Triathlon

Cycling

What cycling shoe type do you wear for 70.3 or 140.6, triathlon or road shoe? Why?

Cycling Comfort is Key for Long Course Triathlons

Most of my clients wear traditional road shoes for long course triathlon. They'll take a little bit of extra time in their transition, dry off their feet, put on socks, put on comfortable cycling shoes because it's more important to be comfortable for that four or five, six, seven hours you're on the bike. So that when you get off, the last thing in the world you are thinking about is your feet. Because as cool as the cycling stuff is for-- in triathlon, the reality is is that long course triathlon is about that run. And making sure you're comfortable and your feet are happy when you get off the bike is crucial.

Most of my clients wear traditional road shoes for long course triathlon. They take a little extra time in transition to dry off their feet, put on socks and cycling shoes, as it is more important to be comfortable on the bike for the four to seven hours of cycling. This will ensure that when they get off the bike, their feet are happy for the run portion of the race.

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For long course triathlon, such as a 70.3 or 140.6, most of my clients prefer to wear traditional road shoes. They prioritize comfort during the extended duration on the bike, which can last for four, five, six, or even seven hours. During transition, they take the extra time to dry off their feet, put on socks, and wear comfortable cycling shoes.

The reason behind this choice is to ensure that their feet are comfortable and not a source of distraction during the race. In long course triathlon, the focus is on the run portion, so it's essential to have happy and comfortable feet when transitioning from the bike to the run.

While the cycling gear in triathlon is undoubtedly cool, the ultimate goal is to prioritize comfort and performance during the run, making traditional road shoes the preferred choice for many athletes in long course triathlon.

Are there any aerodynamics secrets you can share?

Unlocking Aerodynamic Efficiency: The Rider Plays a Key Role

The number one aerodynamic secret is that the rider is 75% of the drag. The bikes are awesome. The bikes are super aero these days. The wheel systems, the way they combine with the tires, the way the wheels are designed to work with specific frames, really, really awesome. But the reality is, is that the rider is 75% of the drag. So you need to get a bike fit by someone who understands aerodynamics.

The number one aerodynamic secret is that the rider is 75% of the drag and you need to get a bike fit by someone who understands aerodynamics.

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The biggest aerodynamic secret I can share is that the rider accounts for 75% of the drag. While bikes have become incredibly aerodynamic with advanced wheel systems and frame designs, it's important to recognize that the rider plays a significant role in overall drag. To optimize aerodynamics, it's crucial to get a bike fit from someone who understands the principles of aerodynamics.

How does indoor training compare to outside training (i.e treadmill vs. road, zwift vs road)? What advice would you give if the majority of your training hours are spent indoors?

Maximize Efficiency: Insider's Advice for Indoor Training Success

Training indoors is usually quite a bit more efficient than training Outdoors, if a bit mind-numbing, there's a lot of science behind what is happening inside your muscles when you're training indoors, it's extremely effective. It's effective to the point that some Pro Tour teams take their trainers to altitude and have their altitude camps inside. There's things about temperature adaptability and both hot and cold. Mitochondria development. There's all kinds of very cool things that are happening inside when you don't Coast, when you're not stopping at stop signs. A lot of really good advantages. What advice would I give? If the majority of your training is inside? I would say, two things. Go ahead and invest in your equipment because training and doors can be extremely monotonous if you're on your bike change positions, every once in awhile, so you're not loading the same too. Issue over and over, and over again. And make sure you're getting outside at least once a week, so that you're getting all the bone density. You need for running.

Training indoors can be more efficient than training outdoors and can provide many benefits. Advice to make it more enjoyable includes investing in good equipment and getting outside at least once a week to get the bone density benefits.

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Indoor training is generally more efficient than outdoor training, although it can be a bit monotonous. There is scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of indoor training, with benefits such as improved muscle adaptation, temperature adaptability, and mitochondria development. Some professional cycling teams even bring trainers to altitude camps for training.

If the majority of your training hours are spent indoors, my advice would be twofold. Firstly, invest in quality equipment to enhance your indoor training experience. This can help alleviate the monotony. Additionally, change positions on your bike periodically to avoid repetitive stress on specific areas of your body.

Secondly, make sure to get outside for training at least once a week. Outdoor training provides benefits like bone density improvement, which may not be fully achieved through indoor training alone.

By following these suggestions, you can optimize your indoor training while still reaping the benefits of outdoor exercise.

After fitting a triathlete on a TT bike do you give them exercises to help them adapt to the new position? If so what are they ? 

Adapting Triathletes to New TT Bike Position: Essential Exercises

Hi, Tim, that is a fantastic question after doing a fitting for a triathlete on a TT bike, do they get exercises to help them adapt to the new position? The short answer is. Yes, absolutely. The long answer and I will try to be brief because this is one of my big passions in the in what I do is that the first time I work with an athlete, the psychologic protocol, it takes about three hours in the first hour of that, we go through a physical assessment. And that physical assessment was designed in conjunction with a doctor and physio who work with Pro to our teams and Ironman Champions and they know exactly what it takes to perform on a bike. So we go through that assessment. We take lots and lots of notes. And then the things that we find we in the final notes to the athlete. After the end of the position. We ask them to consult with a Physio and What we have found and to get an exercise program and it's different for every single athlete. Some most, some of the most common things are glute, Med strength, thoracic Mobility, hip mobility pelvic, asymmetry things like that are big Power socks on a TT bike. Once we have gone through that first three hour session, and we've established a baseline position for the athlete. We send them to the physio. They do, they're off the bike work, and then they come back and we start refining things. We use some adapted green screen technology that allows us to identify an athlete CDA and in real-time. As they're practicing in front of the screen, the athlete can see how deviations from their optimal position. Cost them W and time and speed, and it allows them to practice staying in the position. It's a fantastic, fantastic tool. And then after that, if an athlete wants to dig in further, we will go to an actual wind tunnel. We just got back this past week, from a trip to the a to wind tunnel with a lot of athletes. If you check out the Instagram page for psychologic, you'll see some of the some of the images, but the wind What does play a role for people? Looking for everything for the most optimization? But it only works if you can actually hold the position. You look in an athlete. Like then knut. His position is razor. Sharp. Everything is working the helmet, his head position, his torso position the equipment that's underneath him. It's just razor-sharp, but that position has been 56 years in the making. And it's only possible because Ben works his butt off on his off, the bike work stuff, and has made it a priority. So, yes, athletes definitely have exercises. They need to make their position optimal. And we also need to taken into account that not every athlete will be faster when they look like then knut, what happens if we get you into that. Position and instead of and maybe your CDA went down, but your respiratory efficiency also went down. We have to calculate all those things or what happens if you got more Arrow, but your stability declined. So, all of those things need to be taken into account and they're all affected by those exercises after the bike fit. Thanks for the question. I enjoyed it. I have way more stuff I could talk on and on about

Yes, athletes should do exercises to help them adapt to their new position after a bike fit. Common exercises include glute, Med strength and thoracic mobility work. We also use adapted green screen technology and wind tunnel testing to ensure that the athlete is able to hold the optimal position. Factors such as CDA, respiratory efficiency and stability are all taken into account when determining which exercises will help the athlete perform better.

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After fitting a triathlete on a TT bike, we absolutely provide exercises to help them adapt to the new position. During the initial three-hour session, we conduct a physical assessment designed in collaboration with a doctor and physio who work with professional teams and Ironman Champions. Based on the assessment, we take detailed notes and provide the athlete with recommendations to consult with a physio for an exercise program.

The specific exercises vary for each athlete, but common areas of focus include glute strength, thoracic mobility, hip mobility, pelvic asymmetry, and power socks on a TT bike. Once the baseline position is established, we send the athlete to the physio for off-the-bike work. Upon their return, we use adapted green screen technology to identify the athlete's CDA (coefficient of drag) in real-time. This allows them to see how deviations from their optimal position impact speed and time, helping them practice and maintain the position.

For athletes seeking further optimization, we may also utilize a wind tunnel to fine-tune their position. However, it's important to note that achieving a position like Ben Knut, for example, takes years of dedicated off-the-bike work and prioritization.

It's crucial to consider various factors beyond just aerodynamics, such as respiratory efficiency and stability. Each athlete's unique goals and needs are taken into account when designing their exercise program after the bike fit.

I hope this answers your question, and feel free to reach out if you have more inquiries.

What is your favorite VO2Max session you would recommend to amateur athletes?

Optimize Your VO2Max Training with Science-Based Workouts

I am a big fan of whatever you're trying to accomplish. Whether it's vo2max or FTP or maximum or overpower whatever it is that you do. So in a structured way, I'm just throwing a random vo2max workout in do your week isn't very effective and it's not a great use of your time. I would say one of the most efficient ways for you. To work on vo2max and and affordable ways would be to sign up for something like the new Wahoo system. They have Incorporated, the sufferfest videos, they are very entertaining and the workouts themselves are pretty darn science-based and it's very affordable. And you could work in these training blocks into your routine in a systematic way, that would actually make a difference.

To efficiently and affordably work on your vo2max, sign up for Wahoo's sufferfest videos. The workouts are science-based and entertaining, making it a great way to incorporate training blocks into your routine.

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I don't have a specific favorite VO2Max session to recommend to amateur athletes. Instead, I believe in tailoring workouts to align with your specific goals, whether it's VO2Max, FTP, or other objectives you aim to achieve. Randomly incorporating a VO2Max workout into your weekly routine is not an effective or efficient approach.

One recommendation I have is to consider signing up for a system like the new Wahoo system. They have integrated Sufferfest videos that are both entertaining and scientifically-based. This can provide an affordable and structured way to work on your VO2Max and incorporate training blocks into your routine that can make a meaningful difference.

Remember, it's important to customize your training approach based on your individual goals and needs.

Lost opportunities: When clients skip appointments, I make the most of it.

My number one pet peeve. I'm experiencing right now. I'm usually booked out about three to four weeks in advance, sometimes six or seven weeks in advance and every once in a while. Someone just doesn't show up for an appointment and that's a wasted opportunity in my book. So what am I doing with that opportunity? I'm taking some time to answer some questions.

My biggest pet peeve is when someone doesn't show up for an appointment and I miss out on an opportunity.

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My number one pet peeve is when someone doesn't show up for an appointment. It's frustrating because I usually have a busy schedule booked out weeks in advance. When someone doesn't show up, it feels like a wasted opportunity. However, in this case, I'm using that time to answer some questions.

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Barry is the Lead Cycling Analyst at Cyclologic. He has more than 25 years of motion analysis experience and travels to speak at conferences and to work with multiple Olympic federations. Barry has a passion for high performance, and is always learning and researching the latest in cycling science. While he was once a competitive cyclist, he now rides mountain, road, gravel, and cross bikes mainly to make sure he can keep up with his sons. 

Barry Anderson