Ah, see you are mistaken right there. We all know that Cincinnati is the tri capital of the world :)

Can you ride without hands? Corner with scraping a pedal? Trail brake and accelerate while holding a good line through a turn? Ride at 30mph+ 6 inches on all directions from another bike?

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Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

I will actually practice grabbing my water bottles, taking my shoes on and off, eating a power bar, etc. That way i am forced to learn to control the bike better while doing something else, makes controlling the bike when you aren't doing something else much easier. It has helped me a ton.

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- Nick
Now that I know some of you guys look through the special needs bags for kicks, I'm gonna put some really weird stuff in mine. I can see it now. "What the heck was he going to do with a family pack of KFC chicken, a football helmet full of peanut butter, a 12 inch rubber dildo, and naked pictures of Bea Arthur?"

I would suggest that while you are riding, pretend that you are surrounded by other bikes on every side. Ride in a manner so that you make no sudden moves the others will not be able to respond to, and when you decide to turn or move aside, remember that there is (an imaginary) someone next to you. You can't make that move unless he does, too, first.

When you choose a line around a turn, stick to that line, regardless of whether or not it was a best choice. Remember that there are other riders right behind you and your actions have a direct impact on their ability to take that turn, too.

Make no actions without considering where everyone else is. Try looking around every few seconds. When you approach a direction change - glance left and right so you know who is where. Pretend you are a group of bikes connected and that you have to act together or you will all fall down.

I recall being very annoyed by a experienced road racer who used to complain that the new guys (and tris) hogged all of the good lines during their group rides. I didn't know that what he meant was that they were very inconsitent in their tracks - you could not be certain where they were headed was actually where they were going, so you couldn't make a move around them. You can't really understand that till you ride in a group that works very well together and experience it first hand.

Don't worry about not knowing - there's no way you could have yet - but as long as you ride continously aware of what your moves will do to others around you, you'll be far ahead of the game.

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Elivis needs boats.

I don't know how to do this, but it seems that an essential bike handling skill is to pee off your bike while ridding. Seems to be the norm in the tri world, not sure about the road world.

Asside from that, I've read that a good way to improve balance on the bike is to go to a parking lot and practive going in circles. Start with a large circle and keep getting tighter to a smaller circle.

Cornering is pretty key,and its something you don't really have to do that much in many tri's so I had to work on taking tight corners for IMAZ. I went out to the Veloway and just went around several times a few times per week and improved my speed through the sharpest turns. It really helped me.

However, the most important skill is to check out a hot Austin babe as you ride by without your bike swerving all over the place. That one takes lots of discipline.

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56-11...the only way to fly

learning how to corner is paramount as already said. You can kill others through turns. In IMAZ I'd be 100yds behind someone going into a turn and on their wheel coming out of it.

Rope some of your friends together, head to a grassy park. Practice riding slow and picking up bottles starting with tall one and moving to shorter bottles do with both the L and Rt hands, riding slow and bumping shoulders, wheels, hips, handlebars, learn to use your hands to move someone away from you or let them know your next to them, ride figure 8's and slaloming individually and in groups of two then three and four and more. Practice cornering on 60, 90 and 120 degree turns, starting slow then going faster as you gain comfort. Practice riding close then closer to the wheel in front of you as you do these drills.

I will guarentee that if you take 1 hr out of your next three long rides and practice this and what others are saying you'll ride faster in your next race then if you had done those extra three hours.

If I had to quantitate the advantage in a oly triathlon I get from being able to corner faster, drafting better and longer than most when passing and just being able to handle a bike better I'd say it amounts to a .2-.3mph increase in my avg speed. Which means I can run about 1:00 - 1:15 min slower and still be ahead of you or you have to run 1:00 - 1:15 faster just to catch up to me.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Brian, how far apart would you set the slalom markers?

J

I usually use the lines in the parking lot where they intersect and at each end of the parking space. I then start to shrink then distance to as small as just under one bike length.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Thanks, I'm going to have a go at it.

J

Best way to improve bike skills is to use them. Find a group ride and join in. It just takes time in close proximity to improve your ability to stay close, anticpate other rider movements, hold a steady line and follow closely with comfort. You'll never pick up any of this from a book or solo in a parking lot.

Fast track learning = Cat 5 racing

the advantage in a oly triathlon I get from being able to corner faster, drafting better and longer than most when passing

How do you draft LONGER than most when passing? Isn't there a zone?

Thanks for outing yourself (but officially you are TOTALLY "anti-drafting" in triathlons)

I love that!

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adrialin

(BOMK, racing drug and supplement free since 1985)

I think hes saying that he will be able to ride up behind you, kiss your rear tire, and then skirt on by to the left, thus minimizing the amount of time he is in the draft zone by drafting efficiently. Get it?

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- Nick
Now that I know some of you guys look through the special needs bags for kicks, I'm gonna put some really weird stuff in mine. I can see it now. "What the heck was he going to do with a family pack of KFC chicken, a football helmet full of peanut butter, a 12 inch rubber dildo, and naked pictures of Bea Arthur?"

I don't like riding without my hands. I know that I have a fairly stable headset on my bike, but I still don't like it.

I have found the cornering clearance of my pedals (my shoels actually hit before my pedals) many times and I keep going with no problems.

What's trail braking? I have been practicing taking good lines through corners and I'm to the point that I don't like slowing down for turs unless there is a hazard like an oncoming car, lose gravel, or a kamikaze squirrel. At my first triathlon (St. Anthony's) I was passing up to 6 people at a time going around each corner. I would keep my speed up, feather my brakes (if needed), throw my inside handlebars down by locking my inside arm straight and pedals through most of the turn.

Riding 6" from another biker at 30mph still gives me the willies a bit. I can ride in front or behind at about 12", but side by side makes me slightly nervous.

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http://trainingoferic.blogspot.com/

I got that, but I consider this drafting, with or without your watered down USAT rules.

The only real draft-free way is the box (as enforced in real draft free races).

Get it, dafter?

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adrialin

(BOMK, racing drug and supplement free since 1985)

My bike handling skills improved a lot when we did a skills drill session with my TNT coach. He set up 4 cones in a long rectangle. We practiced going around corners in both directions. Since this was a TNT session, there were a lot of newbie girls in my group and they got pissed at my for passing on the right. Well, I had to pass them on the right because when I tried to pass them on the left on a right turn, they would drift to the outside. I could either pass them in the 6" between the curb and them or pass them on the right. So, I passed them on the right which kind of taught them to not drift out so much (or they thought I was a jerk). Anyways, one of the asst coaches is a guy and a good biker so he was taking the turns pretty fast. I hopped on behind him and I was taking the lines that he was taking. The first couple of turns we pretty hairy for me but I quickly got the hang of it. My cornering skills improved a lot in a single hour of drills.

Ever since then, I've been practicing with the corners at the Veloway practicing both the corner skills and the babe sighting skills as well.

BTW, reason #4572 that Austin is the Triathlon Capital of the World. We have a city sponsored 3 miles loop (the Veloway) that is closed to all motor traffic that is used only for bikes and rollerbladers. You don't have to dodge cars or joggers with iPods. The loop is twisty so it's good for practicing turns.

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http://trainingoferic.blogspot.com/

well since your going to be a dick about it, I don't pull out for a pass until there is about 6in between my front tire and your rear tire. Read the rules, I'm allowed to do it. Hopefully I'll get the chance to pass you soon and show you the proper way to do it. BTW do you avoid the box at all times? If so your probably blocking someone. Maybe you should read the rule book.

Thanks Stallion your right I actually can maximize the effects of drafting while minimizing the time I am riding on the left side of the road.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

I'm a road bike newbie. I was out for a ride a couple of weeks ago, and after a tough hill, wanted to sit up and stretch my back. So I did and took my hands off the bars. The front end started wobbling wildly. Really vibrating. Any idea what could cause this? I was going maybe 15mph and have some airstryke aerobars on the front end.

cheers

- weight distribution on the bike (you in the wrong position, crap on the bike such as aerobars)

- a loose headset

- frame issue that occurs at a certain speed

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Josef
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blog

One thing I do to practice cornering and keeping a line is actually quite simple. I just find a fairly large industrial building with a roadway around it and I try riding it while trying to take a slightly different line and keep my speed up on all the turns, it is also fun with a friend, try and stay on his wheel the whole lap. I usually use it as a speed workout alternating laps. When I first did it, I spent a lot of time experimenting with body positioning and where to keep my legs so that I could turn efficiently but also be in a position to move fast out of the turn.
I'm going to have to try some of these other tips the next time I'm there though