Hi fellas/gals,
So what I am really after here is the fastest 40k cycle possible during the bike portion of an Olympic Distance Tri which I know is a bit different than an all out 40k Time Trial since there needs to be some fuel left in the thank for the run. Depending on the course I am averaging between 23.5-25 mph for the 25 miles but can not seem to break that threshold. I bike around 8 hours per week thus logging roughly 225 miles/week. Obviously upping the miles will help long run but not sure how much more time I can steal from my run/swim training. The bike is by far my weakest portion of triathlons. I live in the Northeast so most of my bike training post October is done on a Kinetic Trainer indoors.
I am obviously not giving a ton of clarity on my workouts. I typically do 2 threshold workouts/week mixing the time intervals up to keep it fresh. Ranging from 30 second all outs to 20 minute LT pace (based of heart rate - I do not yet have a power meter but obviously that is a logical next step to really qualify/quantify my training).
If you guys/gals know of any great books/articles/sites that would be super helpful as I am a person who loves to have structure in their training. Also, any and all feedback on personal experiences is welcomed. Just as an fyi. If I could get my bike leg to improve by 2 mph by next season I would have a real shot of doing some great stuff. A couple more tris left this season but my focus now is turning toward the fall/winter/spring training to get ready for next season and I am going to try and focus the majority of my efforts on the bike.
You might get more relevant fitness for your time if you get rid of the 30 second intervals. As you get below 5 minute intervals the focus starts to be you anaerobic capacity rather than the aerobic engine, and the aerobic engine is what you want. 30 second intervals the focus is more on your phosphate energy system which is even LESS relevant =) Maybe replace those 30 second intervals with 5 minute vo2 intervals.
8 hours is pretty good time commitment on the bike, just make sure you are always going a little hard. Never super easy.
Got a picture of your race bike setup and position? What tires/tubes do you use?
Hi fellas/gals,
So what I am really after here is the fastest 40k cycle possible during the bike portion of an Olympic Distance Tri which I know is a bit different than an all out 40k Time Trial since there needs to be some fuel left in the thank for the run. Depending on the course I am averaging between 23.5-25 mph for the 25 miles but can not seem to break that threshold. I bike around 8 hours per week thus logging roughly 225 miles/week. Obviously upping the miles will help long run but not sure how much more time I can steal from my run/swim training. The bike is by far my weakest portion of triathlons. I live in the Northeast so most of my bike training post October is done on a Kinetic Trainer indoors.
I am obviously not giving a ton of clarity on my workouts. I typically do 2 threshold workouts/week mixing the time intervals up to keep it fresh. Ranging from 30 second all outs to 20 minute LT pace (based of heart rate - I do not yet have a power meter but obviously that is a logical next step to really qualify/quantify my training).
If you guys/gals know of any great books/articles/sites that would be super helpful as I am a person who loves to have structure in their training. Also, any and all feedback on personal experiences is welcomed. Just as an fyi. If I could get my bike leg to improve by 2 mph by next season I would have a real shot of doing some great stuff. A couple more tris left this season but my focus now is turning toward the fall/winter/spring training to get ready for next season and I am going to try and focus the majority of my efforts on the bike.
I was roughly estimating the time and hours so it was not meant to be interpreted to the extreme literal but to give people a sense of the time and distance I am logging weekly. The cute responses like this really are not helpful at all but I am glad you can do rudimentary math.
If you are really biking 8 hours a week and you aren’t under an hour, you are doing something wrong. I really don’t think you need to bike that much to have a top bike split. Quality>Quantity.
One way to improve, is actually write down the hours, and general effort level after every ride. Put it in a google drive spreadsheet.
Doing this is a good bullshit meter on how hard you have been working.
I was roughly estimating the time and hours so it was not meant to be interpreted to the extreme literal but to give people a sense of the time and distance I am logging weekly. The cute responses like this really are not helpful at all but I am glad you can do rudimentary math.
You are leaving me with the impression you are already a 1:55 type OLY triathlete. If you ride an hour and that’s your weakest leg you are likely swimming under 20 and running 36ish.
If that’s the case you might not get much faster on the bike.
Your impression is correct. 36 high for the run and 18 high for the swim. This is the first year I really upped my training for the bike so I think the potential to increase speed in that leg is still there- I agree if I had been logging these hours for years that I might be tapped out for further gains.
Thanks, this is exactly the feedback I am looking for. I will take a pic of my set up when I get home this evening and try and post on here tomorrow. I am riding a 56 aegis trident on 808 zipps. I have had the bike since 2007 when I first began triathlons And am likely going to upgrade for next season. Riding on all shimano ultegra extras.
I got fitted at a tri shop earlier this year and they dropped me into the most aggressive position possible that this bike will allow.
The reason I am posting here is because I am aware I am doing something wrong and looking to solve that issue. My last 3 only bike splits were 1:02; 105 and 1:01
This is also my first time ever really logging this kind of time on the bike to try and improve my time on that leg. I was averaging only 21 mph last year but I have more time to train now that I have switched jobs and locations which allow much more flexibility
Can you give an example of what you think quality time/ how much time/week is necessary to have a top bike split?
Zipps is good, ultegra is good. What tires? There are a few tires that are slow as crap and should be avoided.
When strong runners are slow on the bike I always look for some kind of aero-sin, tire-sin, or bad pacing.
Thanks, this is exactly the feedback I am looking for. I will take a pic of my set up when I get home this evening and try and post on here tomorrow. I am riding a 56 aegis trident on 808 zipps. I have had the bike since 2007 when I first began triathlons And am likely going to upgrade for next season. Riding on all shimano ultegra extras.
I got fitted at a tri shop earlier this year and they dropped me into the most aggressive position possible that this bike will allow.
Depending on the course I am averaging between 23.5-25 mph for the 25 miles but can not seem to break that threshold
The reason I am posting here is because I am aware I am doing something wrong and looking to solve that issue. My last 3 only bike splits were 1:02; 105 and 1:01
This is also my first time ever really logging this kind of time on the bike to try and improve my time on that leg. I was averaging only 21 mph last year but I have more time to train now that I have switched jobs and locations which allow much more flexibility
Can you give an example of what you think quality time/ how much time/week is necessary to have a top bike split?
So…
You’ve improved your bike speed by 2.5-4 mph in a year, and you wonder what you’re doing wrong?
I am just wondering what people who are going 27 mph + are doing so that I can mimick their training routines this winter and be in the running come next season.
Both my run training and swim training or much more structures so I am basically looking for what will give me the most bang for my buck while on the bike ( most mph per time in the saddle)
I am just wondering what people who are going 27 mph + are doing so that I can mimick their training routines this winter and be in the running come next season.
Both my run training and swim training or much more structures so I am basically looking for what will give me the most bang for my buck while on the bike ( most mph per time in the saddle)
A powermeter or similar and willingness to use it intelligently, along with just more time in the saddle. Most people would just about sell their kids for a 3ish mph improvement in a year.
Following someone else’s training is rarely a good idea. You have no idea if what works for them will work for you.
And not sure where you race that a sub 2 oly isn’t in the running…
I’ve ridden under an hour in all 3 Olympic distances I raced this year. Most recently I rode a 57 at ag nats.
I ride about 100-150 mpw. I have a quarq and my training in geared towards hitting wattages. I do a lot of intervals. Ranging from 5x8 min intervals at FTP to 2x30 min. Other than intervals, I focus on constant steady efforts on my longer rides.
Sounds like you made some great gains in the past year. Since you dont have a pm, it may be good idea to get with some fast local guys and ride with them. This will help push you and you usually surprise yourself how much you can push yourself.
simply put… 8 hours a week on the bike sucks… I’m not saying I’m better or am faster (because I’m certainly not)… but for where you want to be… you need more time.
Aim for 300 miles a week if you want to be a good cyclist
400+ if you want to be great
