How to Train for a Triathlon-Bike

Leslie Williams: Hi, I am Leslie Williams, a triathlete and I am teaching you how to train for a Triathlon. Now we are going to talk about the bike. There is so much gear that goes into the bike. You dont have to be afraid, there are several different kinds of bikes. If you are a beginner triathlete I recommend you start on a road bike, give it a couple of races and see if you really like it and then you can advance to a time trial bike if you would like to. The basic differences between a road bike and a Triathlon bike, this bike is lighter, it has a different seat geometry, it makes it easier for you to transition from the bike to the run. The road bike typically has a three ring gear in the front and you can use it to climb. So if you are doing a lot of hills, a road bike is a great way to start. There is lot of gear on the bike. This is an Aero bottle, you can drink out of it, you add your Gatorade in here or your Sustained Energy. There is a Bento box here, this is where you can carry all of you food, you can also carry a tire repair kit and a spare tire. There is another kind of bottle cage down here that you can also use for your Gatorade. I recommend often that you wear gloves, always wear sunscreen, very important, you dont want to burn out there as the bike is a long time out in the sun and you dont want to develop Skin Cancer just by doing a Triathlon a couple of times a years. The Aquaphor, or Chamois Butter is something that can prevent chafing, you can put it on your feet or in your groin area. You are spending hours in a saddle, this is a really good way to protect yourself. There is a bike computer, bike computer is a great asset for a cyclist. It will show you how many miles per hour you are going and the distance that you have traveled.

The are really fancy ones you can also track your heart rate and show you the revolution per minute that you are foot is spinning. As far as bike safety guides you have got a head light and a tail light. Those are really great if you are doing a ride after dark or in the pre-dawn darkness. There is a lot of maintenance that can go into a bike, a local bike shop or an REI can teach you how to maintain your bike, but the basics are chain lube and something to clean the bike with after a hard ride, you are going to want to take care of your bike, just like you would a car, it needs to be maintained. Then in the bag one of the most important things to take with you is a kit in case you break down. We got here CO2 cartridges, tire levers, a spare tire, a multi tool attach kit and of course a little bit of money in case you find yourself far away from town and stranded. As far as working out on the bike, again this is going to be dictated by the type of race that you are doing and the length of the race. If you are doing a flat race that is an Olympic Distance you are going to want to train on the flat and you are going to want to do a distance which is appropriate for an Olympic Distance. If you are doing an Iron Man in a hilly area you are going to want to train on hill and you are going to want to go much, much longer. If you have a technical course or a Mountain Bike course, you certainly are going to want to be out in the mountains. You probably, if you are beginner, want to do at least two days a week on the bike. If you are more advanced or training for a longer race you probably going to want to do at least three race and dont forget you are going to want to do some bricks later on, when you are wanting to go from the bike to the run with a very fast transition and next we are going to go on the run.