The Complete Guide To Triathlon Cycling 2016

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO
Gear
GUIDE
TRI BIKES, AEROBARS,
AERO HELMETS & MORE
TECHNIQUE
& TRAINING
SKILL, SPEED AND
STRENGTH SESSIONS
FOR ALL ABILITIES
ii PERFORMANCE SERIES
DIY BIKE
MECHANIC
EXPERT BIKE
FIT ADVICE
GO-FASTER
NUTRITION
ii Essential tool checklist,
ii Maximise comfort, cycle
ii What to eat and drink
plus repair jobs made easy
quicker and avoid injuries
to reach your cycling peak
7.99
The bike is the longest discipline

so its the place where you
can make the biggest gains
MEET THE
EXPERTS
The worlds finest athletes
and coaches assembled just
for you. Their quest? To
refine your technique
MAT BRETT Mat is the former editor
of 220 Triathlon magazine and now a
regular writer for the worlds leading
multisport magazine
ROBERT BANINO is the former deputy
editor of 220 Triathlon magazine and
now one of the most respected bike
writers in the country
JACK SEXTY is staff writer for
220 Triathlon magazine, highly-acclaimed
age-grouper and is aiming to conquer
Ironman Lanzarote in 2016
NIK COOK has competed for
Great Britain at the duathlon world
championships and is a regular
contributor to 220 Triathlon
PETE BONFIELD is a former national
champion at road racing and coached
the womens triathlon team in cycling at
the 2004 Athens Olympics
GUY KESTEVEN has been testing
bikes for magazines for nearly 20 years.
In that time, hes also become a master
of the bike workshop
ANDY BULLOCK is entering his 11th year
as a professional triathlon coach. He
has masters in exercise physiology and
exercise psychology, and is a former
220 Triathlon coach of the year
EDS LETTER
IMAGE DELLY CARR/ITU
prings on the horizon (finally!) and as well as the inevitable

return of TV shows charting the progress of daffodils, lambs and
baby birds it also means one thing for triathletes time to get
back on the bike. Yep, from now on its all about Lycra,
aerodynamics and generating the kind of wattage that could light
a small village. Thats where The Complete Guide to Triathlon Cycling comes in,
handcrafted by the worlds best triathlon magazine 220 Triathlon. Yes, you still
need to swim and run, but nows the time when your cycling, which has taken a
backseat due to flooded roads and iced country lanes, takes centre stage.
Now, we dont mean to spread rumours but, among single-sport cyclists, triathletes have a bad
reputation. Cyclists think that we have the handling ability of a drunken waiter and wouldnt know the
difference between a groupset and Groupon. (Clearly they havent met Sebastian Kienle or the Brownlee
brothers, but there you go.) Well, clearly Froome and co dont know what theyre talking about, but just to
ensure their misconceptions remain just that, read on to become a gear
aficionado, master mechanic, smart trainer and dietary dynamo.
In this guide youll discover both the basics and more advanced training
techniques. Well show you how to change a puncture and how to maximise a
power meter; we reveal what budget-dependent features to look for in
search of the best triathlon bike; and youll learn the fuelling tips to help
you morph into a sporty Ainsley Harriott (if you can imagine such a thing).
Ultimately, this guide will show you how to bike faster for triathlon, after the
rigours of a swim and preceding the jelly-legged run. Prepare for a new PB
Helen Webster, Editor
FOLLOW
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youtube.com/220Triathlonvideos
MARK MCKAY is formerly bike

coach at British Triathlon. Hes since
headed north of the border to take
up the position of Scottish Cyclings
endurance coach
JOE BEER is one of the worlds most
experienced age-group coaches, and
is the author of many triathlon books
including Need To Know Triathlon
RICK KIDDLE used to race at elite level
for Great Britain before turning his hand
to coaching. Hes coached hundreds of
athletes to the finish line
JOE FRIEL is author of The Triathletes
Training Bible, one of the most
successful triathlon boks of all time.
Hes also a world-renowned coach
CONRAD STOLTZ is a four-time Xterra
world champion and three-time ITU
cross-triathlon world champion. Hes
now a triathlon coach
JAMES WITTS is the former editor of 220
Triathlon. Hes now a regular contributor
to the worlds finest triathlon magazine,
as well as a number of bike magazines
BIJU THOMAS is a professional chef
whos cooked for numerous professional
bike teams including BMC Racing
MARTYN BRUNT is 220 Triathlons
monthly age-group columnist. Hes
known for his off-the-wall take on all
things multisport
WWW.220TRIATHLON.COM I 5
IMAGE TRIATHLON.ORG/DELLY CARR
CONTENTS
32 AEROBAR GUIDE
Whether youre looking for all-in-ones or
clip-ons, this is the place to be
BIKE GEAR
16 ANATOMY OF A BIKE
Know your dropouts from your drops
18 AFFORDABLE ROAD BIKE
What to look for when spending under 600
20 MID-RANGE TRI BIKE
Essential features for sub-2,000
42 AERO HELMETS GUIDE

Teardrop lids and aero road helmets that
reduce drag and increase speed
22 TOP-END TRI BIKE

When moneys no object in search of speed
46 PRE-SEASON BIKE
Mudguards and WD40 at the ready
IMAGE TRIATHLON.ORG/JANOS SCHMIDT
24 YOUR PERFECT BIKE FIT

Achieve your ideal set-up plus how to
transform your roadster into a tri bike
6 I THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO TRIATHLON CYCLING
37 RACE WHEELS GUIDE

Nothing screams Im a triathlete more
than a super-fast set of deep-rims
BIKE WORKSHOP
30 BIKE ESSENTIALS
Bike shoes, bib shorts, performance
eyewear all needed for the total triathlete
50 DIY BIKE MECHANIC

The tools you need to maintain your steed
54 GEARS
Become a master of the derailleur
PAGE
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56 SADDLES & SEATPOSTS

Fine fettling for more comfort and efficiency
58 BRAKES
Keep your cables and pads running smoothly
60 RACE READY
A pre-race MOT for your biking best
The Complete Guide to Triathlon Cycling is a

220 Triathlon production and is published by
Immediate Media Company Bristol Ltd.
Established 27 years ago, 220 Triathlon is the UKs
best-selling and most widely read triathlon magazine.
Published 13 times a year, it is crammed with race reports,
exclusive interviews, training tips and gear reviews, all
complemented by its trademark use of the worlds best
multisport photography.
The Complete Guide to

Triathlon Cycling is produced by
220 Triathlon magazine
EDITORIAL
Editor Helen Webster
Managing editor James Witts
Art editor Andy Saunders
ADVERTISING & MARKETING
Group advertising manager
Darren Gratton
Senior sales executive
Tomos Whitmarsh-Knight
tomos.whitmarsh-knight@
immediate.co.uk
PRESS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
Press officer Carolyn Wray
0117 314 8812
carolyn.wray@immediate.co.uk
With the right training, gear and

nutrition advice, youll soon be
slipstreaming the worlds elites
TECHNIQUE
& TRAINING
64 BOOST PEDAL POWER
Activate more muscles for faster pedalling
66 GEAR CONTROL
Which gear combinations to use and when
70 CLIMBING MASTERCLASS
When to sit or stand and at what cadence
73 CORNERING & DESCENDING
How to stay balanced, safe and fast
76 GROUP RIDING
Why racing with mates equals more speed
80 THE LONG RIDE
Gear, nutrition and pacing tips for those
Sunday-morning rides
82 RACE-PACE RIDING
Sessions that up intensity and power
90 TRANSFORM TRANSITIONS
The perfect layout for a swift T1 and T2 plus
step-by-step technique advice
94 BRICK SESSIONS
Once youve mastered the transition
technique, its time to up the intensity
96 OFF-ROAD MASTERCLASS
Xterra legend Conrad Stoltz shows you
how to handle a mountain bike
BIKE NUTRITION
100 FUELLING YOUR
PEAK PERFORMANCE
Why training dictates whether you choose
carbohydrates, protein or fats
105 DIETS OF THE PROS
Rachel Joyce, Jodie Swallow and more
106 FUELLING ON WHEELS
How to feed proficiently on the fly
84 TT FOR TRI
Midweek racing for multisport gains
108 HOMEMADE BIKE FUEL

Make delicious and nutritious sweet
and savoury energy bars
86 POWER UP
How to maximise a power meter
114 THE WEEKEND WARRIOR

220s age-group columnist Martyn Brunt
PRODUCTION
Production director Sarah Powell
Production manager Sin Rodgers
Production co-ordinator
Derrick Andrews
Ad co-ordinator Paul Thornton
Reprographics Tony Hunt, Chris Sutch,
Rob Fletcher
IMMEDIATE MEDIA CO
Publisher Alison Worthington
Publishing director Andy Healy
Managing director Andy Marshall
CEO Tom Bureau
Deputy chairman Peter Phippen
Chairman Stephen Alexander
CONTACT US
WEBSITE
WWW.220TRIATHLON.COM
PHONE
Editorial 0117 927 9009
Subscription & back issues
0844 826 7820
(Overseas please call +44 1795
414815)
EMAIL
Subscription & back issues
220triathlon@servicehelpline.co.uk
POST
Editorial 220 Triathlon, Immediate Media,
Tower House, Fairfax Street, Bristol BS1 3BN
Immediate Media Company Bristol Limited 2016
Not for resale. All rights reserved. Unauthorised reproduction in
whole or part is prohibited without written permission. Every effort
has been made to secure permission for copyright material. In the
event of any material being used inadvertently, or where it proved
impossible to trace the copyright owner, acknowledgement will be
made in a future issue.
Views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher.
Printed in the UK by William Gibbons Ltd
COVER IMAGE
REMY WHITING
MAY 2015 I WWW.220TRIATHLON.COM I 7
MUST-DO
BIKE LEGS
Beyond high speeds and the adrenaline rush, you cant
beat triathlon for enjoying the best of Mother Nature.
Here are seven of the most stunning race bikes
MUST-DO BIKE LEGS
CHALLENGE WANAKA
WANAKA, NEW ZEALAND, 20 FEBRUARY 2016
3.8KM SWIM | 180KM BIKE | 42.2KM RUN
Over 1,500 professional and age-group

athletes head to New Zealand for one of the
toughest and most beautiful triathlons
around. A crystal-clear lake swim and run
around the waters edge are linked by a
stunning 180km bike against the memorable
backdrop of the Southern Alps and the
Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area.
IMAGE HANNAH PETERS
CHALLENGE ROTH
ROTH, GERMANY, 17 JULY 2016
Roth is regarded as the fastest longcourse event in the world, the mens and
womens records coming in at 7:41:33
(Andreas Raelert) and 8:18:13 (Chrissie
Wellington), respectively. The bike is
relatively flat aside from the notorious
Solar Berg Hill. Thankfully, huge crowds
that resemble the Tour de Frances Dutch
Corner ease the pain.
IMAGE LENNART PREISS
IRONMAN UK70.3
WIMBLEBALL LAKE, SOMERSET, 26 JUNE 2016
Exmoor National Park is home to a race

thatll stretch the fittest and strongest
triathlete and core to your debilitating
day out is the bike. The organisers
description of rolling terrain is an
understatement with nearly 5,000ft of
climbing only slightly comforted by the
picturesque Somerset countryside.
IMAGE IRONMAN UK70.3
MUST-DO BIKE LEGS
CELTMAN
WESTER ROSS, SCOTLAND, 25 JUNE 2016
3.8KM SWIM | 202KM BIKE | 42KM RUN
Though only in its fifth year, many triathletes

have pencilled in the Celtman on their bucket
list. Youll soon warm up from the cold swim in
Loch Shielgag with a bike that boasts 2,000m of
climbing along beautiful coastal roads. Its a
brute with the last third of the bike often
greeted by stiff headwinds. A 42km run over two
munros completes this memorable test.
IMAGE COLIN HENDERSON
THE SLATEMAN
TRIATHLON
LAKE PADARN, SNOWDONIA, 21-22 MAY 2016
VARIOUS DISTANCES
There are three distances available 400m

swim/20km bike/6km run; 1km swim/51km
bike/11km run; 1.4km swim/71km bike/17km
run and for each its the bike leg that steals
the limelight. Hit the famous Llanberis Pass,
along the Ogwen Valley, and youll be
confronted with views thatll render you
speechless. (That and the breathlessness of
the climbing metres, of course.) Sign up fast
as this sells out every year.
IMAGE HENRY IDDON
MUST-DO BIKE LEGS

A DAY IN THE LAKES
TRIATHLON
ULLSWATER, CUMBRIA, 26 JUNE 2016
1.9KM SWIM | 92KM BIKE | 20KM RUN
Complete your first challenge taming the

glorious Ullswater Lake and youll head
out onto the 92km bike thatll push you and
your contemporaries to your limits. Not
only is there the long ascent to Shap Fell,
but also the stiff Kirkstone Pass, which
reaches a vertigo-inducing 25% gradient in
places. The run is mostly off-road with the
last three miles on tarmac.
IMAGE JASON NEWSOME
THE LONDON
TRIATHLON
EXCEL, LONDON, 6-7 AUGUST 2016
VARIOUS DISTANCES
There are four distances to choose from

at the worlds biggest triathlon, from
super sprint (400m swim/10km
bike/2.5km run) to Olympic Plus (1.5km
swim/80km bike/10km run). But its
Sundays Olympic-distance event that
provides the most historic lure, the
Westminster route taking in Big Ben and
the Houses of Parliament.
IMAGE RB CREATE LTD
IMAGES TRIATHLON.ORG/JANOS SCHMIDT
BIKE
GEAR
From bikes that suit all budgets and abilities to transforming
your road workhorse into an aerodynamic thoroughbred, this is
your first port of call before whipping out your credit card
BIKE GEAR
ANATOMY
OF A BIKE
The bike leg of triathlon provides more jargon than the rest of the sport
combined. So if youre struggling to recognise your downtubes from your
head tubes, your tops from your drops and derailleurs from your shifters,
this is the place where it will all become clear
ROAD BIKE ANATOMY
or most triathletes, the road bike is their day-to-day machine. Whether its for training,
commuting or just riding for fun, a road bike is far more versatile than a triathlon bike.
Part of the beauty of a road bike is that theyre extremely simple machines and, with a
bit of practice, you can easily maintain it on your own. Heres a clear overview to the key parts
that youll find on a road bike, and what they do...
SEAT POST
STEM
Connects the saddle to the bike. Is

clamped into place at the top of the
seat tube, but can be moved up and
down to adjust height and allow for
riders of different sizes.
Connects the handlebars to the

steerer tube of the fork. This
connection means that, when you
turn the bars, the front wheel turns.
HOODS/SHIFTERS
If youre on the hoods, youll be riding
with your hands resting on the rubber
covers on the shifters. Traditionally, on
UK bikes, the right brake is the front
and the left is the rear; the right
shifter controls the rear derailleur and
the left controls the front.
BRAKES
Almost always, on
road bikes, side-pull
caliper-style.
DROPS
REAR DERAILLEUR
Moves the chain up and down
the cassette.
TOPS
When youre riding with your
hands on either side of the
stem, its called riding on
the tops a very popular
position for climbing.
The part of the

handlebar that curves
downwards. They allow
the rider to assume a
more aerodynamic
position.
FRONT
DERAILLEUR
Moves the chain between
the two front rings.
TYRES
For road bikes, usually in 23/25mm varieties. Essentially, goes round the
rim and inflated to provide a comfortable ride. Come in clincher, road
tubeless and tubular styles, depending on what sort of wheels you have.
WHEELS
Tend to be more durable and bulletproof than
deep-rimmed aero wheels, so will usually feature a
minimum of 20 spokes and minimal rim depth.
ANATOMY OF A BIKE
TRI BIKE ANATOMY
f you want to ride fast, you need to get out of the winds way. Thats why the triathlon
bike is the race-day weapon of choice. Its packed with features designed to help you
cut through the air as efficiently as possible and make the most of the effort youre
putting into riding. Despite being a similar shape, they can differ quite drastically from
road bikes as you can see with the tri bike below...
EXTENSIONS
BULLHORNS
Usually have small brake levers mounted
on the end. (With electronic youll also
find shifter switches.) Can be used when
riding along or, more commonly, when out
of the saddle to gain leverage.
Hold onto in order to

maintain control
when youre in the
aero position. If they
have electronic
shifters, you have
buttons; traditional
bar-end shifters are
levers at the end of
the extensions.
ARM RESTS
Pads to rest your lower arms/elbows on
when youre on the extensions.
SPOKES
Joins the hub to the rim. They pull the rim
inwards at high tension, which makes the
wheel extremely strong. If one loosens or
breaks, it can imbalance the whole wheel.
RIM
AERO WHEELS
INTEGRATED BRAKE
The edge of the wheel. The

upper part of it is the braking
surface, where the brake blocks
squeeze the rim in order to slow
down. The inner part connects
the spokes to the hub.
Though shallow rims pictured here,

these are wheels that have added
carbon sections to improve
aerodynamics. Can come in a
variety of depths, most commonly
between 35-90mm.
Most commonly found on tri bikes, the brakes

are integrated into the fork at the front, and
hidden under the bottom bracket at the back to
improve the aerodynamics of the bike.
FORKS
CASSETTE
These days usually 10 or 11
cogs mounted on the freehub
of the rear wheel, but can be
as few as eight or nine on
older bikes. Shifting between
sprockets changes the effort
needed to move the bike.
Connect the front wheel

to the handlebars. The
steerer tube at the top of
the fork goes through
the head tube of the bike
and is clamped by the
stem, which allows you
to turn the front wheel
with your handlebars.
AFFORDABLE
ROAD BIKE
MANGO POINT R
If youre just starting your triathlon journey, theres no need to spend more than
600. And right on cue, Mangos Point R is aimed at triathletes and cyclists
seeking affordable speed. We see how it fared on the roads
WORDS JACK SEXTY IMAGES THESECRETSTUDIO.NET
MANGO POINT R R460 SHIMANO TIAGRA 569.99 WWW.MANGOBIKES.CO.UK
AFFORDABLE
ROAD BIKE
1 The Shimano Tiagra groupset is great value for money at this price point 2 The Point R has a sleek, minimal design, with the only prominent branding visible on the
head tube and seat tube; the bike also has full internal cable routing 3 The chainset and bottom bracket are supplied by FSA to complement the Tiagra drivetrain
ango Bikes were started by two

university students in 2012, with the
intent of bringing affordable, fun
bikes to the UK market. Following the success of
their single-speed and fixed-gear city bikes,
Mango first launched a nine-speed model in 2014,
leading to the development of the Point R range,
as featured here.
Mangos product design manager Brant
Richards explained more: While the bike is aimed
mostly at entry-level cyclists wanting to step up to
club rides/sportives or sprint triathlons, we feel
weve also been able to add more adaptability to
it, by speccing deeper drop brakes for bigger
tyres or mudguards.
The bike is designed around an efficient
pedalling position and a stable ride, which will
make you feel more confident at high speeds.
We got our hands on an Arctic White 10-speed
Tiagra model thats second only to the 105 version
in the Point R range (the same bike equipped with
Shimano Claris starts at 429.99). With internal
cable routing and a groupset usually found on
bikes closer to the 1,000 mark, we were
impressed by the Point Rs value for money.
You can upgrade to a Vision Team 30 wheelset
for an extra 99.99, and Continental Gatorskin
tyres are available, too. The frame, bar tape and
even the tyres and saddle can also be customised
in an array of neon colours.
Its worth remembering that 570 is still a
reasonable investment for some, so when we
hit the roads, wed still expect a well-performing
ride in the increasingly competitive entry-level
road bike market.
Its disappointing that the bike is only available

in small, medium and large, and offering the same
size bike for a 5ft8in rider as a 6-footer is just too
broad. In line with other entry-level roadies, wed
like to see more specific sizing options.
You may want to go for that tyre upgrade, too,
as Gatorskins are far better than the rather
bobbly and unappealing tyres supplied. (Mango
have actually halved the price of a tyre upgrade
from 39.99 at the time of writing, perhaps in
response to previous criticism.)
TECH
Overall, the Point R is superb for the money,

and criticisms are minor considering how well the
bike rides. Its great for winter training or for
taking on your first triathlon, and if the word
spreads we wouldnt be surprised to see Mango
rolling out full carbon-fibre versions in the future.
VERDICT
86%
Limited sizing available for fine-tuning position, but

one of the best bikes around at this price point
MANGO POINT R
Size tested Medium

Overall weight 9.8kg
(without pedals)
HEAD TURNER
In understated matte white, the bike looks
sleek and clean, and branding is only clearly
visible on the head tube.
The bike handles well for the most part, but
feels a little vulnerable on steep descents and
bumpy roads. On the flat tarmac, however, the
Point R really comes into its own, and few bikes
at this price point feel so fast and racey.
It definitely isnt the lightest at 9.8kg, but this
is offset by decent handling and sturdiness. The
Point R also climbs surprisingly well given the
extra weight.
FRAME AND FORKS

Sizes S, M, L
Frame 6061 Aerospace Grade Alloy
Forks Mango carbon-bladed with
mudguard mounts
TRANSMISSION
Chainset FSA Vero Compact (50/34t)
Bottom bracket FSA sealed bearing
Cassette Shimano Tiagra - 12-28t
Chain Shimano CN4600
Derailleurs Shimano Tiagra 10-speed
Shifters Shimano Tiagra 10-speed
WHEELS
Front/rear CW-RD2.0
Tyres Kenda KT128 25C
COMPONENTS
Stem CW Team-S
Bars CW Team-S Compact
Headset FSA Top Cap
Saddle MB Upgrade
Seatpost CW Team-S Forged Alloy
Brakes Tektro R315 Alloy Dual Pivot
DIMENSIONS
1 Head angle 72.5
2 Seat angle 73.5
3 Top tube 55cm
4 Seat tube 53cm
5 Standover 75.5cm
6 Chainstay 42cm
7 Bottom bracket 25cm
8 Wheelbase 100.5cm
9 Head tube 16cm
MID-RANGE
TRI BIKE
FUJI NORCOM
STRAIGHT 2.5
A triathlon bikes a true sign of intent that youre morphing into a
multisport thoroughbred. But, with two grand burning in your pocket, is the
impressive-looking Fuji as memorable on the road?
WORDS ROB BANINO IMAGES JONNY GAWLER
FUJI NORCOM STRAIGHT 2.5 1,900 WWW.EVANSCYCLES.COM
t doesnt matter how aerodynamic, light

or stiff a bike is, if you cant get into a
comfortable position, riding it is going
to be difficult which is why Fuji has gone
to such lengths to make its range of Norcom
Straight bikes so accommodating in terms
of fit parameters.
There are five sizes available, but the
adjustability built into them means even the
smallest and tallest riders have a wide spectrum
of position options open to them, from
aggressively low to almost upright. And much
of this is thanks to the bikes innovative cockpits.
The Fuji Norcom is

extremely affordable,
coming in at under 2,000
The head tube on the Norcom Straight 2.5,

like all the Norcom Straight models, is truncated
so that you can run an extreme low-profile
set-up and have the stem level with the top tube.
The stem is from Oval Concepts but was
designed in collaboration with Fuji to have the
same diameter as the frames top tube and a
profile that sits perfectly flush with it. Thankfully,
spacers and different angles of stem are
available if you dont have the spinal flexibility
for such an acute position.
The seatpost also by Oval Concepts
provides more positional fine-tuning thanks to
It responds instantly to every input,

accelerates easily on flats and climbs,
and turns with the agility of a road bike
MID-RANGE
TRI BIKE
1 The head tube is designed for extreme low-profile riding, though our reviewer is less than impressed with the bar-end shifters 2 Oval 327 Aero alloy clinchers
will guarantee a fast ride 3 The Oval Concepts R500T saddle sits atop a highly adjustable seatpost, providing effective seat tube angles from 74 to 81
its 180mm of height adjustability and the 70mm

of fore-aft adjustability in the saddle clamp,
providing effective seat-tube angles from 74 to
81. Its more than enough to give the 6ft 5in
American triathlete Matty Reed room to stretch
his legs and pitch him forward over the bottom
bracket. (And, incidentally, plenty for 220s
similarly lanky test rider, who had space to
spare in the aerobars and seatpost a rarity in a
57cm bike.)
cage mounts on the down tube. If its going to

compete with the top tri-specific bikes, it needs
considerably more storage options, and
preferably ones that can be integrated. There
are mounts on the back of the seatpost, but
theyre only for a Di2 battery pack.
Secondly, on the 2.5 the Vision bar-end
shifters are horrible. Theyre better than the
previous versions, which looked more like brake
levers, but the material is cheap-feeling plastic
for the blade. Theyre also so stiff that getting
enough leverage to move them often means

you have to bring your arm up off the extension.
If it wasnt for the shifters (the storage options
are a more niggling issue) this would be an
unbeatable tri bike for the price.
VERDICT
89%
A genuinely special bike in terms of fit options and

ride quality, but it lacks storage options for triathlon
and has horrible shifters in its 2.5 guise
SLIM, SWIFT AND SUREFOOTED

Fit may have been prioritised, but thats not
entirely at the expense of performance, because
while the Norcoms been built to be
accommodating, its also shaped to be rapid.
Its essentially a slimmed-down, leaner version
of Fujis D6 TT/tri bike, so as well as full internal
cable routing and integrated aero brakes, it also
benefits from a frame thats narrower and less
bulky than its predecessor. The most noticeable
changes are on the trailing edge of the head
tube and the junction of the top tube, seat tube
and seatstays, which are considerably sleeker
and more refined than on the D6. But the
Norcom Straight isnt only more aerodynamic
than the D6 (16% according to Fujis figures), its
also stiffer, thanks to the use of ribs in the fork
and down tube.
But the most important thing about the
Norcom Straight is the fantastic ride it delivers.
In a word, its excellent. It feels light, it responds
instantly to every input, accelerates easily on
flats, and climbs and turns with the agility of a
road bike. For a tri-specific bike, its certainly one
of the most comfortable and responsive on the
market at this price point.
Much of its handling prowess is down to the
frame, but some of the credit has to go to the
brakes, too. Often, integrated aero brakes are
spongy and toothless, especially when the rear
brake is mounted behind the bottom bracket.
But the TRP anchors here are great and let you
barrel along safe in the knowledge that you can
pull out a big stop if required.
Ride-wise, the Norcom Straight is up there
with the very best. That said, its not without
niggles. First (and this relates to all the Norcom
Straight models), it has just one set of bottle
TECH
FUJI NORCOM STRAIGHT 2.5
Size tested 57cm

(without pedals)
FRAME AND FORKS

Sizes 49cm, 51cm, 53cm, 55cm, 57cm
Frame C5 high-modulus carbon tubing
Fork FC-330 carbon aero monocoque
TRANSMISSION
Chainset Oval Concepts 520 52/36t
Bottom bracket Oval Concepts BB86
Cassette Shimano 105 11-28t
Chain KMC X11
Derailleurs Shimano 105
Shifters FSA Metron bar-end shifters
WHEELS
DIMENSIONS
1 Head angle 72.5
Front Oval 327 Aero alloy clincher
2 Seat angle 78
Rear Oval 327 Aero alloy clincher
Tyres Vittoria Zaffiro Pro Slick 700 x 23c 3 Effective top tube 56.7cm
4 Seat tube 57cm
COMPONENTS
5 Standover 84.3cm
Stem Oval Concepts 760 Aero
6 Chainstay 39.5cm
Bars Oval Concepts 750 base bar and
S-bend extensions
8 Wheelbase 103.9cm
Headset FSA 1 1/8in
9 Head tube 16.4cm
Saddle Oval Concepts R500T
Seatpost Oval Concepts Aero Carbon
Brakes TRP Aero TTV
TOP-END
TRI BIKE
The BMC TM01 is suitable
for time trials and multisport
thanks to its ample adjustability
BMC
TIMEMACHINE
The TM01 is one of the most lauded bikes in professional sport, but how
does it stand up to the demands of British age-groupers? Lets find out
WORDS JAMES WITTS IMAGES PAUL WHITFIELD
BMC TIMEMACHINE TM01 5,800 WWW.EVANSCYCLES.COM
MC has a formidable reputation in both

time-trial and triathlon. In TT, the Swiss
brand defended their world team TT
crown in September 2015, while Rohan Dennis
beat Chris Boardmans long-standing speed
record at the TDF 2015 prologue.
In tri, Liz Blatchford rode the TM01 to
bronze at the Ironman World Champs last
October. Its also the bike of choice for Lizs
team, Uplace-BMC-Etixx).
Thats some pedigree to ride around the
outskirts of Bristol, though one that we
questioned to begin with. I mean, were
triathletes how can BMC roll out the same
bike for cyclists and multisporters? Triathlon
bikes tend to be less aggressive to cope with
the extra demands of running off the bike.
Time-trial bikes can be used for efforts less
than 20km so are engineered for a more
aerodynamically extreme and, therefore, less
comfortable position.
POSITION TO PERFORM
And thats where BMCs Position to Perform
system comes in, or p2p for short, which
involves a manoeuvrable seatpost and stem. The
seatpost clamp can be mounted in four different

positions, to craft a virtual seat-tube angle of 72
to 82, which works in unison with the stem that
adopts BMCs Triangle concept. Via six spacers,
you can achieve up to 32 different positions.
While the clamps easily manipulated, the stems
a touch trickier so allocate adjustment time.
Still, once youve fiddled and fettled, and
eased yourself onto the Profile Svet Zero
aerobars complete with T2+ extensions, youre
primed for a pretty swift ride; in fact, so swift
was the ride that youre accompanied by a
gentle whistling sound once you tip over 20mph.
Traditionally we could have pinpointed this to
the airs interaction with deep-rim wheels, but
the TM01 came supplied with Shimanos
shallow-rim WH-RS31 wheelset. Was it the wind
rushing over the extensions, we thought?
Hardly, as our electronic-equipped model meant
traditional bar-end levers were replaced with
single buttons. In all honesty, we didnt get to the
bottom of it, but it never proved piercing so
simply symbolised speed, which was appreciated
on long solo rides.
With head down looking through the
extensions, however, it did draw our attention to
TOP-END
TRI BIKE
1 The TM01 comes with a full Ultegra groupset and Di2 shifting 2 BMC has added truncated edges to the tubes, which they purport can maintain the aerodynamics of 3:1
tubing but at a lighter weight 3 The integrated fork and steering lock make sharp turns a near impossibility, but if you want pure speed then the TM01 is hard to beat
those wheels. Now, the WH-RS31s are a solid set

of wheels thatll cope with the most debilitating
of winters. But the TM01 is designed for speed
and racing, so dressing it with a pair of 200
wheels is akin to hitting Savile Row for a bespoke
suit, only to complete the look with a pair of
Crocs. It goes without saying a quality set of aero
hoops should be your first upgrade.
AERODYNAMIC TUBING
Of course, those training wheels keep the price
down, but cant mask the unique-looking and
angular frame that utilises BMCs SubA
technology. Because the TM01 is UCI-legal, it
adheres to the international cycling governing
bodys 3:1 tubing rule that states its length cant
be more than three times deeper than its width.
(Unlike brands such as Ceepo who do what they
like with tubing because they dont create bikes
to adhere to UCI regulations.)
However, BMC has added a truncated edge to
the tubes that purports to maintain the
aerodynamics of 3:1 tubing but at a lighter
weight. BMC has also claimed this leads to a
stiffer product and so wastes less energy. Add to
this the Tripwire technology a shallower ridge
etched into the down tube designed to create
turbulence and cut air resistance, and you have a
frame that, while hard to prove without
wind-tunnel assistance, certainly feels fast.
That speeds maintained by the superb
Ultegra electronic groupset, which shifts
impeccably every time (and well never tire of
the reassuring whirring sound of shifting the
front chainrings). In addition to the single
buttons on the left and right extensions great
for seamless gear changes while in the aero
position there are buttons on the bullhorns too,
which come in handy when cresting a hill or
exiting a corner. That said, the integrated fork
and steering lock makes tight turns a near
impossibility. Its not an issue at high speed on
the straight but nearly left us red faced many a
time around acute country lanes. Thankfully,
braking proved reliable in the form of BMCs
integrated brakes.
Once we dismounted the TM01, it was time for
running and despite some pretty swift rides,
our legs felt fresh enough to get up to speed
once the usual lower-limb blood shift had kicked

in. You could see why Liz Blatchford told us, I
cant speak highly enough of this bike. When you
get tucked down in the aero position, you feel
like a bullet. My husband hates riding his road
bike next to me when I get down on the bars.
And it helps me run fast, too.
Overall, the 2015 TM01 is a quality bike.
Thats why UK distributors Evans Cycles inform
us therell be no change in frameset between
this 2015 model and the incoming 2016 version.
TECH
The main tweaks are that electronic groupset

reverts to mechanical; Fiziks Tritone saddle
replaces the Arione 2 tested here from our
experience, both perform admirably in triathlon
and theres a graphical change, too. Whether
that wheelset is tweaked too remains to be seen.
VERDICT
82%
Superb frameset let down by an incongruous

choice of wheels and cornering issues
BMC TIMEMACHINE TM01
Size tested Large

(without pedals)
FRAME AND FORKS

Sizes available S, M/S, M/L, L
Frame Sub-A full carbon construction
Fork Aero hinge fork, full carbon
TRANSMISSION
Chainset Shimano Ultegra Di2
Cassette Shimano Ultegra (11/25T)
Bottom bracket BB30
Chain Shimano Ultegra
Derailleurs Shimano Ultegra
Shifters Shimano Ultegra
WHEELS
Front Shimano WH-RS31
Rear Shimano WH-RS31
Tyres Continental Grand Sport Race
(700 x 23c)
COMPONENTS
Stem Integrated design with p2p
Bars Profile Svet Zero
Saddle Fizi:k Arione Tri-2
Seatpost Aero post, with p2p and Sub-A
Brakes BMC integrated
DIMENSIONS
1 Head angle 71.5
2 Seat angle 77
3 Top tube 53.7cm
4 Seat tube 54cm
5 Standover 77.9cm
6 Chainstay 40cm
8 Wheelbase 100.4cm
9 Head tube 12.3cm
BIKE GEAR
2
3
1
4
YOUR PERFECT BIKE FIT
ACHIEVE YOUR
PERFECT
BIKE FIT
A few simple steps can
help you transform your
road bike into something
a bit more suitable for
triathlon. Mat Brett guides
you to your perfect aero
bike position
IMAGES JONNYGAWLER
hen you race the bike leg of a triathlon, the

majority of your effort goes into
overcoming air resistance. At 25mph, the
aerodynamic drag accounts for about 85%
of the forces acting against you. Reduce the
drag and youll ride faster.
If youve ever put your hand out of a car window while youre
travelling along, youll have clearly felt drag. Hold your hand
upright and itll get buffeted; hold your hand flat to the ground
and itll slip through the air much more easily. Straightforward
enough. So the ideal bike set-up for triathlon is the one that
lets you slip through the air most easily? Unfortunately, its more
complicated than that
Bike-fit specialist Jez Loftus says, In triathlon, its all about
finding the right compromise between aerodynamics and
comfort, and tailoring it to the event.
Phil Cavell of Cyclefit agrees, Triathletes need to think of their
bike position in the context of their whole event. Theres a swim
and a run, too, and the bike is the meat in the sandwich. Your
triathlon bike fit isnt about making you as fast as possible on the
bike its about making you efficient on the bike, while allowing
your body to function to its fullest degree on the run. If you go
HEIGHT
1 SADDLE
Set your saddle so that theres
too aero then youre producing tensions in the body that are
going to inhibit the run.
The art is to get that compromise right, and if you want to do it
properly, you should go to a bike-fit specialist like Cyclefit. Mind
you, you can always have a go at home
Broadly speaking, a small frontal area is a good thing. To
reduce drag you want to minimise the size of your silhouette
when looked at head-on (yes, its actually far trickier than that,
but this is a decent starting point).
Youll create the smallest frontal area when your upper body is
parallel to the ground. Rather than the great slab of your torso
hitting the air and slowing you down, its just the tops of your
shoulders. If youre flexible, you might be able to ease yourself
into that position and sustain it over a 10-mile time trial, but for
the bike leg of a triathlon and still feel good enough to run fast
afterwards? Very unlikely.
For triathlon youre going to need to alter your ride position
by raising up the front end of your bike the exact amount will
depend on your flexibility and the distance youre racing. Yes,
this will increase drag but, ultimately, its for the greater good.
The idea is that you take a hit on aerodynamics but your overall
race time will be faster.
3 FOREARMS
Keep them parallel to the ground
a 25-35 bend at your knee when your

leg is at full extension.
or with your hands very slightly higher

than your elbows.
ANGLE
2 SHOULDER
Start with a 90-100 angle
ANGLE
4 ELBOW
Start with your elbow at about
between your torso and upper arm to

minimise the amount of effort needed
to hold your weight.
90 to begin with and make your

adjustments from there.
ANGLE
5 HIP
This will vary massively between
individuals and according to the
distance of the race; go too acute in
search of better aerodynamics and
your performance will suffer.
POSITION
6 HEAD
Minimise the amount your head
and helmet sit above the level of your
torso to reduce your frontal area.
BIKE GEAR
BIKE SIZE
Dont buy the size of bike you think you need and
then struggle to make yourself fit it. Work out your
correct fit either in the shop or on an existing
bike and then buy the bike that allows you to
achieve that fit most easily.
AEROBAR SET-UP
Follow this five-step plan for a streamlined front end
SADDLE HEIGHT
The first variable to get right is your saddle height.
There are different ways to do this, and everyone
swears blind that theirs is the best. Heres one
simple method that works for us
Sit on your bike with your weight central on the
saddle and your arms on the bars in your race
position. Position one leg at the bottom of the
pedal stroke. Keeping your hips level and
maintaining your weight distribution on the saddle,
straighten your knee. If your saddle is the right
height, the sole of your shoe should tilt downwards
with the heel 1-3cm lower than the toe. Repeat this
on the other side and set the saddle height thats
the best compromise between the two.
Check your saddle height by getting someone to
take a side-on picture of you on your bike with one
leg in the 6 oclock position. The angle in your knee
(between your upper leg and lower leg) should be
25-35. Its 25 in our picture (with the foot flatter
than it actually would be while pedalling; on
previous page). In other words, you wouldnt want
your leg any straighter than this. This might not
sound particularly scientific but its an easy method
that works well for most.
BAR HEIGHT
Once you have your saddle height sorted (or at
least have a start point) all the other variables are
closely related. You might have to go back and
forth between them a number of times to get
things right. There are various ways to alter the
height of your aerobars and, therefore, the angle
of your upper body
You can flip your stem over or swap to a new
one, remove headset spacers or, sometimes
(depending on the model), adjust the height of
The correct saddle

height will improve
comfort and
aerodynamics
Adjust the reach Set the distance between the

saddle and the bars so that you can get the body
angle youre after. Youre after an angle of about 90
between your torso and your upper arm, and between
your upper arm and lower arm. This could involve
swapping the stem for one of a different length.
spacers between your base bar and the

armrests/aero extensions.
As we said, a flat torso is aerodynamically
efficient but its not realistic for the majority of
triathletes, so it becomes a question of how far
to incline your upper body skywards. Cyclefits
Cavell says, Some people can have a position
where they very comfortably bring their femur
close to their chest, and some people cant.
This angle needs to be commensurate with
someones hip flexion range.
Lie flat on the floor with your legs out straight
and then ask a friend to help you bring one hip
into flexion so your bent knee comes towards
your chest. Key is that theyre not looking for end
range; instead, your friend should look for the
point of first resistance, where there is some kind
of impediment. You dont want the angle between
your femur and your torso to be any tighter than
this when youre on the bike.
Less flexible people, who might have a tightness
in the hamstrings or lower back, will need to be
more upright and, in general, the longer the race,
the less extreme the position should be.
COCKPIT
You can alter the distance between your saddle
and your aerobars by changing the stem or moving
the saddle forward on its rails. You can also swap
seatposts or, on some designs, alter the position of
the clamp on top of the seatpost. This is when you
need to look at the angles between your torso and
your upper arm, and at the bend in your elbow.
If you look at 90 angles for both of these, you
wont be too far adrift, says Cavell. 90 is good
because youre channelling as much of your weight
as possible through your upper arm bones, so your
muscles dont have to work hard. That means you
dont have to fuel them, which means youre
metabolically more efficient.
Set the aerobar height If you want to lower the

front end and you have headset spacers beneath the
stem, remove the stem from the fork steerer and take
some spacers out. Then put the stem back on and put the
spacers on top. Then preload the headset via the top cap
and retighten the stem.
You can adjust

the saddle
by moving
it forward
on its rails
As ever, these figures arent absolutes you

might want to deviate from them a little. If you
have a long femur, for example, you might need to
move your arms further forward to prevent your
knees hitting your elbows.
Youll need to enlist the help of somebody
else at this stage, either to judge the angles from
the side or to take a photograph for you to check
out yourself.
ANGLE OF AEROBARS
Position your aerobar extensions so that your
forearms sit parallel to the ground. You want the
fleshy part of your forearm on the armrest and the
shifter within easy reach of your thumb and
forefinger. Ideally, your wrists should be straight
to avoid strain, although many aerobars make
this impossible. That said, you can always tilt the
aerobars upwards slightly. This set-up is also
Adjust the armrest width Dont force your

shoulders to roll inwards to get your arms onto
narrowly set armrests; this could restrict your lungs and
affect your performance. Move the armrests laterally
across the basebar (assuming this is possible on your bars)
so you can breathe deeply unimpeded.
comfortable and, according to recent research,

creates less drag than the level set-up. But this is
probably one for the more experienced triathlete
as it does affect balance and handling.
AEROBAR WIDTH
Setting your aerobar extensions close together
makes sense aerodynamically and is something
again that has been proven by research but if
youre a large rider and you squeeze your chest
in order to get your arms on the armrests, you
can constrict your lungs.
Go narrow, by all means, but not to the point
that it affects your breathing. You shouldnt have
much trouble in setting the extensions so that
your arms sit within your existing silhouette.
If going narrow feels uncomfortable, there is
an alternative. When youre nestled on the
aerobars, you should shrug your shoulders at
regular intervals. Not only does this narrowing
improving aerodynamics, but it also relieves
tension in your shoulders. This is particularly
important in triathlon when you still have a run
leg to come as a tight torso will restrict arm
movement and subsequent leg movement
HELMET POSITION
For increased aerodynamics you want your head
and helmet to sit low so that they dont increase
the size of your frontal area, but thats difficult to
achieve if your torso is pointing slightly upwards.
You might need to adjust your head position
although, admittedly, thats hard to sustain for a
longer bike leg if it doesnt come naturally. Again,
its a matter of compromise between aero
efficiency and comfort.
Try to get the rear of your helmet to sit on top
of your upper back so the transition is as smooth
as possible; some people will find this much
easier than others.
Alter the angle of the extensions Set the

up/down angle of the aerobar extensions so
that your forearms sit parallel to the ground, or so that
your hands are slightly higher than your elbows when
youre in your racing position.
Tweak the extension reach Set the reach

on the extension (assuming its adjustable)
so that the wide part of your forearm just below
the elbow sits on the armrest, and your thumb
and forefinger can shift gear without the need
to alter your arm or hand position.
CHECKING
YOUR POSITION
Heres a simple method to
check the aerodynamic
efficiency of your new
bike set-up
Q Before you make any
changes, ride over a set course

of about two miles. Make sure
its a course thats as
traffic-free as possible to
reduce outside influences and
ride it at a consistent,
sustainable power thats close
to your race intensity.
Q Do it three times in
conditions that are as similar

as possible and record your
average time.
Q Then, make just one change

to your set-up alter the bar
height, say and repeat the
process: same course, same
conditions, same consistent
power output.
Q A drop in your average

time suggests improved
aerodynamic efficiency.
BIKE GEAR
TURN YOUR ROAD

BIKE INTO A TRI BIKE
oull ride quicker on

the vast majority of
triathlon courses if
youre on a
triathlon-specific
bike rather than a road bike. The
trouble is, a triathlon bike costs
money and isnt as versatile as a
road bike.
You cant head out for a group
ride with your local cycling club on a
triathlon bike, for instance; you need
something more manoeuvrable for
riding in a pack and a road bike is
way more suitable for riding in
traffic. So if youre only going to buy
one bike, a road bike would be the
better choice for you.
Adapting a road bike for race
duties is a whole lot cheaper than
buying a triathlon bike and you can
achieve many of the same
aerodynamic advantages. About
80% of the drag when youre riding
is down to you rather than your bike
and/or equipment. There may be
nothing you can do to make your
road bikes frame tubes slice through
the air as efficiently as a tri bikes,

but you can make big gains by
adjusting your body position. Many
of the body position tips for a
triathlon bike apply here, so check
out the previous spread, too.
AEROBARS
Adding clip-on aerobars to your
existing drop handlebars will allow
you to lower your torso and create
less drag, with your weight resting
on your forearms so you can
comfortably maintain that position.
Aerobars are usually extremely
easy to fit. You simply bolt them to
the central section of your handlebar
but bear in mind that some
handlebars, carbon ones in
particular, arent designed to have
anything clamped to them and you
run the risk of them failing if you fit
tri-bars. Check with the
manufacturer if youre in any doubt.
Before you buy tri-bars, check
that the clamping diameter matches
the diameter of your handlebar.
Manufacturers often make the
clamping areas a single size

and include shims for use with
different types of handlebar,
but make sure you err on the
safe side.
Some tri-bars come with
much more adjustability
than others. If you want
to experiment with your
ride position, buy some
that allow you to
alter the length of
extension and the
position of the
armrests in relation to that
extension comfort is vital.
Profile Designs T2+, for instance,
give you plenty of scope
for fine-tuning.
To discover the latest and
greatest aerobars on the market,
check out issue 323 (April 2016) of
220 Triathlon magazine. You'll find a
set of clip-ons to suit all budgets,
whether youre after a more
affordable aluminium model or a
top-end carbon number.
DONT FORGET COMFORT

Its vital that you find the right balance between aerodynamic
efficiency and comfort. Theres no point setting yourself up
into an ultra-aero position that's not sustainable. So if
youre not able to get your torso anywhere near flat
while staying comfortable, lower it just a touch and
work on your flexibility. Do brick sessions to check
you can still run well off the bike, too. Once
youve adapted to a new position, you might
be able to lower it some more.
HELMETS
All bicycle helmets should be safety-tested to
their limit before going on sale, so all you
need to decide is how well they fit. If youre
not going for an aerodynamic number, then
ventilation is key to a cooler bonce. Here are
five of the best on the market
ENDURA AIRSHELL
BBB ICARUS
94.99 www.endurasport.com
For sub-100 this is a fine lid, featuring 24 vents to
channel air over your head and a solid retention system
for a cosy fit. Comes in at an impressive 230g.
119.95 www.windwave.co.uk
The Icarus features 30 vents for plenty of cooling,
alongside impressive padding for added comfort. Its also
pretty light at 278g.
O ISSUE 302 / RATING 83%
1 AEROBARS
Add a set of clip-on aerobars so
that you can comfortably lower the
angle of your torso.
2 SEATPOST
Move the saddle forward by
swapping the standard seatpost for
one with less layback.
3 STEM
Swap to a shorter stem to
4 WHEELS
Deep-section wheels
slip through the air efficiently
to improve your bike split.
5 BODY
POSITION
Your body position is likely to
be more upright than on a
tri-specific bike, even after
changing the set-up.this might
be harder to achieve
6 SHOULDER
ANGLE
Aim for an angle of about 90
between your torso and your
shoulder, but this might be
harder to achieve
ANGLE
7 ELBOW
The ideal position is a
90 angle, although you might
struggle to achieve that on a
road bike.
reduce the reach to the bars, and

position it lower for a more
aerodynamic body position.
SADDLE
A triathlon bike has a steeper seat

angle than a road bike. In other
words, the saddle on a triathlon bike
is further forward in relation to the
bottom bracket. This makes it easier
to get into an efficient ride position
7
1
with your torso parallel to the

ground or close to it. When you
modify a road bike, you dont have
that advantage, so youll need to
shift your saddle forward. You could
simply move it as far forward as the
rails allow on your existing
seatpost, but youre
probably better off
swapping to a seatpost
with less layback
(where the clamp
sits closer to the centre
line of the post).
REACH
Even if you move the saddle

forward, youll probably need to
adjust the reach to the tri-bars or
youll end up too stretched. So fit a
shorter stem. As on a tri-specific
bike, youre looking for angles of
about 90 between your torso and
your upper arm, and the same angle
at your elbow.
These are start points, though. If
wed shortened the stem any further
or steepened the seat angle any
more on the road bike in the

picture, wed have messed up the
handling, so weve ended up with an
elbow angle greater than 90 and it
works fine.
BAR HEIGHT
As on a tri bike (see previous
spread), you need to balance
aero efficiency with comfort
when adjusting the height of
the front end.
Bear in mind that its harder
to get your torso flat, or near
flat, on a road bike than it is on
a tri bike, unless you move the
saddle forward to steepen the seat
angle. Youll be bending
over more sharply to achieve
any given upper body position.
If you have headset spacers
underneath your stem, its easy
to move them above the stem
to lower the bars. You could swap to
a stem with less rise, too.
Remember: a road bikes head
tube is usually longer than the head
tube on a tri bike of a similar size, so
you might not be able to set the
front end as low.
And there you have it. All thats
left is to try out your new set-up and
position. Inevitably itll feel slightly
strange to begin with but thats all it
should feel strange. If discomforts
high, change it. Its worth getting it
right as its free savings. Q 220
BELL JAVELIN
KASK PROTONE
MET DRONE WB
149.99 www.zyro.co.uk
An added visor provides an extra aerodynamic hit while
three solid ducts provide fine ventilation. Registers
447g on the scales.
195.00 www.velobrands.co.uk
A dial-operated retention system ensures a good fit,
while a leather chinstrap adds a touch of comfort and
class. Comes in at just 228g.
249.99 www.met-helmets.com
Mets Wide Body design neatly deflects air around your
shoulders to improve aerodynamics. Pure aero helmets
require extra material, explaining the 432g weight.
BIKE GEAR
BIKE ESSENTIALS
As well as your trusty steed, this gear cornucopia will help you tackle your
triathlon bike training and prepare for a fast race...
BONTRAGER
VELOCIS
www.trekbikes.com
BIKE HELMET
BIKE SHOES
Prices start from 50.00
They may take a bit of time to get used to, but
clipless cycling shoes, instead of wearing
running shoes with toe-clip pedals, will give you
more power and fluidity on the bike leg, and
youll be able to exit your cleats quicker in T2.
Look for cycling shoes with a stiff sole and have
a bike expert set your cleats.
BIB
SHORTS
DHB BLOK
www.wiggle.co.uk
A decent pair of bike shorts,

whether as traditional shorts or
bib shorts with straps (pictured),
will contain a chamois to ensure
comfort in the saddle and
well-positioned padding to
eliminate rubbing as you train.
Look for shorts with an
eight-panel design and made with
antibacterial fabric to improve
durability and eliminate odours.

A no-brainer addition to your essentials list.
You must wear your helmet whenever you set
foot on your pedals. What lid to pick is a
personal choice but fit is absolutely crucial;
if youre able to move the helmet in either
direction then the helmet is too loose.
Other things to look for are vents, weight
and, of course, value.
POC OCTAL
www.pocsports.com
BIKE ESSENTIALS
TURBO TRAINER
BIKE GLASSES
You might not think this that is an absolute essential

but these practical A-frames of metal will seamlessly turn
your road bike into an indoor bike which is essential
during the UK winter. You simply position your bike into
the trainer so that the rear wheel sits on the roller. The
roller is attached to a resistance unit that uses fluid, air
or magnetic means to vary resistance against which
youre pedalling. A good turbo will make little noise and
packs up neatly for easy storage.
Protecting your eyes from insects, grit and what nature throws
at you is vital when riding your bike outdoors. Fit is the main
component to look out for when purchasing a pair. Ask
yourself, are they comfortable on the bridge of my nose and
around the ears? Visibility is, of course, the next important
factor to consider. Most pairs nowadays should come with
interchangeable lenses for varying light conditions.
CYCLEOPS
SUPERMAGNETO
www.paligap.cc
LAZER
SOLID STATE
www.madison.co.uk
BIKE TOOLS
A puncture repair kit and spare inner
tubes are vital for rescuing your ride when
the inevitable happens and you puncture.
A good micropump or gas canisters also
needed, with a saddlebag or Bento box
ideal for storage. Its worth investing in a
good set of Allen keys, too, for tinkering
with things like saddle height.
SKS
AIRCHAMP
www.sks-germany.com
WATER
BOTTLE
Staying hydrated on the bike is essential, whatever
distance youre racing. Whether its cheap and
cheerful or a more innovative drinking system,
fill it with water or an energy drink and keep
your fluid levels up.
BIKE GEAR
AEROBARS GUIDE
On the one hand, aerobars can cut drag and shave precious seconds off your race time.
On the other, they can hinder your speed and compromise power if used incorrectly.
Nik Cook gives the lowdown on achieving the perfect set-up
IMAGES THESECRETSTUDIO.NET
TRI PIONEERS
Triathletes pioneered the use
of aerobars for racing and, if
used optimally, theyll do
more than any other piece of
equipment for shaving time
off your bike split. Scott bikes
long held the patent for the
design, but today Zipp, Vision,
Easton, Profile Design, 3T,
Deda and more are all major
aerobar players.
RAISING THE BAR

Some of the greatest names in cycling and triathlon have clawed back vital seconds using
aerobars, which were dreamt up in the 1970s and are a regular sight in triathlon today...
fter Bradley Wiggins successful Hour

Record attempt, the component of his
bike that attracted the most attention
was his 3D-printed titanium aerobars. Designed
and machined precisely to his position, they
played a major role in his staggering 54.526km
ride. With a riders frontal area one of the key
determinants for drag, bars that facilitate a low
and narrow position have been sought since the
importance of aerodynamics was first realised.
The story of the aerobar began in the 1970s
when Swiss cycling visionary Toni Maier created
cowhorn bars for time trials. A proto basebar,
these were the bars to have for racing against the
clock well into the 1980s. The first extensions,
allowing a flat, stretched-out riding position, were
seen in ultra endurance events such as the Race
Across America but it was US World Cup ski team
head coach Boone Lennon whos often credited
with their invention.
Mimicking the tuck his ski racers adopted, in
collaboration with ski and cycling brand Scott the
DH aerobar was launched in 1987. Triathletes were

the early adopters of this new technology, with
legends such as Scott Molina, Scott Tinley and
Mike Pigg among the early converts.
TREND TAKES HOLD

In 1989, when Greg LeMond used aerobars to claw
back a 50sec deficit in the final time trial to win
the Tour de France by 8secs, the conservative
world of pro cycling awoke to aero. Suddenly they
were a must-have and, even in the peloton,
compact aerobars such as the Cinelli Spinaci
appeared bolted to riders cockpit. Although
banned by the Union Cycliste Internationale in
1997 for safety reasons, these bunch-racing
aerobars were the prototype for the bars used by
draft-legal triathletes today.
Aerobars arent a one-shot, go-faster solution,
however. For the rider, aerobars can facilitate a
more aerodynamic riding position but, if that
position isnt sustainable or compromises power
output too much, the net result can be less speed.
The bike, its components and the rider have to be

considered as a whole dynamic unit. Focus too
much on one part, such as the bars, and the
real-world riding results may surprise and
disappoint you. Andy Smallwood, Boardman Bikes
company director, found this to be true when
developing their TTE bike.
When we took Pete Jacobs Kona-winning AiR
9.8 set-up and started using it as the baseline for
our new TTE model, we decided, within the
parameters of fit and adjustability, to make the
cockpit as aero as possible, says Smallwood.
CAD and CFD testing on their own showed the
new bars to be extremely slippery, and the bike,
as a whole, was posting numbers showing it to be
14-24% faster. But when we factored in a rider, the
whole set-up was 4% slower. The problem was
that the bars were too good. The air was flowing
over them but then slamming into the riders
knees. Learning from this, we redesigned the bars
to manipulate the airflow and produced a whole
set-up that was 4% faster.
BIKE GEAR
KEY FEATURES
Aerobars come with a range of components that enable adjustability, and can vary greatly
according to drafting and non-drafting races. Lets analyse an integrated pair
PADS
For a non-drafting set-up, pads should support your
arms at or near your elbows and your shoulders should
be close to perpendicular above them. Look for width,
rotational adjustment and the ability to be removed
for washing. On draft-legal bars, there often arent
pads or theyll be more minimal. You wont be on the
aerobars for extended periods; you wont be so far
forward; and any pads will only give your forearms
a modicum of support.
EXTENSIONS
For non-drafting races, these come in a number
of shapes, from straight to ski-curves, allowing
a variety of hand positions. Choose based on
personal fitness, adjustability and comfort, not
what looks fastest or what the professionals are
using. For draft-legal races, the extensions
cannot extend more than 15cm in front of the
wheel axle or the brake levers foremost line.
They must also be bridged.
RISERS
BASEBAR
Aside from aero profiling, for non-drafting TT
set-ups theyre largely unchanged from Toni
Maiers original cowhorns. On flat courses, you
should hardly touch your basebars for the entire
ride. Its different when you throw in hills or tight
bends, so ensure theyre set up well for both
comfort and handling. Draft-legal racers have to
use traditional drop handlebars.
SHIFTERS
For non-drafting races, shifters are positioned at
the end of the extensions, allowing easy shifting
while in your aero tuck. Recent innovations include
return-to-centre shifters (see right), but the advent
of electronic shifting has been the most significant.
These allow racers to have shifters both on their
extensions and basebar, and offers a real edge on
hilly and technical courses.
A key component for adjusting the height

of the elbow pads. As risers can be more
aerodynamically shaped than stem
spacers, running your basebar low and
using risers to add stack height is the
faster set-up. However, gains will be fairly
marginal so, if you also need a couple of
stem spacers to get your position right,
dont stress too much.
AEROBARS GUIDE
THE RIGHT ADJUSTMENTS

Adjustability is a vital factor when it comes to aerobars, as the wrong set-up can impact
greatly on speed and comfort. Here we discover how and when to perfect the aero tuck...
or many novice triathletes, their first

aero upgrade is to bolt a set of clip-on
aerobars to their road bike and expect
chunks of time to fall off their bike split. Yet many
find they end up slower and more uncomfortable.
Road bikes have a different geometry to dedicated
TT bikes and this has to be considered when fitting
aerobars. As Phil Burt, lead physiotherapist of the
Great Britain Cycling Team and author of Bike Fit:
Optimise Your Bike Position for High Performance
and Injury Avoidance, explains...
A road bike and a TT position wont be
compatible unless you make a few more
adjustments than simply clipping on a set of
aerobars. Your normal riding position has to be
rotated forwards for an effective aero tuck but
without stretching you out too much and
compressing your hip angle. The seat angle and
top-tube length on most road bikes make this
hard to do. Youll probably need to move your
saddle forwards, maybe fit a seatpost that
steepens the seat angle and obviously adjust your
saddle height to accommodate these changes. At
the front end, youll also probably need to

consider a shorter stem to reduce reach. Once you
have the position right, its then essential that you
train in it and dont wait until race day.
Even if you decide on a dedicated TT set-up,
being able to adjust the bike, especially the
cockpit, to your position should be a top
consideration. Many integrated systems dont
allow the range of adjustment necessary and,
although they may look sleek, slippery and
tempting, remember that more than 80% of
drag is down to the rider.
A DESIRED FIT
When the Zipp engineers were designing their
Vuka bars, adjustability was their core
consideration. Nathan Schickel, Zipp product
manager, says: From the inception of Zipp
aerobars in 2006, the focus has been on
adjustability to allow the rider to find their most
comfortable aerodynamic position. Our designers
know that not having a position you can stay in for
your entire race is a wasted opportunity to go fast.
Therefore, our focus is on ensuring the bars and

bolts are as easy to adjust as possible.
Although its important to train in your race
position, there are times when hunkering down on
your aerobars isnt a good idea. Group situations
such as club rides are an obvious example. Dont
turn up to sportives with them either, especially
those run under British Cycling rules. With the
International Triathlon Union (ITU) making some
age-group championship races draft legal for
2016, some riders are going to find themselves in
bunch racing situations with the option of using
short aerobars. If you have any doubts about your
handling ability, opt for a straight road set-up. If
you do use aerobars, make sure they comply with
the ITU regulations for draft-legal races.
Even in a race situation, dont be a slave to your
aero tuck. If the course is hilly, therell come a
point during climbing when the increased power of
sitting up or standing will outweigh the aero gains
of using your aerobars. Even on closed roads, if
youre unfamiliar with a descent its better to lose a
bit of speed and cover your brakes. Q 220
A road bike and a TT position wont be compatible

unless you make a few more adjustments to your set-up
CLIP-ON APPEAL
Ideal for beginners, clip-on
aerobars are cheaper and
more versatile than
integrated sets, and allow you
to set them up on the day
depending on the course or
weather conditions. They
dont allow shifting on the
extensions, however, and be
careful how tight (or loose)
you attach them to your bars.
BER BIKER
RACHEL JOYCE
MULTIPLE IRONMAN CHAMPION
IMAGE ALEXANDER HASSENSTEIN
Rachel Joyce is one of the finest long-course

triathletes Britain has ever produced. Since
turning professional in 2008, shes won
numerous Ironman titles including Texas,
Lanzarote and Cozumel. Shes also reigned
supreme at one of the biggest races in the world
Challenge Roth as well as twice finishing
runner-up at Ironman Hawaii. Shes consistently
strong on the bike, though always retaining
enough in her legs for a killer run.
RACE WHEELS
RACE WHEELS
They look amazing and are one of the most exciting tri purchases youll
ever make. But what are the real benefits of riding that second
discipline with race wheels? Nik Cook finds out
hen the wire-spoked bicycle wheel

was invented in 1870, not a lot
changed for the following 100
years. Up until the 1980s, ultra-light box-section
wheelsets, minimal spoke counts and narrow
tubs were the pinnacle of racing performance.
Then, towards the middle of the decade, riders,
coaches and manufacturers started to cotton on
to the importance of aerodynamics.
In 1984, Francesco Moser rode double disc
wheels to his hour record before disc and
deep-section wheels became commonplace on
Grand Tours, especially on time-trial stages. With
the advent of carbon-fibre technology, combined
with the adoption of wind-tunnel testing and
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling,
the aero properties of all cycling components,
especially wheels, underwent a revolution in the
90s and noughties.
Triathletes have always been early adopters of
technology witness Paula Newby-Fraser and
Mark Allen both using aero tri-spoke wheels during

the 1980s at Ironman Hawaii and soon aero ruled
across all cycling sports. As Jason Fowler, Zipp
Wheel Product Manager, explains
From Zipps perspective, aerodynamics has
always been more important than weight. There
are only a few races in the world where weight
trumps aero. Aerodynamics were primarily seen
as a time-trial or triathlon need only. But in
20082010, Fabian Cancellara started to change
that viewpoint by winning Milan San Remo on
808s and ParisRoubaix on 303s. Our professional
riders during that time could see the watt savings
and realised the benefit. For those competing in
the Tour de France, using aero wheels over a
box-section aluminium rim was an extra rest day
from a wattage and calorie-saving perspective.
COMPLEX PROCESS
A race wheel is a highly complex component and is
developed using a lengthy process of testing,
feedback and refinement. Scott Nielson, vice

president of R&D at Enve, describes the steps.
First well identify the need for a product and
then, using CFD and input from aero expert Simon
Sharp, well create a mountain of iterations. Well
whittle those down to the best, develop prototypes
and put those in the tunnel.
Well then ride the wheels, continues Nielson,
and give them to our sponsored riders for
feedback on stability, handling, acceleration and
how they hold speed. Well make some tweaks,
then its back into the tunnel and crucially testing
them with a number of top frames. Although it
complicates the process, this step is vital; if the
wheels arent tested as part of the whole system,
theres no guarantee theyll work.
Over the next three pages, we delve into the
pros and cons of adopting deep-section hoops for
training and racing, touch on the tub versus
clinchers debate, and see what the race rim of the
future will look like
BIKE GEAR
HOOP HALLMARKS
The key properties of every aero rim
and what theyll do for your bike split
RIM PROFILE
All aero rims are not made equally, with narrow
V-sections now aerodynamically usurped by wide
and toroidal shapes. V-section rims are far cheaper
to make and, when punching directly into a
headwind 0 of yaw return decent numbers.
Increase the angle of yaw, however, and handling
can become a real issue. The bulge of a toroidal
profile allows rims to perform and handle far
better in real world 5-20 of yaw.
RIM MATERIAL
Top-end wheels will be all carbon, delivering
the Holy Grail of low weight in combination with
deep-section aerodynamics. Cheaper wheels
combine an aluminium rim with carbon-fibre
fairings bonded to them. Aerodynamically
these can rival their costlier carbon cousins,
but theyll always be significantly heavier.
spokes certainly help to slice through the air, but

the fewer there are and the shorter they are, the
more theyll enhance the wheels aero potential.
Fewer spokes can raise concerns about durability,
but with deep-section wheels proving themselves
at races such as ParisRoubaix, these are now
largely unfounded. A disc wheel is the ultimate
extrapolation of spoke minimisation.
HUB
Lets face it, hubs are nowhere near as sexy as
rims, but without doubt the quality of a hub can
make or break the performance of a wheel.
Theres been a lot of fuss about ceramic bearings,
based on the fact that ceramic can be made
rounder, and therefore more smooth-rolling than
steel, and that its harder and more durable.
The jurys still out on the exact gains to be
made but, whether you opt for steel or ceramic,
quality is everything.
BRAKING SURFACE
Any early adopter of carbon race wheels will
remember the horror of cork pads on a wet day
and, although carbon braking surfaces and pads
have improved massively, theyre still not as
reliable as alloy braking tracks. Theres also the
potential for overheating and blow-outs. Again,
this has improved but, if youre riding anywhere
with long descents, it does need to be considered.
SPOKES
Turbulence equals drag and rapidly rotating
spokes create a hell of a lot of turbulence. Bladed
TYRES
The tubs versus clinchers debate rumbles on yet,
like for like, a tub wheelset will always be lighter.
Whatever set-up you run, your choice of rubber
will significantly affect how your wheels perform.
The tyre profile should complement the rim
aerodynamically, and there are a number of
marginal gains that you can make to minimise
rolling resistance. Using glue rather than tape
for tubs, running latex tubes in clinchers and
optimising your tyre pressure can all make
those wheels roll even more sweetly.
JARGON
BUSTER
CLINCHERS
Clincher wheels consist of an inner
tube and a tyre. Theyre easier to
change than tubs, but lose out in
the weight stakes.
TUBS
A tubular tyre is glued directly to
a rim thats specifically for tubular
tyres, negating the need for an
inner tube and thus saving weight.
TOROIDAL
An eliptical rim shape thats widest
at the middle and narrower at the
spoke bed and brake track, cocreated by the late Steve Hed and
said to offer better aerodynamics
and crosswind stability.
YAW ANGLE
The angle of yaw is simply the
amount of crosswind on your
bike, measured in degrees.
RACE WHEELS
A smooth-rolling hub
whether on ceramic or
steel bearings is key
to squeezing max travel
from watts expended
THE WHEEL DEAL

What you need to consider when splashing the cash on a set of race rims
aspirations a disc is a no-no. A great compromise
thatll suit a mix of courses and conditions is a
80-90mm on the rear and a 40-60mm on the
front. Not surprisingly, our industry experts have
their own thoughts.
Jason from Zipp opts for a deep rear and
shallower front. I use a 404 Firecrest carbon
clincher on the front and a 808 Firecrest carbon
clincher on the rear. Its the best all-round
wheelset for the racer seeing a variety of courses
and conditions. The clincher option will allow you
to change tyres based upon course conditions.
Scott from Enve has a few options. Theres a
real misconception that deep-section wheels are
hard to handle in the wind and dont perform on
hilly courses. I rode 8.9s at Ironman St George,
which is hilly and windy, and they were really fast.
6.7s are great all-rounders but, for a tiny drop in
aero performance yet significant weight savings,
our new 4.5s are superb.
RACE VS TRAINING USE

So, youve got your super-fast race wheels. Now:
do you train on them or keep them wrapped in
cotton wool for race-day use only? Im a big
believer in training on as near to race-day set-up
as possible, adds Scott. By putting in the miles
using your race gear, youll iron out the kinks in
your set-up and become 100% comfortable and
confident in how it performs. Your bike will handle
differently with race wheels on. Do you really want
your first experience of dealing with a tub flat to
be in your seasons A-race? Carbon race wheels
can certainly handle rough roads, their use in the
Spring Classics and by cyclocross racers is
testament to this. Im not saying to abuse them,
but you dont need to mollycoddle them either.
Finally, if you switch between alloy training
wheels and carbon race wheels, dont forget to
swap your pads. There are dual compound pads,
but still keep a set for carbon and a set for alloy.
KONA WHEEL COUNT
Easton 57
Roval 69
Xentis 74
Shimano 169
Bontrager 179
Mavic 224
Enve 239
HED 266
Reynolds 206
Lava magazines annual wheel

survey showed that Zipp dominated
the field at Ironman Hawaii
Zipp 1,839
he wheels are one area where

manufacturers of off-the-peg builds
often save a few pennies. Even on
top-end bikes, the rims are usually massively
under-specced. Buying some race-day wheels
can deliver an instant speed boost, but there
are a number of factors to consider.
Weve already mentioned the tubs versus
clinchers dilemma and were not going to settle
it here. If youre going to train regularly on your
race wheels, clinchers are probably the sensible
choice for tyre wear costs and gluing hassle alone,
but youll find plenty wholl argue passionately in
favour of tubs.
Probably your most important decision is what
depth of set-up to opt for. The default aero choice
is a deep-section 80-90mm front and a disc on the
rear. It certainly can be a fast set-up but remember
that cheaper V-section deep-rims can be a real
handful in the wind, and if youve got Kona
BIKE GEAR
FUTURE FOCUS
Will race wheels get any faster? Will we soon all be riding tubeless?
And are disc brakes inevitable for road bikes? Lets find out
rying to gaze into the crystal ball of race

wheels, the burning question is whether
they can get any faster. Enves Scott
Neilson believes theres room for improvement.
The work, tunnel time and R&D of a few
companies has launched a lot of new companies
that, by using prior learning, already have a foot
in the door. And that really drives us. Were in the
tunnel seven times a year, saving athletes watts,
and there are still gains to find, new shapes to try
and advances to make.
Although such legitimate imitation is the
greatest form of flattery, illegal counterfeiting is a
dark side that Neilson believes customers need to
be aware of. We buy these fake and unbranded
wheels and test them. They may look really
similar and seem like a tempting deal but, from
a structural standpoint, theyre potentially very

dangerous to ride.
Zipps Jason Fowler agrees that theres more
speed to be found. Wheels can get faster, but
faster doesnt always mean aerodynamic drag.
Fast can also be a more stable wheel (using
less energy to go in a straight line) and brake
performance (more stopping power allows you
to brake later). We have started to push this
envelope with 404 Firestrike.
A big factor will be the adoption of disc brakes
on the road, which both of our experts view as
being inevitable. Fowler sees them as a potentially
exciting proposition. Disc brakes certainly open
the door for what is possible in terms of rim shape
since the chainstays are wider and you dont have
to accommodate a brake caliper.
Finally, and just to add more confusion to the

tub versus clincher debate, Neilson imagines a
future for tubeless technology on the road.
Tubeless sits somewhere between tubs
and clinchers, delivering some of the ride
characteristics of tubs but with the convenience
of clinchers. We could have launched a tubeless
road wheelset a long time ago, but we wanted to
make sure it was 100% viable. Its only recently
that more tyre choices have become available
and you dont have to make compromises.
With the current leaning toward wider
higher-volume tyres, though, running tubeless
with sealant could make sense for racing, Neilson
continues. Theres enough air volume to seal a
puncture without having to stop or just requiring
a quick top-up. Q220
FIVE RECOMMENDED RIMS

The top-rated race wheels from a competitive market
SPIN
DMX960
PROFILE DESIGN
TWENTYFOUR 58
REYNOLDS
STRIKE SLG
EASTON
AERO 55 TUBULAR
ZIPP
808 FIRECREST CLINCHER
1,249.00
www.ridefullgas.com
A solid set of proper race wheels
for a competitive price.
1,449.98
www.madison.co.uk
Spin up to speed easily, quality
braking and a great price tag.
1,349.99
www.upgradebikes.co.uk
Stable handling, fast on the fly
and excellent braking to boot.
1,999.98
www.silverfish-uk.com
Aero, light and quick to spin up
to speed.
2,259.00
www.fisheroutdoor.co.uk
Top-class deep-section racers
that are amazingly stable.
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BIKE GEAR
For such an inexpensive piece

of kit, an aero helmet is potentially the
best bang for your buck
AERO HELMETS
AERO
HELMETS
IMAGES THESECRETSTUDIO.NET
Their looks turn heads and will make yours more aerodynamic.
Nik Cook explains how aero lids can help you reach T2 faster
JARGON
BUSTER
FAIRING
An external structure
added to streamline
the airflow.
WIND TUNNEL
An enclosed passage
through which a
controlled current of
air is blown to test the
effectiveness of an
objects aerodynamics.
DRAG
The turbulent air
that an object
creates, resulting in
a slowing effect.
he purpose of a cycling helmet is to protect your

head if you crash, but aero-savvy riders realised
that, with some clever shaping, a covered head
could be faster through the air than a bare one. Lids
designed for improved aerodynamics had appeared in
triathlon as far back as the mid 80s, most notably helping
Scott Tinley to Hawaii victory in 1985. But despite the
potential benefits they offered, they were only adopted by
a relatively small handful of athletes.
The tipping point for aero helmets came with Greg
Lemonds 1989 Tour de France-winning time-trial ride.
Wearing a Giro Aerohead helmet and using tri-bars, he
demonstrated the importance of aerodynamics by gaining
58secs on Laurent Fignon over the final 25km stage and
grabbing the yellow jersey. That moment marked the
beginning of bikings aero arms race.
Through the 90s, aero helmets were largely just fairings
to smooth airflow and offered little or no protection to the
riders heads. Gradually the helmets tails grew longer and
visors were added, but the biggest change came in 2003
when cyclings governing body, the UCI, ruled that any
helmet worn for racing must protect the riders head,
meaning aero lids had to incorporate bulky expanded
polystyrene cores.
Since then, the designs have been tweaked and refined
as manufacturers understanding of aerodynamics and
real-world rider positions have improved. The most
noticeable change saw tails truncated to reduce the drag
generated by dropped heads. For example, the Kask
Bambino unveiled in 2012. But the developments have also
fed back into standard road helmet design, with aero shells
and shaping being applied to improve their performance in
the wind, creating a wider range of options for faster
headgear to suit more courses and conditions.
The development process behind an aero helmet is a
long and convoluted affair, as Rob Wesson, director of
helmet creation at Giro, explains. The first stage is to
look at what weve done in the past and make comparisons.
Well then go into our small, on-site tunnel to test our ideas,
start gathering data and finding gains. We also use
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Computer Aided
Design (CAD) to test new ideas.
[From there] well move into a larger tunnel and, once
were satisfied aerodynamically, the helmet will go to the
industrial design team. Weve got certain aesthetic
guidelines to meet because you could make a really fast
helmet, but if it looks ridiculous it wont be successful.
Theres always a bit of give and take, but finally well go
back in the tunnel, subject prototypes to impact testing and
then theyll go out to our athletes.
standard bike helmet. An aero helmet optimised to a riders

position can be worth 1015 watts according to the aero
experts at Drag2Zero, which over the course of an Ironman
bike leg could result in time gains measurable in minutes.
For such a relatively inexpensive piece of kit compared to
a new wheelset or bike an aero helmet is potentially the
best bang for your buck in terms of aero gain.
There are caveats, though. The first is that the helmet has
to be well fitted to the rider. The tail should transition
smoothly to the riders back, with as small a gap as possible.
If this isnt the case or you tend to move your head a lot as
you ride, your flashy aero helmet could actually be slowing
you down. This especially applies to long-course triathletes
whose head position may change due to fatigue and failing
concentration during the bike leg.
Try a number of helmets, take side-on shots of you
wearing it on the turbo, but remember to test yourself when
youre fatigued as well as when youre fresh. Many athletes
will find a stubbier-tailed helmet or even an aero road
helmet, such as the Giro Air Attack that Leanda Cave wore
to Kona glory in 2012, a better and more versatile option.
The next factor to consider is overheating. An aero
helmet will always be hotter to ride in and, for an Ironman
bike leg in hot conditions, overheating can easily cost you
more time than the helmet will save. Remember, Chrissie
Wellington didnt wear an aero helmet for any of her Kona
triumphs and her bike splits werent too shabby.
As a triathlete, youve also got to consider transition.
A fiddly visor, stiff earflaps or a tricky-to-access cradle
adjustment dial can easily cost you a chunk of time. Things
like these may not be such a big deal over a long-course
HOW AND WHY TO USE AN AERO LID

All things being equal, a rider in a correctly fitted aero
helmet will be faster than the same rider wearing a
BIKE GEAR
Every time we go in the tunnel we learn

a bit more and can make a few tweaks
LID
STATS
WATT NOT
An aero lid optimised
to a riders position can
be worth 1015 watts,
according to the aero
experts at Drag2Zero
a hefty time gain over
an Iron bike leg.
TIME SAVED
Wind-tunnel tests at
MIT in the USA showed
an aero helmet can
produce an 8% drag
saving vs a standard
vented helmet a
saving of up to a
minute over 40km.
race, but for sprint- and Olympic-distance events, these

factors do need to be offset against the diminished aero
time gains for the shorter bike legs.
Finally, dont just save your aero helmet for race day.
Like all race kit, its only by training in it that you can be
100% confident that its right for you. Is it comfortable? Do
you overheat in it? These are questions you can only
answer after hours spent on the road. If you feel
self-conscious wearing an aero helmet, enter some cycling
time trials; theyre one of the only events where youll get
funny looks for not wearing headgear that looks like its
come from Battle of the Planets.
THE FUTURE
Looking back to the Giro Aerohead (which still performs
admirably in the wind tunnel and is legal to race in), the
changes over the 25 years since it appeared have hardly
been dramatic. Every now and then some experimental
designs materialise that buck the traditional shape. Most
recently the Darth Vader-like POC Tempor caused a bit of a
stir, but youd have to be pretty self-confident to wear one,
especially in orange. Tri-friendly tweaks, such as the

external adjustment dial and magnetic buckle included
on the Lazer Tardiz, are always appreciated but are
hardly game-changers.
Rob Wesson believes that there will be more steady
progression in the years to come. There will certainly be
experimentation with the shape. Were already factoring
course profiles and weather patterns into our designs and
this will only become more sophisticated. Every time we go
into the tunnel we learn a bit more and can make a few
tweaks. There wont suddenly be any crazy shapes, though;
itll be evolution not revolution. Its worth looking at the
automotive industry; they slowly tweak their models
towards the ideal. You could have a really great idea and it
could work really well but, if the market isnt ready for it,
itll fail. Change will continue to be incremental.
If the shape of aero helmets is going to evolve slowly,
what other developments could we see? Were certainly
hoping that manufacturers will continue to tweak vent
placement and design or even develop new cooling
solutions in the quest for the Holy Grail of ventilation that
doesnt compromise aero integrity. A guaranteed
non-misting visor would also be fairly high on our wishlist.
With the technology already appearing in ski goggles, a
head-up display (HUD) for visors is surely a possibility. For
keeping a solid head position, HUDs definitely make
sense. Itll be interesting to look back in another 25
years and see how different the cutting-edge
helmets on the Queen K Highway are
compared to 2015s designs. Q 220
AERO HELMETS
AERO HELMET
ESSENTIALS
Wind-tunnel data isnt the
only thing to consider when it
comes to picking an aero lid
SHELL
Designed to slide along the road if you crash and slip through
the air as you ride, the shell is what gives a helmet its
aerodynamic profile. The shape will generally be a teardrop,
but theres considerable variation when it comes to tail length.
Most manufactures opt for a smooth surface but some use golf
ball-like dimples, claiming they create even more zip.
TAIL
One of the key determining factors as to how well a helmet will
perform for any given rider is the shape and length of its tail.
Long tails can be very aerodynamic provided they stay flat
against your back but, if you drop your head or dont ride with
a flat back, any gains can easily turn into losses. A stubbier tail
or tail-free helmet could be a better choice.
FOAM
The expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam is what absorbs the
impact energy of a crash and is designed to be sacrificial. This
is why you should diligently check your helmet after a crash or
if you drop it, even if theres no visible damage to the shell.
VENTS
On an aero helmet, vents are always going to be a compromise
between cooling and aerodynamics. By sucking in air they
generate turbulence, and therefore drag, but without any
ventilation youre likely to overheat.
VISOR
Logic says that a visor smooths out the frontal profile of your
helmet and face and should therefore decrease drag. However,
independent wind-tunnel testing on some designs has found
theyre faster with the visor removed. Youve also got to factor
in potential overheating and fogging issues but, on the other
hand, they look cool.
CRADLE AND STRAPS
Like a conventional helmet, the cradle secures the helmet to
your head and is usually adjusted using a ratchet, dial or a
similar mechanism. Straps tend to be fairly standard, too, but
if youre in the pursuit of marginal gains, trim the ends down
once theyve been correctly adjusted.
RECOMMENDED AERO HELMETS

Five of the best aero helmets as reviewed by 220
SPIUK AIZEA
KASK BAMBINO
LOUIS GARNEAU P-09
LAZER TARDIZ
GIRO AIR ATTACK
169.95 www.silverfish-uk.com
Spiuks Aizea has a neat trick up
its sleeve its tail can be
tailored to the angle of your
spine thanks to interchangeable
rear inserts. It also comes with a
cover so you can choose to run
it with the vents open or closed,
and flexible earflaps ensure
speedy and pain-free transitions.
299.99 www.velobrands.co.uk
One of the first bobtail aero
helmets, the Bambino is a great
option if you drop your head or
are racing on courses plagued
by crosswinds. Although almost
300, it comes with a
magnetically-attached visor and
has surprisingly good ventilation
from its six narrow vents.
219.99 www.evanscycles.com
At 402g for the large size (with
visor), the P-09 is impressively
light. Its tail hasnt been totally
cut off, but it has been truncated
and the large front vent provides
cooling thats second to none.
The stabilising cradle system is
excellent and can be easily
adjusted with one hand.
149.99 www.lazersport.co.uk
Theres no visor accompanying
the Tardiz, but it does have six
cooling vents, three of which are
sited at the front, so it performs
fantastically in the heat. It has a
slightly truncated tail, but youll
still need a fairly flat back and a
solid ride position to get the
maximum benefit from this lid.
149.99 www.zyro.co.uk
As worn by Leanda Cave when
she won 2012s Ironman Hawaii,
the Air Attack may not be the
prettiest helmet but its looks are
less outlandish than a full-on
aero lid. Its light (weighing in at
just 289g) and far cooler on
long, hot rides than a full-on
aero lid, too.
BIKE GEAR
PRE-SEASON BIKE
Disc wheels, profiled tubes and aerobars are all
very well when youre racing in the summer,
but youll need something more practical for
the winter winds and wet roads
MUDGUARDS If you want to
IMAGES JONNY GAWLER
keep tyre spray out of your eyes,

as well as the eyes of anyone riding
with you, then mudguards are a
must. They can be quickly and easily
attached to almost any bike and will
keep you and your bike cleaner in
inclement weather. Theyll also keep
you more comfortable by preventing
your bottom getting soaked in water
from the rear wheel.
RIMS Disc wheels, deep-section

rims and bladed spokes may slice
through the air when its still or
blowing straight on, but they
catch crosswinds and can give a
harsh, unforgiving ride over rough
roads. Conventional rims with 32
(or 36 for heavier riders) round
spokes will give you a comfortable
ride without acting like sails. They
can also be trued and fixed more
cheaply and easily.
PRE-SEASON BIKE
LIGHTS Therell be fewer

hours of daylight, which means
that being out on the roads after
the suns gone down is quite
likely especially if you
commute. If youre riding on
well-lit roads, then your main
priority is being seen by other
road users, so a small, flashing
LED should suffice. If you need to
light the roads yourself, youll
need something more powerful.
BRAKE BLOCKS Worn blocks

drastically reduce your braking
performance. Keep a close eye on
yours and replace them when
necessary. Many blocks have wear
lines to show when they need
changing. If your blocks are getting
close to this line then its time for new
ones. Keep your blocks clean and
remove any debris from them, to stop
them damaging your rims.
TYRES Slick tyres are fine for
CLEANING AND LUBING

Riding in bad weather means you
and your bike get dirty. You clean
yourself up as soon as you get home
and you should do the same for
your bike. An oily rag will get the
worst off and a spray of polish not
only makes your frame shine but
will also help to keep the dirt off in
the future. Lubing all moving parts
will ensure they run smoothly and
remain rust free.
summer but, when the roads are

soaked, youll need something that
sheds water. The answer: tyres with
some tread. Punctures are also more
likely in the autumn, so beefier tyres
will help reduce the chances of
anything piercing them. Theyll also
be heavier, so youll work harder and
feel the benefit when you swap back
to your racing rubber.
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IMAGES MARTIN LANCASTER
BIKE
WORKSHOP
Learning the tricks of the bike maintenance trade will not only
make your cycling more enjoyable, itll save you money, too.
Its time to become a grease monkey
BIKE WORKSHOP
DIY BIKE
MECHANIC
Fixing and fettling your bike neednt
be frustrating. With the right kit
anyone can be a workshop wizard...
earning how to look after

your bike will not only
save you money, it will
keep your steed ready-toride rather than stuck in the shed.
And getting to know your bike
better means you can take full
advantage of its performance and,
well, the kid in you will realise it
can be a whole load of fun.
BASICS TOOLBOX
You dont need more tools than a F1
garage to fettle your bike. A few
good-quality tools are enough to
sort out nearly all bike problems
and, for most of us, the big jobs are
generally best left to your local bike
shop. In other words, with a bit of
sense and a basic toolkit you can get
your bike running sweeter, swifter
and cheaper in no time at all.
A basic 3-6mm hexagonal head
Allen key set will let you adjust
every positional aspect of your

bike plus most cable and brake
tension troubles. The 2mm or 2.5mm
keys are needed for some tiny
adjustment bolts, and an 8mm key,
used for pedals, is usually included
as part of a set.
A chain-splitting tool that pushes
the pins out of chain links will let
you separate an old, worn or
damaged chain and reconnect a new
one. A can of degreaser to remove
road gunk and good-quality lube to
replenish the chain after cleaning
will prolong your drivetrains life
enormously, providing both quieter
and quicker shifts.
A Phillips screwdriver is all you
need to keep your gears in check,
and itll also change tension on
many clipless pedals.
A spoke key (often included with
wheelsets) will solve slightly wobbly
or crash/pothole damaged wheels,
THE COST OF KITTING

YOURSELF OUT
Good-quality tools arent cheap but theyll last for years and
they wont deform your bike. To give you an idea of home
set-up costs, heres what you could expect to get for your
workshop for 100 or under
FIFTY-QUID FETTLE
Top-quality Allen key set 20
Chain tool 20
Chain lube 5
Degreaser 5
TOOL UP FOR A TON
Top-quality Allen key set 20
Chain tool 20
Chain lube 5
Degreaser 5
Cable cutters 20
Track pump 20
Phillips screwdriver 5
You dont need more tools

than a F1 garage to fettle your
bike. A few tools are enough
while a pump will keep tyre
pressures topped up.
Puncture repair kits are
self-explanatory, although sticking a
fresh inner tube in if you experience
a blow-out while youre riding is
often a quicker fix. You can always
get the patches out when you
arrive back home. (This is a
particularly useful piece of advice
when raining your author knows
from personal experience!)
In this practical maintenance
section, well help you fix stuff and
tell you how to keep a close eye on
your bike before running you

through the complete safety check
procedures. That way, whether
youve been working on your bike,
or just doing a pre-ride check, youll
be able to give it an instant MOT for
maximum ride performance.
However small and trivial the
problem is, never be embarrassed
to take it to your local shop for a
proper safety check before your
DIY results in a DNF.
Right, its time to read on and
begin laying the foundations for
becoming a bike aficionado
DIY BIKE MECHANIC
TOOL TIME
For a basic tool kit, youll want good equipment that wont distort, bend and bugger expensive bike parts in the
process. Go for kit from reputable tool manufacturers rather than worthless rubbish from the pound shop or market.
ALLEN KEYS
Buy metric keys made
from quality steel in
sizes from 2-10mm.
Longer keys give more
leverage, while
ball-ended keys can be
used at an angle to
reach awkward bolts.
SCREWDRIVER
You only need a small
Phillips screwdriver
(3mm across is ideal)
but it needs to be top
quality and used
carefully to stop it
mangling your
screw heads.
CHAIN TOOLS
Cheap chain tools break
easily; buy a quality tool
to save you money long
term. Get spare pins if
youve got a Shimano
chain. Campag chains
require a specific tool.
CABLE CUTTERS
Again, cheap cutters or
rusty old tin snips just
chew your cable into a
frayed mess instead of
cutting it cleanly. A few
more quid here means
savings overall.
SPANNERS
For the times when you
have to use a spanner,
make sure you always
use the correct size.
Never use an adjustable
one, which will burr the
edges off your nuts.
LUBRICANT
WD40 or motor oil
wont cut it here. Get a
good light/dry lube for
summer and a heavier
wet lube for winter to
prolong your
drivetrains life
by months.
BIKE WORKSHOP
MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER

Besides basic tools, there are several
other useful bits of kit that can make your
mechanicing life a lot easier and much
more efficient
WORKSTANDS/BIKE STANDS
By lifting your bike up off the
ground, you can spin the wheels
and cranks easily to make gear
and brake adjustments. Even if
you use a floor-mounted,
wheel-holding stand, its a lot
more secure to work with than
just leaning your bike on a wall.
CHAIN-CLEANING BATH
These ingenious devices clip onto your chain and
feed it through various brushes and a
sump full of cleaner. A few turns of the
pedals later and, hey
presto, your
chain comes
out
sparkling
without having
to remove it
from your bike.
RUBBER GLOVES AND/OR HAND CLEANER

Nothing loses you brownie points like leaving filthy
fingerprints around the house. Thin latex gloves keep
your fingers touchy-feely enough for
delicate jobs and can be whipped off
grease, oil and all as
soon as youve
finished. At the very
least, have a tub of
proper gritty
handcleaner ready to
scrub up before supper.
AN OVERVIEW
OF YOUR BIKE
Heres an introduction to the key
parts of your bike and tools youll
need to work on them...
REAR WHEEL
The rear wheel is responsible for
transferring all your pedal power
onto the road. Multiple sprockets
on the cassette provide a wide
range of different gear ratios to
keep your rhythm smooth
whatever hill youre climbing or
level of fitness youve got.
TOOLS REQUIRED Cassette
remover, old toothbrush/fancy set
of bike brushes, chain cleaner/
degreaser, grease, track pump,
tyre levers.
REAR MECH
The rear mech moves in and out underneath the
cassette (the collection of sprockets) as you use the
shifter to release or rewind very accurate amounts of
cable. The two small jockey wheels in the cage then
guide the chain exactly onto each gear.
TOOLS REQUIRED 3/4/5mm Allen keys, small Phillips
and flat-head screwdriver.
CHAIN
The plates and pins that make up the
alternating chain links look simple, but
theres masses of design and
development gone into making the chain
shift as quietly and quickly as it does.
TOOLS REQUIRED Chain splitter, chain
cleaner/degreaser, quality lube.
PACKET OF BISCUITS
When you find that little bit of tweaking has turned
into something more serious, nothing will get you
better service at your local shop than a packet of
Jaffa cakes. Dont expect miracles if you havent
booked your bike in beforehand, though. Q 220
DIY BIKE MECHANIC
COCKPIT
The bars, stem, shifters and headset of your bike are
understandably vital to your control and comfort.
Tiny clamp bolts and exotic materials often mean
lots of care is required when adjusting them.
TOOLS REQUIRED 4/5mm Allen keys,
sharp knife.
CABLES
The nerves of your bike. Cables carry your
control inputs to the gears and brakes, so
they need to be smooth, sensitive and
consistent in performance.
TOOLS REQUIRED Cable cutters, light lube.
BRAKES
Probably the things you least want to
go wrong. Brakes use two opposing
arms to sandwich the pads onto the
rim for stopping power. Careful
adjustment is vital to keep them
straight and not dragging, as well as
tuning bite points and personal
braking preferences.
TOOLS REQUIRED 2/6mm Allen
keys, sharp knife.
FRONT WHEEL
Your front wheel does all of your
steering, most of your braking and
its the first thing to meet the wind,
too. Thankfully, this mix of rubber,
air, rods or blades, and alloy or
carbon rims, is a lot easier to
understand than it looks.
TOOLS REQUIRED Tyre levers,
track pump, inner tubes, puncture
repair kit, spoke key.
FRONT MECH
CHAINSET
The arms (cranks) and rings that turn
the chain round and drive you forward
are what makes your bike a bike not a
scooter. Different designs need
different tools, though, so know
exactly what your bike needs before
you get the wrong tools.
TOOLS REQUIRED 5/8/10mm Allen
keys, external or internal BB tool,
Shimano Hollowtech cap installation
tool (optional).
The inner and outer plate of the front mech form

a cage that moves sideways to nudge and lift/
drop the chain between your chainrings. They
can be awkward to adjust but generally last for
ages once theyre set right.
TOOLS REQUIRED 5mm Allen key, small Phillips
and flat-head screwdriver.
GENERAL CARE
Cleaning and generally caring for your bike can
be done with old cast-offs and cold water but,
for the best results, specialist cleaners and kits
are well worth investing in.
TOOLS REQUIRED Rags/old T-shirts, latex
gloves, bucket and sponge/brush, bike cleaner
(such as Finish Line or Muc-Off), hand cleaner.
BIKE WORKSHOP
Gear set-up can spell
the difference between
race success and failure
GEARS
Misaligned gears will make your life
a misery. We show you how to keep
them shifting swiftly and smoothly
ear gripe is probably the

most common mechanical
problem that riders
complain about, with many
a poor performance or missed
training ride blamed on transmission.
It might appear archaic, but the
chain and derailleur system is one of
the most efficient multi-gear
transmission systems ever invented.
Shimano made a quantum leap in
shifting performance when they
introduced indexed shifting with the
original Dura-Ace groupset back in
1985. No more stirring about with a
gear lever, trying to minimise chain

rub; just a clean, precise click
between every gear. They upped the
ante again by integrating the shifter
into the brake lever. This meant that
you didnt have to fumble around
between your knees every time you
wanted to change gear.
Campagnolo and Shimano offer
their own versions of integrated
brake and indexed gear shifting.
Their basic mechanical needs are
the same, so the techniques covered
here using SRAM will work for both
of them, too. Q 220
THE DERAILLEUR
1 Mounting bolt The recessed Allen bolt that attaches the rear
derailleur to the frames (usually replaceable) gear hanger.
2 Cage Twin plates that hold jockey wheels to keep chain tight.
3 Jockey wheels Two wheels that guide the chain to keep
it in tension. The top wheel has slight lateral play to
1
help it find the correct indexing alignment position.
4 Barrel adjuster Threaded adjuster at outer
cable-insertion point. Use for in stand fine
tuning of cable tension/gear indexing.
5 Anchor bolt Clamp bolt
for the gear cable.
4
6 Parallelogram
Spring-loaded
6
mechanism that sweeps
the mech across the
cassette, to allow you to
change gear.
5
Limit screws (unseen) Screws
that limit the extremes of the
parallelograms movement to
2
stop the mech overshifting.
Position varies with different
manufacturers.
GEARS
SETTING THE LIMITERS

Nothing stops a ride quicker than a chain jammed between the cassette and the frame or
spokes. Heres how to prevent it
Start by shifting into the

smallest sprocket and check
the chain doesnt fall off into the
frame. Even if it hangs slightly
outside the cassette, it could
cause you problems.
Turn the limit screw until it

hits the stop cam on the
parallelogram. Shift through gears
to check the chain doesnt fall off
the cassette. Turn screw until the
chain wont overrun.
Shift the chain onto the biggest

sprocket. Go through the same
process but using the other limit screw,
to stop the rear mech over-shifting the
chain into the spokes.
Chain wont shift? Turn barrel

adjuster a quarter anticlockwise until chain moves. If it
over-shifts, turn clockwise until it
shifts once.
First, check the vertical

clearance. The bottom edge of
the outer cage should sit about 2mm
above the top of the outer chainrings
teeth. Undo the clamp bolt and
nudge it up and down until its right.
Perfect shifts require perfectly tensioned cables. Too loose and your chain wont budge;
too tight and itll budge too far
Shift down until youre in the

smallest sprocket, then shift
back into the next sprocket up, while
slowly turning the pedals.
The front mech may look

totally different to the rear
mech, but you can tune it by
following similar principles
CHECK YOUR INDEXING
SETTING UP THE
FRONT MECH
Now shift through the full range

of gears to make sure each
shift is accurate. If you find any
glitches, fine-tune them with the
barrel adjuster.
Now check the alignment.

Looking from above, the outer
cage edge should be parallel with
the outer chainring. Undo the clamp
bolt and nudge the mech round
until its in line.
REPLACING GEAR CABLES

Stop your gear cables from furring up with a simple re-wiring
Shift chain onto smallest

sprocket to release cable
tension. Undo anchor bolt and use
cable cutters to snip the cable off
above frayed or flattened sections.
Roll back the brake lever hood

to expose cable port. Push the
cable back up from the mech end, to
pop the nipple out of the lever. Grab
it with the pliers and pull it clear.
Dab grease on end of fresh cable

and slide it into the cable port.
Push/pull it through and pull it tight.
Keep cable taut and clamp it firmly
under the rear mechs anchor bolt.
Now set the upper and lower

stop screws so the chain
doesnt fall off into the frame, or out
over the edge of the chainrings.
Also, check that the cage doesnt
catch the crank.
BIKE WORKSHOP
Do you treasure your
derriere? Follow our set-up
advice to keep it comfy
SADDLES &
SEATPOSTS
The right saddle set-up equals comfort,
speed and efficiency. Nows the time to
make your bottom your top priority
eing comfortable while you

ride is essential, but many
peoples seating
arrangements are doing
their bike splits and their bodies a lot
of harm. So what do you need to
know to put it right?
Before you start moving stuff
around, you should understand that
saddle set-up is an extremely
personal thing. What suits your friend
or clubmate of a similar height might
not suit you. Thats because leg and
torso proportions arent identical,
even when heights are.
You need to know that while its a
pretty simple job mechanically,
theres still a fair amount of
patient experimentation involved in

getting it right.
To find your seats sweet spot,
work out from that baseline that
feels about right but then tweak
incrementally. Even a few millimetres
shift up/down, back/forwards or a
degree of tilt one way or the other
can make a noticeable difference.
Make one small change at a time
and keep a note of what it was.
It can take a while for your body
to adapt, so give it a bit of time to
see if the new set-up brings you the
comfort factor that youre after. If
not, move the adjustment another
notch and so on, until your heinie
(and you) are happy. Q 220
WHAT TO LOOK FOR

3 Rails Twin metal/carbon tubes
that sit in the seatpost clamp.
4 Clamp The part that secures
around the saddle rails. Can be
adjusted for tilt, and also allows
fore-and-aft movement.
5 Shaft The seattube/post that
slides down into the frame. Can be
alloy, carbon or titanium.
1 Nose The front-end of the saddle.

Often deliberately softened on
triathlon perches to make sitting
forward in the aerodynamic
position more comfortable.
2 Tail The rear section often raises
slightly to stop you slipping off the
back when youre shoving a really
big gear round slowly.
1
2
4
5
SADDLES & SEATPOSTS
SADDLE HEIGHT
Your ideal saddle height is relative to your leg length. To set it up, sit on the bike as though youre riding it
Firstly, you need to loosen the bolt(s) that

clamp the seatpost into the frame. Be careful
when re-tightening not to overdo it, because its
easy to strip an alloy thread with a steel bolt.
Sit on the bike and put your heel on the

pedal when its at its lowest point in the
stroke. Your leg should be almost fully straight,
but without you locking your knee. Adjust the
saddle height accordingly.
When the position feels right, get a tape

measure and check the distance from
centre of the bottom-bracket axle to top of the
saddle. Make a note of the distance for the next
time you set up your bike.
FORE/AFT ADJUSTMENT
Aim for a position that puts your knee directly above the pedal when its horizontal and pointing forward
Loosen the seat clamp bolt. If its been tight

for a while, the clamp itself may need a tap
to loosen it from the rails. Dont alter the angle
now or this will confuse proceedings.
Moving the saddle forwards reduces reach to

the bars and steepens the effective seattube
angle, making it easier to get aero. Sliding it back
increases reach but makes getting aero harder.
Make a note of the distance between the

saddles nose and the stem cap bolt. That
way, if you swap bikes you can reset your position
quickly and accurately.
SADDLE TILT
Once your saddles in the right place in relation to your bike, you need to get it in the right position in relation to you
On a single-bolt seatpost you

need to undo the bolt and tilt
the cradle on its arch. With twin-bolt
seatposts you need to loosen one as
you tighten the other.
Tilting the nose down reduces

pressure on your sensitive bits,
especially when in an aero tuck. But
too much forward slope will cause
soreness and shoulder ache, as youll
have to hold yourself up.
The nose-up position is popular

with BMXers but theres no
place for it in tri. It causes a lot more
pressure exactly where you dont
want it and tilting your pelvis back
puts strain on your lower back.
Having a standard slim-padded

saddle flat can render your
tenders red raw, so tilt it down a little.
A tri-specific saddle with a soft nose
will let you run it level while
remaining comfortable.
BIKE WORKSHOP
Dual-pivot calliper brakes
are easy to maintain its
making them thats hard!
BRAKES
Powerful braking is a few bolt turns
away. We roll up our sleeves to show
you how to master your anchors...
rakes that work well are

the most important things
that your bike needs. Not
only do they keep you out
of hedges, car windows and
hospitals, good brakes can also make
you faster; the later you can brake,
the longer you can keep going fast.
The switch to dual-pivot calliper
brakes about a decade ago made a
massive difference to stopping power
and control. Thankfully, theyre
simple mechanisms (its making
them so light and stiff thats
complex), which makes them easy to
look after. For a start, wear is

restricted almost entirely to the
brake pads, but there are still plenty
of things you can learn: how to check
for grit lodged in the brake pad; how
to get judder-free performance; how
to make your brakes feel brand new
by installing fresh cables; even how
to adjust the brakes to match your
preferred pull feel.
Add a final dose of brake fettling
knowledge straight from the pro pits
and youll be perfectly prepped to
make your stoppers work better
than ever before. Q 220
THE BRAKE
1 Barrel adjuster This includes the cable stop
on the upper arm. It can be screwed in and
out to adjust the gap between the pads and
the rim and, therefore, lever movement
before contact.
2 Centring adjusters These small bolts
tension the spring so that both arms sit
centrally and operate equally.
3 Cable anchor bolt (behind) The bolt that
clamps the inner cable onto the
3
lower brake arm.
4 QR cam Quick-release
cam thats flipped up to
open the callipers, for quick
4
wheel removal without
undoing the cable.
5 Pad bolt The bolt that holds
the pad in. Cup and cone washers
are sometimes used for
angle adjustment.
6 Brake shoe The metal
holders for the pair of rubber
brake pads.
7 Pad locking bolt Small bolt that
holds the brake pad in place within the shoe.
6
7
BRAKES
REPLACING BRAKE CABLES

While fitting new brake cables can be a fiddly job, itll make your brakes feel silky smooth when you pull them. Heres how to remove
and rethread your cables with the minimum of fuss
Unbolt the inner cable at the

anchor bolt. Use your cable
cutters to cut the cable above any
fraying that may have taken place,
so that it pulls out cleanly.
Pull the brake lever back to the

bar to reveal the cable barrel,
and use a zip tie or elastic band to
hold it in place.
Push the brake cable through

the outer cable housing, from
the calliper end, to pop it out of the
barrel. Once clear of the barrel, grab
the nipple and pull the cable out.
Carefully guide the new cable

back through the barrel in the
lever and then into the port in the
lever body. Be patient and dont
force it as it could start to fray.
Push/pull the inner cable

carefully through the
outer cable housing to the brake.
Pull it firmly so the nipple sits
snugly in the barrel, and then
release the lever.
Check the quick-release cam is

closed, and then wind the
barrel adjuster so its a third of the
way out. This will allow easy cable
adjustment once its all hooked up.
Guide the cable into the

anchor clamp and squeeze
both brake pads onto the rim. Pull
the cable tight through the anchor
clamp, using pliers, and tighten the
anchor bolt firmly.
Release brakes, re-check

anchor bolt and pull
emergency hard on levers to
check nothing pulls through. Spin
wheel and wind barrel adjuster
to remove any rub.
REPLACING BRAKE PADS

Swapping new pads for old is quick and easy. Better still, if youve got brake shoes, you
dont need to set them up again
Use a 2mm Allen key to undo

the shoe until its almost
entirely out.
Slide the worn pads out by

pushing them towards the
open end of the shoe.
Slide a fresh pad in and tighten

locking screw. Once both pads
are in, check alignment against the
rim, in case the shoes have moved.
Not only do
they keep
you out of
hedges and
hospitals,
good brakes
can also
make you
faster
BIKE WORKSHOP
RACE READY
You can lose more time from a broken bike than
anything else. Here, mechanic Glen Coltman
makes sure youre ready to keep on rolling...
01 MAKE SURE THE BIKE FITS
An ill-fitting, high-end bike wont serve

you as well as a correctly fitting, entry-level one.
A good bike shop should be able to at least help
you buy the correct size of bike. With that in mind,
many shops are now offering fit services. If you
have the budget, a full professional fit before you
venture out to purchase will serve you well.
02
PEDALS OUT
AT THE SAME TIME
03 SORT
If youre buying tri shoes or cycling shoes for the
first time, chances are youll be in the market for
pedals, too. Buy both from the same dealer and
they may be able to find you some time to fit
and set up the cleats.
04KEEP IT CLEAN
GET THE RIGHT SHOES
If you decided to go clipless, take time

to buy a comfortable pair of shoes. Most shops
will stock two or three different brands, so you
may have to visit a few shops to find one that fits
you best. Tri shoes will be faster to put on than
cycling shoes, even if you dont have them ready
on the bike pro-style.
You should be looking to clean your

bike often. Try to make it part of your weekly
routine, especially through the winter months.
At the very least, you should be cleaning it
before you compete. Believe us, clean and
shiny bikes go faster!
05CHECK IT OUT
Cleaning and checking your bike go hand

in hand. As you clean, youll be checking for
problems at the same time. Keep your eyes open
and you should notice if something isnt as it
should be. For instance, a loose spoke will show
itself when you run that soapy sponge along it.
Once youve cleaned your bike, dry it off and
re-lube the chain, cables and any moving parts.
Keep the lube light, wiping away any excess so as
to not attract dust and dirt. Then run through the
gears, brakes A buff-up and youre ready to race.
06BE TIME-CONSCIOUS
Dont leave your pre-race check too

close to race day. Give yourself time to take your
bike to the shop if you find a problem. Bike shops
are at their busiest during the season, so dont

leave it late. If you use a second pair of wheels to
race on, pop them in and check them too.
YOUR
TREAD CAREFULLY
07EXAMINE
Pay attention to your tyres. Look out for cuts and
small objects buried in the tread. Choose
good-quality race tyres for race day. Folding
tyres are lighter (and lighter means faster), but
are more expensive. Remember that going too
light will increase the chances of puncturing.
Choose a good pair of folders with some puncture
protection (like Continentals GP4000) and keep
them for race day. When they become too worn to
race on, use them for training. Fit good-quality,
un-repaired tubes and keep the patched ones for
training tyres.
08KEEP THE PRESSURE ON
Decide on your tyre pressure. If its a hot

day and your bike is going to sit in the sun for any
length of time, the tyre pressure will increase and
could result in a blow out. Your tyre should display
the optimum PSI.
FOR
LAST-MINUTE DAMAGE
09 CHECK
Once at the race, re-check your bike to make sure

it hasnt been knocked in transport. Most common
is the brakes getting knocked off centre and
rubbing on the rim. Run through the gears and
check the quick releases.
10 LOAD UP THE BIKE
Before racking, choose which gear youll

want the bike in for the start. Load up your water
bottle and any gels and bars youll want to take
along. The best place to put these is in a tri-bag
positioned on the top tube behind the bar stem. If
RACE READY
PUNCTURE PATCH-UP
Getting a puncture during a race is every triathletes nightmare.
Follow these tips to fix that failure in double-quick time
REMOVING YOUR WHEEL
LOCATING THE LEAK
INSERTING THE TUBE
A deflated tyre should pass between the

blocks smoothly but opening them now makes
installing the repaired wheel that bit easier.
Next, undo the quick-release lever on the axle to
allow you to drop the wheel out of your frame.
TIP Shift your chain on to the biggest chainring
and smallest sprocket to make rear wheel
removal easier.
UNSEATING THE TYRE
PATCHING THE TUBE
INFLATING THE TYRE
Slide a levers scooped end under the

bead, and then pull it down to pop the bead
over the rim. Attach the hook to a spoke, then
work round the rim with others to unseat the
rest of the tyre.
TIP Pinching the sidewalls of the tyre together
helps deflate the inner tube and separate the
tyres bead from the rim.
you have to rack the bikes the night before, you

may want to think about placing a plastic bag over
the saddle to guard it from possible rain
(remembering to remove it in the morning before
the race starts). And, having racked your bike,
dont forget where it is!
Remember one
thing: that going
too light with your
tyres will result
in punctures
Remove the tube, leaving the valve in the

rim. Pump a little air back in and listen for a
hissing sound to find where the airs escaping.
When you find the hole, line it up with the tyre
to check for debris that caused the puncture.
TIP Run your fingertips around the inside of the
tyre to double check for any sharp items that
may be lodged in the rubber.
Inflate the repaired tube a little and press

it back in under the tyre, starting at the valve.
Push the tyre bead back over to the rim and into
place. Be careful when replacing the tyre as
pinching the tube can lead to another puncture.
TIP Line up the tyres label with the valve
hole on the rim so you can find the valve
quickly in the future.
Clean and roughen the surface of the tube

around the hole with an emery cloth. Next, apply
vulcanising solution so it covers a 1in diameter
area around the hole and leave it to get tacky.
When the solution starts to look dry, position the
patch and hold it in place for a short while,
TIP In a race, its quicker to just put in a new
tube and repair the punctured one later.
Inflate the tyre fully, or at least to a

pressure you can ride comfortably on. You can
use either a pump or a CO2 canister. If youre
using a pump, hold the pump head with one
hand and pump with the other. If youre using a
CO2 canister, make sure youve got a secure
connection between the head and the valve
before you start inflating.
BER BIKERS
BROWNLEE BROTHERS
IMAGE NIGEL FARROW
OLYMPIC 2012 GOLD AND BRONZE MEDALLISTS
Until the Brownlee brothers came along, the winners of

the draft-legal ITU races tended to be runners first and
triathletes second. Theyd conserve energy in the bike
pack which can measure up to 30% savings and then
unleash their speed on the run. Alistair and Jonny
changed all that. Hardly a race goes by without the Leeds
duo pushing the pace, leading from the front and
draining the legs of equally talented runners. At Rio 2016
theyll look to add to their 2012 gold and bronze medals.
IMAGES JONNY GAWLER
TECHNIQUE &
TRAINING
Wasting energy on ascents and leaching speed down the other side?
Turning into a one-speed pony? Unsure of how to best negotiate the labyrinth
that is transition? Well, youve come to the right place
TECHNIQUE & TRAINING
BOOST PEDAL POWER

Improve how efficiently you rotate the cranks and make turbo sessions more
exciting with pedal improvement drills. Andy Bullock saddles up...
ome coaches say pedalling

in cycling is an act of
finesse, caressing the
pedals in smooth circles
and applying pressure all the way
around the cycle. In cycling parlance
its called souplesse. Others
coarsely declare, Simply stamp on
the pedals harder!
For most, learning about what
makes your wheels goes round
means speeding up, slowing down or
breaking up the act of pedalling to
work on it one bit at a time.
But if youre looking to become
more efficient, which means free
speed and energy conversation for
the run and you currently stamp
and want to learn more about
stroking the pedals read on...
FOUR STEPS TO THE PERFECT CYCLE
IMAGES JONNY GAWLER
In order to extract the most from your pedalling, you need to pedal as smoothly as possible in circles. The pedal cycle can be broken into
four sections, as below. Alternatively, you can remember to always apply force 90 to the crank arm (as indicated by the orange arrows)
1
Pushing down: 1 oclock to 5 oclock. The easy bit, usually done instinctively.
Pulling back: 5 oclock to 7 oclock. Imagine you are scraping mud off your sole.
Lifting up (or off-loading): 7 oclock to 11 oclock. Lifting the pedal up or just

taking the weight off the pedal will help the opposite leg push down.
Over the top: 11 oclock to 1 oclock. Simply imagine that youre placing
your foot onto a step.
BOOST PEDAL POWER
FIVE TURBO DRILLS

Buy yourself a sub-100 turbo trainer to
hone your pedalling style
SLOW PEDALLING
Develops a smooth, continuous and

complete pedal cycle.
WHAT TO DO Increase the resistance on your
bike by changing gear. Make sure you spend time
thinking about each leg individually, and that the
rest of your body is relaxed and still in the saddle.
WHEN TO DO Add intervals of slow pedalling
interspersed with your normal cadence. For
instance, 5 x 2mins slow legs, 3mins steady spin.
SPIN-UPS
Spinning fast and smoothly requires the

muscles to be well co-ordinated, resulting in a
more powerful, efficient pedal cycle.
WHAT TO DO Change gear so that pedalling
becomes very easy, then gradually increase
your leg speed. The idea isnt to sprint by
working leg speed and pressure on the bike
but to unload the resistance and just let your
legs spin. Youll find a point where your bottom
starts to bounce up and down on the saddle.
Hold your effort at this point. If you have a
cadence monitor, record the cadence and,
after a short rest, return to this pedal speed
for another interval.
WHEN TO DO After a good warm-up, include
5 x 30sec spin-ups and 90secs easy pedalling.
Want to make it harder? Increase the pedal
speed or the duration of the interval.
KNEE LIFTING
Allows weight to be taken off the pedal

thats moving up at the back of the pedal cycle.
Breaking down the pedal cycle

see Part Focus helps you isolate,
and work on, specific weaknesses
WHAT TO DO Theres a theory that its difficult

to pull up on the pedal and that this actually
contributes very little to both the action of
pedalling and the power that can be put in
when cycling. However, its useful to be able
to unload the pedal as it comes up so that
the leg pushing down doesnt have to push
against the dead weight of the other leg at the
opposite side of the cycle. To practise this when
pedalling, over-emphasise the lift of your knee.
If youre comfortable with this, you can then
add in a kick over the top of the pedal cycle to
improve your action through this section.
WHEN TO DO Focus on this either as part of
your normal workout or when climbing (slower
cadence) in a seated position.
PART FOCUS
Breaking down the pedal cycle will help you

focus on a particular area each time you spin.
WHAT TO DO During your usual turbo session,
focus on a weaker section of your pedal cycle
(see technique box, left) . For instance, if you
spend a 5min interval solely focusing on kicking
the pedals over the top of the pedal cycle, youll
find that the rest of the cycle is automatic. The
ease of this drill is that it can be applied to most
parts of a turbo session and even transferred to
your outdoor rides.
WHEN TO DO Can be done at any time when just
pedalling. Very useful in longer intervals. Q 220
SINGLE LEG DRILL
Teaches your muscles how to

work on all parts of the pedal cycle.
WHAT TO DO This exercise assumes
you have clipless pedals; if not,
this could be the time to upgrade.
Unclip one leg from its pedal and
move it away to rest it on the turbo
or a conveniently placed box.
Continue to pedal with the other
leg, concentrating on creating as
smooth a movement as possible. You
may find that, to begin with, your
pedalling is jerky: easy to push down
(after all, that is what youre used to)
but harder to pull back up and over.
With a bit of concentration and a lot
of practice, youll find your technique
becoming smoother. Once you find
one leg tiring, swap over legs and
work the other.
WHEN TO DO Include 30secs on
each leg before returning to both
legs, all the while making sure
you continue to think about your
smooth pedal cycle.
The single leg drill will forge a more

efficient pedalling technique
GEAR CONTROL
Mastering pacing is key to not only a fast bike, but a strong run, too.
Pete Bonfields got all the techniques youll need to improve your ride
IMAGES JONNY GAWLER
ace judgement and gears are the two

aspects of bike technique that will
probably save you more time than any
other, and which will also help when you
run off the bike. Every minute counts come race
day, and if all that hard training is to pay off you
need to make sure that every aspect of your race
is polished to perfection.
To optimise your performance during a race, its
critical that you carefully control your effort. In an
Olympic-distance (1.5km swim/40km bike/10km
run) or sprint event (750m swim/20km bike/5km
run) your aim is to maintain your heart rate at or
just below your lactate threshold level.
Lactate threshold is the level of effort that
you can maintain for an hour or so of biking
without going anaerobic and accumulating
lactates (the waste product of anaerobic
respiration) in your muscles. Lactates bring with
them hydrogen ions and stop your muscles

working efficiently, causing you to slow down, so
you want to avoid going above your lactate
threshold at any time during a race.
Equally, when racing sprint- or Olympicdistance, you dont want to ride at less than
your lactate threshold. If you do, youll be
losing time riding at just a couple of beats under
your lactate threshold can lose you around 2mins
over an hour-long ride. Manage your effort
carefully and youll be able to ride close to your
lactate threshold without exceeding it.
PACE YOURSELF
To perform consistently well throughout a race,
you need to manage your effort and that may
mean holding yourself back as well as pushing
yourself to work harder. For instance, when
approaching a hill most riders will be tempted to
attack it and ride really hard. Thats a bad move! If

you really push yourself here youll raise your
pulse rate above your lactate threshold, go
anaerobic and accumulate lactates in your
muscles. This will slow you down for the rest of the
race, losing you unnecessary time.
So keep an eye on your heart rate monitor and
control your effort, making sure that you dont
exceed your lactate threshold heart rate. You may
feel that you should be riding harder, especially if
other athletes are passing you on the hill, but
dont worry if theyre pushing themselves too
hard their bike split and overall race time will be
adversely affected.
Equally, dont ease off when travelling downhill,
unless its particularly dangerous. Any time
spent riding at, or under, your lactate threshold
heart rate will slow you down, so pedal downhill to
keep your pulse rate up.
GEAR CONTROL
JARGON
BUSTER
GEAR TO POWER RATIO

example, a 53/19 combination gives an
almost identical gear to a 39/14.
The approximate speeds for each
gear outlined in the table below are
based on a pedalling rate of around
90rpm, which for most people is the
optimum pedalling rate. Memorise these
speeds for your training sessions. Count
A 53-tooth outer front chainring with a

12-tooth sprocket on your rear wheel
creates the highest (or biggest) gear
youll travel furthest in one complete
pedal revolution. A 39/23 combination
gives you a much lower (or little) gear.
Theres considerable overlapping of
gears on 53t and 39t chainrings. For
the number of pedal revolutions you

make per minute and get used to
pedalling at an even rate. You should be
using 53/16 or 53/15 if youre averaging
around 24mph (which is good for a tri
bike split). Use a 53/19 or 39/15 if you
ride at 18 or 19mph. Practise pedalling at
an even rate itll make you go faster.
Gear table and speeds for 53/39 chainrings and 12- to 23-sprocket cluster
53-tooth
Chainring
39-tooth
Chainring
13
14
15
16
17
19
21
23
Metric gears
9.43
8.7
8.08
7.54
7.07
6.66
5.95
5.39
4.92
Speed at 90rpm
(mph)
31.8
29.4
27.3
25.4
23.9
22.5
20.1
18.2
16.6
Speed at 90rpm
(km/h)
50.9
47.0
43.6
40.7
38.2
36.0
32.1
29.1
26.6
Metric gear
7.0
6.5
5.9
5.5
5.2
4.9
4.4
4.0
3.6
Speed at 90rpm
(mph)
23.6
21.8
19.9
18.7
17.6
16.6
14.9
13.4
12.2
Speed at 90rpm
(km/h)
37.8
34.8
31.9
29.9
28.1
26.5
23.8
21.4
19.5
GOAL Maintain a constant heart rate at, or just

below, your lactate threshold.
LEVEL CADENCE
Just as your cardiovascular system has an
optimum racing rate, so does your pedal cadence.
You should have spent time over the last few
months developing a pedal cadence of between
80 and 100rpm your natural and most efficient
pedal cadence is likely to be somewhere in this
range. Find out what yours is and ensure that you
maintain it during a race.
Dont make the mistake of riding higher (or
harder) gears and reducing your revolutions per
minute (rpm) to a rate thats lower than the one at
which you have trained your legs to work
efficiently. If you do youll go slower, your leg
muscles will fatigue quicker and itll be harder
to run off the bike.
Your cadence rate will also affect how quickly
your heart beats pedal slowly and your heart
rate will probably drop, but youll inevitable
consume too much muscle power. Pedal too
quickly and your heart rate will increase
signifcantly, but youll be wasting energy and not
optimising your speed.
GOAL Maintain the cadence rate you have trained
for. Dont ride harder gears at a slower cadence.
Change your gears during a race to maintain
an even cadence.
MAINTAIN MOMENTUM
Momentum (your mass multiplied by your speed)
should be maintained and built at every
opportunity. For example, you need to maintain
ANAEROBIC
Moderately hard to
maximal exercise that
uses predominantly
carbohydrate with
oxygen, causing lactate
to be produced in your
muscles, and at approx
80% HRmax or more.
RPM
Revolutions per minute.
Rear sprocket
12
LACTATE THRESHOLD
The level of exercise
intensity at which lactate
acid starts to accumulate
in the blood stream and
you go anaerobic.
the added momentum you build when travelling

down a hill (with the assistance of gravity) as long
as possible. You also need to build up momentum
as quickly as possible after youve climbed a hill or
ridden into a head wind.
You must get rid of any slack periods during a
race (for example, as you crest a hill) so that
youre always working on building back or gaining
momentum. It takes effort to get your mass up to
a reasonable speed and you should do everything
you can to conserve it.
GOAL Aim to build and conserve momentum
throughout your triathlon. Remove any slack
points of your race.
USING GEARS
Using your gears properly will affect each of the
three critical areas that weve described above.
And where better to start than working through
how your gears work
The gear you choose will influence the distance
you travel for each pedal revolution. A high (or
hard) gear will cause your back wheel to rotate
further per pedal revolution than a lower gear
would. Therefore, at the same rate of pedalling
you will go faster in a higher gear than you
would in a lower one.
Most triathlon bikes have a 53-tooth outer
chainring and a 39-tooth inner chainring, although
compact chainsets are increasingly being sold with
a 48-tooth outer and 36-tooth inner rings.
The progression in the number of teeth on
the sprocket cluster on your rear wheel will
often be 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23,
although other combinations are also often
found. This type of sprocket cluster is preferable

for most races because most of the sprockets
are sequential, giving the smallest differences
between gears and making your progression
smooth. Those bikes with two-tooth jumps
between sprockets arent so good for racing
because theres too much difference between
the gears, causing you to push too slowly with
one gear, but spin too fast with the one
below it.
The Gear to Power Ratio box
(above) summarises the gears you
get with the different chainring
and rear sprocket combinations
along with actual distance
travelled per revolution.
Itll come in useful
with what
follows
HOW TO USE GEARS

The way you use your gears in a race will
considerably influence how well you manage your
heart rate, your cadence and momentum. In
short, using your gears properly will save precious

time on your bike splits.
The following situations explain how and when
to change gear. Remember: your goals are to keep
your heart rate and cadence consistent

and to conserve and build-up momentum.
There should be no wasted moments in
your race.
TYPICAL ROAD
Your average road has numerous gentle undulations,

as well as some steeper sections, so its important to pay
attention to your revs to cope with the inclines.
Change down one gear

if necessary
Change down one gear; try
to maintain momentum as
long as possible
Maintain
cadence
Keep
momentum
on the next
incline
Change up one
more gear
Begin rebuilding momentum get

out of the saddle if you have to;
change up one gear
Change up one or
two more gears on
the downhill as your
speed increases
Stick in that gear

on the flat
DESCENT FOLLOWED BY CLIMB
Your choice of gear in this situation can gain or lose you seconds. The key is to maintain the
speed youve gained from travelling downhill for as long as possible dont change down gear too
early. Once youre approaching the top of the climb, change into progressively higher gears as the
road levels out dont wait until youve crested the hill before you change up or youll lose time.
Change up again
and rebuild your
momentum
Sit down, change down to

climbing gear as speed falls
Change up, get out

of the saddle
Keep pedalling!
Pick a high gear to
maintain momentum
Maintain gear;
keep pedalling
Change down one or two gears; get out of

the saddle to maintain momentum
Change down one

more gear as you
come face on to
the headwind
WIND
DIRECTION
CORNER
You need to be thinking about how to exit a corner even before

you cycle into it. Ensure your line and body position are optimised, and
change down gears in line with how much you have to slow down to
take the corner safely. This way youll be able to accelerate out of the
corner faster.
Change down to
maintain cadence
into the headwind
RIDING IN
3 THE WIND
Change up one
more gear
Change up
a gear as
the head
wind swings
away to
your side
Change up as
speed increases
Wind resistance exerts

a considerable influence over
your speed. Use your gears
efficiently to maintain a constant
pedalling and heart rate; be
conscious of the wind direction (you
can feel it on your cheeks) and
anticipate corresponding changes in
wind resistance as the road
direction changes.
Accelerate out of the

corner; build momentum
Straightline the corner as much
as possible and clip the apex
Look at corner and anticipate your exit, then

change down gears as required
PRACTISING AND BUILDING EXPERIENCE
Practise using your gears and managing your pace efficiently during
training so that when you race you dont have to think too hard to use them
correctly. Itll soon become second nature Q 220
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It may come easy to the men in polka-dot but, for mortals, getting
uphill can be one long drag. Mark McKay shows you how its done
CLIMBING MASTERCLASS
SITTING OR STANDING?
into the hill. Steeper climbs and/or a turn into a

climb, however, can mean you lose too much
momentum to stay seated on the first part of the
hill. In this case, carry as much seated speed as
you can into the hill before standing up, allowing
you to keep your optimum pedalling speed
(cadence), before re-positioning yourself back in
the saddle and changing down gear.
So staying seated is the general rule, but
stand up for little bursts: a) in order to increase
any flagging momentum, as the gradient gets
steeper, or b) to ease your back/shoulders
(especially in longer events).
When climbing seated, maintain the power

output that you were producing on the flat (but
in a smaller gear), and aim to sit further back in
the saddle, relax your arms, drop your heels
through the pedalling circle, look ahead and
steady your breathing.
Good standing technique requires you to
lay the weight of your upper body onto the
handlebars through relaxed arms and a slight
lean forward. Keep shoulders relaxed and
swing the bike from side-to-side a little in order
to add some valuable body weight through each
pedal downstroke.
PHOTOS JONNY GAWLER
For an endurance sport such as triathlon, youre

looking to produce as evenly paced an effort as
possible over the whole event, whether sprint,
Olympic or Ironman distance. Hills on a course
act to disrupt your even-paced effort, so the
trick here is to try and keep such disruption to
a minimum.
You do this by staying seated as much as
possible and changing down gear on climbs to
allow you to keep your power output constant.
This technique should be your initial response to
an approaching climb, and is easy to adopt on
shallow gradients (<5%) or where you get a run
Staying seated is the norm but out of the saddle will

pay dividends when the gradient rises
GRADIENTS AND CADENCE

The majority of ascents should see
you remain seated. Its a more
Use
different gears
for different
energy-efficient
climbing
methodgradients, and
change gear as often as the gradient changes.

Modern gear systems give you a choice of 20 or
22 gears, allowing you to constantly adapt to
changing gradients and wind direction in the
minutest of detail. Only 20 years ago, this
amount of gear choice wasnt possible with
seven-speed cassettes. And nowadays, the ease
of changing gear through the hoods makes
being stuck in the wrong gear at any point
simply inexcusable.
Your optimum racing cadence will be
somewhere in the range of 80-100rpm, and
this should still apply on uphill sections unless
the gradient is steep (>10%) for longer than
you can ride efficiently using the standing
technique. You should still aim to spin up
steeper climbs.
However, there comes a point when using
too small a gear will simply not be as efficient
as using a little more strength to power up
and over in a slightly higher one, especially as
steep sections dont often last long. In this
case, a cadence of around 60-80rpm is often a
better choice.
On shallower gradients you should aim to get
into a good cadence rhythm and to pedal seated.
Its good practice to stand every now and then to
get back on top of your cadence rhythm when
you feel it flagging. In a situation where you feel
you want to change down gear (for example,
How quickly you spin those pedals depends
on theup
sheerness
of the climb
On steeper climbs, standing
for
little bursts drives momentum and
On shallow gradients, maintain a good
cadence rhythm, in the range of 80-100rpm,
and stay seated in the saddle
when cadence is dropping), try to stand up first

and accelerate a little before sitting back down
and changing to the smaller gear. This will allow
you to get on top of the new gear easier and
avoid the need to slip down through several
gears, slowing too much.
Remember also to keep the pedalling action
circular (not up and down), and drop your
heels to give greater leverage on the crank
arms. When climbing in the wet, stay seated
and sit as far back in the saddle as possible to
increase tyre grip.
Circular pedalling and dropping your

heels to give greater leverage on the
crank arms will send you uphill easier
GET A GRIP
Remaining on the drops will not only increase speed,

its also a sign of true racing intent
Climbing at best pace requires a certain amount

of discipline, and holding onto an aerodynamic
body position (holding your form) through the
physical and mental pain of climbing is good
racing discipline. This means that you should
try to continue to hold the drops of your bars as
much as possible going uphill, especially in
shorter events. Try to limit holding onto the
brake hoods to standing efforts or seated
climbing of steeper sections only. If you use
aerobars, try and stay on the arm rests, only

moving to the bars/hoods when standing for
steeper sections.
Longer climbs, steep climbs and longer
events (Olympic and up) should allow you to relax
this discipline about aerodynamic form a little,
in favour of comfort. Here, sitting a little more
upright and varying your grip by holding onto the
hoods and the tops of the bars not only relaxes
your back and shoulders, but also opens your
To maintain a good aerodynamic

position as you climb, continue
holding the drops as much as possible
Limit holding the brake hoods

to standing efforts or seated
climbing of steeper sections only
TRAINING AND TESTING

Many years ago I was working with Tour de
France legend Robert Millar on a training camp in
Spain. At a Q&A seminar, a client asked us how he
could become a better climber. We both replied
that he should go and ride climbs on a regular
basis. This is first and foremost what anyone who
wants to climb better needs to do.
You should try to incorporate a variety of
different types of climbs into your training rides
at least weekly. This means long hills; short hills;
shallow, steep and varying gradients; straight
roads; switchbacks; and even off-road climbs if
you have an MTB.
Within this variety you should aim to practise
the different climbing techniques, too seated,
standing and the differing grips. Mix in a variety
of different gear choices to vary cadence. Then
try to vary the time spent in each position and
gear on differing types of climbs, so that you get
a feel for what works best for you (in terms of
efficiency) in different situations.
Test yourself because making an effort uphill
is a great fitness barometer. Contenders for the
overall Tour de France title reckon theyre in
hitting form if in training they can climb the
equivalent of 1.8km of vertical ascent in one hour.
You can time yourself regularly over a long climb
to gauge fitness this way. (I use a 6.5km, 7%
For back and shoulder comfort during

longer events, sit more upright and vary
your grip by holding the hoods or tops
Setting yourself a benchmark will help you to

gauge progress over time
climb monthly and know that when I get near my

PB of 17:40mins, I should be on racing form.)
Alternatively, do repeats up a shorter climb, of
say 3 x 2km, to get a similar workout, but rest on
the downhill back to the start each time. If you
struggle to find a long enough climb to train up
regularly, try carrying a water bottle full of coins.
But be warned: a friend of mine did this on a
five-hour ride and I ended up carrying the bottle
for the last hour into a headwind! Q 220
A water bottle
full of coins helps
to replicate
climbs if your
terrain is flat
chest for a more efficient intake of oxygen

when its most needed.
In order to vary your climbing posture for
comfort when using aerobars, try gripping a
little closer along the bar by resting your
wrists on the pads.
Finally relax! Your grip shouldnt be too tight.
Instead, you should get used to simply resting or
laying your hands on the bars and letting your
legs do the work.
Include a variety of climbs in your

training, such as long and short hills,
varying gradients and off-road
CORNERING AND DESCENDING
CORNERING
& DESCENDING
Getting down hills fast and safe isnt simply a matter of freewheeling
with your fingers crossed. Master the skills and youll glide down in style
with gravity on your side. Mark McKay shows you how
Understanding the skills needed

for successful cornering will allow
you to travel faster for a more
efficient bike leg
PHOTOS JONNY GAWLER
CORNERING
Preparing well in advance is the best way to
tackle corners in a race or training session,
which means thinking about your approach
several hundred metres beforehand.
Your aim should be to straighten the corner
as much as possible in order to lose the least
amount of speed through it. This is called
taking the racing line, which is achieved by
making use of all the available road width
(keep to your side of the road unless both
lanes are closed).
Lets assume that youre cycling along and
approach a 90 left turn. Ideally youd prepare
approximately 200m out, while at full speed,
by looking over your shoulder to check that
another rider or vehicle isnt about to pass you
from behind. Consider also whether youll come
across any riders ahead as you take the corner,
because you may need to adjust your speed
more to avoid them.
By about 80m out you should gradually move
as far to the right of the road as possible. Begin
to feather the brakes about 40m out and change
down a gear to make pedalling easier as you exit
the corner. Youre looking to take the racing line
Get it wrong and you could be kissing tarmac. Get it right

and youll save significant amounts of time
from this outer right side, and cut the apex of the
corner as near to the kerb or road edge on the
left as possible.
Often, if the road is wide enough, its possible
to pedal through a 90 turn on the racing line.
This is the most efficient method, as youll
hardly decelerate, saving valuable seconds and
avoiding a strength-sapping acceleration as you
exit. You should certainly be able to do this with
bends of less than 90 and if you have use of a
wide road. However, if its too narrow, or too tight
to pedal round, youll need to keep your right leg
straight and press down onto the right pedal with
your foot. Youll get more grip this way as you
lean the bike left.
Try to keep your arms straight and lean the
bike through the corner rather than turn the
handlebars. Keep your head as low as possible
this technique aids a lower centre of gravity and
is good for stability through corners while still
being able to comfortably look ahead at your
exit out of the corner.
Stick your left knee out and point it away from
your body as you come up to, and go through,
the corner. Into the apex, and assuming that
Keep your head

as low as possible
to add stability
through corners
traffic from the right is prohibited, you should
look ahead to your exit point out of the corner
that will be towards the right edge of available
road again. As you begin to straighten up,
increase your pedalling and change up to a
bigger gear to resume your best pace.
On sharper corners greater than 90 in wet
conditions, reduce your speed a little more as you
approach the corner but still adopt the same
general technique of pulling wide and pushing
down with the outside foot. Adverse cambers and
greasy or notably slippery conditions require you
to keep the bike a little more upright rather than
leaning it too much through the corner. Still press
down with the outer foot, though, and point your
inner knee through the corner to aid stability.
CORNERING & DESCENDING
BRAKING AND DESCENDING

Fearlessly heading down a foreign col or British hill is an exhilarating experience, but add a degree of pragmatism to ensure safety
Racing is all about speed and trying to go as fast
as possible over a given distance. But youll need
brakes to control that speed, depending on the
course and conditions.
Descending usually means going faster than
normal so, if you dont experience downhills very
often, the extra speed can be a little scary,
leaving you feeling out of control and needing to

keep the brakes on constantly. However, if your
bike set-up is correct and you can practise
descending often, then you should only need to
brake at specific points on a descent.
So when exactly should you brake? It goes
without saying that you should always brake
well in advance of any hazard or difficulty

that you might foresee ahead. Exactly when,
however, depends on the speed youre
approaching the said hazard. This foresight
will enable you to feather the brakes lightly
rather than snatch them on suddenly,
which could cause skidding, and which could
lead to a potentially nasty, albeit highly
avoidable, accident.
Aim to increase the pressure on the brake
levers very gradually as you approach a corner.
You should get the majority of your braking done
before a corner so that youre comfortable with
your speed and can get round without needing
any further braking as you lean in. For example,
from 50km/hr on a good dry surface at -5%
gradient, you might need to start feathering at
about 50-60m out.
In more challenging conditions, such as wet
roads, youll need to make a slower approach
and, therefore, feathering should be started
further out, say 80-100m. Note: you should
adjust your gear selection for exiting the
corner according to the drop in speed because
of braking. Q 220
You should only

need to brake at
specific points
When descending at speed, foresight is

imperative so that youll be able to react to
any potential hazards ahead of you
DESCENDING BODY POSITIONS

Youll need to adopt slightly different positions to remain stable and in control when riding downhill at speed...
POSITION 1
POSITION 2
POSITION 3
This is a normal/natural position for riding fast on

the drops. And its the best position to adopt
whether riding fast on the flat or on gradual uphills,
or descents alone or in a group. Keep your heels
down to help form a perfect pedalling circle,
straighten your arms to push yourself well into the
saddle, and flatten your back and keep your eyes
focussed well ahead, picking out the route you want
to take. Keep a relaxed grip on the bars to remove
tension from your arms, neck and shoulders. This
will allow your elbows to absorb road bumps
comfortably and also enable you to easily reach the
brakes when necessary.
This is the best body position to use when

freewheeling on a long descent (for recovery and/or
taking a drink) or when approaching a tight bend or
corner. Straighten one leg by dropping that foot to the
5 oclock position. Hold there, push yourself to the
back of the saddle and lower your head to get more
aero. This provides more stability over the back wheel
than trying to balance your feet in the 3 and 9 oclock
positions. Look well ahead to pick your line; this will
keep you at the best speed until you resume pedalling.
If freewheeling to take a bend or corner, be sure
that the raised foot is the one on the inside (the side
youre leaning to).
Only for the most competent riders; save this one

for the straightest parts of long descents only. Its
useful for resting your legs in a long event but
maintaining a high speed, and with it you get the
lowest centre of gravity and best aerodynamics.
You need to get your speed going by pedalling.
When you reach top speed, simply set your feet at
3 and 9 oclock, and push yourself back so your
torso rests on the saddle. Your arms will be
stretched straight, your head low and remember to
keep your eyes focussed ahead. Lift yourself back
onto the saddle in time to safely approach hazards,
such as tight bends.
GROUP RIDING
Were pack animals by nature, so its no wonder group rides are great for
getting fitter and faster while having a laugh. Guy Kesteven explains
JARGON
BUSTER
AERO TUCK
Getting down onto
your tri-bars, lowprofile style.
PULL
Your turn taking the
pace at the front
of the group.
IMAGES JONNY GAWLER
INTERVAL TRAINING
Repeated on/off efforts
for faster results than a
single sustained slog.
CHAIN GANG
High-intensity group
rides where riders
rotate at the front to
keep pace high.
THROUGH AND OFF
Rotating from the front
to back rider.
he advantages to be gained
from group riding are vast: from
speed and distance to the social
and safety sides. However good
your aerodynamic tuck is, youll go a
whole lot faster and a lot more easily even
in a small group. Why? Because wind
resistance is the biggest factor youre
fighting on a bike, and sheltering behind
riders in front means they take the brunt
of the breeze so you can slash the power
needed for any given speed.
But leaving your fellow riders out
fighting the wind while you take it easy is
the quickest way to lose friends. Thats
why rotating the lead, with each rider
putting in a pull, keeps groups together
and the average speed much higher. Doing
this in small packs can work as very
effective interval training, and the faster
average speed of groups means you

can get to areas well beyond your normal
training radius.
GROUP HUG
However committed you are to your
training, youll never push as hard on your
own as you will digging deep to be first up
a climb or past the village sign. If you
know there are mates waiting, youre also
much more likely to head out into bad
weather than you would if you were on
your own. Also, a bit of banter can make a
long climb, a relentless headwind or just
lousy weather something to laugh about,
not loathe.
Riding with experienced riders also
means a wealth of shared knowledge on
everything from training, equipment,
events, local routes or just where the best
caf stop is in every direction. A group of

riders is also a much more obvious
presence on the road than a single rider,
so drivers have to give you more attention.
Youll get the occasional honk from an
irate idiot but most groups are very traffic
aware, thinning out to let traffic past when
its safe and grouping up to hold position
when its not.
As long as youre riding in a social
group, not a chaingang (more on that
later), youll have some extra shelter or
even a push back home if things go badly
wrong with your body or your bike.
PICK YOUR PACK

Finding a group that suits your needs is
normally pretty easy. Even if you cant find
a dedicated tri club in your area, most
towns have at least one road club
GROUP RIDING
Riding in a group will not only improve

your bike, but its damn good fun, too
Any masochists among you might

prefer chaingangs. This classic
through-and-off leg ripper is the
mainstream of weeknight training for most
road clubs, and a well-matched group will
push you harder than you thought
possible. Everyone is there to beast
themselves and they wont wait if you wilt,
so make sure you know the way home
from wherever theyre heading.
While few clubs will expect you to join
up until youre a regular, membership fees
will often get you racing licenses,
insurance, reduced price event entries
and other benefits that will all help make
your riding life a little bit easier.
Theres an obstacle on the left and

were swinging out to the right to avoid it
GROUP RIDING ETIQUETTE

If youve never ridden in a group
situation before, you wont know any of
the tricks that make it all work, so here
are the essentials
offering several levels of rides. Bike shops

often have regular rides as well as
knowing local club calendars, making
them the best place to find one in your
area. But its website forums that are
rapidly becoming the most effective
ride-organising/group-creating engine.
If theres a range of group options, then
try and find out the level of rider they
attract and be realistic about how good
you really are. Riders who can push you
hard are a great training aid, but having
your tripe dragged out for 100 miles or
just watching them vanish down the road
before youve even clipped in is no fun.
If in doubt, always underestimate your
ability the first time rather than being
remembered as that one who puked
everywhere in the first five miles and
never came back.
Q If theres space on the road and traffic is

quiet, expect to ride two up (side by side).
It means you can chat to the rider next to
you and the front pair gives more shelter
to those following. Youll soon work out
which wheels hold a steady course, and
how fast and what distance you should be
riding behind the person in front. For
maximum efficiency its a matter of inches
not feet, and you might get a friendly hand
on your back pushing you closer if youre
letting gaps develop.
QRide slightly to the side not directly
behind the wheel in front so you can
overlap a little if you need to. Keep
accelerations as smooth as possible, and
always freewheel rather than brake
(unless you absolutely have to) to control
speed, otherwise the shunt effect
amplifies right through the pack,
SIGN LANGUAGE
Just like any elite commando squad, road groups
have their own signals to stay safe
RAISED HAND Group stopping for a junction, a mechanical issue, a
nature break or an ambush in the pass ahead.
ARM POINTING DOWN AT ROAD (often accompanied by a shout)
Beware, the pothole, manhole cover, puddle, roadkill
ARM OUT SIDEWAYS Group preparing to turn left or right.
ARM SWUNG ACROSS THE BACK Car, skip, slow moving rider,
coffin dodger or other obstacle at the roadside that needs
swinging out around.
ELBOW FLAPPING UP AND DOWN LIKE A WING Not a Birdie song
flashback it means the rider in front wants you to come past and
put in a pull on the front.
FINGER ON SIDE OF NOSE Take evasive action, I am about to fire a
vast amount of snot over my shoulder from the open nostril without
looking back.
BOTH ARMS PUMPING ABOVE HEAD IN TRIUMPH Its been a while
since I won a proper race, so Im taking the sprint for the village sign
more seriously than I probably should.
CHANGEOVER TACTICS
There are three main ways to safely switch between pacemakers when riding in a group
SINGLE CHANGE
DOUBLE CHANGE
THROUGH AND OFF
This gives you the opportunity to change partners,

and also means nobody has to move out any
further into the road.
This method means you can buddy up and stick

with your partner throughout the ride.
This helps maximise the speed of your group and

also shares the work evenly.
1 The lead pair move out slightly, having

checked its safe to do so and shouted
change to alert the riders behind.
2 The lead pair now slow, allowing the following
pairs to move through towards the front.
3 The second pair are now at the front; the original
leading pair tuck in at the back for a rest.
1 The outside lead rider moves to take the lead,

gliding over to the inside line; the inside rear rider
moves across to take the outside rear position.
2 The outside line of riders move up so the outside
rider is next to the inside leading rider.
3 Same process as the single-change manoeuvre
but carried out continuously and at speed.
do anything stupid. Conversely, if youre feeling a

touch bereft of energy, stay off the front and tuck
in its better than having the whole group waiting
for you repeatedly because you went too hard at
the start. Also note: drafting all day then sprinting
clear on the final climb wont make you popular.
GIVE IT A GO
1 The riders are in a compact group when the

leading pair shout change.
2 The inside front rider eases slightly and the
outside lead rider swings across to the inside.
3 The outside rider moves up alongside the
front inside rider.
causing chaos at the back. If you find it
claustrophobic, stay near the outside so youve
allowed yourself plenty of room rather than
being boxed into the gutter.
Q The most important rule of any group is riding
safely and smoothly. Keep a straight line and a
steady speed, signal any dangers clearly (see
Sign Language box, page 77), and if you need
to pull over and stop, let everyone know before
you cause a pile up.
Q If there are obvious sprint or climb races at
various points, get stuck in if you want to but dont
Youll travel further with a group,
dramatically increasing the chances of
finding a nice place to stop for a cuppa
QAs most groups will have an established way of

doing things, its best to just sit in and watch for
the first few rides, until you learn the group and
can take your turn at the front when appropriate.
We could write a whole feature about the various
caricature club members, but the different
characters youll meet are what makes it fun.
It might seem like a lot to learn, and the thought

of turning up for your first group ride might
drive the fear of God into you, but youll soon
wonder why you waited so long. A good group
will take you faster and further than you could
ever go on your own. Its also entertaining and will
encourage you to get out on your bike.
As long as you ride safely, smoothly and
diligently watch and learn from the group, youll
soon be the one taking fresh riders under your
wing with those immortal words, Dont worry,
youre doing fine. It took me a bit of getting used
to at first, too Q 220
PACK CHAT
A few shouted signals that you should
be aware of when riding in a group
CAR UP
Watch out, theres a car coming towards us.
CAR BACK
Watch out, theres a car coming up behind us.
KNOCK A GEAR OFF
Drop the pace slightly, were losing someone.
CLEAR
The junction were going through is clear of traffic.
SINGLE DOWN
Its getting busy, form into single file.
PULL IN
Theres space in front of me to single down into.
TUCK IN
Sit on my wheel (draft) while I pull.
ON YOUR LEFT/RIGHT
Im coming through on your left/right hand side.
BER BIKER
SEBASTIAN KIENLE
The German long-course athlete is known for
obliterating the opposition on the 180km bike leg, his
average speed of 41.42km/hr giving him a bike split of
4:20:46 and laying the foundations for his 2014
Ironman World Championship triumph. Incredibly that
was over 10mins quicker than the next fastest athlete.
Hed clearly kept something in reserve, however,
running 2:54:36 to secure a famous victory.
IMAGE GETTY
IRONMAN HAWAII 2014 CHAMPION
THE LONG RIDE

Andy Blow takes a long, hard look at lengthy bike
rides and reveals why all triathletes should be going
the distance this off-season. Including you
JARGON
BUSTER
IMAGE JONNY GAWLER
NEUROMUSCULAR SYSTEM
The nervous and muscular
systems combine to provide
coordinated movement.
GLYCOGEN
The form of glucose the body
uses to store energy in the liver
and muscles.
HIT THE WALL
Sensation of sudden fatigue when
glycogen stores become depleted.
he long bike ride is a staple of many

triathletes training programmes,
especially during the off-season.
But why is this? And what benefits are there to
be gained by spending most of Sunday
morning out on the road? It cant all be about
dodging church or avoiding the family for a
few hours.
There appear to be three main reasons why the
long ride holds such an important position in our
training regimes. They are the three Ps
Physiology, Psychology and Practicality.
THE PHYSIOLOGY
Any form of specific endurance training
undertaken for a prolonged period of time exerts
a profound effect on long-term success in

that sport. To become well-adapted to any
physical task, we have to ingrain its movement
patterns into our neuromuscular system and
strengthen the postural muscles that hold our
body in the correct position. We also need to
stimulate growth of the appropriate tissues and
systems (like muscle fibres and blood vessels)
that provide the physical infrastructure needed to
increase output.
These dont happen overnight. To see effects, a
consistent application of pressure over a long
period is required. Think of how tiring and
uncomfortable you found it sitting on a road
bike at first. Only by repeatedly going out and
riding for longer and longer periods of time
did you start to feel more at home. This would

never have happened fully had you not gone
out for more than half an hour at a time, even if
you rode relatively briskly. The long ride is
crucial to first build and then maintain all of the
basic attributes that make us successful
endurance athletes.
In terms of economy and fuel utilisation,
pressurising the body to adapt and become fitter
through volume overload that is, lots of hours at
a steady pace, rather than going harder for
shorter periods often improves our ability to use
less oxygen at a given power output and use fat
more effectively as a fuel.
Theres also an increasing school of thought
says that a few glycogen-depleted long sessions a
THE LONG RIDE
month also forces the body to use fat, which is

ideal as we have that in plentiful supply.
LONG RIDE
ESSENTIALS
THE PSYCHOLOGY
Triathlons are long. Even a sprint-distance event
takes most more than an hour to complete and
means racing as hard as you can for over 30mins
on the bike. Training rides that are longer than
race distance are an important psychological
crutch for many of us; it means that theres no
niggling doubt about whether you can go the
distance come race day.
Even many Ironman athletes will ride over
five or six hours relatively regularly mostly for
the physiological adaptations that this provokes,
but also because its great to know that they have
the willpower to keep turning the pedals for that
long without stopping.
As the long ride is often a talking point among
training partners (How far did you go at the
weekend?), theres also an ego boost to be
gained by putting in some monster mileage!
THE PRACTICALITY
For most of us who arent professional athletes,
training for an endurance sport inevitably leads
to some level of compromise. Often we cant put
in the kind of training hours wed like to
every day of the week. This inevitably means less
overall volume of training than would be
considered ideal. So when the weekend comes
round and theres a little more time available,
fitting in a long ride seems both logical and
feasible. For a number of clubs, the long Sunday
ride is as much a social event as a training
session, a scenario thats likely to encourage long
rides on a frequent basis.
You may not think you have time for the long
bike but, with a bit of planning, its possible for all.
Happy riding. Q 220
HOW LONG SHOULD

THE LONG RIDE BE?
The main determinant here is time. If you
are time-limited, then youll have to ride
shorter, harder sessions. If you have more
time available, some ultra-long sets will no
doubt be of benefit. Whatever happens, the
key is to avoid doing junk miles short
sessions at an excessively easy pace.
SPRINT
For sprint-distance athletes, riding for between
90-120mins will be more than adequate. While
many will compete after much shorter training
rides than this, the physiological benefits (fat
burning and economy of movement) are hard to
achieve without riding for this long on a
reasonably regular basis.
FOOD AND DRINK

As we only generally store enough glycogen for about an
hour of exertion, bars/gels or a sports drink are essential for
fuelling longer rides and stop you from hitting the wall.
SPARE INNER TUBES AND TOOLS

You need to be able to fix basic issues by the roadside to get
you home should things go wrong. Punctures and snapped
chains are the most common faults.
MOBILE PHONE, CASH

A waterproofed phone is essential for calling in assistance in
the event of an accident or mechanical. And carry a few quid
for more food or a taxi/train ticket if abandoning early.
OLYMPIC
Regular 2-3hr rides are common for more
competitive Olympic-distance racers. These can be
up to three times the length spent in the saddle
during races, but are lower in intensity, so the
overall stress on the body is similar. They must be
coupled with some high- intensity interval training,
though. If you only ride long and slow, youll
struggle to blast out a fast 40km TT.
CHAMOIS CREAM
Paste it onto the pad of your cycle shorts to reduce chafing
and keep your bum happy on a long ride. They often contain
anti-bacterial agents to prolong the life of your pricey shorts.
LONG
Athletes competing in half and full Ironman events
often spend upwards of 4hrs out on the bike
putting the miles in. Theres much debate around
the value of long, slow miles against shorter,
harder sessions. In reality, a combination of
sessions just below, at and just above long-distance
race pace is probably ideal.
A WINDPROOF AND/OR WATERPROOF GILET OR JACKET

Tuck one into your back pocket in case you get caught out.
RACE-PACE
RIDING
Once youve put in the winter

miles, its time to add some
race-pace efforts to your bike
training, says Nik Cook
lenty of you will know the expression

winter miles mean summer smiles,
but this only applies if you convert
your winter gains into race-ready
fitness. If youve spent the first part of winter
working on your endurance and aerobic
foundations, the end of winter is the time to add
some race-pace efforts and intensity to your bike
training. These efforts will bridge your fitness up
to the season and, especially for sprint- and
Olympic-distance racers, means that those first
few pedal strokes in anger arent too much of a
shock to the system. Plus, you wont get left for
dead coming out of T1.
Increasing the intensity doesnt mean suddenly
going from base work one week to maximal
high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions the
next, but progressively building intensity over the
next two months in readiness for the peak of the

duathlon season and the start of the UK triathlon
calendar. If youve been logging your miles on a
winter workhorse, its time to unwrap your race
bike and start training on it.
GAUGE INTENSITY
While all of these workouts can be done indoors
on a turbo trainer, getting some road time in
and polishing your handling skills is another
essential bridge to racing especially if youve
spent most of the winter riding indoors. Also,
your body will need significant time to adapt to
your aerodynamic position and youll need to
reacquaint yourself to the different handling
characteristics of your race bike.
Even if you dont have a devoted race bike and
just use clip-on aerobars, attach them to make
These efforts will bridge your fitness

up to the season, so that those first few
pedal strokes arent too much of a shock
sure you train in race position. Finally, if you

havent been objectively gauging intensity
through the winter with a heart rate monitor
or power meter, nows the time to get back into
training by numbers. You have to be sure youre
hitting the right intensity during these workouts
and that youre 100% certain what your
sustainable race intensity feels like by the
start of the season.
BIKE ZONES
Here weve adopted Joe Friels five heart rate
zone measurements for the bike, measured by
your lactate threshold heart rate (LTHR). To do
this, warm up properly before cycling at your
hardest pace for 20mins while using a heart rate
monitor. Your average heart rate for this period is
your lactate threshold heart rate.
ZONE 1 Less than 81% of LTHR
ZONE 2 81% to 89% of LTHR
ZONE 5 100% to 106%+ of LTHR
RACE-PACE RIDING
THE SESSIONS
Nik prescribes three sessions to gradually
increase your training efforts to race intensity
SESSION 1
THRESHOLD PYRAMID INTERVALS

DURATION 1:36hrs
This is the first session that you should be
scheduling in as you come out of your winter
hibernation and return to training on the roads.
Itll help familiarise you with sustained and
focussed race-pace riding and start lifting your
functional threshold power (FTP). As such, these
intervals arent too long or hard to be daunting.
Youll need an uninterrupted stretch of road that
allows you at least 5mins of hard riding. Ideally,
find somewhere without junctions or corners that
youd need to slow down for. Include a continuous
shallow climb, making sure it isnt too steep as
that could compromise your cadence and ability
to hold an aero position.
WARM-UP Take 20mins to ride to your chosen
section of road, and include the following
0-10mins Keep cadence at 90rpm and build
steadily through Z1 and into Z2
10-13mins Hold solid Z2 but increase cadence
to 100rpm
13-14mins Spin easy Z1 at 90rpm
14-17mins Build into Z3 at 100rpm and hold
your effort in the mid-zone
17-19mins Back slowly off and down to mid Z2,
pedalling at 95rpm
19-20mins Easy Z1 effort, spinning at 90rpm
MAIN SESSION
3mins Z4 race cadence
1min Easy Z1 effort, spin at 90rpm
5mins Z3 into Z2 and end with 2mins Z1
Repeat
COOL-DOWN 20min steady ride home ensuring
at least the final 5mins are easy spinning in Z1.
SESSION 2
RAMPED VO2 INTERVALS
JARGON
BUSTER
HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL
TRAINING (HIIT)
Repeated efforts somewhere
between 85 and 92% of
maximum heart rate.
FUNCTIONAL THRESHOLD
POWER (FTP)
Measured in watts, this is the
maximum power you can
maintain through an hours
effort without fatiguing. A quick
way to do this is to double your
bodyweight in pounds.
NEUROMUSCULAR ABILITY
The ability of the nervous
system to recruit the
correct muscles to provide
coordinated movement.
ANAEROBIC
When your body produces
energy without utilising
oxygen, stimulated
by exercise that is at
high intensity.

steadily through Z1 and into Z2
10-13mins Hold solid Z2 but increase your
cadence to 100rpm
13-18mins Alternate 10secs maximal seated
sprint (low gear) with 50secs easy spinning
18-20mins Easy Z1 effort, spinning at 90rpm
MAIN SESSION
4mins Z5 at 90rpm. If youre using heart rate,
build into the effort for the first minute and dont
go off too hard
1min Maximal effort. Stay in aero position and
push as hard as you can
3min Easy roll-down recovery, gently turning
your legs over
Repeat x 5
COOL-DOWN 20min steady ride home ensuring
at least the final 5mins are easy spinning in Z1.
DURATION 1:20hr
IMAGES JONNY GAWLER
SESSION 3
After 3-4 weeks working on the Threshold
Pyramid Intervals twice a week, switch one of
them for this session. Its a much tougher
workout, both physically and mentally, and will
help steel you for racing. VO2/Z5 efforts are
above race pace for sprint and Olympic racing
but youd definitely hit this intensity on climbs.
This session boosts your FTP and the final minute
will also tap into your anaerobic capacity and
neuromuscular ability. Find a slightly steeper
5min climb but aim to hold your race position.
WARM-UP Take 20mins to ride to your chosen
section of road and include the following
10-MILE TIME TRIAL

DURATION 50-60mins
The best prep for racing is racing. Coming into
late March and early April, the time-trial season
starts to get into full swing and no matter how
hard you can push yourself in training, pin a
number on and youll go harder. A 10 provides
an excellent sustained workout just above
threshold and race pace, boosting your FTP
and giving valuable pacing experience. If you
cant find an event near you, plot a suitable
course for yourself. Riding a time trial each
week into the season gives you invaluable
opportunities to tweak your position and, by

monitoring performance data, an excellent
way of measuring your progress.
WARM-UP 20mins including the same protocol
as the Ramped VO2 intervals. Warm-up on the
course if youre allowed or use a turbo or rollers
by your car.
MAIN SESSION
If youve never ridden a 10-mile TT, the classic
mistake is to go off too hard. To avoid making
this mistake, break your ride into chunks
0-5km Accelerate smoothly from the start, dont
sprint and dont select too big a gear. Aim to
settle into a rhythm, holding a mid Z4 effort
5-10km Cruise at the upper end of Z4, push into
Z5 on climbs or into headwinds and allow slight
recovery on any descents
10-15km Focus. Stick to the same pacing as for
the last 3 miles but dont allow yourself to switch
off or youll slow down
15-16km Empty the tank, think back to those
Ramped VO2 sessions and cross the line with
nothing left to give
Depending on the course and your ability, a
10-mile/16km TT will typically take between
20-30mins. Movistar pro Alex Dowsett set a new
British record last season clocking 17:20secs, an
average of 55km/hr.
COOL-DOWN Spin easy to catch your breath and
ride for at least 10mins allowing your heart rate
and breathing to return to normal. Q 220
With race season on the

horizon, theres no better
test of your post-winter
fitness than a time trial
TT FOR TRI
Racing time trials will not only freshen up your training, but youll
also arrive at the start of your triathlon season race-ready and with
added speed in your armoury. Nik Cook highlights the TT benefits
ith spring and the race season

on the horizon, getting in some
quality bike sessions to test
your fitness and race position
post-winter is essential. Theres no better test
than a time trial, as youll always squeeze a little
bit more out with a number on your back and,
with a range of distances to race over, there are
options for everyone from sprint racers right
through to Kona contenders.
The most common distances are 10 and
25-mile (16km and 40km) events. Ten-milers
TIMETRIAL KIT
Three recommended
purchases for your venture
into time trialling
provide an excellent above-suprathreshold

workout and, with the effort typically lasting
20-30mins, can be used to estimate both
functional threshold power (FTP) and functional
threshold heart rate (FTHR). Many clubs hold
weekly evening 10-mile time trials, and these
should be a staple of your in-season training plan.
By racing weekly on the same course, you can
monitor your progress and tweak your riding
position. Yet, although estimation is all well and
good, nothing beats knowing for sure. And, if
youre training with power, a 25-mile TT is
TT/TRI BIKE
You can race on any bike, but a
dedicated TT/tri bike is the ideal. On
all but the most sporting courses, a
deep-section front and disc rear will
be the fastest wheel set-up.
probably the best way to accurately gauge your

FTP. Theyre also an excellent threshold level
workout and are ideal for developing a
heightened feel for pacing.
Most club 10s allow you to just turn up, enter
and ride. Go to www.britishcycling.org.uk to find
a club near you or www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk
for full event listings. For open events, youll need
to be a member of a Cycling Time Trials
registered club, but there are free online clubs
that you can join for the purpose of entering,
such as www.chapeau.cc.
TURBO TRAINER
At many events you cant warm up
on the course and you need to
ensure youre at the start for your
allotted time. A turbo trainer by
your car is the best option.
POWER METER
Usually mounted on the crank arm,
pedal or wheel hub, its the best way
to pace a TT and, as conditions vary
week to week, the only objective
way to assess your progress.
TT FOR TRI
compliant. If you decide to enter a national event,
youll have to ensure that your set-up is UCI legal
(see www.uci.ch/videos/uci-time-trial-bikemeasurement-rules).
10 TIPS TO
TT SUCCESS
Feel the need for speed? Niks shares his tips
to tee you up for your first TT...
CLEAN YOUR BIKE UP

Not with a sponge and bucket; were
taking about removing the triathlonassociated clutter by ditching the bento box
and bottle holders.
WARM-UP
Both 10 and 25-mile TTs are intense
efforts, so thoroughly warm up

steadily through Z1 and into Z2.
10-13mins Hold solid Z2, but increase cadence
to 100rpm.
13-18mins Alternate 10secs maximal seated
sprint (low gear) with 50secs easy spinning.
18-20mins Spin easy Z1 90rpm. Aim to
finish your warm-up 10mins before your
allocated start time.
NUTRITION
Avoid eating for 2-3hrs before. Sip on a
bottle during your warm-up and maybe
use a caffeinated gel for a boost as you start. For
10 or 25-milers you shouldnt need additional
calories or fluids, unless its especially hot.
ESSENTIAL HANDLING SKILLS

You may not be familiar with a held
start, but just listen to the instructions,
relax, shift into a suitable gear and expect a little
MARGINAL GAINS AND

MAXIMAL LOSSES
You can claw back valuable watts with
aero overshoes, an aero helmet and a slippery
bike set-up. But dont throw these gains away
with silly mistakes such as a poorly pinned-on
race number billowing in the wind. Make sure its
low on your back and secured with eight pins
[turn to p24 for more on aerodynamics].
Consider lowering and

narrowing your tri-bars
bit of a push. Many courses have a dead turn or

roundabout. Downshift before, apex the bend,
look where you want to go, weight the outside
pedal so its at the bottom, sprint hard out of
the turn. Resume your aerodynamic tuck as
soon as possible.
DONT GO OUT TOO HARD
The golden rule of time trialling. Break
the race into thirds. The first third: find
your rhythm and settle into a known sustainable
output; second third: cruise at that output and
maintain focus; final third: unlike a triathlon bike
leg, its about emptying the tank, so forget about
the numbers and give it all youve got.
HIT HILLS AND HEADWINDS HARD

The biggest time gains are made
where the riding is tough and youre
moving slowly. Up your effort on climbs and into
the wind. Punch above your target output on
these sections and use downhills and tailwind
sections to recover. Q 220
10
Deep-section front and

disc rears are a swift mix
POSITIONING
If youre using TTs as training for tri, you
should ride in your regular race
position. However, if youre chasing a PB, try
making a few tweaks. For these short distances
comfort isnt really an issue and no one is going
to ask you to run after your bike leg, so consider
lowering and narrowing your bars and focus on
rotating your shoulders in as you ride.
CLOTHING
Dont turn up in a sleeveless tri-suit
you probably wont be allowed to race.
A dedicated skin suit is fastest, as long as its
tight- fitting. Arm and leg warmers are essential
for early-season events.
Shave off seconds with

aero overshoes
Gauge your efforts with
a multisport watch
combined with a
crank-mounted
power meter
UCI COMPLIANCE
For club and open events, which are
held under the auspices of the CTT, your
bike and equipment doesnt have to be UCI
IMAGES BEN WINSTON
Ride and sleek:

opt for a tight
skinsuit and aero lid
Warm up on a turbo near

the race start as riding the
course first is rarely allowed
JARGON
BUSTER
IMAGES JONNY GAWLER
PPO
Peak power output,
defined as max
average 1min power
output in a test.
WATTS PER KILO
An athletes average
race or peak power
data compared to their
weight (for example,
3.5w/kg Kona bike).
HIIT
High-intensity interval
training, which is done
at somewhere between
85 and 92% of max
heart rate.
POWER UP
POWER UP
Why are so many athletes and manufacturers
investing in power measurement systems?
Because, says Joe Beer, if used correctly,
power can be a game changer
ower measurement is becoming
synonymous with cycling. Its now not
uncommon to hear individuals milling
around talking wattages and watts per
kilogramme for training and racing. Power
measurement systems are also getting smarter
and smarter. This is because the power you put
into riding a bike is what you get back on the
road, and it speaks volumes about training or
racing prowess.
But while there are plenty of technological
advances that mean were losing fewer and
fewer watts to drag, its important to remember
that what really matters is the engine youre
driving the bike with you. If you have your
power measured in a maximal test itll show what
you are and arent capable of. And the numbers
can be sobering
WHY USE POWER?

QUALITY
1 Power measurement keeps quality work
honest. While stationary bike classes may get
your legs going, they dont measure your effort.
Similarly, turbo-trainer sessions using heart
rate alone can be susceptible to heat build-up
as well as inconsistency of resistance on the rear
wheel, which can distort the numbers you can
end up training 30-50 watts lower at the finish
than at the start of a 35-40min interval session.
Its not just about sending your heart rate into the
required training zone, though. Its about doing
precise work, seeing what that does to your
heart rate and comparing that with what your
heart rate should be doing.
PERFECT PACING Racing at the correct

pace for you isnt an intuitive ability,
unfortunately, but power allows you to pace
your bike leg precisely. Recent research has
shown that variable cycle effort over a 1hr period
negatively affects 9km run performance by
42secs compared to smooth, controlled riding.
Riding consistently near average target power is
the key to efficient triathlon biking.
FATIGUE AWARENESS
Training with power catches fatigue early.
By assessing actual work done rather than
inaccurate metrics like average speed or feel, you
have your own early-warning system that looks
out for fatigue or illness. Power takes all the
extraneous information that can cloud your
judgement and looks at simple work done against
heart rate and perceived exertion. It doesnt
ignore your feelings, but rather heightens your
sensitivity of yourself as an athlete.
TESTING, TESTING
A power meter gives you the ability to test
power-to-heart rate anywhere, anytime. Once,
power was only available in the lab, but now its
accessible to almost anyone. Over 60% of my
clients use power in some format, many on their
race bike. There is a flipside, however most

power systems are probably more costly than
many readers bikes. But for the serious,
time-crunched or tech-minded trier, theyre a very
worthy investment.
PITFALLS OF POWER
Nobody should ride with wattage all the time. You
also have other sports that youre training for,
generating fatigue from other muscles not just
your legs that needs to be taken into account. If
youre doing a base ride to increase stamina, then
zone one (60-80% of max) is the goal. Its all too
easy to try and see how hard you can go while
staying in the correct zone, but leave power at
home on those days, and get it out for intervals,
hill strength or race pacing.
Similarly, using power doesnt mean youll
suddenly become hugely powerful and discover
the legs of a Rachel Joyce or Frederick Van Lierde.
Across a whole range of athletes, from those with
a peak power output (PPO) of 200w to those with
450w, once trained I rarely see power increase
significantly in 30-40-year-old athletes.
MARGINAL GAINS
You can now purchase systems that measure the
left/right balance of your pedal stroke, like the
Rotor Power Cranks or Garmin Vectors. This left/
right efficiency is at the cutting-edge of
understanding what we can and cant do to a
riders efficiency and power. Research suggests
that becoming more efficient is difficult, though
long-term analysis of pros reveals a 1-2%
improvement is possible when riding more than
20,000km per year. Its an ever-evolving area, but
its early adopters and those with a clear left/
right imbalance are ahead of the curve.
With a power meter, you have your own

early-warning system that looks out for
debilitating fatigue and illness
Training with
power is about
doing precise work
A power meter gives

you the ability to test
power-to-heart rate
anywhere, anytime

SIX POWER SESSIONS
Interval
training should
increase in
work from
week one
to four
1 FIND YOUR ZONES

WARM-UP Very low effort warm-up <80-100w for
approximately 5mins.
MAIN Start the test at 100w. Increase 20w every
minute until exhaustion.
RESULTS Take the peak HR to determine zone one
(60-80% of max) and zone three (above 86% of
max). Use peak 1min power to approximate race-day
pacing: Ironman (50-60% PPO); 70.3 (55-65% PPO);
Olympic (60-70% PPO); sprint (65-75% PPO).
2 MEASURE FITNESS
WARM-UP Very low effort warm-up <80-100w for
approximately 5mins.
MAIN Start the test at 100w for 3mins to establish a
stable HR. Then increase 25w every 3mins. Go to
around 85% of maximum then cool down.
Training with power means

you can compare data and
monitor your progress
5 RACE SIMULATION
RESULTS Compare to previous data to see if youre
absorbing, tired or lacking training.
For the
serious, timecrunched trier,
power systems
are a worthy
investment
3 MEASURE YOUR FORM
WARM-UP This should be steady. For example,
15mins in mid-zone one.
MAIN Ride 20min indoor or road time-trial at around
88-92% HR (or 80% PPO). Record average wattage,
HR, cadence and distance. Alternatively use local 10- or
25-mile road time-trials (see www.ctt.org.uk).
RESULTS Provides a race scenario in which to
assess what power output you can sustain and
how good your pacing is.
4 LONG SPEED INTERVALS

WARM-UP Steady. For example, 15mins in mid- to
upper-zone one. Follow with 3 x 6secs fast efforts
over the next 5mins.
MAIN 6-8 x 5min intervals at 80% PPO (around 90%
HRmax) with 3min rest intervals. Twice per week for
just three weeks dont do similar sessions for
swim and run during the same period.
RESULTS Look at subsequent bike and run split
ability (after a one-week taper) as it should
improve both.
A power-based simulation to teach you how to

sustain your desired effort (or not), using various
courses and each years data to make your race-day
pace judgement more refined. Use the data from
Find Your Zones to estimate pace as well as
previous race power and HR data. You must also
feed at race levels if youre to sustain the effort,
especially 70.3 and above. Plus, it assesses your
race-day input capabilities.
6 VERY HARD HIIT FOR PEAK

BIKING POWER (THREE-FOUR
WEEKS MAXIMUM)
WARM-UP Steady. For example, 15mins in mid- to
upper-zone one. Then 3 x 6secs fast efforts over
the next 5mins.
Simulate a race to help
refine your race-day
pace judgement
MAIN 3mins at your hardest effort possible with a

full 6min recovery. The aim is to do eight but these
are incredibly intense, so start with four and build up
at the rate of one additional one a week. Cool down
with at least 15mins very light riding. If youre doing
no other bike or run intervals, do this twice per week
and continue for three-four weeks maximum. Record
your average wattage, HR, cadence and peak HR per
interval after each session.
RESULT This is a threshold-boosting session that
should increase in work from week one to four. Youre
then a weeks taper away from a peak bike split.
Power meters arent cheap but theyre dropping in
price and are a surefire way to slash your bike time.
Theyre cheaper than aero wheels and, many would
argue, have a greater impact on bike speed. Q 220
You dont need someone
to push you through long
speed intervals but it helps!
TRANSFORM YOUR
TRANSITIONS
Efficiently moving from swim to bike and bike to run could make or break
your race. Rick Kiddle is here to turn you into a transition legend
ou swim, you bike and you run but,

until race day arrives, its rare to
combine two, let alone three, of the
disciplines. And thats a mistake
because transition, aka the fourth discipline, is
the place where you can make the greatest gains
with the smallest effort.
Whatever your ability, mastering the essentials
of transition set-up and layout will make a big
difference to your race-day effectiveness. Read
on to find out how
LEARN TO RELAX
On paper each transition is a simple task but,
under the pressure of racing, time and energy is
commonly lost. Hesitation, confusion, plain old
lack of focus it all happens when seeking that
new personal best. But it wont if you treat the
changeovers as a competition within a
competition. Here are the three golden rules you
must stick to for smooth, swift transitions
1 Simplicity Keep transitions simple by not trying
to do too many things; keep the number of actions
you intend to carry out to a minimum. The more
you try and do, the more time it takes and the
more things can go wrong.
2 Planning Plan the following: what youll take
into transitions; the layout of your transition area
around your bike; how youll make it from the
swim to your bike; the particulars of your bike to
run. Basically, just plan!
IMAGES JONNY GAWLER, DELLY CARR
3 Practice Use the tips in this feature to compile a

list of ways to keep your transition smooth, fast
and simple. Run through this protocol in your
head, and then write down a list of pointers and
memorise them. The more you learn your
procedure, the more instinctive itll become and
the more relaxed youll be when you execute it.
Only when youve streamlined it in your head, it
time to physically practise.
BE PREPARED
To reduce your movements in transitions, ensure
youre well prepared. Packing the right kit and
guaranteeing its all in working order is part of the
multisport challenge. The key is to only take to
transition what youll need to for the race.
Anything else you can leave in your car or at the
race HQ and collect it after the race before you
wash and change.
Pack your bag the day before the race so you
dont forget anything it also gives you the time to
Perfecting your transitions is the

easiest and quickest way to save
the most time in triathlon racing
get anything you may not have. Inner tubes and

gels are favourites here!
RACE DAY
Arrive with plenty of time on race day to allow you
to survey the transition area and run through T1
(swim to bike) and T2 (bike to run), so you know
exactly where to go from entrance to exit.
First-timers beware: its easy to find your steed
when youre calmly setting things up. But throw in
race-day nerves and a field of rushing athletes,
and it can turn into a needle and haystack

scenario. Remedy this by picking a landmark thats
near to your bike and aim for that.
Lay out your gear and do a test run to make
sure everythings where you need it. This is also a
good time to rehearse mentally. In fact, visualising
your transition should be done three times: in the
days leading up to the race; on the morning of the
race; and during the final few minutes of the swim
or bike. Thisll help you deal with any challenges
that arent a part of your practiced walkthrough.
TRANSFORM YOUR TRANSITIONS
SWIM TO BIKE
Its time to cycle sockless after storming out of T1
Many athletes dont take the time to practise the
finer points of transitions while mimicking race
conditions. In other words, its uncommon for
them to be out of breath and under the same
pressure as theyd be on the big day.
The greatest benefits will be had from
integrating transition practice into your normal
training sessions, when your hearts racing and
the bloods pumping. Thats why wetsuit removal
is best practised after a quality open-water
session. But, for now, itll suffice to focus on the
theory before you go and put it into effect.
NO MORE DIZZINESS
The last few minutes of the swim are vital to
orientate yourself and prepare for the bike. Firstly,
you must prevent that disoriented feeling that
many athletes suffer from at one time or another.
The feeling occurs because your bodys been
horizontal in the water for so long. This causes the
majority of your blood to flow into your upper
body, head and shoulders. (This often presents the
sight of athletes stumbling over while fighting with
their wetsuit, as their blood drains into their legs.)
Eradicating this comical, and slightly unsettling,
scenario is easy. Simply kick more aggressively
with 200m to go, so more blood is evenly
distributed around your entire body. Dont worry if
you feel a little out of breath its worth it.
WETSUIT REMOVAL
The second speed pointer concerns peeling that
layer of neoprene off your skin. In the final 10 or
so metres of the swim, let water flow into your
wetsuit by holding the neck open. Swim as far as
you can in this unusual position, before bringing
your legs underneath you to stand up. The water
will rush through the suit and loosen the skin-tight
seal youll have formed. If done correctly, your suit
will almost fall off.
Continue to walk/jog while you locate the
Velcro behind your neck with one hand. At the
same time, your other arm should be behind your
back grabbing the zips pull cord.
Dont let go of the Velcro as you bring the pull
cord right down to the bottom in one continuous
movement. Then, pull the wetsuit off your right
shoulder with your left hand as far as it will go
with one pull down, before removing your left
shoulder with your right hand. You can pull each
arm out in one movement, with one arm at a time,
but remember not to roll the material over on
itself more than once and always work downwards
from the top.
Dont lower the suit further than your hips until
you reach your bike. If its a long run, this is the
time to pass your competitors. Go on seize the
advantage of reaching the bike first. In the 04
World Championships in Madeira, I left the water
in 17th and exited T1 in seventh!
CLIPPING IN
You often hear athletes complaining that
slipping feet into shoes already clipped into
pedals is too difficult. Im sorry but thats absolute

nonsense. If you can swim, bike and run, you can
balance and perform the simple movement of
putting a shoe on as you ride. Be positive, learn
what to do, put in the practice and youll save
valuable seconds in T1.
Start in bare or socked feet with your shoes
clipped into the pedals. Run, guiding your bike by
the saddle and, when youre ready, shift your grip
to the bars and hop into the saddle. Pedal with
your feet on top of the shoes until you have
enough speed to coast as you lean down and pull
the first shoe on. Keep your head up and looking
forward as you do this. Once that shoes on, build
up your speed again so you can coast as you pull
on the other shoe.
This method is safer because bare feet have
much more traction than the stiff soles and cleats
on the tarmac. Besides, if you break a cleat your
race is over. And stones, mud and grit can prevent
them from engaging. A good trick is to attach a
rubber band from the heel loops of your shoes to
the front mech on the gear side and the
quick-release on the other.
FURTHER SPEED POINTERS

QWhats under your wetsuit? A tri-suit or tri top
and shorts will avoid clothing changes.
QSunglasses can be looped over your handlebars
or slotted into your helmets vents. It makes them
easy to access and you know where they are.
QAttach food and drink to your bike so you can
refuel on the move. And dont waste time drinking
in the swim-to-bike transition. Get out on the bike
and drink there.
QThe last thing you grab from the first transition
is your bike. Its a common mistake to grab the
bike before youve got everything else sorted.
EQUIPMENT LAYOUT
Once youve unpacked your gear in
transition, you need to fine tune things
BIKE Always test ride your bike before leaving it
in transition, just to make sure that everythings
working. Ideally youll have ridden the course
beforehand because this ensures youll be in the
correct gear to leave T1 at a good cadence. Also,
hang your steed by its saddle and point the front
wheel in the direction youre leaving.
NUTRITION Depending on race distance, carry
at least one water bottle on your bike. Because
nutrition is such an individual thing, use your
training to try out the product you intend to use.
HELMET Place the helmet with the straps out facing
you, exactly how you would put it on. Remember:
always have the helmet strapped before getting on
the bike, as not doing this can lead to immediate
disqualification.
PUMP Youll need CO2 inflators or two pumps: a
track or floor pump with a pressure gauge and one
to take with you on the bike. Inflate your tyres to the
prescribed pressure.
BIKE SHOES These should be on or off the bike
whichever method you prefer.
TOWELS One for standing on while getting ready
and one for post-race.
RACE NUMBERS/RACE BELT Check the race rules
to see if they stipulate race numbers on belts or
pinning to clothing. If you pin the number on, make
sure it wont get caught up inside your wetsuit and
restrict your swimming. On the bike, you must have
your race numbers on your handlebars and helmet.
RUNNING SHOES Your race shoes should have no
seams or rough sections inside so they dont rub if
worn without socks. However, you should seriously
consider using socks for longer races. Your shoes
should have elastic laces.
HAT Useful protection if racing in the heat.
LUBE Should be used mostly for protection during
the swim around any parts that may rub.
Store your sunglasses in the vents

of your helmet. It makes them easy
to slip into when entering T1
SUNBLOCK Put sunscreen on early dont wait until

its too late.
WETSUIT REMOVAL
Once youre out of the water, slip your wetsuit off your
shoulders to make running easier.
Wait until you reach your transition slot before pulling

your suit down below your waist.
Stand on the loose suit with your heel and use your
free leg to step out of the suit.
Use your momentum to hop one leg over and on to the

saddle in one smooth movement.
Ensure youre in the appropriate gear to build up

speed smoothly as soon as youre on the bike.
Build up enough speed to coast as you lean down,

open the shoe wide and put your foot in.
Pull your shoe on using the heel strap then close the
shoe securely before starting on the other.
BIKE MOUNTING
Run with your bike, holding it either by the handlebars

or the saddle.
SHOE ENTRY
Use elastic bands to keep your shoes facing upwards

for a quick entry.
TRANSFORM YOUR TRANSITIONS
BIKE TO RUN
A swift T2 will give you the confidence for a fast run to the finish
When youre approaching the end of the bike
leg, shift into a lower gear and pedal faster
(higher cadence).
A high cadence of 90-110 revolutions per
minute will aid recovery for the run section by
allowing you to spin your legs more efficiently,
recycling lactic acid and preventing blood pooling
in your lower body. Having recceed, and
preferably ridden, the bike course youll know
when youre near the end, which will help you
determine when is the best time to undo and
remove your shoes.
The more confident or highly practised among
you can try a racing dismount (see below). Roll up
to the dismount line with your feet out of your
shoes as you balance with both legs on one side of
the bike ready to start running the moment you
step off. Just be careful to get your speed right
before stepping off and pay special attention to
other competitors, their wheels and their pedals.
If youre just starting out, simply disengage your
pedals as you roll up, stop the bike, step off and
run into the bike-to-run transition. Once youre off
and running, it can often pay to run guiding your

bike by the handlebars, if there are lots of other
competitors nearby. Then rack your bike by
hanging it by the brake levers. Undo your helmet
strap after racking the bike so that you dont incur
any penalties.
Next, quickly put on your running shoes. Taking
a peaked cap and sunglasses for your run is also a
good idea at hot races. Plan and practise these
things so they take as little time as possible to help
you keep your momentum throughout the event.
KNOW THE RULES

Before any race you should always acquaint (or
re-acquaint) yourself with the rules. Apathy will
lead to penalties and, in some cases, even
disqualification. See www.britishtriathlon.org for
the official rules and regulations.
Transitions are no mystery. Theyre a fast, easy
way to take large chunks of time off your final
tally. Prepare for them thoroughly, plan them,
practise them, visualise them and you wont find
yourself lost in transition. Q 220
RACE BAG AT
THE READY
Weve shown you the ideal transition
layout, but heres the full list of things
youll need when packing your tri bag
Triathlon bag
Race shoes both running and cycling
FROM RIDING TO RUNNING
Tri-suit or two-piece shorts and top (most will

put this on to go to the transition area on race
day, so may not need packing)
Race belt
Bike helmet
Track or floor pump
Sunglasses with a change of lenses for sunny or
overcast conditions
Wetsuit and swim cap
Goggles or swim mask for open-water. A choice
of lenses is useful
Anti-fog spray/drops
Chafe Ease or Body Glide to lubricate your suit.
(Dont use Vaseline on neoprene wetsuits
because its a petroleum-based lubricant and
will diminish the working life of your suit)
Gauge your speed so you can dismount smoothly and

start running immediately.
Guide your bike by the saddle and bars if transition is

busy or your legs are unsteady.
Muscle rub. If its cold or you feel tight, its useful

to have this in your kit for your warm-up; Sports
rub to aid post-race recovery
Spare safety pins, scissors and tape
Sewing kit
Lightweight bike multitool
Spare (elastic) laces and inner tubes or tubular
tyre remember cement if youre running tubs
Large towel to stand on (important if transition
is on gravel or sand)
Face towel and shower gel for after the race
Water bottles x 3: one filled with water, one with
race fluid for the bike and a spare to put the
last-minute rocket fuel in
Two cans of stimulating energy drink
remember to mix with water to aid hydration;
energy gels
Energy bars for race performance in long races
or as an ideal quick and light pre-race meal
Roll your bike to your slot and rack your bike quickly
by hanging it on the brake levers.
Have all your run gear to hand so you can get it on in

as few movements as possible.
Waterproof, lightweight top for the bike and run

if the weather looks foreboding
BRICK
SESSIONS
IMAGES NIGEL FARROW, JONNY GAWLER
Jelly legs off the bike is a common occurrence for

triathletes. Joe Friel has the solution brick training
Fresh off the bike, those first few strides

can have you wondering if youll ever get
your legs moving at race pace
he term brick has been used by

triathletes since the 1980s. A brick is
simply a combined swim-to-bike,
bike-to-run or swim-to-bike-to-run workout.
Because they so closely simulate the demands
of multisport racing, bricks are a key workout
for triathletes. The newer you are to the sport
and the shorter your race, the more important
bricks are.
Over this feature well focus on what many
consider to be the most feared of the two
transitions the bike-to-run phase. With our
help, well show you how to make the
smoothest, fastest transition possible so that
you start your run quickly and, far more

importantly, finish strong.
BIKE-TO-RUN BRICKS
While T1 bricks are especially important for
novices (see p93 for a visual run-through), the
transition two (T2) brick is a cornerstone of
training for triathletes at all levels. Not only do
these help you become more proficient in
changing from biking to running, they also
augment your fitness-building regime.
Every triathlete has rubber legs in starting
the run after riding. This sensation is the result
of having not used your running muscles for a
long time and then asking them to not only

support your bodyweight, but to go fast as well.
Your legs have become accustomed to going
around in small circles with the work being done
primarily by the muscles in the thighs and hips.
So when you start the run, different muscles
mostly in the lower legs are called upon.
To reduce the chances of starting the run with
a slow cadence, and to improve your running
performance immediately after the second
transition, ride the final 5-10mins at a cadence
higher than normal. So if you pedal at around
80rpm typical for triathletes ride the last
several minutes of the bike leg at 90 to 100rpm.
POWER UP
JARGON
BUSTER
BRICK
A combined swim-bike,
bike-run or swim-bikerun workout.
TRANSITION
The act of changing
from one triathlon
discipline to another
and the place where
this is done.
T1
The first transition,
from swim to bike.
T2
The second transition,
from bike to run.
TURBO TRAINER
A device on to which
a bike is mounted,
turning it into a
stationary trainer.
CYCLING CADENCE
How many pedal
revolutions a
foot completes
in one minute.
If the weather isnt conducive to bike

training outdoors, an indoor turbo
trainer will do the job just as well
If its windy or
pouring down, go
to a gym and use
an indoor bike
and treadmill
Research has shown that youll settle into a
fast running rhythm more quickly this way.
Also, as you start the run, forget about your
legs. Focus instead on finding a comfortable
breathing pattern.
BIKE-TO-RUN SESSIONS
The following are examples of T2 workouts by race distance
RACE DISTANCE
BIKE-TO-RUN BRICK SESSION
Sprint
Warm up by riding for 10mins with increasing intensity. Then ride for 5mins
at goal power or heart rate. Quickly transition to a 3min run at goal effort,
pace or heart rate. Walk for 3mins to recover. Repeat this 5min bike, 3min
run, 3min walk pattern three more times. The emphasis is on a fast and
smooth transition.
Olympic
Bike for 1hr. The first 30mins are a warm-up; the last 30mins are at goal
power or heart rate. Quickly transition to a 20min run at goal pace or heart
rate. Walk for 5-10mins to cool down.
70.3/middle
Warm up for approximately 30mins on the bike. Then ride 1:30-2:30hrs,

including 20min reps at goal power or heart rate with 7-10mins of recovery
after each. Take in fuel and fluid as you would in the race. Transition to a
30min run at goal effort. Increase the duration of the bike portion by 15min
every two weeks.
Ironman
Complete a long, low-intensity ride of approximately 3-6hrs, consuming

fuel and fluids just as you would in a race. Then transition to a 15min run
at race-goal effort. Increase the duration of the bike portion by 30mins
every two weeks.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

You can shorten your transition two time by
having an effective and standard layout and by
using elastic running-shoe laces. But the real key
to a fast T2 is rehearsal. Practise weekly. If
weather presents a problem, practise at a gym
using an indoor bike and treadmill.
How long the bike and run portions of the T2
brick are depends on the distance of your goal
race (see Bike-to-run sessions box, right, for
examples). There are no hard and fast
guidelines on ride and run length, except for
this one: a steady diet of long runs following long
rides will cause overuse injuries and wont do
much for your fitness either. Its best to maintain
the volume of training in one of the two
disciplines, and focus a higher intensity but lower
volume on the other.
WHEN TO BRICK
If youre new to the wonderful world of triathlon,
bricks are your single most important workout.
They may be done at any time during the season
but are most effective in the last eight to 12
weeks before your top-priority races. Long
or race-intensity bricks are key workouts and
so should be followed by at least one day of
rest and recovery.
In the last three weeks before your priority

race, focus a signifincant portion of your training
time around bricks, which should become
increasingly shorter and more race-specific. Do
two or three with varying emphasis each week in
this period. The idea is to become proficient at
the skill of transitioning while rehearsing exactly
what the race demands. Its worth it come the
races as itll save you minutes. Q 220
IMAGES GETTY IMAGES, XTERRA
OFF-ROAD
MASTERCLASS
With four Xterra world championship titles and more legendary tales than you can poke a
muddy seatpost at, South Africas Conrad Stoltz is the icon of Xterra racing. Here are the
Cavemans ultimate bike tips for mastering cross triathlon
OFF-ROAD MASTERCLASS
LEARN THE SKILLS

Unlike fitness, which disappears
after three weeks on the couch, bike
skills are something that, once
ingrained, stay with you forever. No
matter how good a rider is, I teach
the very basic mountain-bike skills
in a paved parking lot. We dont
leave the safety of the flat paved
surface until the rider has mastered
the basic principals of stopping,
cornering, bunny hopping, dropping
off a curb and so on.
[Celebrated MTB technique
instructor] Lee McCormack taught
me this when I already had a handful
of rainbow jerseys [from singlediscipline MTB events]. Despite
being an accomplished rider, I was
shocked to realise that I never
fully understood how a bike turns
and why and how we properly
move our body weight on the bike
to gain free speed.
So find a reputable skills
coach or a patient friend and
learn, then master, the basics in a
safe environment. As your skills
grow so too will your confidence,
which will allow you to ride more
advanced trails or higher speeds
safely. Being a beginner (or a child)
is actually a great place to start, as
one learns the proper technique
right from the start.
TACKLE THE HILLS

You go where you look, so look
where you want your tyres to go, as
opposed to staring at that big rock
in the trail! The faster you go, the
further you should look up the trail.
Reading the trail like this gives you
time to prepare for whats coming
theres nothing worse than an
off-road surprise!
Ascending: shift early. Because
youre looking way up the trail,
youll have enough time to shift to
an easy gear before you hit the
climb. Even with the great 1 x 11
technology we have nowadays, this
is key to staying on the bike and
carrying momentum up steep,
technical climbs.
Descending: your centre of
gravity should always be over the
bottom bracket. When you go down
a steep hill, move your weight back;
when climbing you want to sit on
the tip of your saddle. In corners,
youll be leaning your bike, but your
body should stay centred over the
BB to maximise traction.
SUPERIOR SPEED
The best riders are the ones who
look like theyre not even trying to
go fast. With mountain biking, its
all about carrying speed. Old
school momentum.
Rookies enter turns fast, pros exit
fast. By carrying speed through
rough terrain and turns, youll not
only gain huge chunks of time, itll
also save you much of the energy
sapping acceleration needed once
you hit an open pedally section.
But even the best riders have
to accelerate, sometimes a lot
depending on how the course flows.
For Xterra, which is basically a TT
event (as opposed to the death
sprint nature of MTB race mass
starts), youd like to ride with a
constant effort, so when you do have
to accelerate, try to roll it on
smoothly, probably seated, as
opposed to charging out the gate
like a rodeo bull...
CONQUER CORNERING
Mastering cornering is probably the
hardest skill there is. Here are the
essentials
Look well ahead on the trail as
you approach any technical section:
then assume the attack position.
Stand with the cranks level, arms
and knees bent significantly, torso
bent low, head up facing the trail.
Finish braking before the corner.
As you hit the turn, in one swift
movement, lean the bike (let the
handlebar turn as much as it needs
to, you stay on top of the BB) and
turn your body to face the exit of the
turn. Your eyes should be on the trail
beyond the exit. Remember, its all
about exit speed. Q 220
STOLTZS GEAR TIPS

The importance of a lightweight bike has been
wildly over-valued in the past. An affordable, full
suspension 29er from a reputable company, with
quality tubeless tyres will give you a great ride for
years to come. A dropper seatpost works magic
and I never ride without one (it drops the saddle by
up to 15cm with the push of a button).
Onto the run, you can get away with road run
shoes at some off-road triathlons but courses vary
wildly, and rain obviously has a huge impact on the
course. A pair of trail shoes with a firm sole and
good grip can be a lifesaver literally!
Stoltz recommends a full-suspension MTB and

trail-specific shoes for Xterra, like the Specialized
bike and Altra trainers seen here
BER BIKER
DANIELA RYF
IRONMAN HAWAII 2015 CHAMPION
IMAGE CHARLIE CROWHURST
Switzerlands Daniela Ryf finished second at

Ironman Hawaii 2014. A dominant 2015 meant
Ryf arrived at Kona as pre-race favourite. It
brought pressure. It brought expectation.
Ryf shrugged off both, predominantly due to a
4:50:46 180km bike leg that destroyed the field.
Ryfs all-round strength showed on the run, too,
a 3:06:37 marathon claiming her first Ironman
world title by over 13mins.
IMAGES PABLO BLAZQUEZ DOMINGUEZ
BIKE
NUTRITION
Fail to fuel properly and all those training hours will come to nothing.
However, take a peek inside this larder of information and youll know what
carbs to take and when, and how to make delicious energy bars
BIKE NUTRITION
FUELLING YOUR
PEAK PERFORMANCE
IMAGES JONNY GAWLER, NIGEL FARROW, RICH CRUSE
The ideal triathletes nutrition strategy will help you to train longer, reduce
illness and raise energy levels. Oh, and race faster, too. James Witts reports
herever you look theres a
nutrition product claiming to
boost your performance. And as
triathletes, well, were perceived
as the most marketing-friendly sports people
around. They train lots, are short of time, and
need plenty of calories to rebuild and grow their
fatigued muscles. They MUST buy our product!
But the secret to performance nutrition isnt
found in a bottle or a tub. Its been said a million
times but, for peak performance, you must tick
off the fuelling fundamentals. I advocate a varied
diet of nutrient-rich food, says Dr James Carter,
head of Gatorade Sport Science Institute. And

when Carter says varied, that includes the
macronutrients carbohydrates, fats and protein.
RATIO OF CALORIES
Theres much debate about the optimal
composition of an endurance athletes diet, but
ultimately theres no one-size-fits-all approach.
However, to satisfy the three key requirements of
fuelling a session, replenishing stores postexercise and maintaining a strong immune
system, there are certain guidelines that the
majority of us should adhere to.
Triathletes training for an hour a day should

aim for 5-7g carbohydrate per kilogramme of
bodyweight per day, says Carter. That should
build to 6-10g/kg for those exercising one to three
hours a day. This may represent up to 60% of the
total energy intake with protein contributing
15-20% (1-1.25g protein per kilogramme
bodyweight) and fat the remainder.
This is the traditional model of an athletes diet,
and based on the premise that carbs replace the
glycogen burnt by the working muscle, protein
rebuilds muscle, and good fats carry essential
fat-soluble vitamins like A and D. Give or take a
FUELLING PEAK PERFORMANCE
JARGON
BUSTER
VITAMIN A
Strengthens immunity
and helps vision in
dim light. Liver is a
particularly rich source
of vitamin A.
VITAMIN C
Helps to protect cells
and heal wounds.
Also necessary for
the maintenance of
healthy connective
tissue.
VITAMIN D
Regulates the amount
of calcium and
phosphate in the body,
so good for teeth and
bone health. Found in
oily fish and eggs.
ANTIOXIDANTS
Sweep up the free
radicals that are a
by-product of exercise
and cause cell damage,
which can weaken
our ability to fight
infection. Although the
body produces some
antioxidants itself, you
can increase these
through diet.
Pro Tom Bishop sticks to 70%

carbs, 20% protein, 10% fat, but
also reads what his body needs
percentage point or two, its the nutrient ratio

choice for age-groupers and elites, alike.
My diets based on the proportions you learn
at school, says GB elite Tom Bishop. This works
out at 70% carbs, 20% protein and 10% fat.
However, as an athlete, its vital to read what
your body needs, so if Im craving extra protein or
fat, Ill have it.
Its textbook athletic dietary principles, but
scan the newsstand and youll be bombarded by a
menu of diets purporting to make you leaner. As
performance-seeking athletes itll inevitably pique
your curiosity. But do they really work? Its
beyond the scope of this feature to appraise all
the diets out there, so well pick three of the most
common: carb cycling, 5:2 and paleo.
PROS OF PALEO
The carb cycling diet alternates high- and
low-carb days, though you can mix up that
sequence to suit. During the high days youre
looking at 500g complex carbs, says Kate Percy,
author of Go-Faster Food. On low days, just 50g.
The idea is that during low days, insulin levels
are reduced, which accelerates the release of
fatty acids and the body burns more fat. During
high days, instead of adding to fat stores,

depleted muscle and liver stores are
replenished. Sadly, starving the body and heavy
training arent perfect bedfellows, due to an
increased potential for illness thanks to a
suppressed immune system.
The 5:2 diet allows you to eat normally for
five days broken up by 600-calorie days twice a
week. Theres a lot of positive science behind
this diet, says nutritionist Lucy-Ann Prideaux.
Beyond losing a few pounds, it gives your
digestion system a rest.
The reason seems to be down to the insulinlike hormone Growth Factor 1, which is associated
with ageing. High levels of protein (when fasting)
suppress IGF-1. Theres a school of thought that
heavy sessions reserved for higher-calorie days
sit next to active rest days for low-calorie days.
Again, though, when starved of calories, the body
struggles to recover proficiently, especially if

youre not an elite and have a 9-to-5.
The final one of the three, however paleo is
gaining popularity among athletes. Former
Ultraman champ Jonas Colting is a proponent, as
is leading exercise physiologist Professor Tim
Noakes. Paleo mimics the diet of our caveman
ancestors, so out goes the agricultural menu of
grains, potatoes and legumes. Mandatory is fish,
eggs, vegetables, fruits and meat.
A lack of potatoes and grain means carb intake
is reduced, coming instead from those
vegetables. Fat has a tarnished reputation
because people associate it with the
subcutaneous fat that wobbles when you jump.
However, many fats are good for you, especially
polyunsaturated fats like omega-3, which are
prevalent in the paleo diet. Fat is also satiating,
unlike carbohydrates.
Many fats are good for you, especially

polyunsaturated fats like omega-3. Fat is
also satiating, unlike carbs
BIKE NUTRITION
RECIPE FOR
SUCCESS?
We analysed the ingredients list of
SiSs Go + Nitrate gel to discover
whats really fuelling you
WATER
Gives the gel a certain viscosity
that helps consumption.
SWISS CHARD JUICE

CONCENTRATE (15%)
Provides nitrates. Research
has shown consuming
nitrates can increase nitric
oxide production within the
body, which reduces the
oxygen cost of exercise.
SiS suggests 500-600mg
of nitrates per day to
maximise endurance
benefit. Thats three of
these per day in the
build-up to your event.
MALTODEXTRIN
(FROM MAIZE)
(5.5%)
Where that
carbohydrate hit
comes from. Derives
from, in this case,
treated maize starch.
Though not a sugar,
it still has a high
glycaemic rating
so enters the
bloodstream rapidly.
RHUBARB JUICE CONCENTRATE (4%)

Another source of nitrates that also adds taste.
GELLING AGENTS (XANTHAM GUM,

GELLAN GUM)
Gives the Go Gel its structure. Xantham Gum is made
by fermenting corn sugar. Gellan Gum is produced
through the fermentation of carbohydrates in algae.
ACIDITY REGULATOR (CITRIC ACID,

SODIUM CITRATE)
As the name suggests, additives that change or
maintain the pH of food. Citric acid and sodium
citrate also add a sour taste to foods.
PRESERVATIVES (POTASSIUM SORBATE,

SODIUM BENZOATE)
Prolonged use of potassium sorbate can lead to
gastric upset but is regarded as one of the safest
preservatives. Sodium Benzoate is used as a
chemical preservative but can also occur naturally in
some foods. Recommended not to be combined with
Vitamin C.
SWEETENERS (ACESULFAME K,
SUCRALOSE)
Acesulfame is 200 times sweeter than sucrose (table
sugar) but has a bitter aftertaste. However, its used
in conjunction with sucralose as they mask each
others aftertaste.
FLAVOURING
Alters the flavour of the product. The information
sheet doesnt say whether the flavouring comes from
natural or synthetic sources.
FOLIC ACID
Is one of the B vitamins and has several important
features, including working together with vitamin
B12 to form healthy red blood cells.
Dr James Carter,
right, head of Gatorade
Sports Science Institute
Noakes new book, The Real Meal Revolution, is

set to give paleo a further boost. In it he suggests
that a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet is better for
you than a carb-based one.
His argument, based on pretty solid science, is
extremely detailed but key points are: you can
metabolise glucose from fat; a high-carb diet is
nutritionally deficient as carbs is the only
macronutrient you can live without; since man
has eaten more carbs (since the mid-1970s),
diabetes and obesity levels have shot up; fats
eradicate the highs and lows associated with
high-carb diets.
While Noakes stresses all athletes can
assimilate the energy they need from a high-fat,
low-carb (HFLC) diet, he suggests that any
athlete who gains weight with age or whose
performances begin to decline significantly over a
few years needs to consider if high-carb, low fat is

the cause I believe theres little reason to ingest
more than 200g carbs per day regardless of how
much exercise one is performing.
A convert to paleo is Sophie Radcliffe, who
completed her first Ironman in Wales in
September 2013, finishing eighth in her
age-group. Ive lost weight and have more
energy, says Radcliffe. And its been fun
converting my favourite meals to paleo, making
things like courgette spaghetti!
Unlike our ancestors, though, not all meat is
packed with nutrients. So if you are contemplating
walking the paleo path, organic is the way ahead.
TIME IT RIGHT
Whichever nutrition strategy you follow, two key
areas are timing of foods and calorie fluctuation
Not all meat is packed with nutrients.

So if you are contemplating the paleo
path, organic is the way ahead
FUELLING PEAK PERFORMANCE
NUTRITION EVOLUTION
The field of sports nutrition has exploded over the last 50 years
1965
Gatorade formulate the
worlds first energy drink
following a request from
Florida Gaters head coach
Ray Graves to create a drink
that replenishes electrolytes
and rehydrates.
EARLY 1980S
Dave Scott regularly
consumes 20 figs on the bike
section. Seemingly there are
no fibrous repercussions as
he wins six Hawaii titles
between 1980 and 1987.
throughout the calendar year. Pre-exercise,

research suggests optimum for a carb-rich meal
(containing 140-330g of carbs) is 3-4hrs
beforehand. This gives the body time to digest
and assimilate the nutrients, increasing muscle
glycogen levels for sustained performance.
Fuelling during a session depends on duration
with water-only the accepted rule when training
under 45mins. Up to 2hrs that shifts to ingesting
30g carbs per hour for low to moderate intensity;
that figure at least doubles during medium to
high bouts.
Glucose delivery comes via drinks, gels or bars,
though the latters not advised on the run where
potential for gastric discomfort is higher. Also,
the type of carbohydrate impacts the speed of
energy delivery, says acclaimed physiologist
Asker Jeukendrup. However, a combination of
maltodextrins and fructose, glucose or sucrose
seems to result in high oxidation (an increase in
oxygen) rates.
On the bike is where things become
nutritionally more tactical. With weekend rides
often tipping over 3hrs, flavour fatigue is
common. You wont read it on the back of a sports
product but thats where real food comes in.
Not only will this add variety but anything you
make at home will have a greater moisture
content, says author of Feed Zone Portables Biju
Thomas [see p108 for portables recipes]. Most
commercial bars need a ton of water, which can
lead to stomach issues. Even a jam sandwich is
better than a bar!
Post-exercise, the 20-minute window has
ruled for years. While that might be overly
prescriptive, you should consume a source of
carbs and protein within the first 30-60mins of
exercise to stimulate the repair process. As a rule
of thumb, 1-1.2g/kg bodyweight of carbs in the
first hour is good (equates to a banana and
flapjack) plus 20g protein (two large eggs).
How your calorie intake fluctuates throughout
the year depends on the imbalance between
periods of heavy and light training. If youre on a
training camp and exercising for 4hrs per day,
carbohydrate intake may reach levels of 10-12g
carbohydrate per kilogramme bodyweight. During
October, where activity is nominal, that should
drop to 5-6g carbs/kg per day. Refrain from
dipping under this figure, though, as immunity
will be impaired.
If your goal changes from performance to
weight loss, like it might at the start of a new
year, the focus on carbohydrate could also differ.
Hypoenergetic diets (calories in are less than
calories out) are necessary to achieve weight loss,
MID-1980S
Professor Tim Noakes
co-develops the first energy
gel, Leppin Squeezy. Would
(occasionally) be used by
athletes of the stature of
Simon Lessing.
1995
Paula Newby-Fraser
abandons her fuelling plan at
run mile 20 in Kona. Around
300 yards from the line she
collapses from overheating.
A referee pours iced water on
her (pictured below).
2008
Research by Dr Asker
Jeukendrup shows a blend of
glucose and fructose has a
significant impact on
endurance, being absorbed
quicker from the digestive
tract than glucose alone.
Paula Newby-Fraser
discovers the perils of
abandoning her fuelling plan
but the composition of this diet can influence

whether the weight lost is mainly fat or a
combination of fat and lean tissue. To ensure fat
loss is optimised and lean tissue maintained, daily
protein intake should be increased to around
25-35%, says Carter. Carbohydrate can be
reduced to 40-45% of the total intake.
REAL-LIFE NUTRITION
Playing around with macronutrient composition is
fine in the labs but what about real life? We spoke
to three top age-groupers Alice Hector, Amy
Kilpin and Eric Downey to ascertain the
emphasis they place on nutrition. One sentiment
forged a common bond between all three. Fat

isnt the problem when it comes to weight
management, says Hector, processed food is.
Fresh is best resonated loudly, with highlights
including: I have a diet thats high in carbs and
protein; oats, potatoes and veggies over bread
and pasta for the extra vitamins (Alice); and
several bananas per day and the occasional
cider (Eric). Amy, who races Ironman, employs
the services of nutritionist FitNaturally. This is the
ideal but comes at a cost. Its worth it, though,
says Amy. I receive daily nutrition plans.
Eric also follows a professional nutrition
strategy, albeit a cheaper one. I follow the
BIKE NUTRITION
PLANT-BASED
PERFORMANCE
From Scott Jurek to the 366
marathons couple, vegan athletes
are posting a riposte to the protein
problem with success on the trails
When Janette Murray-Wakelin, 64, and Alan Murray,
68, completed their 366th marathon in 366 days on
1 January 2014, as much coverage was given to their
vegan raw food diet as to their actual endurance
challenge. But endurance athletes have long been
advocates of the meat- and dairy-free diet, with
Ironman Brendan Brazier and Scott Jurek arguably
the worlds greatest-ever ultra marathon athlete
famous preachers of the plant-based diet.
In his best-selling book Eat & Run, Jurek extols the
virtues of ditching the meat-heavy midwestern diet of
his youth for an intake of bulgur wheat, sushi rice balls
and spelt flour. On the protein question frequently
tossed at vegan athletes, Jurek believes that the
average western meat eater consumes far too much
protein, and sources like quinoa and tofu contain
complete vegetable proteins anyway. His seven
consecutive Western States 100 victories came after
making the switch to veganism, which is proof alone
that the diet can fuel endurance sport. Quite whats
behind his race-day wolf howls and kung fu kicks is
another question
Ultra marathon legend Scott Jurek

is proof positive that a vegan diet
can fuel exceptional athletes
Slimming World plan, which comprises both

protein and carbohydrates and lots of
vegetables and fruit. I eat meat most days,
with the majority being chicken.
How many age-groupers follow the
performance nirvana of five smaller meals over
the traditional three remains open to debate.
However, for age-groupers, balancing work,
family and triathlon, practicality must rule, so
three is fine, as long as snacking is minimal and
healthy (nuts over crisps).
SPECIAL ISSUES
Despite what you might think, fuelling and
recovery needs between men and women, and
young and old, arent significantly different.
Women need slightly fewer calories than men
because of differences in metabolism. Its

micronutrients, in particular iron and calcium,
where a disparity and deficiency in many
womens cases exists. Its worth an assessment
from your local health professional to identify any
deficiencies, wholl then prescribe dietary or
supplementary intervention.
As for age-related differences, though a
gradual decline of muscle mass contributes to a
decrease in metabolism, nutrition between the
young and old should remain pretty similar, too.
The major change should revolve around protein
intake to reduce that inevitable muscle loss.
Younger adults require 20-25g protein per meal
and after exercise, says Carter. In older adults
this intake should increase to 30-40g.
Because of the strain intense exercise places
on the immune system, antioxidant intake is vital.

According to Percy, there are three sure-fire ways
to boost antioxidant levels. Eat a variety of
different-coloured foods, like blueberries and
strawberries. This ensures adequate vitamin C
and phytochemicals. Snacking on nuts and seeds
boosts vitamin E, and ditch the cod and chips for
oily fish alternatives like mackerel, which are
packed with vitamins E, A and D.
Your nutritional strategy is key to maximising
all those hours swimming, cycling and running.
Like planning your season goals, make 2015 the
year you focus on this part of the performance
equation. The Brownlees may be known for their
Fray Bentos pies, but you can bet your last Rolo
itll be a rare treat on a foundation of sound
nutrition. Q 220
DIETS OF
THE PROS
Learn the feeding secrets of the worlds best to fuel your own
PB. James Witts noses in the larders of eight elites
JODIE SWALLOW
Being an athlete for my
whole life, combined with
suffering from an eating
disorder in the past, makes
it difficult to interpret what
a normal diet entails. I
veer towards protein over
carbohydrate and eat large
quantities of vegetables
they form the basis of most meals.
FAVOURITE MEAL
Roasted vegetables broccoli, leeks, beetroot,
onions seasoned with garlic cloves, salt and
pepper with chicken or steak.
PETE JACOBS
I eat protein, some fat and
carbs at every meal. I dont
eat anything too processed,
and stick to rice and veggies
for my carbs. Kidney beans
are a regular addition to my
meals, and I snack on fruit
and nuts everyday.
Ultimately, consistency and
unprocessed are the key dietary requirements.
FAVOURITE MEAL
Three eggs with salad
followed by fruit is my
breakfast almost everyday.
JESS HARRISON
I usually have more carbs
at lunch and then protein in
the evening. Its a habit I
picked up from a
dissociation diet. Its not
real dissociation, but I do
digest better if I separate
out food groups. There
arent any foods that I ban;
if I fancy a beer or whatever then its all good.
FAVOURITE MEAL
Thai green curry with coconut milk, as taught to
me on a training camp once by [Ironman Hawaii
2012 champion] Leanda Cave!
FREDERIK VAN LIERDE

My diet is very high in carbohydrates and very
low in protein. I eat fish, poultry or meat six times
a week twice for each together with vegetables
and pasta, rice or potatoes. I never use protein
shakes and I very rarely have protein bars.
Because Im naturally stocky, Ive found that my
body takes on too much weight (muscle) when
consuming too much protein.
FAVOURITE MEAL
Two days before every race I always eat a dish
of white rice with some ketchup. No
vegetables,no meat, simply rice.
Its a pure carbohydrate hit
and even I can cook that!
TOM LOWE
My diet includes a lot of
protein, but its also high in

carbs thanks to my love of
cereal and toast! Im
currently working on
increasing my ratio of
protein to carbs. I eat a lot
of fish and chicken, plus red
meat once every 10 days,
and also include plenty of fresh fruit and veg.
FAVOURITE MEAL
Any barbecued meat! Add to that some quality
bread drenched in olive oil, corn on the cob,
chargrilled veg and salad. Perfect!
RACHEL JOYCE
JODIE STIMPSON
Breakfast is usually a
bowl of fruit with some
seeds and nuts with
natural yoghurt. Lunch
is just a nice sandwich
chicken or tuna with
salad and some fruit.
Dinners mostly a big salad
with a side of some sort of
veg with chicken, salmon, prawns or steak.
FAVOURITE MEAL
It might not be a meal
but I simply cant go
without bread.
TOM BISHOP
Milk is my essential
requirement the fat kind.
I eat a lot of porridge and
cereal as well as glasses of
it. Milks important because
I put my body under a great
deal of stress. So being high
in protein, calcium and
essential vitamins, milk
helps maintain and repair body tissues.
FAVOURITE MEAL
Wholemeal, seeded toast with butter and
cinnamon sprinkled over it. I top it off with
ingredients like jam and bananas.
I front load carbs early in the day and in and

around training. So, for example, breakfast
will be carbohydrate-based but include protein
(porridge with fruit and nut butter stirred in is
a regular one). Ill then often graze during the day
and have a protein-based dinner with lots of
veggies/salad. Oats, almond butter, Greek yoghurt
and chocolate are my staples!
FAVOURITE MEAL
Chicken and gnocchi is a good one. Coat the
chicken breast with pesto and grill. Cook the
gnocchi, drain and then crisp up on a griddle
with a little olive oil. Slice the chicken and add
with the crispy gnocchi to a salad. Mix with a
little more pesto.
BIKE NUTRITION
FUELLING ON
TWO WHEELS
JARGON
BUSTER
CARBOHYDRATE
A key form of energy
for the body. Can be
easily converted
into glucose.
Correct fuelling on the bike leg can make or break your triathlon.
Former Team Sky head nutritionist Nigel Mitchell shows you how
utrition is an area that, if neglected,
can ruin what couldve been many
months of dedicated race prep. At
Cannondale-Garmin we take nutrition
very seriously, and as fellow endurance athletes
you should too. Here are a few tips Ive picked up
from working with some of the worlds best
athletes on two wheels
Cycling is a novel sport because you can

actually replace fuel and fluid while on the
move, whereas in other sports you often struggle
as many of you will know from the run leg. This
can help reduce the loss of muscle glycogen and
is especially useful if you plan to undertake
multiple training sessions within the same day. So,
for example, fuelling during a 2hr bike session in
the morning may not improve that particular
session, but it will benefit a later evening session,
such as a track, fartlek or other running workout.
Race day is only one day, whereas

[Cannondale] can be training anything up to
seven days a week. The mistake many people
make is they dont train the body to fuel the trick
is to think about what fuelling strategy youre
going to use during a race and then practise that
during training. In particular, if youre doing
training sessions at race effort, then eat in the
same way as you would if you were racing.
The choice of fuelling depends on the

distance of the race. In essence, theres not
a lot of point fuelling during a sprint-distance as
you might only be on the bike for 25mins, and you
should have enough stored to cover the distance.
But it wont do any harm to consume something
PROTEIN Building
blocks for body tissue.
Can also be used as a
source of energy.
like a gel to help maintain blood sugar and boost

concentration. Or you could have an energy drink
or even a banana or energy bar if you feel you
can stomach it. It all depends on what you can
tolerate, as during a sprint the pace is so intense.
When going longer, you need an effective
fuelling strategy on the bike and should be
consuming between 60-90g carbohydrate per
hour. This can be challenging for many who
struggle to get that quantity in while exercising,
which is where the concept of training your gut
comes in. By the time you reach half or fullIronman level, its absolutely critical to crack this.
Think about the nutrition you will have

available at the race. Can you carry your
own, or are you going to have to rely on whats
given to you by race organisers? If so, find out
what will be supplied and then use those products
in training so youre used to them. It may be that
you combine your products with the ones given to
you, in which case practise doing that too.
From a technical point of view, choose the

6 type of fuel that suits you best be it liquids
and gels, solids or a mix of the two. I like bananas
with the occasional gel, but it really boils down to
gut comfort, making sure you get that 60-90g of
carbs per hour. At Sky we were sponsored by CNP
and found their bars really good from a gastric
point of view, but you dont have to be limited to
sports bars. Some of the seed bars you can buy
are really good or try real food. At all the teams
Ive worked with, we use homemade rice cakes,
which are kind of like a solid rice pudding [see
Nigels recipe below, right]. As a triathlon food,
MEET THE EXPERT

Nigel Mitchell was the head of nutrition at Team Sky up until
2015 and now works for Cannondale-Garmin. Previously he
worked with British Cycling for over 10 years and is also a
keen athlete, having completed over 100 triathlons. The
overall aim of my role with Cannondale-Garmin is to ensure
weve got the best nutritional environment that we can have
to support health and performance, he says.
these would be phenomenal because theyre easy

to digest and deliver good-quality carbs as well as
adequate hydration.
One of the trends at the moment is around
the concept of low-carb training. It has
some interesting points, but for high-quality
training especially for the endurance athlete
carbohydrate is critical to achieve the quality of
training you need. Some club athletes can train
for 15-plus hours a week on top of a full-time job,
which places a huge amount of stress on the
body. Effective fuelling helps the body deal with
that stress, so preserves and conserves its health
and immunity.
Theres a lot of interesting kit out there for

carrying fuel on the bike and much of it can
be attributed to triathlon, which has driven
innovation around fluid delivery. For example,
you now have bigger drinks bottles (750ml)
and systems that work around the handlebars.
I wouldnt recommend any particular system,
but would suggest you think about what you
want to carry and whats possible which
sometimes ends up being a compromise
between quantity and weight.
IMAGES PAUL PHILLIPS/COMPETITIVE EDGE
The Torq Snaq is billed as an

everyday snack but low fibre content
means its ideal on the bike
FUELLING ON TWO WHEELS
The choice of fuelling while

cycling depends heavily on
race length and gut tolerance
I dont think were going to see many

changes to the amount of carbohydrate
athletes are using at the elite end. At the club
end, I think people will become more intelligent
about the use of protein. Within the next five
years I think well move forward with the concept
of modulating carb intake as a way of improving
adaptation to training. Theres enough research
now showing that if we look at controlling carbs
during training, then it may improve the bodys
ability to oxidise fat and have an effect on
endurance. It has to be balanced and looked at
carefully, though, because it can affect the
quality of training.
The take-home message for athletes has to

be attention to detail. Think about what you
want to do, the environment youre going to be
doing it in and then plan for that with plenty of
practise in training. Ive known so many athletes
whove trained so hard, then rocked up to an
event and done something completely different
on race day and messed it up! Q 220
10
NIGELS RICE CAKES

INGREDIENTS (150 SQUARES)
250g risotto rice 500ml water
150g low-fat Philadelphia 50g pistachio
kernels, chopped 1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp cinnamon/vanilla 1 tsp sugar
1 tsp agave nectar/honey
PREPARATION
Preparation time 5mins
Cooking time 30mins
When the rice is cooked (check the

consistency after 20mins) and still hot, mix in
the Philadelphia cream cheese and coconut oil,
as well as the agave nectar or honey.
Finally, add the pistachio kernels. When
everything is really well mixed, spoon it out
onto a flat tray covered with cling film and then
wrap it tightly with cling film. Let it cool, then
place in the refrigerator overnight. Cut into
2cm squares to use.
METHOD
In a rice cooker, cover the risotto rice with
water (500ml per 250g). This is more water
than Id normally use, but I want to make it
sticky. For flavouring add the cinnamon or
vanilla, and the sugar, and leave to cook.
NUTRITION (PER 10 SQUARES)

ENERGY 92KCAL PROTEIN 2G
CARBOHYDRATE 15G FAT 2G
SUGARS 15G SALT 17G
FIBRE 3G WATER 59%
BIKE NUTRITION
HOMEMADE
BIKE FUEL
Need a change from energy gels and bars while out on the road?
Try these exclusive recipes from acclaimed athlete cookbook
Feed Zone Portables that taste as good as they perform
efore there were energy gels, there
was real food. In the days before the
rise of the sports nutrition industry,
runners powered their attempts to
break the 4min-mile or run a marathon with real
food made from scratch.
The first modern running boom in the 70s
changed all that. Suddenly the streets were filled
with time-crunched urban professionals who
didnt know the first thing about sports nutrition
they just wanted to run to get in shape and
break out of the daily rat race. By the early 80s, a
whole range of bars, gels and pre-packaged
nutrition products was providing them with a
convenient way of refuelling on the move and
helping them bust through the wall.
While pre-packaged sports nutrition has its
place, more recently professional athletes have
been testing out a new approach or rather an
old one. Real food is back, and its nourishing
better performance for many athletes, both
amateur and pro.
Dr Allen Lim is a sports physiologist whos
worked with elite cyclists for the last 10 years.
Ive worked with very few athletes who could eat
pre-packaged foods all day when training or
competing. They would often complain that they
just couldnt stomach the bars, blocks and gels
given to them, says Lim. For professional cyclists,
who need to eat up to 10,000 calories a day
during races, this poses a big problem.
Lim discovered that many of these athletes had
started packing real-food snacks to take with
them on long days of training little sandwiches,
fresh pastries, even leftover pizza. They turned to
real food because through their own trial and
error, they learned it made them feel better.
Their experiences and feedback inspired me
to take the extra time to start cooking for athletes
from scratch, says Lim. Its not limited to pro
cyclists either the benefits can be applied to the
REPUBLISHED WITH PERMISSION OF VELOPRESS FROM FEED ZONE PORTABLES. TRY MORE RECIPES AT WWW.FEEDZONECOOKBOOK.COM. IMAGES COURTESY VELOPRESS
Real food is back,

and its nourishing
better performance
for numerous
endurance athletes
bike leg of triathlon too. 220s columnist Tim Don

says: When Im riding five hours or longer, Ive
tried sushi rice with egg. Sushi rice with some
crunchy peanut butter and honey is also a winner.
Homemade but simple seems to get me through.
One evening at a dinner party, Lim met chef
Biju Thomas, whos known for designing the
menus of some of Denver and Boulders most
successful restaurants. They became fast friends
and soon were cooking meals and snacks for
cycling teams at the Tour de France.
Their debut cookbook, the Feed Zone
Cookbook, brought the favourite recipes of the
pros to cyclists, triathletes and runners. And then
the duo released their second cookbook, Feed
Zone Portables, from which our recipes overleaf
and right are taken.
KEEPING IT REAL
To find out why many of his athletes preferred
real food to pre-packaged sports bars, Lim
bought every bar, snack, block and sports
nutrition product he could find and analysed their
ingredients. What he found was surprising.
Real food and sports nutrition products are
pretty similar, except in one important way: the
packaged products are very dry, while real food
contains a lot of water.
Suddenly, the bloating and cramping that
plagued pro cyclists made sense. For many, these
dry and highly concentrated sports nutrition
products overloaded the gut, sucking water out of
the bloodstream to dilute the foods before
absorbing the calories.
Thinking they were fuelling up, these pro
cyclists were dehydrating themselves and taking
longer to refuel than if theyd instead eaten real
food. Lim explains: Imagine were making a cake
and, after adding all of the dry ingredients into a
bowl, we use only 10% of the water that the
recipe requires before baking. What we would
have at the end of the process would resemble a
brick, not a cake that we would want to serve for
dessert or be excited to eat during a long
endurance event.
The problem isnt limited to dry foods; gels
might be liquid, but the gut absorbs them the
same way it handles any highly concentrated
food. In short, real-food recipes, with their higher
water content and natural ingredients, have been
helping professional athletes find higher
performance levels.
BOUGHT VS
HOMEMADE
How do homecooked portable snacks measure
up against a shop-bought bar? We compared
an average of 11 leading sports bars with an
average of the nine rice cake recipes featured
in the Feed Zone Portables book.
SPORTS BAR
RICE CAKE
54.5g
138.1g
Total calories
223
199
Carbohydrates
Fat (% kcal)
Protein
Fibre
Salt
HO (% mass)
32.5g
8g (32%)
6.5g
3.5g
108mg
3.9g (7%)
37g
3.2g (13%)
5.1g
1.3g
101mg
91.1g (66%)
Weight
Of course, gels and bars have their place and if

you like them, then great but if you need a
change, or want to vary your consumption over
longer races or training sessions, then the recipes
here are for you.
FOOD ON THE MOVE

Portable nutrition needs to follow a few basic
rules. It should be simple to make, taste good and
fuel you to perform better. If youre going to make
your own, then it needs to
QPack in plenty of water for improved hydration
and digestion.
QProvide enough energy, calories and
carbohydrates to sustain an hour of effort.
QFit easily into your jersey or fuel belt.
QUnwrap easily and resist crumbling.
QUse ingredients that are easy to digest.
Tin foil makes the perfect packaging for your
portables because it doesnt stick to the food.
Each portable should be sliced to roughly the
same shape and size as a brownie, then
wrapped in a square of foil of roughly 8in2 in
size. Theyll also stay fresher for longer when
individually wrapped, so can be stored in the
fridge in a sealed plastic bag or container ready
for your next session.
HOMEMADE BIKE FUEL
SWEET POTATO AND BACON

BAKED RICE BALLS
INGREDIENTS (12-15 BALLS)
225g uncooked sticky rice 360ml water
1 cooked sweet potato, mashed 60g cooked
bacon tsp olive oil 1tsp brown sugar
1tsp ground cumin 1tsp coarse salt
COOKING
Cooking time 30mins
METHOD
Combine the water and rice in a rice cooker
with a dash of salt and leave to cook. While the
rice is cooking, place the remaining ingredients
in a food processor and pulse a few times to get
a uniform minced finish. Heat oven to 180C.

Lightly coat a baking sheet with nonstick
cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
When the rice has finished cooking, mix it with
the remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly.
Shape into rice balls and place on a baking
sheet. Repeat with the remaining rice mixture.
Bake for 10-15mins. Let them cool before
wrapping in foil.
NUTRITION (PER SERVING)

SALT 123MG FIBRE 1G WATER 59%
TURN OVER TO
FIND EIGHT MORE
RECIPES TO TRY
BIKE NUTRITION
SPINACH & COURGETTE FRITTATA

INGREDIENTS (6 FRITTATAS)
2 courgettes, sliced into matchsticks 250g
fresh spinach leaves, chopped 4 eggs, lightly
beaten 150g cubed bread, tightly packed
1tbsp grated Parmesan 1tsp garlic salt
Dash of salt and pepper
COOKING
Cooking time 20mins
METHOD
Heat the oven to 180C. In a non-stick pan,
heat enough olive oil to coat bottom evenly.
Over a medium heat, saut the courgette and
spinach until tender. Remove from heat and
drain any excess oil. In a medium bowl, lightly
beat the eggs. Add the bread and remaining
ingredients and fold in the courgette and
spinach. Lightly grease a muffin tin and fill six
of the cups three-quarters full. Bake for 15mins
or until the centres are firm.

MASALA CHICKEN RICE CAKES

INGREDIENTS (15 CAKES)
400g uncooked sticky rice 1ltr water
2tbsps minced onion 1tbsp minced jalapeno
pepper 1tbsp mild curry powder 75ml
tomato sauce or ketchup 250g ground chicken
125ml plain Greek yoghurt Coarse salt and
pepper to taste
COOKING
Cooking time 30mins
METHOD
Combine the rice and water with a dash of salt
in a rice cooker. While the rice is cooking, bring
a pan to medium-high heat with just enough oil
to coat bottom of the pan. Cook the onions
and peppers until the onions become
translucent. Add the curry powder while
continually scraping the pan. If needed, add
more oil to prevent the mixture from sticking.
Stir in the tomato sauce. Add the chicken
and cook until it is cooked through and begins to
brown (about 5mins). Reduce heat to low and
stir in yoghurt. Mix thoroughly and remove
from heat. When the rice is finished cooking,
add it to the chicken and vegetables. Add
salt to taste and evenly spread into a 9 x 12in
baking pan.
TIP For a bigger

flavour punch, add
more curry powder

HOMEMADE BIKE FUEL
SAUSAGE & POTATO CAKES

3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed 120g
chicken sausage 30g minced onion 4 eggs
60g flour 1tsp salt 1tsp ground cumin
1tbsp grated parmesan
COOKING
Cooking time 35mins
METHOD
Heat oven to 180C and lightly coat a muffin
tin with non-stick cooking spray. Place the
potatoes in a microwaveable bowl with a splash
of water and cover with cling film. Cook on
high in the microwave for 3-5mins. In a dry,
non-stick pan over medium heat, brown the
sausage then add potatoes and onions, cooking
until potato edges begin to crisp. Set aside and
allow to cool. Mix together the eggs, flour, salt
and cumin. Beat the mixture until the eggs
become light, then add to the potato mixture.
Press mixture into the muffin tin, sprinkle
tops with Parmesan and bake for 20-25mins
or until a toothpick inserted into the centre
comes out clean.
TIP Add basil or

parsley into the mix
for extra flavour

SPINACH & RED PEPPER POLENTA CAKES

1.5ltr water 300g uncooked polenta
2 vegetable stock cubes (optional) 2tbsps
minced red bell pepper 250g shredded spinach
30g crumbled feta 2tsps raw sugar 1tsp
coarse salt
COOKING
Cooking time 45-50mins
METHOD
Lightly coat a 20cm2 baking pan with
non-stick cooking spray. On the stove, bring
water with a dash of salt to the boil and slowly
stir in the polenta. Reduce heat and simmer,
stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Cook
for 20-30mins. Stir in the peppers. Cook
for 5-10mins longer, or until mixture thickens.
Remove from heat. Stir in the spinach
and feta and adjust flavour to taste. Pour
mixture into pan and leave to set for 10-15mins
to firm up. Mix the raw sugar and coarse salt
in a small bowl and sprinkle on top. Cut neatly
into squares.

BIKE NUTRITION
RASPBERRY & MINT RICE CAKES

400g uncooked sticky rice 1ltr of water
100g cane sugar Juice of one lemon
200g fresh raspberries 2tbsps fresh mint
leaves, chopped
COOKING
Cooking time 25mins
METHOD
Combine rice, water and a dash of salt in a rice
cooker and leave to cook. When the rice is
finished cooking, transfer it to a large bowl and
add the sugar and lemon juice. Add any
optional ingredients to add sweetness, such as a
teaspoon of vanilla extract, honey or grated
fresh ginger or a tbsp of shredded coconut.
Mix thoroughly. The mixture should be slightly
sweet with a little bite from the fresh-squeezed
citrus. Spread half of the rice mixture onto a
22 x 30cm baking pan, using a pallet knife/
spatula to gently press the rice into the pan.
Top with berries and sprinkle mint leaves
evenly. Finish by gently layering remaining
rice over the top of the berries and mint.
Allow to set for a few minutes, then cut into
squares and wrap.

CHOCOLATE CAKES
4 eggs and 1 egg yolk 180ml almond milk
2tbsps melted butter or coconut oil 1tbsp
brown sugar 2tbsps unsweetened cocoa
powder 1tsp vanilla extract tsp ground
cinnamon Half a loaf of cubed gluten-free
bread 90g chocolate chips, melted
COOKING
Cooking time 35mins
METHOD
Heat oven to 180C. Lightly coat a muffin tin
or a square baking pan with non-stick cooking
spray. Place the eggs and egg yolk in a small
food processor and pulse a few times. Warm
the almond milk in the microwave on high for
1min. Add the milk, melted butter, brown
sugar, cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon into the food
processor and pulse until fully mixed. Add
bread cubes and leave to soak for a few minutes.
For a smooth batter, pulse the cake batter once
more to break down the bread. Fold in the
chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the pan.
If using a muffin tin, fill each one three
quarters full. Bake in a muffin tin for
12-15mins, or until a toothpick inserted into
the centre comes out clean.

TIP Use coconut oil

instead of butter
its easier to digest
HOMEMADE BIKE FUEL
FRENCH TOAST CAKES

180ml almond milk 4 eggs + 1 egg yolk
1tbsp raw sugar 1tsp vanilla extract tsp
ground cinnamon 8 slices of cubed bread,
tightly packed
COOKING
Cooking time 35mins
METHOD
Heat oven to 180C. Lightly coat the cups of
a muffin tin or a square baking pan with
non-stick cooking spray. Heat the almond
milk in the microwave on high for about 90secs.
Meanwhile, whisk together eggs and egg yolk
in a medium bowl. Add the warm milk, sugar,
vanilla and cinnamon to the eggs. Beat the
mixture until the eggs become light. Fold in
bread cubes. Spoon into muffin tin or baking
pan, evenly distributing the bread. Bake
muffins for 15-20mins and larger cakes for
30mins, just until a toothpick inserted into the
centre comes out clean. If the bread cubes
begin to brown and the cakes are not yet fully
cooked, cover pan with foil and leave to bake
for another 5mins. Top with a sprinkle of
raw sugar.

TIP Warming the

milk makes these
cakes creamier
BLUEBERRY & COCONUT STICKY BITES

INGREDIENTS (12 BITES)
125g uncooked orzo pasta 2tbsps cream
cheese 2tbsps plain Greek yoghurt 2tbsps
shredded coconut 1tsps raw sugar tsp
vanilla extract 32g blueberries
COOKING
Cooking time 15mins + time to cook pasta
METHOD
Cook the rice or pasta and leave to cool to
the touch. To keep your bites sticky, cook pasta
until al dente and dont add oil after draining
the water. In a small food processor, combine
the rice or pasta and the sticky and wet
ingredients. Pulse until you have a coarse,
sticky mixture. Transfer to a medium bowl.
Fold in chocolate chips or blueberries then
sprinkle with a little raw sugar or coarse salt
but be careful not to add too much salt here.
Press the sticky mixture into a shallow airtight
container and top with cling film (or wrap up in
individual shapes), then simply cut and wrap the
bites as you need them. Q 220

COLUMNIST
THE WEEKEND WARRIOR
MARTYN BRUNT
220s age-group columnist ponders the meaning of need and new as he shops for bike seven
ILLUSTRATION DANIEL SEEX
he triathlon season is cruelly brief.

Although elites get to swan about
in tropical climes all year round,
we in age-group land dont start
shivering through our rst races until
mid-April, while our last, chilly sprint is
in the third week of September. This
means a season of about 19 weekends,
which is not a lot. How are we supposed
to get through the yawning winter
months? At least squirrels get to
hibernate by curling up to sleep while
clutching their nuts, something I
frequently get told o for. No, we
triathletes have to nd other ways of
frittering away this dead time, and some
of these ways are remarkably expensive.
For example, Ive decided that I need a
new bike, so that this season I can fail
with more panache. Basically I want a bike
which is light and sleek so that I can
accelerate quickly not because I fancy
my chances in road-racing, but so that I
can chase down my cycling clubmates
within ve miles after they head o from a
pee stop, while Im still behind a hedge
tinkling away dismally.
I also need some cycling focus after a
winter of cross-country running, which
has left my legs so battered that I cant pull
on a pair of shorts without inching, and I
spend days on end smelling like a wet dog.
Impact-free exercise is the perfect pastime
at a time of year when getting t
otherwise means waiting for my various
injuries and niggles to heal, and I cannot
possibly achieve this without something
made of shiny carbon.
Before we go any further, let us consider
the phrase I need a new bike for a
moment. I have six bikes, so this would
suggest a hitherto unknown denition of
the word need. And new implies that
Im going to replace one of the bikes with
whatever I buy, which obviously Im not.
No, the bikes will merely bump down the
pecking order with the new one becoming
the summer-only good-weather bike,

knocking the old new-one down to
training bike, and so on down to
commuting hack and nally turbo bike,
which is a sad fall from grace for my rst
ever pride-and-joy race bike.
To be accurate then, I want another
bike. Fair enough, though, because as we
all know, new bikes confer special powers.
My cycling friends, all closely related to
the donkey, start charging around like
thoroughbreds when they get one. A new
bike could make this possible for me too, if
accompanied by a huge infusion of talent.
Buying new bikes is not something to be
taken lightly and Im still in that shopping
around phase where I try and work out
how I can buy any of the bikes that have
captured my fancy without sacricing my
hus far I have limited my browsing to

the internet, although cunning buy it with
one click technology means this is not
without its dangers. And recently, with
my nger perilously close to the mouse
button, I only became aware that I must
have liked the look of a particular bike
Id spotted because my work chum
Fiona told me I had started to breathe
like Darth Vader.
Its only a matter of time before I crack
though, because no triathlete can hold out
for long in the face of an onslaught of
Colnagos, Specializeds and Pinarellos. We
all know that soon I will be validating my
season in the eyes of God by knocking
about on a bike so beautiful it has the
power to make a teenager look up from
their phone, and Ill be swapping cacky
To be accurate then, I want another

bike. Fair enough, though, because as
we all know, new bikes confer special
powers. A new bike will have me
charging around like a thoroughbred
happy domestic existence or any important
internal organs.
So far I have dared not go in to my local
bike shop to look at the shiny carbon
frames hanging within, all with an
ergonomically complicated design
explicitly created to appeal to men like me.
his is because last time I went in there
with this much intent I saw a Kuota TT bike
which was so jaw-dropping in its beauty
that I bought it on the spot. And if the (very
large) price registered at all, it was on the
very edge of my perception at least until I
got home, when explaining the price tag to
my wife gave me a dry mouth that no
known quantity of lager could cure.
old running kit for a skinsuit so tight Ill

need a pair of scissors to remove it.
Not that this will lead to any surge of
condence on my part I hasten to add,
because I have long learned that the day
I head o in a race full of my own
marvellousness is the day I take a
wrong turn on the course, a bird craps
on my cap and my shorts fall down.
So watch out for me on my new bike
this coming season and give me a cheery
wave as I turn up realising Ive completely
forgotten how to do this stupid sport. I will
still be rubbish, but I will at least look the
part, which is what matters thats all that
matters in age-group triathlon. Q220
THE SEARCH FOR SPEED
#searchforspeed
REAPBIKES
FACEBOOK.COM/REAP-BIKES
@REAPBIKES

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THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO

ii Essential tool checklist,

ii Maximise comfort, cycle

ii What to eat and drink

plus repair jobs made easy

quicker and avoid injuries

to reach your cycling peak

The bike is the longest discipline

IMAGE DELLY CARR/ITU

prings on the horizon (finally!) and as well as the inevitable

CHECK OUT OUR CHANNEL

MARK MCKAY is formerly bike

IMAGE TRIATHLON.ORG/DELLY CARR

42 AERO HELMETS GUIDE

22 TOP-END TRI BIKE

IMAGE TRIATHLON.ORG/JANOS SCHMIDT

24 YOUR PERFECT BIKE FIT

6 I THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO TRIATHLON CYCLING

37 RACE WHEELS GUIDE

50 DIY BIKE MECHANIC

56 SADDLES & SEATPOSTS

The Complete Guide to Triathlon Cycling is a

The Complete Guide to

With the right training, gear and

108 HOMEMADE BIKE FUEL

114 THE WEEKEND WARRIOR

8 I THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO TRIATHLON CYCLING

MUST-DO BIKE LEGS

Over 1,500 professional and age-group

Exmoor National Park is home to a race

10 I THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO TRIATHLON CYCLING

MUST-DO BIKE LEGS

Though only in its fifth year, many triathletes

There are three distances available 400m

12 I THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO TRIATHLON CYCLING

MUST-DO BIKE LEGS

Complete your first challenge taming the

There are four distances to choose from

IMAGES TRIATHLON.ORG/JANOS SCHMIDT

ROAD BIKE ANATOMY

Connects the saddle to the bike. Is

Connects the handlebars to the

The part of the

16 I THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO TRIATHLON CYCLING

TRI BIKE ANATOMY

Hold onto in order to

The edge of the wheel. The

Though shallow rims pictured here,

Most commonly found on tri bikes, the brakes

Connect the front wheel

MANGO POINT R R460 SHIMANO TIAGRA 569.99 WWW.MANGOBIKES.CO.UK

18 I THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO TRIATHLON CYCLING

ango Bikes were started by two

Its disappointing that the bike is only available

Overall, the Point R is superb for the money,

Limited sizing available for fine-tuning position, but

Size tested Medium

FRAME AND FORKS

FUJI NORCOM STRAIGHT 2.5 1,900 WWW.EVANSCYCLES.COM

t doesnt matter how aerodynamic, light

The Fuji Norcom is

20 I THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO TRIATHLON CYCLING

The head tube on the Norcom Straight 2.5,