# Doing relay Triathlon 10km cycle.. advice?



## onlineamiga (24 Aug 2011)

Hi,

I've done a lot of long distance cycling. 100km here and there. But I'm participating in a triathlon event where I have to do a 10km sprint. So this is entirely a different ball game to me. I can cycle 10km with out even thinking about it. But to sprint it is tough.

I cycled around the permiter of my town as fast as I could and did it in 22 minutes. And I've been told thats waaaaaay too slow! I wont be using a racer, be using my tour bike, but i can pedal up to over 50kph on it anyway.
The actual 10km will be on a proper circuit (an airport runway actually up and down!)

What sort of times would you more experienced racers expect to get? 

Any other advice how i should do it? Slowly build up the speed, or should i be able to just blast it all guns going?


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## amaferanga (24 Aug 2011)

A decent benchmark for a 10 mile TT for a fit cyclist on a regular road bike (no tri-bars or disc wheels) is 25 minutes which equates to 24mph. So I guess for your 10km something around 15-16 minutes would be good. If your bike is a bit on the lardy side though and you're not really used to riding fast then you'll probably struggle to get anywhere near 16 minutes though.

As for pacing, that takes practice, but you want to get up to speed quickly without going too hard and blowing up.


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## GrumpyGregry (24 Aug 2011)

Sounds like a job for an HRM. You can then wind it up and sit just under your red line before giving it the big one for the last 1km without the risk of having a coronary. (well, with less risk)

and if your team mates tell you 22 mins is too slow for a 10km tt novice tell them to swim or run faster on their legs or ride it themselves.


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## BrumJim (24 Aug 2011)

That's the length of my morning commute. Once a week I push it hard on the main roads rather than stop/start on the canals/parks/cycle tracks.

Hard, but not too hard to start off. Should be able to utter a few words between breaths. Don't speed up too quickly - build up speed gradually and maintain it well. Avoid the pain barrier - you should be comfortable, if working hard.

At half way, keep pushing. At this point your body will be willing you to take a break. From now onwards it is a battle between common sense and a desire to post a good time.

Last few km will be hell, but keep pushing beyond the pain. Think of the target, the end, where you will be able to rest as long as you like. You can push as hard as possible now, and are free to pay later.

And on a good day I have averaged 20 mile/h, not including stopping time, but having to slow down for roundabouts and probably one or two traffic lights.

Then have a fry-up for breakfast afterwards. Or that is my routine anyway.


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## Hacienda71 (24 Aug 2011)

20 mph average would be good 18.5 mins. Cycling on a smooth flat runway will improve your overall time a lot. Don't try to sprint settle into a smooth high cadence and stay on the drops if your tourer has them or get some clip on tri bars to improve your aerodynamic shape, also ride a few k's before you go to get warmth into your muscles some tt riders warm up on a turbo before they start. Pump your tyres to their max. 

I reckon on a TT or Tri specific bike a good time trialer would do it in about 14 to 15 mins a pro even faster.

Good Luck


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## fimm (24 Aug 2011)

10km, not 10 miles, yes?
Anyway, my advice would be the same. Push as hard as you can, and then push harder. You want to get to the end unable to do anything other than stop safely and gasp for breath...

If you've got a rack, mudguards, etc on the bike, and you can get them off without too much hassle, take them off. Save a bit of weight.


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## Rob3rt (26 Aug 2011)

Get out and train, find the point at which you go anaerobic and conk out (within a few mins), you should feel like you are working hard but you shouldnt be in agony, not until near the end. On the day get up to speed asap and then sit on the gear riding just below this threshold. About 1km out, you will be able to survive on mostly anaerobic power, so go as hard as you can possibly maintain for that 1km (not an all out sprint or you'll conk out 200 metres down the road).

When you finish, vomit and then be safe in the knowledge that you pushed as hard as you could.


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## oldroadman (26 Aug 2011)

One thing missing from all the comments - make sure to warm up fully. You should besweating and with an elevated heart rate before the start of your ride. Otherwise the first 4 km will be a painful waste while your body gets up to working temperature.
15 minutes (1-30/km, 40kph) would be a decent ride. A good pro who can time trial a bit would be sub-12 minutes, the best around 11-20, if you want a marker.
All the advice about riding just under threshold is correct, and flogging yourself well into the red for the last km is right as well. The aim is to finish "empty". Enjoy....afterwards!


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## Scoosh (29 Aug 2011)

Hacienda71 said:


> 20 mph average would be good 18.5 mins. Cycling on a smooth flat runway will improve your overall time a lot. Don't try to sprint settle into a smooth high cadence and stay on the drops if your tourer has them or get some clip on tri bars to improve your aerodynamic shape, also ride a few k's before you go to get warmth into your muscles some tt riders warm up on a turbo before they start. Pump your tyres to their max.
> 
> I reckon on a TT or Tri specific bike a good time trialer would do it in about 14 to 15 mins a pro even faster.
> 
> Good Luck



If you don't want to buy




clip-on tri bars, you can try leaning your elbows on the handlebars with your hands in front. I reckon it gives a (slight ?) aero advantage* - but it is a bit wobbly, so try before you do it 'for real'



.

* it makes you _think_ you are going faster anyway





... provided you don't wobble too much


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## Rob3rt (29 Aug 2011)

scoosh said:


> If you don't want to buy
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Wouldnt be doing that at the sort of effort you would be at in a TT, lol! Cruising yes, at threshold, **** that!

At the very least the bars are a bite plate for the pain!


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## onlineamiga (30 Aug 2011)

Guys, thank you so much for the advice  Yes its 10 kilometers. (Down in Gibraltar we dont use miles here ) haha. Will let you know how i get on!


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## frank9755 (30 Aug 2011)

Rob3rt said:


> Wouldnt be doing that at the sort of effort you would be at in a TT, lol! Cruising yes, at threshold, **** that!
> 
> At the very least the bars are a bite plate for the pain!



Invisible aero bars! A very cheap and flexible accessory and one much used by pros in events where aerobars are not allowed. 

Once you've got the hang of balancing, it's fine to do it going flat out, bikes being are more stable at higher speeds, but you do need to watch the road closely for bumps...!


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## Angelfishsolo (31 Aug 2011)

I love the idea of a reply triathlon. I have not come across them before. Best of luck with it


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## VamP (31 Aug 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> I love the idea of a *reply* triathlon. I have not come across them before. Best of luck with it



Is this where you get to reply verbally, in writing and, as the decider, telepathically?


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## Angelfishsolo (31 Aug 2011)

VamP said:


> Is this where you get to reply verbally, in writing and, as the decider, telepathically?



Bloody spell checker


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## oldroadman (31 Aug 2011)

scoosh said:


> If you don't want to buy
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Don't do it - it's daft and most amateurs/some pros can't do it safely. The slightest bump/irregularity in the road surface sees you in dnager of ending up on the tarmac. The advantage is negligible at the standard you mention - more power in the legs and lungs/heart is far more crucial.
Whare's the race? Round Gibraltar? Is the tunnel open again?


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## fimm (31 Aug 2011)

I only discovered very recently that there are actually two kinds of relay triathlon. One is the kind the OP is doing, where one person swims, hands over to another person to do the cycling, and the cyclist hands over to a third person who does the run. 

The other kind (which I've only recently heard of) involves 4 people; the first person off does a (relatively short) swim, then bike, then run, then hands over to the second person who swims, cycles, runs, and hands over to the third person... you get the idea.


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## Arsen Gere (31 Aug 2011)

And there is another type of 4 man relay... http://www.clevelandtriathlon.co.uk/


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## oldroadman (2 Sep 2011)

So there are many types of pointless race? Ordinary tri (for people who are decent at one discipline and average at two) I can see why, relay where each person "specialises" in a discipline I can see why, but all the other stuff? Odd! Still, if it makes people happy and helps them get/keep fit, why not?


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## Flying_Monkey (2 Sep 2011)

oldroadman said:


> Don't do it - it's daft and most amateurs/some pros can't do it safely.



Absolutely. There's no way you want to take pointless risks at the speeds you should be going for this kind of race.


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