The sport of Triathlon is on the rise with three times as many races popping up across the country. The greatest increases in participation are seen in the 30+ age group as this demographic is looking for a personal challenge and a way to stay in great shape. The swim, bike, run event is cross-training at its best and offers a healthy, active and fun culture and community. Have you suggested triathlons to your clients? How about running a triathlon training group? Send this information and the information in this series to your clients to see if there is interest and then decide how you can both help your clients reach their goals with triathlon training and help yourself generate some extra revenue!
When someone decides to complete a triathlon, they are often overwhelmed with where to start and how to balance three separate events. This series will provide your clients with everything they need to know to get to the finish line of a Triathlon and get in great shape through the process.
Over the last 2 weeks, we’ve discussed the sport of triathlon and provided some tips for the most dreaded leg of a Triathlon, the swim. Now that we’ve got that behind us hopefully you have inspired your clients and they believe they can get to the finish line of a Triathlon THIS summer.
Today we are going to tackle the second leg of a triathlon, the bike ride. This discipline is probably the least intimidating for most people, most of us have rode and owned a bike at some point in our life so there’s some muscle memory there.
Let’s chat about your equipment options for the bike portion of a triathlon
- Bike – Obviously you are going to need a bike but the type and cost of bike is totally up to you and there are no rules to the type of bike that must be used in a Tri. You can even use that old, rusty mountain bike you have sitting in the garage as long as the brakes work! I would suggest a tune-up just to make sure everything is working and make the event a little easier for you. If you want to try this out before you actually purchase a bike, many bike shops will rent bikes and you can always check around to see if you have any friends of comparable size that would let you borrow their bike. The price range on a bike varies considerably anywhere between $200 up to $10,000 for the professional road bikes. I’ve found that a road bike in the range of $1000-$2000 will be a good quality bike that will perform well for the average triathlete and you can also look on Craigslist because there are often some pretty amazing deals available.
- Helmet – Any helmet will do as long as it is approved by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC)—fortunately, this is true of virtually all helmets sold in the U.S. these days. A more pricy, quality helmet will offer more vents and will be more aerodynamic. Helmets a requirement for all Triathlons so no way to avoid it. Plus I’ve had way too many friends go down hard on their bikes saved only by their helmet! You’ll also probably want sunglasses while riding to avoid any irritation due to wind, rocks or pollen.
- Shoes – If you are just starting the sport of triathlon, you will most likely wear the same running shoes for both the bike and run portion of the event. But as you advance, you will notice that more serious triathletes and cyclists wear cycling cleats that actually clip into their pedals for better performance on the bike and then they switch into their running shoes for the run portion. Even though you have to take the time to switch shoes, you more than make up for that time in your faster bike splits because a greater amount of force you produce is transferred to the pedals when you are wearing cleats.
- Toe clips or Lock-in pedals – If you are new to Cycling and Triathlons, you will feel most comfortable using just a traditional pedal – meaning you just place your foot on top of the pedal and push and you are not locked into the pedal in anyway. This is safer because if you need to quickly stop, you can easily touch down however, it is not as efficient. As you advance, you may consider trying toe clips. This type of pedal has a cage that you insert your running shoe into and then tighten the straps so that your foot is positioned tightly against the pedal and minimizes the force that you lose as you pedal. This is better than just a traditional pedal however, you have to practice and feel comfortable preparing for a stop by loosening the straps so you can quickly get your foot out of the pedal to touch down. The more serious cyclist and triathlete will advance to lock in pedals – a mechanism similar to skils that has your cycling cleat locked into the pedal. This is the most efficient type of pedal but will require practice to quickly twist your foot to remove it from the pedal when you need to stop.
- Cycling Shorts – A specialized short with padding will make your training rides a lot more comfortable.
- Maintenance equipment (tubes, air pumps, chain lube etc.) – Your local bike ship will have everything you need and most offer free bike maintenance classes to teach you everything you need to know to fix flats and take care of your bike.
Bike Training Tips:
- Bike Fit – Probably one of the most important things you can do is invest in a professional bike fit. It will make your rides more comfortable, increase your performance and minimize your risk for injury. Most bike shops will offer this and you can check around to see who has the best reputation for this service.
- Bike 2-3x/week – Start by gradually increasing your distance until you can comfortably cycle the distance you are training for. Once you have mastered the distance, then you can start to incorporate speed intervals and/or hill training to work on your strength and performance. For someone cycling three days per week, I typically like to see one longer endurance ride at an easier pace, one moderate distance and intensity ride and one shorter and harder ride.
- Understand the terrain of your event – If it is a hilly ride, be sure to train the hills so you are mentally and physically prepared for the inclines.
- Consider joining a cycling or triathlon training club to add variety and good solid instruction to your training.
We are hosting a late season Triathlon Club that you could try out. Find the details HERE.
Also, if you are looking for a group to do some running train with, we are starting a Running Clinic on August 14th.
Stay tuned next week as we review equipment needs and training for the running portion.
Yours in health, fitness & business,
Sherri McMillan
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