This is the third article in a series of four articles that focus on off-season training for triathletes.  As I noted in previous articles, the off-season is the perfect time to work on your sport specific weakness, incorporate some strength training, and take care of any nagging injuries.  The following article will focus on specific cycling training that can be done during the off-season in an effort of build a solid foundation heading into next season.  Specifically, this article will focus on alternative forms of cycling, technique work, and proper bike fit.

The off-season is the perfect time for each of us to take some down time away from the daily or weekly grind of training.  However, most of us continue to have the desire to maintain our fitness, in fear that we may lose our gains from the previous season or simply because we enjoy working out.  While there is certainly nothing wrong with continuing to train, the risks of injury and mental burnout are very real and thus changing up your routine is invaluable.  Thus, the off-season is the perfect time to incorporate alternative forms of cycling in an effort to keep our training fresh while providing associated benefits

One of the best examples of this is mountain biking.  This form of riding can not only be incredibly fun but it also provides an excellent way to improve on our bike handling skills and can improve our ability to respond to short powerful efforts.  Along these same lines are the use of single speed bikes, which can substantially improve our pedaling efficiency and cadence.  Finally, getting out and doing some group rides with the “roadies” is another excellent way for us to enjoy the social side of our sport while still getting a great workout.

Too often triathletes fail to recognize the importance of technique work while cycling.  The thought is that we simply just have to pedal our legs around and thus the technique is pretty basic.  However, if we were to do a pedal stroke analysis of most cyclists we would find that most of us are pretty inefficient because we do not provide continual power to the pedal and often the power we apply is done at the wrong time.  In addition, cadence efficiency varies dramatically from one rider to the next (just compare Lance Armstrong’s 110 + rpms to Jan Ulrich’s 60 rpm’s) and we each must determine the cadence that is most efficient for us.  An excellent method of doing this is by using a heart rate monitor, power meter, and trainer.  While maintaining a constant speed vary your cadence and watch your HR response.  You may find that by simply increasing your cadence by 10 rpms your HR may actually drop thus making you more efficient.  However, it must also be noted that sometimes these changes in efficiency occur over a period of time and only through specific training, therefore the data changes may not be immediate.  When making changes to your cadence it is important that you work with your coach to determine what cadence best suits your riding style and level of fitness.  Some simple drills that can be performed on a regular basis include the use of high cadence spinning intervals (make sure you stay stable in the saddle and do not bounce during these interval sessions) and single legged drills (these are great drills for developing a smooth complete pedal stroke).

Without a doubt the sport of triathlon is geared around the use of high dollar equipment.  As athletes we are all looking for that piece of equipment that will make us faster and more efficient.  Thus, each and every year, triathletes spend countless dollars on the use of aero wheels, helmets, bikes, etc.  However, despite the fact that we will all drop literally thousands of dollars into our bikes we often shudder at the thought of spending a couple of hundred dollars to get a professional bike fit.  Unfortunately, the reality is that no amount of money will make you faster unless you are properly fit and comfortable on your bike.  Thus, perhaps the most important thing that each of us can do during the off-season is get fit by a professional bike fit expert.  Try to find a fit specialist who understands the specific geometries related to triathlon bikes, understands the types of events that you will be doing (your fit for a sprint distance should be quite different from a fit geared towards an Ironman) and also understands your limitations.  Finally, you must also remember that when a position change takes place it often takes your body a number of rides to adapt to your new position.  Thus, give these changes a bit of time but if you continue to struggle with the fit then make sure you take the time to go back and get readjusted as needed (a good fit specialist understands that sometimes additional changes will be necessary and they should not charge you for these adjustments but be sure to check with them upfront). 

It is important to remember that the off-season training focus should be fun and provide the opportunity for you to recharge your desire to train.  Therefore it is important to get out and do those things that originally motivated you to workout.  Go for a ride with your spouse or your kids, get our on your mountain bike and get away from traffic and just ride for fun, or even take the time to commute to work on your bike (not only will you help maintain your fitness but you can save the environment and money).  In addition, take a little bit of time each week to work on your technique so that when it comes time to get back into your training routine you will be that much more efficient in the saddle.  Finally, take the time to ask your coach or others if they can refer you to a good bike fit specialist.  Now is the time to make these changes so that you have time to adapt to your new position and can focus on your training and racing when the off-season comes to an end and the focus turns to training and racing.