Four Exercises To Improve In The Cycling Segment

First, the bad news: the bike segment is the most time-consuming part of any triathlon as well as finding the suitable essay writer for you at the university, whether it’s a sprint or an ironman, so it’s the section where we’re most at risk of losing time if we don’t ride well.

It also has a great impact on our subsequent foot race: so if you are not good at cycling you may arrive at the last segment needing help from the Red Cross, the Red Crescent, Doctors without Borders, and the Retirement Home next to where the race ends.

But there is more. If we are talking about a test without drafting, your skills on the bike, knowing how to pedal in aerodynamic posture, and maintaining it over time will make you win or lose a lot of minutes.

Are you already depressed? Well, don’t worry. As with everything in life, there is also good news. If you can find your weaknesses on the bike at a glance, you have more than enough time and potential to reduce the effect they can have on your next races. But to do that, you’ll have to face your demons, those workouts where you’re going to do just what you’re bad at.

And always bear in mind that although the bike is possibly the segment with the most impact, you don’t need to be an Andrew Starykowitz either: it’s enough to keep a balance and know how to manage yourself. To reach T2 in good time and run efficiently, you have to learn to corner well, descend the passes quickly, safely, confidently, and climb strongly. Are you up to the challenge?

Improving Climbing Fitness

 Training Time: between three and five hours

 Warm-Up: given the hours we will spend on the bike, we don’t need a warm-up. In addition, the pace throughout the session will be similar to what you could do in an Ironman 70.3 or a Full. Find a flat area where you can ride for about an hour and a half, leaving you at the foot of the hill or pass you have chosen for the session’s core. Cycle in zone 2 until you reach the foot of the mountain.

 Main Session: the hill or pass you have chosen should take at least twenty minutes of climbing time. We’re looking for a total of 40 minutes of uphill training, so you’ll have to repeat it twice. Climb at a heart rate close to the threshold, Z3, almost Z4. Use the descent to recover and take advantage to improve your technical downhill skills.

Cool Down: Repeat the hour and a half you did to warm up. If you notice that you are going significantly slower, you need to review your strategy as well as your training zones.

Improve Your Pace

Training Time: One hour and thirty-five minutes.

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    Warm-Up: For twenty minutes, perform the following block:

    • 0 – 10 minutes: cadence at 90 rpm, increasing effort from Z1 to Z2.
    • 10 – 13 minutes: increasing cadence to 100rpm.
    • 13 – 14 minutes: increase heart rate to approach Z3, maintaining 100rpm.
    • 17 – 19 minutes: gently back to Z2, lowering revs to 95rpm.
    • 19 – 20 minutes: easy grind back to Z1 at 90 rpm.

     Main Session: 4 x 10 minutes alternating between 1 minute on Z4 low and 1 minute on Z5. Recover for five minutes of easy pedaling. Try to maintain an aerodynamic position. This workout will be easier if you can do it with a gradient of about two percent.

    Cool Down: At least ten minutes of easy pedaling.

    Short Climbs

     Duration of Training: One hour and fifteen minutes.

    Warm-p: Twenty minutes, with the following block:

    • 0 – 10 minutes: cadence at 90rpm, increasing effort from Z1 to Z2.
    • 10 – 13 minutes: increasing cadence to 100rpm.
    • 13 – 14 minutes: increase heart rate to approach Z3, maintaining 100rpm.
    • 17 – 19 minutes: gently back to Z2, lowering revs to 95rpm.
    • 19 – 20 minutes: easy grind back to Z1 at 90 rpm.

     Main Session: find a stretch of road about three minutes flat and leads up to a steep hill where you have to spend twenty to thirty seconds crest it. Reach along the flat stretch Z3 high and Z4, and pedaling in race position, attack the slope by accelerating hard as you approach it. If you have the right acceleration, the momentum will allow you to reach the top without feeling your pedaling stall.

    This type of training takes practice, as it is more technique than fitness. Try different combinations of cranksets and sprockets. Recover five times between each attempt, and repeat ten times.

    Cool Down: twenty minutes of pedaling with at least the last five minutes in Z1.

    Endurance For Long Distance

     Training Duration: Most of the day

     Warm-Up: use the first twenty minutes to settle on the bike. Get your legs going in Z1 and gradually increase the pace until you reach the low Z2.

     Main Session:

    1. Ride for 200kms.
    2. Plan your pace and fueling strategy in advance (you will need to stop at least twice to replenish fluids).
    3. Try to train in an area replicating the elevation gain you are training for.
    4. Pay attention to how you feel throughout the race. If you notice that your legs are getting heavy, it is too much pace for your physical condition, and you need to slow down.

    In these sessions, the final average speeds are not as important as the fact of reaching 200 km.

    Cool Down: pedal gently in Z1 for the last few kilometers, and be glad you’re not running a marathon afterward.

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