I read a quote many years ago by Joe Friel that goes something like that: “Cycling workouts helps running performance; running workouts don’t help cycling performance nearly as much.â€
I am pretty sure Joe Friel wrote this (and elaborated) but I haven’t been able to find it using google.
Anybody remembers this? Different author?
Can’t find Friel reference, found this:
https://www.peakendurancesport.com/endurance-training/high-intensity-training/bike-hard-run-fast/
But I also found articles that claim running helps cycling … so I’d be careful of you’re thinking about ditching the running.
Can’t find Friel reference, found this:
https://www.peakendurancesport.com/.../bike-hard-run-fast/
But I also found articles that claim running helps cycling … so I’d be careful of you’re thinking about ditching the running.
For a pure cyclist, it’s good “filler” on a super windy day or really cold day or times without the bike. However…watching my bike race teammates and some people I follow on Strava…pretty much 75% of them abuse the legs on the run in a way probably detrimental to both the bike and run.
If you ride bikes and build yourself up slowly to being able to run a 10k once a week or something, sweet. That’s just under an hour of nice aerobic work and some impact on the bones/joints/muscles. Done at a nice comfy pace, at a max of “tempo” pace if fresh. Never threshold or all out unless doing a lot more run volume.
However, I see all these folks go out and try to destroy themselves to impress everybody with a 5k time or 2miles at a “one and done” race pace.
To me, all that did is wreck your legs for a couple days and ruin the potential for bike workouts.
Like, there’s several bike riders I follow on Strava that avg one run every 3 weeks but will go out and do 2mi up to 5mi all-out runs at 7:00/mi just to say “wow, look how fast that was”. Good job dumbass.
Im slowly becoming your #1 fan, burnsheep dude. Preach brother! Haha
Reminds me of the local 5ks where the group of crossfit guys are all running around stretching before the race in their fancy athletic wear then they start to hyperventilate 5 min in as i pass them…
I read a quote many years ago by Joe Friel that goes something like that: “Cycling workouts helps running performance; running workouts don’t help cycling performance nearly as much.â€
I am pretty sure Joe Friel wrote this (and elaborated) but I haven’t been able to find it using google.
Anybody remembers this? Different author?
I do not remember this quote precisely, but as it applies to triathlon racing it is absolutely true. Bike fitness is hugely beneficial to the run in a triathlon, but the opposite is not true.
I imagine its because the potential for building the internal engine is much higher on a bike because of the ability to do more volume consistently. Running brings in a lot of unrelated stress factors that cant be overcome. For example, elite runners usually max out at 15 hrs/week while cyclists can get up towards 35
I would also think on the flip side, running promotes muscular endurance. I do know i can stand on the pedals much better and consistently than my non-runner cycling friends, and do feel my legs can take more abuse. The core and upperbody fitness developed running plays a minor role as well im sure
I imagine its because the potential for building the internal engine is much higher on a bike because of the ability to do more volume consistently. Running brings in a lot of unrelated stress factors that cant be overcome. For example, elite runners usually max out at 15 hrs/week while cyclists can get up towards 35
I would also think on the flip side, running promotes muscular endurance. I do know i can stand on the pedals much better and consistently than my non-runner cycling friends, and do feel my legs can take more abuse. The core and upperbody fitness developed running plays a minor role as well im sure
Yeah, this is half of it. The other half is that no matter how good of a runner you are, you need to get off the bike ready to run, meaning you have to be in great bike shape (and then not bike too hard!)
It is a Friel quote. I know that I have seen him mention that, but can’t remember where that I have seen it. Friel has written a LOT of stuff…
Last fall I was too time crunched to ride enough and started running a couple times / week like you described. Nothing too hard, but trying to hold around a tempo riding pace. I actually think it’s helping build cycling base, and hasn’t ever felt like it screwed up a bike workout.
My experience is that running helps my cycling base as well.
The quote went around not long after this was published.
(PDF) Modelling the Transfers of Training Effects on Performance in Elite Triathletes (researchgate.net)
But, like a lot of sport research - the generalizability of their conclusion is suspect to me. Firstly, the modeling methods they used at one time seemed promising but are limited most prominently by a lack of data points to use to fit the models. To show cross-training you’d need at the very least 12 max efforts to even fit the models. There are other issues as well. I’d be very reticent to agree to the assertion across a wide swath of elite and near-elite athletes.
But looking from the other side, even if we accept that it is true for elite athletes - can we also make the same statement for non-elite athletes? What about couch potatoes? Would they really have no benefit to cycling performance by running. I think most of us would say a couch potato would benefit from doing damn near anything other than watching netflix. But how far up does that go? Does the mid-packer putting in 9ish hours per week get a cross over from running to cycling? What about a 55+ front packer?
So, while it went around the tri community at the time and in the years soon after, I am not sure that study helped us know much about how to train triathletes, even though it was a step ahead in performance modeling at the time.
Now, on the other hand if you want to say that coach X with a lot of experience feels like biking helps running but not the inverse - I’d accept that for what its worth, the opinion of an experienced practitioner.