall good condition and learn the basics of triathlon bike training.

--Try and bike at least two or if possible, three times a week as you start out.

--Try and do a bit longer as you get in better shape. Try one long day about 8 weeks before Ironman day.

--Get used to what you want to eat and drink on race day.

--Make sure your bike is set up properly for "you".

--Do transition bike-runs once a week.

--Keep your bike properly maintained and clean and sparkling. Just like your car it will run smoother when it's clean and you lovingly cared for it. Don't ask my why. It just does.

These are all quite easy to accomplish and extremely valuable triathlon training tips to keep in mind.

Those are my triathlon bike training tips. If a coach puts you on a program and you are happy with it, then go for it.

I'm just trying to convey that the spirit of Ironman---that amazing race day---will make you capable of more than you ever dreamed. Just being in the event, being cheered on, having prepared for this day and realizing your dream is within your grasp will more than compensate for any lack of ability or training.


ALSO, BE SURE TO VISIT MY IRONSTRUCK BOOK STORE AND HAVE A LOOK AT THE BOOKS THAT CAN GUIDE YOU AND INSPIRE YOU DURING YOUR TRIATHLON JOURNEY.