As triathletes, one of the things we have to wrap our minds around is that triathlon must be treated as one sport and not three separate sports thrown together on one day.   Obviously, there are three disciplines – swimming, biking, and running; but each discipline is approached much differently in a triathlon than as individual sports.

In this blog, we are focusing specifically on the bike portion of the triathlon, because that’s where many athletes destroy their race.  In most triathlons, the bike portion of the race is the longest portion, both in distance and in time.  Athlete’s rationalize that since it’s the highest percentage of the race day, then that’s the leg that has to be the best and the fastest.

When a triathlete tells us they had a great bike split, but fell apart on the run, we have to hold our tongues.  We want to say, “No you didn’t.”  There are a plethora of reasons for the run to fall...

When I first started cycling, I was told to pump my tires to 100 psi.  That is a nice round number and easy to remember.  For years that is what I did.  As I was training to Kona qualify, I looked for every opportunity to finish faster.

The bike portion of an Ironman offers the greatest opportunity for time savings because of the duration and the vast array of gear options to gain speed.  I started asking questions about tires, tire pressure, and tubes. 

There are a lot of choices in tires for a lot of good reasons.  Finding the right tire for your race could make a significant difference in your finish time.  The three main factors for deciding on tires include: goals, road conditions, and weather.

If your goal is to finish or to have the most comfortable ride possible, you are not really concerned with speed.  But if your goal is to "shock the world", you are looking for the fastest tires for the road and expected weather.

What makes one...

All endurance sports are exciting to watch - marathons, triathlons, cycling, swimming, cross country skiing, etc.  Hopefully this year, the Tokyo Olympics occur and we will have hours of exciting competition to watch.

One of my favorite competitions to watch each year is the Tour de France.  The cycling season is set to kick off in Australia in a few weeks.  And the Tour will start on June 26th, one week earlier than normal to not interfere with the Olympics.  If it is as exciting as last year, I can't wait.

For those unfamiliar with pro cycling or the Tour, here's a brief tutorial that will hopefully allow you to enjoy and appreciate the sport.

The Tour de France is the world’s largest annual sporting event. It consists of 22 teams of 9 riders totaling 198 cyclists.  Riders cover roughly 2200 miles over 21 stages in the span of 23 days.  The race creates excitement around the world.  Estimates are that 3.5 billon television viewers and over...

You may think that all bikes are the same.  In many ways this is correct.  But, bikes consist of a frame, components, saddle, handlebars/aerobars, gearing, brakes, wheels, and accessories.  The bike frame consists of different materials with different weight, aerodynamics, fueling options, and responsiveness.  Finding the right bike is like picking out a pair of running shoes.  There are so many options to choose from, it is hard to know what to buy.  With shoes, you can buy several pair and often return them if they do not work.  Buying a bike is a commitment and large investment.

Bike Size:

When considering a bike, be sure to purchase a size that works for you.  Bikes are measured based on the height of the top tube measured in centimeters.  Have someone measure from the floor to your crotch while you are barefoot.

For a bike with a level top tube (the bar from the handlebar stem to the seat post), you should have one to two centimeters...