Kurt Perham
Ask most triathletes about their bike training, and you will hear about long rides or intervals. Sometimes, they’ll tell you about the occasional group session or brick. Now, if you ask them how many times they practice their bike driving skills, it would be rare to find that many do. To this point, triathletes have a bad reputation for their inability to corner, handle the bike in tight confines, and hold their lines.
For many athletes, it can be hard to stress the importance of why they should practice the act of driving the bike. Their mentality is that if it doesn’t hurt or feel like work, then the gains will be minimal. This is not true! Moving a bicycle around a set course requires both physiology and physics. Most athletes understand the physiology, the work we produce with our human engines. They know terms such as watts, heart rate, and cadence.
Physics comes into the equation in the form of drag. There are four types of drag that slow down a bicycle and rider: mechanical resistance, rolling resistance, gravity, and aerodynamic drag. Mechanical resistance comes from drivetrain friction (gears, chain, bearings, and so on). Next up is rolling resistance, in the form of energy needed to make your round, highly inflated tire “contour” to the road and then return to a round shape; this is expressed as Crr. Gravity comes into play as the combined rider and bicycle weight is “lifted” up hills using watts (physiology). Finally, aerodynamic drag is wind resistance against the rider and bicycle; this is expressed as CdA.
Now you might ask, “What do these four forms of drag have to do with me driving my bicycle?” The answer lies mostly in that final component of drag, wind resistance. If you are proficient driving the bicycle in a fairly aerodynamic position that is still comfortable enough for you to corner well, avoid other riders or road hazards, and use your momentum in different terrain, it will yield a faster overall bike split. This is the ultimate goal.
This chapter covers aspects of bike fitting and mounting as well as cycling skills for the road and for race day that you can incorporate into your annual training. These skills will allow you to drive your bike faster, not just push harder on the pedals.
Bike Fitting and Mounting
Bike fit is key in that the athlete is the engine in the equation, and small changes in the mechanics of the human movements can affect power output, comfort, and risk of injury. The first step in a great bike fit is to find a reputable shop that sells triathlon-specific bicycles. Look for accreditations from Serotta or F.I.S.T. as a starting point. Speak with the salesperson, and explain your race plans and what your primary riding will be. Explain your past cycling experience and any limiters you might have (e.g., injury, lack of flexibility).
A good triathlon bike fit has elements of comfort, aerodynamics, and power output, without any of these diluting the other. Each is a key variable. You should not be too stretched out or overly compressed. You should be able to rest on the aero extensions, with most of your torso supported by your skeletal structure. Your hands should rest at the end of the extensions, just where the shifters start. If you have to make a drastic movement to shift, then the extensions are too long or the reach to the aero pads is incorrect. Seat height should fall so your leg is extended approximately 145 to 155 degrees at the bottom of the pedal stroke. When a plumb line is dropped from the bony protrusion just below the knee, it should intersect just in front of the pedal spindle. These are just a few baseline fit coordinates; it is not in the scope of this chapter to fully address all the possible fit scenarios that might arise. Seek out a reputable bike fitter or professional bike shop in your area, and you will be on your way to a great bike position.
Once you have a properly fitting bike, you need to know how to get on and off of it quickly, also known as a “flying” mount and dismount or cyclo-cross mount and dismount. Let’s start with getting off the bike, the dismount. For most athletes, this is easier to master, so it is the first thing to practice. The goal is to safely get off the bike while losing as little momentum as possible as you near the dismount line at transition number two (T2).
Knowing where the dismount line is important (this is part of your warm-up protocol, I hope!). Approximately 500 yards or meters from the line, you will want to start getting your feet out of your cycling shoes. Reach down and unstrap the right shoe, and place your foot on top of the shoe. Then pedal two or three revolutions, bringing the left pedal to the top of the stroke. Unstrap the left shoe and remove your foot; rest it on top of the shoe. Continue to pedal with your feet on top of your shoes until approximately 30 to 50 yards or meters before the line. At this point you will coast and bring the left pedal to the 6 o’clock position and be standing on this foot. Now swing your right leg around behind the seat, placing it just behind the left leg (which you are now weighting). When you are 10 feet (3 m) from the line, feather the brakes and hop off, landing on your right foot and moving straight into a run. Jog the bike to your transition rack by the seat, and you’re ready to make the change to running shoes for the final leg of the race.
For most athletes, the dismount is less daunting than the mount. But you have to get on the bike, so let’s break it down and get comfortable with it. First, you need to decide on a critical component. Do you leave your shoes clipped into the pedals, or do you slip them on in T1 and run in them to the mount line? This is a tough question and one I struggle with annually in my own racing. In most cases, if the run to the mount line is not far, I have found putting shoes on and running to the mount line yields the fastest overall T1 and initial bike speed. The reason is once you are comfortable with the fast (flying) mount, if your shoes are already on, you can clip in and accelerate away quickly. If the number of athletes leaving T1 is high and you are fumbling around trying to get your shoes on (and worst-case scenario, you fall over), then it is a net loss . . . and the goal is for a fast triathlon time, not just a fast T1 time. If you choose to have your shoes on the bike, make sure you are comfortable running to the mount line, then pedaling with your feet on top of your shoes until you are up to speed, and then getting into the shoes and strapping them. For athletes racing ITU draft-legal events, the shoes on the pedals and getting into them on the fly is always the best decision. This is covered in more detail in chapter 17.
Back to the actual mount. Hopefully in your prerace warm-up, you scouted out the mount line and surrounding area, letting you select the optimal gear to get up to speed straightaway and making you aware of any debris or road hazards to avoid. As you leave T1, you will be pushing your bike by the saddle or stem and guiding it to the line. As you pass the line, you want to grab both sides of the base bar and swing your legs around behind the saddle and rear wheel in a single, fluid movement. You are not so much jumping as you are “flicking” your legs around the bike. Imagine your legs in a slight V pattern while executing this. Now, here comes the landing. This is where folks have concern. You don’t actually land directly on your normal “sit area” but more on the very inside of your right thigh (assuming you are running with the bike on your right side). Left-handed folks would land on the opposite side. Then you make a very slight adjustment of your hips and slide into your normal sit position on the bike. At this point the right foot is starting to clip into the right (forward) pedal; you then pedal half a revolution and clip into the left pedal. You are now ready to accelerate away.
Skills for the Road
Once you are comfortable getting on and off the bike, you must be able to ride in a straight line at any speed while moving through the basic operations of driving. You will also need to carry your momentum around corners in a quick and safe way, no matter the conditions. One of the best ways to practice this is to do some low-speed drills in a safe environment. Your local park or an empty industrial area works great for this. For some of these drills, you will want to recruit a training partner.
Riding in a Straight Line
Riding in a straight line sounds like a simple thing to do, but for a newer cyclist it can be quite challenging. It all starts with a comfortable and appropriate position on the bicycle; without this, you will have a hard time relaxing and allowing the bike to track straight. Straight-line stability drills are best done in a striped parking lot or industrial park on a weekend. Find a straight painted line, and ride along it at varying speeds. The goal is to stay on the paint as long as you can. Mix it up by doing this drill while pedaling and coasting. Practice turning off of the line and then coming back onto it and quickly regaining your stability. Pick a few landmarks in the distance, and focus on them instead of staring down at the painted line. Repeat 5 to 10 times or until you feel comfortable doing this at various speeds.
Look Back
This drill can be done on grass or in an empty parking lot. The act of looking back for another cyclist can often cause you to swerve in the direction you look. To practice this, find some short grass with a line of trees to use as a guide or an empty parking lot with some painted lines. While pedaling with your hands on the base bars, rotate your head around, acting as if you are looking behind you for a riding partner or to check if the road is clear. Continue to pedal, and try to relax your upper body so that input from the movement of your head does not cause the bike to swerve. Perform this for only 1 or 2 seconds, and then return to your normal line of sight. Continue to pedal easily throughout this skill development. The goal is to stay on your initial trajectory throughout the drill. Practice rotating to both sides.
Elbow Bump
To perform this drill, you will need a riding partner. Although most nondraft triathlons are individual events, there are times when you are in close quarters with other athletes, and incidental contact does happen. It is important to know what this feels like and that you can still control your bicycle when it happens. Start by riding in a straight line, on grass as close to your partner as you can; you’ll be making light contact with your partner during the drill. With your hands on the base bar to prevent your handlebars from hooking, stick your elbows out and ride 80 to 160 feet (25 to 50 m) while knocking elbows. You can use your elbows as bumpers, letting them absorb the brunt of the impact. After a set distance, swing off and ride away.
Shoulder Bump
This drill is a progression of the elbow bump. You want to get even closer to your partner and bump shoulders as you ride along. Again, relax your hands on the base bar, and continue to pedal throughout the drill. Do four to six light bumps on each side, and then pedal away.
Maneuvering Aid Stations
One of the more dangerous places to be on a bike in any triathlon is the aid station. There tends to be a large number of crashes in these areas at most major events. The cause has to do with many riders changing speed suddenly as they try to retrieve bottles or other nutrition needs from the aid station workers. If you ever watch pro cyclists, you’ll notice they speed through the feed zones without slowing, even while surrounded by 150-plus other cyclists. A lot of this has to do with their ability to reach out and grab their feed bags (musettes) or extra bottles, all while driving in a straight line with one hand on the bars.
Object Pickup
One of the best ways to get comfortable with reaching out while driving is to do an object pickup drill. This is a great drill for new cyclists because it is very easy to add a progression by changing the size of the object or where it is placed. Again, the park is a great place to practice this, but you will not need a partner. For the first run-through, start by putting a water bottle on a park bench. Ride toward the bench at a slow but steady pace, and as you approach the bench, remove your hand from the base bar and grab the bottle as you pedal by. Practice on both sides.
To add difficulty, simply put the bottle in a different location, maybe someplace higher, or even on the ground. The goal is to not make a sharp swerve with the bike as you are grabbing the bottle, then to resume pedaling and get up to speed as seamlessly as possible.
Cornering on the Bike
You also need to think about actually driving the bike and some of the more dynamic movements you have to make while racing around a course. One of the areas where athletes lose speed is in corners. These athletes lack the knowledge and the confidence to navigate a corner while slowing only slightly and letting their momentum carry them through safely and back up to racing speeds.
There are a few methods of steering a bicycle at race speed. The most common are the lean and the steer. Many variables affect which method you use including road conditions, turn location, entrance speed, and number of other athletes near you as you approach the corner. I will touch on each and how you might practice them.
Lean
The lean is the version most cyclists know and use in higher-speed conditions. This involves leaning the bicycle into the corner as needed, based on the radius of the curve and the speed at which you enter the corner. You will be leaning, but at a slightly lesser angle than the bicycle. For many athletes in mass-start triathlons or other multisport events, the safest method is to pedal normally until you are approximately 70 to 100 yards or meters from the apex of the corner (the center point of the radius, usually). At this point, you will decide if you need to coast or brake before entering the corner. If you need to apply the brakes, do so gradually, and remember your front brake provides most of the power to slow the bicycle. More advanced athletes will remain on the aero extensions (if a nondrafting event), while beginner athletes might sit up and drive from the base bar.
Just as you enter the corner, pedal half a revolution so your outside foot is at the 6 o’clock position, and apply pressure with it toward the ground. This “pushes” the tires down and helps settle the bike. Keep your body equally balanced between the front and back tires. Lean your bike and then your body in sync as needed, and continue to push on that outside foot. Now let the bike roll. (When you brake hard in the corner, you tend to throw the mass of your body forward, and this unsettles the bike and can cause the wheels to come off your chosen line.) As soon as you are clear of the corner, start to straighten the bike, and you can pedal away safely, hopefully without losing too much momentum.
Steer
Once you have mastered the lean and feel comfortable doing it, you need to work on the next progression: the steer. If you have practiced the lean, you will notice a few things. First, you don’t actually turn the handlebars much (or thus the front wheel), and second, you are really moving through the corner on a small contact patch of the tire on the outside edge of the tread. This tends to be the preferred method for higher speeds or dry conditions.
When the situation calls for it, you will need to steer the bicycle through the corner. This varies slightly from the method used for the lean. You will set up much the same, but the major difference is that the speed will be lower (think 180-degree turnaround or rain-soaked corner). So, you will start to brake earlier and most definitely will be driving from the base bar (or hoods for a road bike). The outside pedal is still weighted. Now, as you approach the apex of the corner, you will turn the front wheel as needed based on approach speed and radius of the corner. Here is where it gets a little tricky! You will still lean through the corner, but mainly your body is leaning into the apex and the bike is staying more upright. This is not an extreme body lean—think more of “leading” the bicycle a bit. The goal is to keep the bike more upright and thus keep a larger contact patch of the tire on the road. Once you have rounded the corner, you straighten the body and bring the front wheel back in line and pedal away.
Shifting
One of the most frequent questions asked by new athletes is “When do I shift?” This is a tough question to answer. There isn’t really a right or wrong time, just the optimal time. A modern racing bicycle has between 18 and 30 available gears and the mechanisms to shift through those gears at the flip of a lever or the push of a button.
The terrain and a rider’s output (watts) will dictate when the shift should happen. It’s best not to overthink the simple act of shifting, but you should be aware of a few things not to do. First, avoid the cross chain; this is the gearing when the chain is on the biggest (outside) chain ring in the front and the biggest (inside) cog in the rear. A modern bicycle will operate just fine in this gear combination, but it adds undue stress to the drivetrain, and especially the chain itself, increasing wear. The simplest solution is to shift down to the inner chain ring in the front and then shift down two or three cogs in the rear and find a suitable gear ratio with a much better chain line.
The next scenario that is best to avoid is a drastic shift in multiple gears while pedaling under heavy load. Usually when you see an athlete drop a chain off of the front chain ring, it is when he has tried to make a quick multiple-gear change under load; the derailleur tension cannot compensate for the rapid change in chain position, and the chain can drop off the chain ring, falling into the bottom bracket area or toward the outside of the big chain ring. This comes down to the issue of course knowledge, as this situation usually arises when you are caught off guard by a steep climb or sharp curve. It is not always convenient to arrive early or the day before an event, so you have to use your best judgment when navigating the course if the terrain is new to you. The safer option is to be in too easy a gear and keep your cadence a few rpm above your self-selected range, as it is always easier to drop to a harder gear than it is to try to force the chain up the cassette to a very easy gear.
The question also comes up regarding the correct rpm, or cadence, to maintain. Cadence is a very individual metric. Some athletes “mash” the big gears, and others are “spinners” who ride at a very high cadence. In many instances, these athletes get around the course quickly and are still able to run well off the bike. Experience has shown that the sweet spot in cadence likely falls from the high 70s to the low 100s, with most folks falling very near 90 rpm. For more info on the optimal cadence, see chapter 12.
Braking
Most of this chapter is spent covering topics to make you go faster on the bicycle. But the truth is, sometimes proper braking will yield overall faster bike splits. It’s important for an athlete to understand when to brake (such as before a tight turn) and then accelerate out of the turn. It is also important for the athlete to know how to brake downhill, feather the front brake, and apply consistent pressure on the back brake with your weight shifted back. Remember, momentum on a bicycle is hard to get but easy to keep, so if a rider is smart with her application of brakes at strategic times, she will lose less overall speed and maybe avoid a worst-case scenario—a crash.
Earlier in the chapter, potentially hazardous aid stations were mentioned to emphasize the importance of proper bike handling. Here is a possible scenario. Picture this: You are 30 miles (48 km) into your Iron-distance bike leg, and you slow to retrieve a bottle of sports drink from the aid station. Just then the athlete in front of you slams on his brakes, and you run straight into him, sending you careening. Your day could be over. Don’t let this happen to you! When approaching aid stations, come off of your aero extensions and ride on the base bar, covering your brakes with a single finger on the lever. Look for a volunteer down the line a bit, and make your way toward her while feathering the brakes. Note: Most aid stations are set up on the right side of the road, and you will be reaching with that hand for the bottle (or other nutrition), thus you are covering the front brake. Continue to look for other athletes, and drag that front brake a bit to scrub speed; grab the bottle on the fly, and ease yourself back into the course properly. If stowing the bottle in a rear mount behind the seat carrier, take caution in doing so, and try to get clear of the aid station and back up to speed. Most important, pay attention and be prepared to take evasive action if needed.
Special Considerations for Draft-Legal Racing
When triathlon was added to the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, a new version of the sport was also introduced: draft-legal triathlon. For draft-legal races, the swim and run remained the same as for other Olympic-distance races (1,500 meters and 10K, respectively). The bicycle leg was changed to allow riders to stay together in packs, with riders shielded behind lead riders, similar to stand-alone bicycle racing. This changed the whole dynamic of international-level racing. In these events, the athletes ride a road-racing bicycle (often with small aero extensions), and they are allowed to draft off one another. This type of racing adds a dimension of speed and danger, as large “draft packs” can be riding in close quarters at nearly 30 miles per hour (48 km/h). Bike-driving skills are at a premium for sure!
An ITU (International Triathlon Union) athlete will need to be well versed in all the skills. Being able to handle your bike is even more important in such tight confines because one bad decision can take down dozens of riders. For athletes looking to step up to an ITU draft-legal event, the best thing to do is search out some local experienced ITU athletes or road-cycling racers. They will be quick to teach you the basics of pack riding, thus speeding the learning curve. Let’s cover some of the basic concepts of draft-legal cycling.
Drafting is an art, and a good cyclist can save 40-plus percent in energy by sitting on the wheel of the cyclist in front of her. The key is to be only inches behind the front athlete’s rear wheel, all the while trusting her to navigate around any road hazards such as potholes, traffic barriers, and islands. When a number of athletes are executing this well, it is called a pace line—and it is a thing of beauty. This skill gets tricky when an athlete (or group of athletes) is faced with strong winds. These winds will invariability lead to a crosswind situation, and you will need to know how to echelon. In an echelon, a group of athletes staggers across the road, thus slightly shielding each subsequent athlete from the full force of the wind. When this happens, there tends to be an unspoken rule about each athlete taking his “pull.” When the front rider has ridden at the front for anywhere from 5 to 120 seconds, he will swing off by continuing to pedal and easing to one side of the road, dropping down the shielded side of the staggers and moving into the last position on the group. This can be a critical situation in a race. If a group of riders is aware that the wind has changed, they can create an echelon quickly and create a separation in the group that could affect the outcome of the race in a matter of minutes.
Athletes racing in ITU events will need to reinforce these skills before taking the course for their first events.
I have discussed many criteria that outline some basic skills of good bike drivers, many of which were drill and repetition based. As I wrap up this section, I will cover a few fun and less structured ways to work on improving your ability to drive a bicycle throughout your multisport career.
Cyclo-cross! This is one of my favorite ways for triathletes to improve their bike skills. Cross, as it is sometimes called, is an event raced in the fall and winter on a closed circuit of approximately 2 miles (3 km) with a mix of grass, fields, pavement, and barriers. The cyclo-cross bicycle looks similar to a road-racing machine with the exception of a wider cantilever-style brake setup and different tires with a knobby profile. Throughout most courses, small wood barriers that are approximately 16 inches (40 cm) tall are used to force the athlete to dismount and run for sections of the track. Cross is raced in all conditions, including mud, rain, snow, and ice. This puts a premium on bike handling and control in slick and unpredictable conditions.
Group rides are another great way to speed the learning curve a bit. Once you are comfortable riding in close confines, seek out a welcoming local group ride and join up. The beauty of a good group ride is that most feature a mix of abilities and fitness levels. Ask around to find out who the more seasoned riders are. Ask lots of questions regarding road etiquette and how the dynamics of the group work. You will usually get some great info from the veterans, and your comfort level riding in tight confines will improve quickly.
Last, check into borrowing or renting a mountain bike. On a single mountain bike ride on your local trail network, you can address several bike-handling skills. Mounting and dismounting, choosing a good line and sticking to it, staying loose and agile on the bike, leaning, and steering form the basis of a good mountain biker. You might even like it and search out an Xterra mountain bike triathlon for your next event.
So next time you plan your training season, make sure to add a focus period of bike skills and drills, all while focusing on driving the bike faster, not just doing the work to make yourself more fit.