I am not sure if they would count it or if they keep track of the bike course record since the course has changed so much over the years, but still kind of cool to see.

I think Alcatraz suits me all around. It is a strength course that is pretty punchy at the same time. I think my mix of ITU and 70.3 created the perfect mix for this race.

I have just been training hard. I think more of a focus on time trailing helped. I have had some really solid and focused training, and I know that prepared me well. I am not sure how others prepared, but my mix of halves and ITU training had to have helped.

This bike course is kind of similar to st. George. Lots of elevation gain and it requires a bunch of strength. I think it is fair to call it the short course (only 17.8 miles...) version of it.

I used a 7.0 bontrager tubular wheel up front and a bontrager tubular disc in the back. I think a lot stray away from the disc because of the climbs and the cross winds on the course. In my opinion, and I think there is data to prove it (although I don't have any sources), the disc is always faster except in extreme circumstances. I feel the depth of the front wheel is more of a factor in cross winds than the rear.

Congrats on your win in a historical race. Are you racing the 70.3 WC? What will it take to get a podium? Given your excellent swim at St George do you think you can push Alistair more on the bike and run later in the season?

Hi, congrats for st George and for the victory in EA. How was your approach in training for alcatraz(because os the hills)? Have you done any different set?? Do you use the stryd in training(intervals based in watts)??
Thank you and congratulations again
PS- what're your next races ?

Does your L/R percentages usually have that much of a split or was it just due to the course layout there?

Ben, congrats on the win and the St. George performance. A force to be reckoned with for sure! Looking forward to following your future results! I am curious about what you think about prior to racing, and what was in your mind as you destroyed the bike course, and then blazed the run. What keeps you going to push so hard through the distance? Thanks.

These are great questions, and I will give you a few answers...

Approach to Alcatraz?
We didn't really train hills specifically, we simply looked at the calendar and determined the training phase based on the key races, and tweaked it in a way we felt was still going to allow him to be successful at Alcatraz, and not sacrifice the long term goals at the end of the season. Ben is such a strong cyclist, (and even stronger this year than he has ever been), that hills don't really matter. He's based in Tucson most of the year, so he gets plenty of climbing, not something we felt needed to be specifically addressed. In fact, it would appear his bike time is a course record for Alcatraz, but that's still unconfirmed, as I haven't see all the years quite yet. But even the uber-bikers of the past, like Craig Walton, haven't ridden the time he did there. (Yes, I know there was no swim, but still impressive!)

Different sets?
Nothing different in prep for Alcatraz, really. But I will let Ben share a set if he wants, that he feels is worth sharing and what was different about it.

Stryd in Training?
Probably the best thing about using the Stryd has been when he has done running intervals in very windy conditions, like his time home in Chicago in the build up to Alcatraz. There have been intervals where he maybe didn't run the time he wanted, but the Stryd Power Meter showed him the effort was consistent with faster times, or in some cases even better! That's all he needed to know, and felt he accomplished the goal, and be excited about the training.

We have at times prescribed watts for the run workout. It was in the build up to St George, where I knew he was a little tired. I set a tempo intervals run workout for him, where he had to run at the watts from Puerto Rico 70.3. The pace wasn't stellar, but the watts were spot on. If he judged the tempo workout based on pace, it probably affects his confidence, as he was carrying too much fatigue. And of course, the watts probably kept us from over-doing the training session, not pushing too hard, just doing what needed to be done specifically to prep for St George, based on run watts. He went on to race very well there, with slightly higher race watts on the run. We will be doing this more and more in our build up to 70.3 Worlds, Rotterdam, and the whole busy race schedule he will have late in the year.

Hope this helps!

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Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

Also based on extensive research, I believe this is only accomplished by winning Kona. And even then, the effect wears off after a year or two.

P.S. Good race.

Awesome race Ben and thanks for coming here for another AMA. When I saw the picture of you passing Cameron Dye on the bike I was like "holy cow you don't see that very often!"

First question: what tires are you running and why did you choose to go with tubulars? Do you always race on tubulars?

Second question: have you gone to a wind tunnel to refine you positio and equipment choices on on the bike? Have you tested the Bontrager TT helmet against others?

Third question: what percentage of your training do you do on your TT bike and what percentage of your training do you do outdoors vs indoors?

Thanks and congrats!

Congrats on a great race Ben!

I was out there on Sunday, it was my first time doing Alcatraz. On your bike file I noticed you were able to keep a 1.07 VI, how did you manage to keep your avg power that high in relation to your NP? I ask because some of those downhills were quite long w gnarly turns amidst high winds (!). Were you hammering on those down hill sections?

Thanks!

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AV8 | Team Wattie Ink Elite 2019

Sorry if slightly off topic....but based on the pic on the slowtwitch front page, it looks like you are using the Bontrager Aero helmet. I thought those were specifically -not- approved for use in North America??

Thank You! If I am invited to the 70.3 WC I am planning on it. I am waiting for my spot as they roll down.

It is going to take a huge effort. I believe I am getting stronger as the year goes on, but I will need to have an outstanding race. Alistair is a phenomenal athlete. Even with my best race it will be hard to push him

It is probably a bit of both. I think my split is usually about that. I do not pay much attention to the L/R split. I may be on the larger end, but I have not had any of my coaches approach me about it with concern.

Mostly I train my power based on time. I do 5, 8, 10, 15, 20 and 30 min intervals all multiple times...sometimes combining those intervals and the different intensities (a lot of times I hold or try and push what I can sustain for the given amount of time). I think when it comes down to it, watts are watts. I have done some hills, but not so many that I can fairly say we upped hill training for these races.

Stryd is something we are working on phasing in. Jim is very knowledgeable on it, but we are experimenting with what works best for me.

My next race is escape series Philly and then a few WTS races in Hamburg, Edmonton, and Montreal.

Thank you! I try to keep myself relaxed and calm before the race. Right before, I can get pretty excited, and this helps, but I try not to do that until the start gets closer. Mostly I am thinking about the task at hand. I ask myself a lot if I can push a bit hard. Just tighten the screws a bit so I can get just a little bit more speed out of myself.

In this race I think I did a good job at looking at everything objectively. I used any positives for fuel myself to go faster, and any negatives that happened were just notes and I Sid not register them emotionally.

1. I am riding a set of bontrager tubulars. No particular reason why I am running tubulars on the tt bike. I use clinchers on my road bike. I think there are pros and cons to both and I usually rely on my trek rep for info on this because they know the equipment intimately.

2.i have not gone to a wind tunnel yet. I have been analyzed by Paraic at cyclologic and he helped me a lot with my fit.

3. It all depends on the next race. I spend a lot of time on my tt bike before a 70.3 and my non draft stuff. I would say it's about 50/50 for the season so far. I do everything outside. I understand the trainer is good for focused work, and I have done a lot of riding on the trainer in the past. I just love to be outdoors and to ride my bike on the roads. I always choose that first over the trainer.

I tried to keep it relatively in control on the uphills, so that limited the high end of the spectrum. You can pedal through a lot on this course. There are definitely some some hills that you can't and corners you have yo navigate, but if my legs can pedal I always try to keep them moving. I also think my technical skills are an advantage on this course and I tried to use that as much as I could.

Just wanted to let you know that I sent you a PM if you haven't seen it. I'm sure your super busy but if you could get back to me whenever you get that chance that'd be awesome; thanks.

Aside from the bike course not being multiple laps, how does it compare to most ITU circuit courses in regards to climbing, descending, technical handling, etc.? Is this a hilly course for you? I ask because I saw that a handful of the pros held 24+ on the course, which leads to think that in terms of climbing and skill, it wasn't drastically difficult for someone like you or Cam. Did you try to hold steady power on the bike or blitz the hills and recover on the descents? Finally, did the cancelled swim change your tactics on the bike and/or run?

Great race and congrats again!

 
You are the ideal candidate for the 2nd slot in a mixed relay. Let's pretend you are on the 2020 team. Will you train specifically for THAT event?

Wait - a better way to ask this: had they're been a mixed relay in 2016, would you have specifically geared your training in the lead up for that event?

Nice race. AMA for winning a duathlon and no one calls you out? Baller.

Congratulations on your win.

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"If it costs you 30 minutes at Maryland so what" -dwreal

What sort of things do you do for injury prevention when you're not logging hours on TP? I.E Foam rolling, stretching, sweat lodges with Mark Allen?

For the aspiring athletes out here, what was it like in your first year or two as a pro? Did you struggle financially? Did you battle between overtraining and recovery often? Did you find yourself isolated / missing your non-tri friends (I think you went pro super early on?) What tips would you suggest for someone trying to make their way into the pro field? Thanks!

Pros are allowed to use other certified helmets (I forget the exact name of the stickers besides the one required by USAT) if we sign a waiver.

Thanks! It is definitely a challenging course. There are some similar ITU courses, but not as many as the Escape course. It was very up and down, and while a big hill may feature in an ITU race, there is usually a section that is relatively flat on a looped course. I think the length of the course has a lot to do with the high speeds. The hills are about 3-5 min and there are some significantly fast down hills that also help keep the speed up.

I tried to hold a steady pace. The hills were a bit higher, but overall I tried to keep my power close to the hills on the downhill.

The swim changed my plan a bit, but not much.. The plan was always to try to create separation on the bike and follow it up with a strong run.