National Triathlon Week 2018 - Bike Day

It is commonly said that a race cannot be won on the bike, but it can be lost. The bike split of a triathlon is the most technical leg and is also the place where the most things can go wrong. Flat tires, a break down, or a crash can lose a lot of time or end your race entirely. If you bike too easy you can lose a lot of time since the bike is usually the longest leg of the race. If you bike too hard, you can easily use up your legs and not have enough left for the run.

Finishing the bike leg of the Legend Ad Adstra 70 in September 2017
I pushed too hard on the bike resulting in a poor run

As if that is not enough to think about already, the bike is where most of the race rules come into play that can result in penalties or disqualifications. A couple of examples are needing to have your helmet clipped from the time you leave transition until you return, mounting and dismounting at the correct locations, and following the proper no-drafting and passing rules on the course.

Although I do enjoy cycling, I would probably say that it is my least favorite of the 3 disciplines and also the one that I spend the least amount of time training for. That being said, it was apparent from my first race that I had some natural ability on the bike and it turns out that it is BY FAR my strongest discipline. While my swim and run splits often fall in the bottom 25% of all racers, my bike split is almost always in the top 50%. 

Ready to hit the bike course in my first triathlon at the Des Moines
Triathlon in September 2016

When I signed up for my first triathlon in 2016, my original plan was to just ride my old mountain bike and see how it goes. However, it turned out that my uncle Jeff had a road bike sitting in his garage that he had been trying to get rid of for several years. He sold it too me at a "family member discount" and after getting some new wheels and tires on it that first year, it has done extremely well for me. I am now looking into purchasing a triathlon bike within the next year to help take me to the next level on the bike. 

My original training strategy for the bike was to put in miles and get used to riding a road bike. I followed this strategy with quite a bit of success early. That strategy evolved last year as I started to include more speed training and longer brick workouts. That strategy paid off in late summer when I was able to set a PR during the bike leg of the Bluff Creek sprint triathlon.

Heading into T2 after my PR bike split at
the Bluff Creek triathlon in August 2017

I came into this year planning to focus on my swimming and running and with that I conceded that my bike splits might suffer, and they have. I am already planning some big things to bring back the bike going into 2019 though and really look forward to building on what I have already been able to do. 

Heading out on the bike at the Accel Triathlon in July 2017

Flying by at nearly 25 mph at the Hickory Grove triathlon in May 2018

Hustling out of T1 with my bike at the
Iowa Games triathlon in July 2018