TRIATHLON CYCLING III

In previous parts we spoke about triathlon cycling and mentioned about Coggan’s research done on cycling.  He has charts done on all kind of cyclists so he can calculate a profile for a specific race.

30 août 2012 TRIATHLON BICYCLING II

“Taking the above example, our competitors are trained to be in a peloton. Being in the peloton is similar in required abilities to a criterium race for somebody competing in a triathlon Olympic format.  This competitor with such abilities is also called all-rounder competitor by Coggan.  Yes, we need a all-rounder cyclist for triathlon at a competitive level. Please read, 27 août 2012 Triathlon Bicycling.  We need to train for that purpose if we want to be in the peloton.”

How can we have a profile if we do not have power meters?  There are some charts developed for trainers that are useful.  They are calculated to be used in flat roads and give insight about the watts used during a time trial.  It is different when drafting, but we can do the testing; and if the male cyclist is able to average 41k per hour in a 20k ride, the competitor is ready to ride with the peloton.  Oops! Except that he needs to generate 900 watts for 5 seconds several times and recuperates in order to be able to run after the bike.  That is why the ironman competitors say that the peaks, normally more than 15 during the race, call for a different type of training for an ITU race.