How to Get the Best from Your Bike

With the Asia-Pacific racing season drawing near, there's more to cycling than miles on the roads.

If you're at the dawn of your triathlon career, there's a key set of tenets that'll help get the best out of your bike with summer racing on the horizon. Andrew Mackay from Auckland-based Boost Coaching, a former professional, breaks it down for this second installment in his beginner's series. (Don't miss the first: Are You Ready for the Swim Start?)

Get That Bike Fit

Before you even venture out on the road, it’s important to invest in a bike fit. If you buy a new bike, most good bike shops will offer a full fitting. It’s worth its weight in gold to ensure you are comfortable and avoid injury for the many hours you will be on the bike. 

Even if you've had a comprehensive bike fit before, it’s worth getting it checked because things do change. Evaluate how your feel on your bike and don’t be afraid to tweak your set-up as you go.

Build Bike Mileage

Build the number of hours on your long ride gradually. Ideally you want to be riding for at least three hours, building gradually over the coming weeks. For the novice IRONMAN athlete, "time in the saddle" is invaluable; especially if you'll be enduring what could be up to eight hours of riding during your race. Building those miles gradually will be far less daunting than leaving it until race day calls for you to cover that 180km.

Even if the bike course on your planned event is flat, make sure you mix up the terrain in training, including hill reps which help build strength. Sessions can be out on the road or on the wind trainer.

Practice Nutrition While You Train

On race day, getting your nutrition right is vital. As a first-timer it’s important to practice your fueling plan on long rides in particular. The earlier you begin test-driving your nutritional needs, the more time you give yourself to fine tune. If you’re not sure what you should be eating or how much, it’s well worth a visit to a sports nutritionist to get some guidelines.

Run Off the Bike

It's important to run off your bike at least once or twice a week. This doesn’t have to be a long run at the beginning of your training—just 10 to 15 minutes. It will train your legs early on to know what’s expected of them come those long training days and, of course, on race day. As you progress with your program you will find those runs off the bike become longer.

Keep Your Bike in Good Condition

As you begin to build up the miles on your bike, make sure you look after it. Check your brakes and cables regularly and don’t try cutting corners by riding on worn tires which can be dangerous. Check all your bike equipment regularly and if you are riding in the dark, make sure you have a light and safety clothing so that other road users can see you. Safety out on the road is of paramount importance.

As a first-timer, don't venture out on the bike after dark. If your training has been compromised, then stick to the wind trainer and get the most from your sessions by understanding your heart-rate zones. 

Threshold Wind-Trainer Test

Before you start this session make sure your heart-rate monitor is working properly and that you hit the lap button as you progress through the test.

15 min easy riding

3 x 1 min fast pedaling 100 rpm, 1 min rest

5 mins easy riding

5 mins maximum effort

10 mins easy

20 mins time trial at 100% effort

10 mins easy warm down.

Originally from: http://ap.ironman.com/triathlon-news/articles/2013/09/get-the-best-from-your-bike.aspx#ixzz2g0F7bmE2