(^1) SEATPOST
When you’re sitting on the
saddle with your feet on the
pedals, your knees should
bend slightly. Sitting too
high makes you inefficient;
sitting too low undermines
your power and can
eventually lead to
season-ending knee pain.
(^2) SEAT
Try as many saddles as you
can to find one that’s
comfortable; a lot of men
prefer a split-nose design
for anatomical reasons.
Remember, the cushioning
comes from your bike
shorts, not from the seat.
(^3) AEROBARS
Make sure they’re not too
narrow; that creates
tension in your neck and
upper back and can make
you hold your head too
high, killing efficiency. The
b ar s’ p ads sho uld b e set so
your upper arms are about
perpendicular to your torso
when your back is straight.
(^4) HANDLEBAR
Your handlebar or aerobars
should not be so low that
you don’t have full range of
m oti o n in yo ur hips at the
top of the stroke, which kills
power and efficiency.
BONUS (^)
BUY A BACK WHEEL TRAINER
About six weeks into your
training program, consider
picking up a stationary
trainer for your home. It’ll
allow you to use your own
b ike and yo u’ll b e ab le to
do specific workouts, such
as timed intervals, without
having to worry about
momentum killers like
traffic lights, crazy drivers
and bad weather. Check
out the Zwift app (zwift.
com) for a fun virtual-reality
group-ride experience
using your smart trainer.
Fast feet: McCallum
explodes through the
Quintuple Steps.
THE BIKING LEG IS THE TRI’S longest part,
and also the part that depends most on
good gear and feeling comfortable. Nail it
and you can offset a poor swim leg and set
you rsel f up for a PB r u n. So log t i me on t he
bi ke to hone you r for m, s ays F i sher, who
says the ride was once his weakness but is
now h i s st reng t h. He sug gest s dev i si ng a
program that pushes you without
deplet i ng you. “A lot of my t ra i n i ng i s
based on power and doing specific
intervals that take into account my
thresholds and maximum heart rate,” he
says. “Guys will think after a session, ‘I’m
really knackered – that must have been
good for me’ – but in an endurance sport
you can’t be doing that every day and hope
to keep recovering.”
A lot of accomplished triathletes do
longer weekend rides (two or more hours)
at moderate ef for t to bu i ld endu ra nce a nd
get used to riding on the roads, ideally
with other cyclists. Doing the same will
familiarise you with the dynamics of
riding with people around you – a comfort
t hat w i l l be va luable on race day.
THE RIDE
KEEP YOUR RACE PLAN ROLLING
BY BLITZING THE BIKE LEG
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PEDAL LIKE A PRO
Downstroke Push
slightly forward, then
hammer down. For
maximum power, angle
your ankle in whatever
way it feels most
natural.
Upstroke Unweight
your rising leg so your
other leg doesn’t lose
its pushing power.
1
2
3
4
RIDE THIS WAY A weekly high-intensity ride builds fitness fast. Your pick.
- 7×2 minutes: Seven all-out 2-minute intervals, each followed by 5 minutes of
easy riding. Total: 49 minutes - 10×2 minutes: Ten 2-minute intervals consisting of 1 minute at medium effort
an d 1 minute of hard pedalling, with 2 minutes of easy riding between them and
at the end. Total: 40 minutes - 3×12 minutes: Three 12-minute intervals, gradually ramping up the intensity.
Ta ke 5 minutes of easy recovery between them and at the end. Total: 51 minutes
“Doing hill
intervals
builds a lot
more strength- and is way
more efficent - than riding
on the f lat” - Fisher
09 / 17