Triathlon - getting faster -- how do i do it?

so let's get the easy stuff out of the way:

i weigh 205, and i could stand to lose 10 pounds. that will make me faster.

i generally don't wear tight fitting clothes while cycling. that will make me faster.

on some level, i assume it's like running in that the more i do it, the better i will be at it. that will make me faster.

i know i can buy a lighter bike with nicer components. that will make me faster (maybe).

having said all of that, are there any tricks, exercises, distances, or techniques that i can try to get faster on the bike?

in my most recent tri (my second ever), i did 10 miles at 18mph. had i gone 20mph, i could have challenged for top 10 in my age group (as it was i finished 19 of 54). my bike time was the 32nd fastest. i like to look at that as -13. my run was -5 and my swim was +5. small improvements in either coupled with a couple mph on the bike and i'm top 10 in my age group -- 4:16 ahead of my time.

so how do i get faster?

thanks.

robb.

One way is to ride more and ride with a faster group. You'll improve your cycling skills riding in a group and will work harder to not get dropped.

Interval training will make you faster.
For instance, do a 10 minute warm-up at a steady pace, then do a series of intervals where you go really hard for 5 minutes, recover for 5 minutes, repeat.

Every coach and training schedule I've ever looked at incorporates interval training.
I would focus much more on the training than I would on the equipment, or clothing. Unless you're on a really crappy bike and wearing parachute pants, the training will make a much bigger difference.

x2 on intervals.

you don't even need to do 5:00 though. start with 30 seconds at the end of every 2:00. i'm talking big ring, small cog 100% for that 30 seconds. then slow back to an easy ride. try training with a heart rate monitor. you'd do your warm up in zone 1, easy riding in zone 2-3 (aerobic/recovery) and the intervals in zone 4 (anaerobic). or get a comp with cadence and do the warmup with a spin at say 90-100+ and the easy riding 70-90. basically you want to do a lot of aerobic work because it will build endurance but you also want to do intervals to build speed. ride the same route a few times and you'll start to see that you will go farther with each workout (or just compare your cycle comp to the last ride). then slowly raise the interval times.

another thing - hit the weights. circuit training works great for triathletes. do some research on it if you don't know already. it's a good way to add some power to your entire program - kicking propulsion, cycling, and running. for that reason triathletes want to emphasize a bit more focus on the legs in the circuits. a circuit could have 7-8 exercises in the 20-30 rep range. you run thru them one after the next and rest at the end then repeat.

here's an example of one of my interval days fwiw...

10k warm up (zone 1)

5k time trial (zone 4+ anaerobic/max)
5:00 easy cycle (zone 2-3 recovery)
repeat 3-4 x

10k cool down (zone 2-1)


i'll do that for a sprint and sometimes an olympic.

Interval training will make you faster.
For instance, do a 10 minute warm-up at a steady pace, then do a series of intervals where you go really hard for 5 minutes, recover for 5 minutes, repeat.

Every coach and training schedule I've ever looked at incorporates interval training.
I would focus much more on the training than I would on the equipment, or clothing. Unless you're on a really crappy bike and wearing parachute pants, the training will make a much bigger difference.

I can't agree with this more.

this is good. basically i'm reading that the answer is the same for cycling as it is for running. that i know i can handle.

thanks.

robb.

http://www.timetrialtraining.co.uk/

http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/...-10-mile-time-trial/ (http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/timetrials/training-for-a-10-mile-time-trial/)

http://www.sportsci.org/jour/05/amt-m.htm

http://www.ehow.com/...etitive-cycling.html (http://www.ehow.com/video_2366045_training-time-trials-competitive-cycling.html)


http://www.altovelo.org/training/timetrials.php

http://www.racelistings.com/...rticle.asp?recid=296 (http://www.racelistings.com/rzone/articles/article.asp?recid=296)

That should give you something to get your teeth into.

Heres a good, easy formula:

20-30 x 30-60 second intervals, super hard. Once per week

2 x 20 minutes, hard. once per week

2-4 hours with surges thrown in. Once per week

Good luck

I suck at interval training. But I also agree, it may be the secret you are looking for. On icky days, I hit the gym and a spin class, sometimes 2 back-to-back. Its like forced interval training ;)

happy riding!

buy triathlete training bible and a good heart rate monitor. loose 10-20 lbs slowly as you train. find a group ride where you are pushed - barely hanging on to the group as this will help push you. if they re group at points even better as you hold as long as you can get dropped - meet up - repeat - basically intervals with the motivation of others around you.

be patient but track results - they will come pretty fast at first then it get tougher.

Intervals and faster group rides will get you 1-1MPH easy.