Biking is something we learn to do when we are young. Life is fun and easy. Biking is one of our first tastes of independence and accomplishment. Cycling is what adults do!

Triathlons are compromised of three legs: swim, bike, and run. Swim always goes first, so you are wet for the start of the cycling leg, but you are not so tired that you drown or need rescuing. There are four generally accepted triathlon distances: Sprint, Olympic or International, Half Ironman, and Ironman. The cycling distances are 15 miles, 24.8 miles, 56 miles, and 112 miles, respectively.

As you can see, cycling is the central component of a triathlon, literally. Cycling training is not something to put off, think about, or procrastinate over. You need to start your cycling workout when you decide to complete a triathlon. It is essential that you are comfortable riding long distances, are accustomed to your bike and seat, and have enough energy left over for the run.

As your cycling workout progresses, you will be able to grow into the distance of your race. As you increase your endurance, you will start working on speed. When you focus on increasing your speed, incorporate sprints into your workout. For short intervals of 45 – 90 seconds develop and use your explosive power. Then cycle for 3 – 5 minutes at a regular workout pace. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. This will help increase your sprint pace and, hopefully, increase your base cycling pace.

Once you have some degree of proficiency at the three legs of a triathlon, it is the time to put the triathlon legs together. When training two components consecutively, you are incorporating bricks into your triathlon training program. Traditional bricks are swim/bike and bike/run. These begin to approximate your triathlon and get you prepared for race day. As you can see, each brick still consists of a cycling program.

When you start using bricks to train, you may feel as if your performance is lagging. Remember that you are working out longer and doing multiple activities. Give your body a while to get used to the new regime.

Examples of swim/bike brick workout:

The compromise with the swim/bike brick is that you complete the swimming first. Otherwise, you would just be getting wet and drying off throughout your workout.

Sprint Distance: 3 x 500 yard swim + 5 mile bike.

Olympic Distance: 3 x 1000 yard swim + 15 mile bike.

Examples of bike/run brick workout:

Sprint Distance: 5-6 miles bike + 1 mile run. Repeat at least three times.

Olympic Distance: 7-8 miles bike + 1.5-2 mile run. Repeat at least three times.

With each brick, you continue to use your cycling program; you just include another piece of the race. This is another step in preparation for a successful race day.

Remember to think through, plan, and practice the transitions.

Like biking, triathlons produce a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

Interested in more cycling information? Cycling Training Academy is your source for cycling workouts, tips and advice, as well news and information pertaining to the cycling world! Follow the links or copy and paste this URL into your browser to gain access to more on Cycling Training!

My name is Ray and I’ve been an endurance athlete for over 25 years. I’ve competed in over 30 marathons, 2 — 50 mile races, 14 Ironman triathlons and countless shorter races. I’ve created a website called “Ironstruck.” The main purpose is to provide training and racing tips for the beginner triathlete and novice Ironman.

Come for a visit to – http://www.ironstruck.ca

If you have ever done or seen a Triathlon before, you will notice that the races are won or lost by a few seconds. Even if you are just competing amongst friends or want to beat someone in your age-group, your time can be greatly improved by the small things that save time, and efficiency. Sometimes it’s not about training harder, but training smarter.

Ride the shortest Line

If you are racing 20km or 10km in a Triathlon, why ride 10.5 or 20.7km? Not only are you riding a longer way and therefore using more energy, but you are wasting time. To reduce your time/energy wasting, ride the shortest time. Do not weave in and out of the people on the road when you are riding, stay as close to the white line as you can. Also, when you are over taking someone, don’t go too far away from them and do not rush back in front of them either. Gradually drift back in front of them. Furthermore, when you are going around objects such as roundabouts, go as close to them as you feel comfortable doing. By doing this you will cover less distance.

Correct Pacing

To pick the correct pace, i would work out before the race what you think you can average during the race. You do not want to finish the race and have a lot of energy at the end. At the same time you will want to have enough fuel in the tank to complete the run. You can use a speedometer for this. Some people like to use a heart rate monitor. In my opinion, unless you are doing a half-ironman or full ironman, this is a complete waste. I have found that the people who go by heart rate do not get the most out of themselves.

Correct Pacing Uphills/Rises or Undulations

When you have hills or undulations in your event is best to put more effort going uphill than going down. The reason for this is that going downhill you will naturally be going faster. This being the case, there will be more wind resistance and hence you will not be getting the same reward for the extra effort. In fact the more effort you push only increases the speed you are going by a small amount. Uphill is the complete opposite. Therefore, if you put in a little more effort, you’ll reap the rewards.

Furthermore, you will have a greater momentum coming down the hill which will be of added benefit. If you are using a heart rate monitor, you will notice that you heart will go up on average 10 beats with the same effort, and 10-20 beats down when you’re going downhill. So, if your heart rate is 140 BPM on the flat it will go up to 160BPM uphill, and 120-130 BPM downhill.

At first glance, triathlon bicycles look like road racing bicycles, simply because the design of these bikes is derived from the original road bike. Triathlon racing is not only a test of speed, but also a test of the rider’s stamina endurance. The key to selecting a good triathlon bike though lies in the aero-bars, else known as handlebars in layman terms. These bars are important as it can aid the cyclist in reducing wind resistance, thereby making it that much easier to ride at a faster speed, for a longer duration.

Should You Invest in a new Triathlon Bicycle?

Ask any triathlon bicycle professional how much his bike costs, and he’ll assure you that just like golf, investing in this sport is definitely not for the poor. However, if you are still on the fence on whether or not you should dedicate a handsome sum of money to this fun sport, we suggest that you try it anyway as any bicycle can be used in a triathlon. As previously mentioned, the road bike is basically the predecessor of the triathlon bicycle. For better performance during the race, we recommend that you opt for the mountain bike instead; especially ones that have been equipped with smooth thread tires.

The Most Important Criteria In Picking A Bicycle

If you’ve decided on participating in XTERRA triathlons, do make sure to pick a bicycle that is able to endure lake swims, trial rides and trail runs. Triathlons require its riders to pedal long and hard, so do your best to get a bike that is lightweight enough to make the task of pedaling not as difficult. After all, the last thing you would want to is run out of stamina in the middle of a long-distance race. The best way of lightening your bike is most quite simply to build your bike out of light materials. Generally, triathlon bicycles made up of steel is the heaviest and least comfortable. On the other hand, triathlon bicycles made up of carbon fiber is one of the lightest and more comfortable of the lot, albeit also the most expensive.

About the author; Freddy Johnson is a new author with My-Triathlon-Training. You can read more about Freddy at his personal website

Triathlon Distance Chart

Common Triathlon Distances:

km = kilometers / mi = miles
* Not an official distance, it is three times the Ironman distance in three days
** Not an official distance, it is ten times the Ironman distance to be completed in maximum eighteen days

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Cycling Cadence

If you are new to cycling, the concept of cadence may be altogether novel. You have probably been riding a bike for years with little thought given to the techniques behind riding faster, performing better, and placing less stress on your body.

Cadence is the number of revolutions of the bike crank per minute or the rate at which you pedal. There is a wide range of cadences; from 60 revolutions per minute (rmp) to 170rmp. Sprinters may be near 170rmp; Lance Armstong prefers to cycle between 90 and 110rmp. You will probably be pedaling slower than Lance! If you want to know, monitor, and improve your cadence the best solution is cycling training coupled with a cycle computer.

Most new cyclists think they are getting a better cycling workout if they are straining through every stroke, their quads are burning, and they are gasping for each breath. This is exceedingly difficult for the legs and knees, and is inefficient. You want your legs and knees to work for decades, treat them well. Most beginning riders have a cadence between 60 and 70rmp. A better range to experiment with is 80 – 100rmp.

Your cycling program should include cadence work and testing. Each rider’s optimal cadence will be unique and may change with cycling training. A cyclist’s physique and proportions will determine their most favorable cadence. A cycling program may have significant impact on the most efficient cadence for a rider.

Take this test to understand cadence and perceived effort:

1. Find an uninterrupted protected 2-mile stretch of slightly rolling road.

2. Warm up for at least 15 minutes.

3. Ride the course in your biggest gear.

4. Note your heart rate and finish time.

5. Recover on the bicycle for about 20 minutes with easy spinning.

6. Cycle the road again at the same heart rate. This time choose a rear cog that is larger, but allows you to keep your cadence at about 100rpm.

7. Note your time.

8. Rest for a day or two.

9. Complete the test in reverse.

10. Compare your times. Typically, the lower gear and higher cadence will deliver faster times for less effort.

A cycling workout to increase your cadence:

1. Find a downhill course.

2. Free spin in a small gear.

3. Increase your cadence until you start bouncing.

4. Slow down so the bouncing stops.

5. Hold that cadence.

6. Maintain a smooth pedal stroke for one minute.

7. Pedal up the hill.

8. Repeat.

9. Use that tailwind!

10. Shift into a moderate gear.

11. Gradually increase your cadence until you are around 100 – 110rpm.

12. Hold for 30 seconds.

13. Gradually slow down to 80rpm.

14. Repeat.

Interested in more cycling information? Cycling Training Academy is your source for cycling workouts, tips and advice, as well news and information pertaining to the cycling world! Follow the links or copy and paste this URL into your browser to gain access to more on Cycling Training!