Save legs for the run?

Triathlon Forum
1

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.

2

if you dig around a bit ( you can find studies in sports med. journals on medline), you can find a good number of studies that address seat tube angle and speed. and read dan’s stuff here on slowtwitch. a road bike was made to be ridden with road bars, a tri-bike with aerobars. the change in position on one part of the body brings a change in position in the other. if you drop your front end (by riding in aerobars on a road bike), the angle between your torso and legs is greater, which causes problems for some, maybe many people (out of the “sweet spot” for power, compressed torso causing problems breathing, etc.). dan has a rather thorough explanation of all of this somewhere on this site. and, yes, by opening the angle up, the legs are fresher for the run. lest i be punished by staunch defenders of road bikes in triathlons, i do realize that people’s bodies are different and that some people can ride a road bike in aerobars very well. but it’s not all about saving the legs; a good number of road cyclists use steeper angles for their time trial bikes because, by lowering the front of the upper body, to maintain the same relationships between the parts of the body, they have to move the seat forward and the bottom bracket back.

3

I have always been under the impression that yes, you do need to save your legs for the run. And the longer the race, the more important this becomes. If it was about riding hard and then hanging on for the run, the uber-bikers like Hellreigel, Zack, Larsen, even McCormack at the '02 Hawaii IM, would have the advantage. But as it turns out, the faster runners usually win (i.e. DeBoom).

I have also always thought that riding steep (which I don’t do, but would like to as soon as I can afford a steep angled bike) put the rider into a position that by virtue of its angles and aerodynamics shifted the stress of pedaling in such a way to take stress off the running muscles. Also, by being more aerodynamic and incurring less wind resistance, the cyclist would not exert as much effort to maintain a constant, steady, and fast pace. The key, especially at the longer distances, would be a steady yet powerful effort.

To illustrate this, take a look at Larsen two years ago. Hammered the bike, but lost nine places to the stronger runners. That seems to be the rule in the men’s field – ride conservatively and then hammer the run. On the women’s side of things, however, Natascha won in '02 with a big bike effort. She seems to be the exception, not the rule.

In my own experience, I have found myself leading several key competitors going into the run in several different races, only to be run down before the end of the race. This has happened at the sprint distance and the half IM distance.

Triathlon, though made up of three sports, still goes to the stronger runners. A little time gained on the bike can result in big losses running; whereas a little time given up on the bike can pay major dividends on the run.

Having said all this, I must admit that I not very well versed in the technical aspects of our sport, and I may be a long way off on this. But this is what I’ve gathered over the last two or three years. If I’m wrong, someone feel free to correct me.

RP

4

tell it to boardman. aren’t most of the UCI rules on the use of steep bikes a response to his breaking several records that are now considered “technology aided”? basically, they think this dilutes the value of Eddy Mercx’s and the other greats.

5

But as it turns out, the faster runners usually win (i.e. DeBoom).

I think it’s hard to tell who’s faster at what. If DeBoom gets off the bike and runs down Zack, Macca, Larsen etc, is it because he’s a faster runner, or because he’s a stronger biker and finished the bike more fresh by holding something in reserve? The strongest cyclist isn’t necessarily the one that finishes first on the bike. DeBoom has laid down some sub-50 minute Oly rides and a 27 mph half IM ride in recent years. I’m of a mind that DeBoom can bike with these guys, but chooses not to.

When Mark Allen finally stopped trying to “win” the bike leg every time, he started winning the HA race. He was still the strongest cyclist in the race.

6

In my experience, I am one of the stronger riders(56-7 40k) and a decent runner(35-6 10km), I notice that the guys who smoke me on the opening run of a du and can’t ride very well actually lose time in the second run. Being a stronger cyclist allows you to run faster b/c IMO no matter how hard the bike leg is your not draining yourself as much as the weaker cyclist. In tri’s the faster open runner will usually have the faster run time. Again if your are a very strong rider and its hilly, headwinds, rough roads etc you might outsplit a faster open runner b/c the bike wiped them out more than you. I’ve always run my fastest in du’s and tri’s when I have been in my best open 10k shape.

7

Granted, it can be hard to tell who exactly is fastest at which leg. In my response I did imply that DeBoom can’t ride as fast as the Germans, etc., which was probably not the correct way to put it. DeBoom very well could ride with them, but he chooses not to in order to put himself in a position to have a stronger run. The original question was do you hold back on the bike to have a stronger run. I think the answer is yes, that is a tactically sound thing to do, especially as the distance and the stakes of the race increase.

RP