Okay Twitchers…tell me. In a triathlon training situation, when I am on a big downhill, do I continue to pedal with resistance, or do I spin with the intention of resting my legs? Thanks. My bike partners differ in advise, so I’m looking to the “experts.”
I’ve been wondering the same thing, but in a race situation (oly).
I have ZERO wins under my belt, so take this for what it’s worth: I don’t pedal at all, and I take the time to stretch out my calf muscles, alternating every 10/15 seconds from right calf to left calf. I do this in hopes of a smoother transition to running.
Sweet Pink,
I’m only a cyclist not a tri guy, but all good cyclists know to at least keep gentle pressure on the peddles when going downhill. This allows you to stimulate blood flow to your legs to flush out the lactic acid that has built up in them while climbing or hammering hard before the downhill.
You will also pass countless others who are just coasting downhill either because they are tired and are trying to recover or are simply not far enough up the learning curve yet to know the most effective way to recover while going downhill.
The bottom line here is keep the legs moving. Train that way, tour that way and race that way. Nuff said.
That is all well and good when you don’t have to run 6-26 miles after cycling.
Separate, but similar disciplines. Your answer will be found in your brick workouts - try both (no definitive answer) and see what works best for you. Also depends upon you bike (super steep 79 degrees, etc.) and riding style. I am more comfortable in a more classic road position - and comfort (over the long haul of say a 1/2 or full IM) equals speed over the race. If I am just doing a time trial: I can put my tri bike as steep as I want and jam.
I’m a tri guy, not a cyclist, but the bike segment is my strongpoint. For training it probably doesn’t matter, especially if you’re riding with others and enjoying the occasional rest from someone elses draft. Races are a different story: I find occasional rest the perfect thing for my legs during a TT. Not during the whole descent, no matter how long it is, but just for say 5 seconds at a time. When I do this, I try to get up to a high speed before coasting, and usually any fatigue induced pain seems to be gone. I do this not only on descents but also every few minutes on the flats for up to 5 seconds. Had my fastest 40K TT in 10 years using this method just a few months ago. A local swim coach discussing his team swimming a 1 hour “postal” event in a pool observed that most would have better times if they stood and rested occasionally during the swim! Of course, these are relatively average amateurs, but so are most of us.
Pedal.
Tale care not to blow up by going too hard on the climb. Then as you reach the top, hammer over the summit and accelerate. Then ease off (if it’s very steep and very long you can coast, but keep the legs moving) and allow yourself to recover. If it’s a short downhill, try to pick up some speed, but still get some recovery, i.e., don’t coast but don’t hammer either.