It seems the reason triathletes ride rather steep seat angles is mainly due to having to run afterwards (aside from being allowed to do so by the sport’s governing body).
By riding in a more forward seat position, you “save” your legs for the run.
By “saving” your legs for the run, does that mean you are slower on the bike?
I guess it sounds too good to be true that you can maintain your speed on the bike yet be fresher for the run and hence run faster, simply by riding in a more forward position.
I would think that you would have to loose some time on the bike - can’t have it both ways right?
If this is the case, does the time you gain on the run surpass the time you loose on the bike? I would think that since the bike is the longest portion of the race, that time lost here would be greater then time gained on the run.
I would also assume that things might change when comparing ironman distance to olympic distance, where the bike is certainly not as draining.
Also, would you have to train on the more forward position all the time? A lot of triathletes train on more relaxed positions (72-74 degrees) which may cause problems when riding a more forward position sparingly.
Thanks for your feedback.