Triathlon Blog

One road in Harlow requires cyclists to dismount seven times within 380 yards. What were they thinking when they put all those signs up?

While discussing triathlon, a fellow triathlete suggested using Vaseline on exposed skin when biking in the cold. I haven’t tried it, but it may help protect my face from the cold wind while biking.

I live in Connecticut, and it goes from boiling hot summers to freezing cold winters.

I hope to get out and go bike riding some more this summer, before it gets too cold. I do not go bike riding once it starts getting colder, because of the freezing wind chill.

What do you do in the winter months? Tell me at the Triathlon Forums.

Janet Wilson recently wrote an article entitled Triathlon Bike 101 - Getting Started. Check it out:

I met with one of my new triathlon clients recently and noticed 7 things during a quick 5 minutes review of his triathlon bike (this was after I begged him to bring his bike to one of his swim training sessions). Hopefully you can learn from these 7 issues:

1. Basic triathlon bike maintenance. The first thing I noticed was his chain - it was rusty. Six drops of chain lube could have prevented this rust. Beginner triathletes often know little about basic bicycle maintenance. The chain should be cleaned when dirty and lubricated. Your local bike shop can give you some great suggestions about cleaning solutions and lubricants you can use on your triathlon bike.

2. Brakes rubbing. The second thing I noticed was his front brake was rubbing the wheel. This was mainly due to the fact that the bike was transported loose in the back of a pickup truck. The first rule is to secure your bike if you are carrying it in your vehicle (a rubber mat if it must lay flat in the car - a bike rack is better). Second, always check your brakes before you start your ride (especially if you have to take your wheels off to transport the bike). You can test this by holding the wheel off the ground and spinning it hard. If there is a problem the wheel will not spin freely - you will feel vibration in the frame or hear a rub, and the wheel will slow down. If the brake is rubbing check to see if the wheel was put on correctly (you can also adjust the brake assembly slightly by hand). If the brakes are still rubbing you want to have a bike shop check to see if your wheel rim is warped and needs to be trued.

3. Saddle bag supplies. His saddle bag supplies were the following: cell phone and keys. Not good. Make sure you have at least one spare tube of the correct size (you can find the size on the sidewall of your bike tires), tire levers, some supply of air (either a CO2 cartridge or a bike pump), and a few bucks. Other good things to consider are a tube repair kit and a hex wrench set. The cell phone and identification are also a good idea.

4. Eye protection. He didn’t have a pair of sunglasses or other eye protection. It is imperative to have your eyes protected, not just from the sun but from a 50 mph rock or insect. Not only can these cause discomfort, but they can lead to a wreck with another cyclist or even worse a vehicle. This is just as important as a bike helmet (you’ve got your bike helmet right?)

5. Tire pressure. His tire pressure was about half the recommended pressure. Check the sidewall of your tire - it will give you the recommended pressure range. Get a nice floor pump with a pressure gauge so you can fill your tires properly before you ride. Properly filled tires create less rolling resistance - and let you ride faster with less effort. But be careful not to overfill your tire - that is another good way to get a flat.

6. Learn how to fix a flat. Please don’t be one of those triathletes whose flat repair kit is a cell phone (and you will get a flat). Watch the video above where I show you the proper way to fix a bike flat.

7. Look, listen and feel. We’ve gone over what to look for, but while riding the bike make sure to listen for creaks, pops and rubbing noises. If you hear or feel anything like this pay close attention. These are sure-fire clues that there is something wrong. Most of the time these are things that can be easily fixed by your local bike shop. But left unattended they could slow you down and eventually may cause something to break.

I worked at a bike shop in St. Louis when I was in college. It is important to find a repair shop you can trust. Ask people in your local bicycle club for recommendations. Don’t assume that the bike is ready to go when you get it home. Double-check the whole bike to make sure everything works and is tightened up. Once you find a good bike shop, take your bike in regularly for a tune-up and overall check. You will get a ton of miles and enjoyment (okay, maybe enjoyment is too strong…) out of a well-maintained triathlon bike.

Triathlon Coach Janet Wilson is a USAT certified triathlon coach and ACE certified personal trainer. Janet is an accomplished and nationally-ranked amateur triathlete and she coaches triathletes of all skill levels, from a triathlon beginner to Hawaii Ironman qualifiers. To learn more about triathlon training, swim tips, coaching programs or just great tips on how to stay in shape visit her website at http://www.coach-janet.com

Janet Wilson wrote an article about getting your bike miles up:

I got a question this week from a triathlete struggling to build up mileage on his triathlon bike. This is a common challenge for triathletes. The trick here is to build mileage slowly and consistently. Here are some tips:

Remember to consult your physician before starting any fitness program.

1. Build up mileage slowly. Most triathletes are competitive by nature and they tend to push themselves to the limit. Out of frustration they might try to do a 4-hour bike ride when their longest ride before that is only a couple of hours. This is very risky and counterproductive.

If you overtrain like this you are likely to injure yourself, which can take you out of the game for weeks. Even if you manage to finish it without injury, your body will take a long time to recover from the workout and you may lose a lot of the benefit you might have gained from the long ride. Instead you want to build up slowly over time, adding maybe 25 to 50 percent to your base long ride (based on time in the saddle not mileage) every couple of weeks (see my sample plan to do this below).

2. Take time to recover and adapt. The goal is to slowly build up the length of your longest training ride while building in time to recover. Get to a plateau, ride there for a week and then try to extend it (see the sample program below).

3. A beginner can build effectively riding just 2 to 3 times per week. You don’t have to build your endurance by riding 3 or 4 hours every time you get on your bike. Instead focus on one long ride each week (time not miles). Your ultimate goal should be to ride for as long as you think your complete race will take you to finish. Your other rides during the week don’t need to be as long, but you might want to add some strength or technique training to these rides (like hills or cadence work).

4. Sample triathlon training plan Let’s say that your goal is to finish an olympic distance triathlon in around 3 hours. “Leg time” for this race is 2.5 hrs or more. Building your bike to 2.5 to 3 hours will help build the endurance needed for this event. Let’s make your goal to do a long ride of around 3 hours about a month before your race. Today you can easily do two one hour rides per week. How do you get to your goal?

By the way, you don’t have to be able to do a 3 hour ride to finish your first olympic distance race, but it is a good goal. As you advance you might try to increase the number of miles you finish during your long ride (see tip 6 for more on this). Here is an example of a basic plan to get you to your goal:

Building Bike - Time goals for your one long ride per week. Other workouts for the week would be based on your personal level of fitness.

a. Week One: Ride = 1.5 Hours
b. Week Two: Ride = 1 Hour
c. Week Three: Ride = 2 Hours

At this point you’ve doubled your long ride. Do you need more time to recover? If so then start over at Week Two and then do Week Three again. If you recover better then move on to Week Four. Do the same thing after each week that you build mileage - if it takes more than a couple of days to recover go back to the next lowest recovery week and start from there.

d. Week Four: Ride = 1.5 Hours
e. Week Five: Ride = 2 Hours
f. Week Six: Ride = 1.5 Hours
g. Week Seven: Ride = 2.5 Hours
h. Week Eight: Ride = 2 Hours
i. Week Nine: Ride = 3 Hours

Note: All rides should be ridden fresh with no hard workouts at least the day before and the day after. The pace should be in a comfortable easy pace (you should be able to talk or have a conversation while you are riding during the majority of your ride). Learn to “spin” or use your easier gears to prolong your muscle endurance.

You did it! At this point your long ride is now 3 hours and you have made a great improvement in your endurance. Next you will want to start working on other things like speed, terrain, etc.

5. Make sure that you are eating and drinking during these rides. If you are hungry or thirsty you waited to long to eat or drink. Right now you are asking your body to do things it hasn’t done before, you will need the calories. Eventually you will get more efficient and may not need to eat as much.

6. Time, Mileage or Heart-rate? Eventually all three of these measures will be important. When I start training someone we focus first on time at a comfortable pace. Next we add a heart-rate monitor to the mix and shoot for time within heart-rate zones. Finally we start working on the number of miles covered, heart-rate, and time. I suggest you start the same way.

If this sounds too over-planned, simplify it. Last winter I started training for a spring Century ride and my workout plan was just to add an hour to my long ride every 3 weeks until I got to 6 hours (although remember that I was starting from a pretty strong base and I didn’t train much in the other disciplines, I did hit the weight room 1 time per week, and the Yoga mat a couple times a week). The key is to do what works for you. Use this plan to adapt something for yourself or for you to present to your coach.

Triathlon Coach Janet Wilson is a USAT certified triathlon coach and ACE certified personal trainer. Janet is an accomplished and nationally-ranked amateur triathlete and she coaches triathletes of all skill levels, from a triathlon beginner to Hawaii Ironman qualifiers. To learn more about triathlon training plans, triathlon bike tips, coaching programs or just great tips on how to stay in shape visit her website at http://www.coach-janet.com

If you want to use your triathlon for skills for something else in addition to triathons, consider cycling through Italy:

Cycling in Italy is a dream trip for many people and this makes it even more important to plan and prepare for your trip to make sure that you get the most from your trip. Going to a different country makes it very important to make sure that you know their customs so that you will not offend them or get into trouble. By reading about these rules, regulations, and customs, you will be prepared and you will be able to make the most of your trip.

Checking Out the Sights
Italy will offer you some beautiful sights that you will find to be awesome and beautiful. You, of course, will want to take lots of pictures so that you can remember this beauty. You need to know, however, that some places will not allow you to take pictures and even if you can take pictures, you may not be able to use your flash, so keep that in mind.

Italy Travel Preparation
As you are planning this cycling in Italy trip, you need to be sure that you pack any medications that you need or may need. It may not be easy to find particular medicines in Italy, so you will want to prepare for any sickness or needs that you may have by packing common medications. A medical kit with medications and first aid supplies can be invaluable when you are cycling in Italy.

Italy Food Tips
It is a good idea while you are traveling and cycling in Italy to stick with bottled water, rather than water from the tap. It is also important to note that if you order something off of the menu in Italy, then this is how it will be prepared and served to you. They do not normally do special requests in Italy, as they do in the U.S. If you suffer from food allergies, you will want to be sure to ask questions about the food and if you are unsure, then you will want to refrain from ordering the item.

Another thing to keep in mind is that when you are eating spaghetti, you will want to use a spoon, rather than cutting your spaghetti. If you cut your spaghetti with a fork, this is considered bad manners in Italy and may be quite offensive to the other diners eating around you. You will also need to request your check when you are ready to receive it and tip with cash. If you are in the mood for some fast food, then you will want to check out a pizzeria,, as other eating establishments are normally sit down meals with different courses.

By preparing for your traveling and cycling in Italy trip, you will be able to become more like a citizen, rather than a tourist. This will help to make your vacation less stressful and you will not offend others with your actions.

Alastair Hamilton contributes adding long articles on italy vacations for http://www.bikecyclingreviews.com . Find more publications about cycling in Italy at his website.

Gregg Hall wrote an article about strength training for cyclists:

The research done to date on the effects of weight training on cyclists has brought mixed results. The study done by Ben Hurley at the University of Maryland had 10 healthy men take up strength training (bench presses, hip flexions, knee extensions, knee flexions, press-ups, leg presses, lat pulldowns, arm curls, parallel squats, and bent-knee sit-ups) for 12 weeks, while eight other healthy men served as controls.

After 12 weeks, the strength-trained men improved their endurance while cycling at an intensity of 75 per cent V02max by 33 per cent and also lifted lactate threshold (the single best predictor of endurance performance) by 12 per cent.

However, these men were untrained prior to the study and did not carry out regular cycling workouts during the research, so the applicability of these findings to serious athletes is questionable

The study carried out by R. C. Hickson and his colleagues at the University of Illinois at Chicago was considerably more practical. In that investigation, eight experienced cyclists added three days per week of strength training to their regular endurance routines over a 10-week period.

The strength training was incredibly simple, focusing on parallel squats (five sets of five reps per workout), knee extensions (three sets of five reps), knee flexions (3 x 5), and toe raises (3 x 25), all with fairly heavy resistance. The only progression utilized in the program involved the amount of resistance, which increased steadily as strength improved.

Nonetheless, the strength training had a profoundly positive impact on cycling performance. After 10 weeks, the cyclists improved their ’short-term endurance’ (their ability to continue working at a very high intensity) by about 11 per cent, and they also expanded the amount of time they could pedal at an intensity of 80% V02max from 71 to 85 minutes, about a 20-per cent upgrade.

On the negative side, we have research, carried out by James Home and his colleagues at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, seven endurance cyclists who averaged about 200 kilometers of cycling per week incorporated three strength training sessions into their normal routine. The strength program was relatively unsophisticated, consisting of three sets of up to eight repetitions of hamstring curls, leg presses, and quadriceps extensions using fairly heavy resistance.

After six weeks, the strength training had produced rather impressive gains in strength (the gains averaged a bit more than 20 per cent). However, actual cycling performances were not improved; in fact, they were worse than before the strength training was undertaken! 40-K race times slowed from 59 to 62 minutes, and the strength-trained cyclists complained of feeling ‘heavy’ and tired during their workouts.

Why did Hickson’s study uncover clear advantages associated with strength training for cyclists, while Home’s work revealed the reverse?

No one knows for certain, which means it’s time for a personal observation. It seems quite likely that the strength training carried out by Hickson’s charges improved fatigue resistance in their muscles, permitting them to persist longer both during high-intensity tests of endurance and prolonged efforts at a submaximal (80% V02max) intensity.

Meanwhile, it’s likely that Home’s added strength training sent his athletes into the overtrained - or at least ’stale’ - state. The feelings of fatigue which originated shortly after the beginning of strength training suggests that the athletes were simply doing too much work.

Home’s cyclists were averaging 124 miles of weekly riding when they started their strength training, while Hickson’s athletes were logging considerably fewer miles, so one might be tempted to suggest that strength training can produce major benefits for low-mileage cyclists but does much less for experienced, higher mileage competitors who have already built up considerable strength merely by riding.

That certainly wouldn’t be an unreasonable thought, but it doesn’t explain why strength training per se would actually slow down endurance performances, as it seemed to do for Home’s performers (no other study has shown this). It seems very likely that Home’s added strength training was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back; it wasn’t the strength training which slowed the cyclists but the total amount of work they had to complete.

Another issue that was not kept controlled in the studies was nutrition and supplementation which also would have a major impact. It is my personal feeling after three decades in the physical training world that weight training is advantageous in almost all sports when done properly and paired with the correct nutrition.

Gregg Hall has been in the fitness industry for over 25 years. Get your cyling accessories at http://www.performancebikeandaccessories.com

Dale Lawrence wrote an article about cycling gear:

Cycling Success depends on finding the right bicycle for you

Depending on the type of Triathlon you’re interested in competing in, the amount of time spent on your bike will differ. You’ll end up cycling anywhere from 12.4 miles on up to 112 miles in the Ultra.

You can end up spending a lot of money on your specialized bike clothes and accessories. But before you spend any money on your jersey or sunglasses, consider the two pieces that you must have: the helmet and the bike. And of those two, finding the right bike for you is paramount.

Luckily, you have a lot of bikes to choose from

Experts recommend that you either get a bike that is made just for triathlons, a time-trail bike or a road bike. The bike made just for triathlons differs from the other two in that the seat post moves the rider up into a running position and both wheels are smaller, requiring less energy to cycle.

To a new triathlete, a touring or mountain bike might not seem that different than one of the bikes listed above.

It’s important, however, to set aside enough of your budget to get a specialized bike when you compete in triathlons.

A Triathlon Guide for triathlete enthusiasts.

Want to read more on Swimming, Running, Cycling or Triathlon training…

http://www.triathlon-guide.com

Richard Pettinger wrote the following article, entitled Motivation for Cycling Training:

Quite often we can go through periods where we loose motivation to train. This can be for a variety of reasons. One of the most common is that we have other pressures on our time. Sometimes we may loose motivation because we have been over training. At other times there may be no good reason as to why our inspiration and enthusiasm seems to have dissipated. There are several things we can do to try and regain our motivation.

1. Do we need Rest. If we have been training very hard and sticking to a rigid training plan. We may simply be over trained. In this case a short rest may be the catalyst to regain our enthusiasm. It may be worth talking it over with a qualified coach who can decide whether you have been over training. Symptoms of over training can include difficulties in sleeping, general tiredness and lack of enthusiasm.

2. Reduce time of training. If we set ourselves very optimistic training targets it can be off putting. For example if we plan to do 20 hours training a week this can seem like a mental burden. There is little harm in training for shorter periods for a while. Training for just 10-15 hours can be just as profitable if it is the right kind of training. It is better to do little and often rather than doing nothing. Often just going out for several short rides can get us re motivated.

3. Train with others. If you always train on your own it can become a lonely training plan. Training and speaking to others will help us regain some motivation.

4. Set certain Goals. If we have some clear goals in mind it gives us an incentive to train. The goal may be something simple like targeting a national championship or trying to improve a PB. If we work out our biggest goal we can formulate our training around it. When our training has a definite purpose it is easy to be motivated.

5. Try something new. Newness can give us a renewed enthusiasm. When training this could involve training in a different location. If possible it is very helpful to have a week of training in a warm climate. In the UK I often find that the weather is one of easiest excuses to avoid training.

6. Turbo trainer. Some people may question this. If you are lacking in motivation the last thing you want to do is to subject yourself to hours of boredom, cycling on a treadmill like a hamster. However turbo training is not so bad if it is short, there is good music. It is often more attractive than going out in freezing rain.

7. Remember good cycling races. If you remember how you felt when you set a new personal best or performed very well, it will give you a renewed sense of motivation. In this regard it is helpful to keep a training diary and list of race results

View: Richard’s Cycling Blog

R. Pettinger competes in UK Time trials. He finished 4th in the National 100 mile TT Championship 2005. He rides for Sri Chinmoy CT

In the following article, Richard Pettinger offers some cycling training tips:

1. Have a clear Goal in Mind. If you have clear goals of what you would like to achieve in the season it helps to structure your training. For example if your goal is to complete the Etape du Tour you will need to make sure you build up a good base fitness to be able to comfortably ride 110 miles. If your target is the national 10 mile Time trial championship the hours you spend on a bike will be not as important as the intensity of training.

2. Be focused in training. When we train we should not just mechanically churn out the miles. It is important to have a good attitude to training, we should feel a sense of enthusiasm and positive energy. Often the important thing in training is not the time we spend or the miles we complete, the important thing is the intensity and attitude which we do our training.

3. Give equal priority to rest and training. When we rest or have a recovery ride we should feel this is just as important as the most intense intervals. It is rest and recovery rides that make our interval training more successful. If we feel we only make progress by hammering ourselves we will be likely to over train.

4. Train with other people. At times we need to train on our own, especially for a targeted interval session. However at other times it is good to train with other people. If they are of a similar standard we will be inspired and encouraged to go out even when we are not too motivated.

5. Have a plan, but be flexible. It is good to have a training schedule. This will help us to have a certain discipline, however if we are too rigid we may force ourselves to go on a longer training ride when it is better to rest.

6. Listen to the signals of your own body. A coach can give good advice but sometimes the best judge of how you are feeling will be yourself. Through experience you will learn when you can go hard and when it is time to pull back.

7. Make training interesting. Some people are able to follow scientific schedules for interval training on a turbo, I admire their dedication. However personally I would rather do intervals by climbing real hills. There is a greater sense of achievement and training feels more rewarding. It may be more difficult to stick to exact prescriptions of heart rate zones e.t.c. however I don’t think this matters too much. It is important to enjoy training, if training is too scientific and prescriptive it can be quite intimidating. This piece of advice may depend upon individual preferences.

About the Author: Richard Pettinger is a member of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team and competes in UK time trials. In 2005 he finished 4th in the National 100 mile TT Championship, his favourite discipline is hill climb races.

Sri Chinmoy CT website: http://www.srichinmoyraces.org/cycling