During the tour there were posts non stop about cycling. Last week during the Fina World champs, there were a couple of posts, this week is the IAAF championships and not a single post.
This is almost a cycling forum some days. I care way more about the bike too, but why is it we all seem to have this fascination with the bike?
Most of us have a very emotional response to the bicycle. If you think about it, it’s a childs first taste of freedom. Ask a person what Christmas present is the most memorabe; I would bet a good percentage would say a bicycle.
Plus as triathletes, it’s a place to add lots of stuff. We all love stuff!
Maybe because it is the one associated with the coolest stuff?
OK, lets talk shoelaces and wax earplugs instead
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…you should know…most of the posers on this forum only care about buying gear and could care less about training and racing :-). For swimming and running, it is all about training and racing. There is no gear to be talked about :-(.
So since this forum is dominated by materialistic dudes who like driving their $50,000 SUV’s with $15K worth of bikes on top (vs actually riding their bikes), is there any surprise that it seems like a cycling forum ?
We did talk about farting and swim times!
…oh yeah, I forgot…that would be training !
^ I saw that you ran the duke half last year, how hard was the run?
Cycling is the only event of the three where you will find me actually smiling and feeling child-like joy. So, it’s obviously my favorite.
The Duke half Ironman has a reasonably tough run. Lots of hills, and dirt/grass surface. This is not a PB run course and if you swim as horribly as me, the swim goes on forwever. The bike is a very nice rolling course. I wrote about Duke Half Ironman here:
Beacuse it’s the place where all the cool stuff can be utilized. The swim boils down to having to work hard on technique vs just putting in volume. The runn is the most physically demanding of the three so most try to minimize the amount of time spent running. But you can bike 3 hrs per day for three or four days in a row with minimal fatigue. Most here probably don’t run 4 days in a row.
The biggest tme gains though will be made on the swim and run for most readers of this board.
^^good read, thanks for posting
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I agree, people talk all the time on here about their 3,4,5,6 hour bike rides but you never hear them talking about their 2,3 hour runs or their 6000yd swim set, why, because it is easier to sit their white pimply ass on the bike and go touring instead of doing the hard workouts that it takes to be good in swimming and running.
Beacuse it’s the place where all the cool stuff can be utilized. The swim boils down to having to work hard on technique vs just putting in volume. The runn is the most physically demanding of the three so most try to minimize the amount of time spent running. But you can bike 3 hrs per day for three or four days in a row with minimal fatigue. Most here probably don’t run 4 days in a row.
The biggest tme gains though will be made on the swim and run for most readers of this board.
I agree, people talk all the time on here about their 3,4,5,6 hour bike rides but you never hear them talking about their 2,3 hour runs
Fine. I’ll talk. I did a 2:22 long run on Friday while visiting my folks. My lesson learned was, if you’re gonna go shirtless, at least apply a “little” sun-screen if the run if between 11AM and 1:30PM. Next lesson learned (not my first 2 hour run) … remember to buy some running socks. Feet were a little tender at the end. Not too bad, but tender.
Actually on my way back, I cam across another “runner” and made some chit-chat. He’s an 8-time IM finisher, and some good tips for me as I prepare for my upcoming 1/2IM.
I have yet to encounter anyone o the bike, in the pool, or on the run that wasn’t friendly as heck. There may or not be a “Brotherhood” of triathlon, but in my area, when somebody sees someone else doing something endurance sports related, they almost seem thankful that they are not alone. It’s awesome.
I agree or that somebody didn’t yell or throw something at you while driving by…
I think it is all about speed. Everybody likes to go fast. Of the three events, cycling is hands down the fastest - by far! Also, it allows you to go places pretty far from home that running won’t get you to and of course will never happen in the pool.
Cycling is also the easiest, in my opinion, to see instant and quick gains.
I’ve always wondered why people dont put a lil more effort into their swim training. ie once to twice a week is NOT enough.
I agree or that somebody didn’t yell or throw something at you while driving by…
Shoot, I wave to everybody. Well, my wave that’s just making the “peace sign”. Almost everyone waves back. I’m sure the farmers that own land by the roads I ride on think I’m nuts, but they always give a wave.
A couple of guys, that appeared to be the “fun type” (burnouts, drunks, whatever you wanna call em), gave me a full honk and enthusiastic wave (with all 5 fingers, not just one). I laughed at what they must be thinking as I am running on a low-traffic interstate surrounded by corn fields, “Look at this crazy SOB, we gotta honk at this dude”. Heck, they were probably just happy to meet someone “crazier’n em”.
easy, because my 3,4,5,6 (well no sixes anymore thank god) rides are take me to far, well farther away places then my 4000yd (6K, hell no even if it would make me faster) swim in the fascinating pool counting lane lines, my 2K ocean swim, or my typical run loops. Plus bike rides are more fun, you get to woooosh down steep hills, rail corners, and go a lot faster than our little legs and arms will normally take us. Granted my hour twenty trail run was lots of fun but my 3 hour mtn bike today was 10x better! Plus bikes are shiny, expensive (hmm possibly a good thing possibly bad), fun, ever changing and innovative. My new running shoes are pretty cool but they’ve already lost thier new shoe smell and have mud on them. My bike polishes up gleaming even after thousands of miles. We’re just obsessed with our bikes materialistic tri geeks that we are. I’ve been a runner, done the hard workouts, the two a days, the intervals with the boring painful rest days. It was cool but being a cycling obsessed triathlete is a LOT more fun!
Plus and this may be a big one, our bikes are like our partners in crime. Triathlon can be a lonely sport some times and as we pour our money (I pour way too much considering what I make) into our bikes it’s almost like gifts for a training partner. Scary and twisted yes but I bet you never felt much of a connection to even your favorite swedes or best running shoes.
Cuz your all a bunch of closet roadies wanna-be’s who haven’t made a leap to the darkside yet ;0
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