I’m doing a sprint tri in a few weeks that features a bike course with lots of rolling hills. Last year I did it on my tri bike and didn’t feel that my setup offered the best results, so this year I’m doing it on my road bike with clip ons, with the idea that on some of the steeper rollers I’d get more leverage by standing and riding with my hands on the hoods.
What is the best way to tackle a rolling course?
Not the one you are going to attempt. Best stragedy is to stay in the aero position the entire time, and keep your cadence up. That means having a great/comfortable position, and the right gears to stay seated. There is no doubt about this stragedy, just watch all the greats on hilly courses… Every time you get out of the saddle, you burn uneeded matches, and if it doesn’t get you on the ride, it will catch up on the run.
It’s ok to get out of the saddle to stretch out once in awhile, but not because you have to from gearing…
That’s helpful, thanks. I found that last year I was losing momentum as the roller gained in steepness, but some riders seemed to flow right over the tops of them. Was that because they had more speed coming down? I know this is a dumb question but I’m interested in how best to apply force to the pedals up and down the rollers so I can achieve a faster bike split. I feel fine about the endurance part of the overall race and my ability to pull off a good run after the bike.
before that last question could really be properly answered we’d need to know a couple of important details. Like, how many feet of climbing are you going to be doing, what gearing set up are you running, and what about the run? you could gear down low enough to really hammer on the bike but then if your run has any rollers to it your legs might be trashed.
On rolling courses you want to try and keep even pressure on the pedals, up and down. If it gets steep enough downhill that you can coast and not lose too much speed, then it is a good idea to take some rest there, accelerate, rest, accelerate rest, and so forth. Just make sure and do a good accleration at the very end, where you are creating momentum for the uphill side. Then you just need to keep shifting as the cadense slips on the climbs, aand make sure you have enough gears for the steepest parts. Remember that the effort should not be a sprint to the top, but a gradual accleration over the top, and the first part of the downhill to create some extra momentum for the coasting part, it the hill warants it. You have to factor in headwinds and tailwinds once you get out there… You will probably see what I often see out there, you will begin to catch those that get out of the saddle and try and muscle the hill, at the very least, you will get over the top with less effort…
I’m running 53/39 and 13/26. Same gearing as last year. The course is 16 miles, with a series of momentum robbing rollers; no long climbs. Problem is sustaining momentum up the roller to crest with some speed for the hammer down hill. Last year I averaged 20.8 mph for the course. With a stronger bike (22mph?) I’d really move up in my age group.
Thanks, Monty. That’s the advice I was looking for. Energy management and strategic use of gearing and cadence.