Riding your Triathlon Bike - How Often?

author : FitWerx

comments : 1

I have a MTB, road and a triathlon bike. How often should I train on my tri bike?

Member question from alainbasso

I have a MTB, road and a triathlon bike. How often should I train on my tri bike? Is there a critical time before the race that I should always train in my tri bike instead of the road or mtb bikes?

Answer by Dean Phillips
Lead Fitter FitWerx

Triathletes should train on their tri bikes as much as needed to feel comfortable on race day. That correct amount of time is individual and will vary depending on the type and length of race you’re targeting. Some athletes can ride the tri bike just once per week and feel just fine on race day, while others need to spend nearly all of their time on it as race day nears.

If you feel good on the tri bike and want to just perform one key workout each week on it, then that should be sufficient. Triathletes training for longer races such as Half Ironman and Ironman distances should spend more time on their tri bikes and at a minimum make sure they’re on the tri bike for their key long rides on the weekend. When you’ll be riding in aerobars for several hours at a time on race day you’ll want to make sure you do it as often as you can in training.

The more serious you are about race day performance on the bike, the more you should consider spending more time in the tri bike. Extra time spent on the tri bike is going to make you as efficient as possible in that position. The more relaxed and comfortable you are in that position the better you’ll feel coming off the bike on the run as well. If you’re comfortable riding the tri bike for all your rides, then don’t hesitate to ride it for all your rides. In other words there’s no downside to spending all your time on the tri bike.

If you’re planning on a key triathlon, then at a minimum I’d recommend performing the longer key rides on the tri bike in the month leading up to the race. As race day nears, I recommend riding the tri bike more frequently. The two weeks leading up to the race you should be on the tri bike every ride. For longer races, the time spent solely on the tri bike should be longer as the race day demands are greater.

Many triathletes, including myself, enjoy riding the road and the MTB more in the winter and off-season when the weather is lousy and it’s cold out. I find a road bike is more comfortable when I’m bulked up in cold weather clothing, which tends to make aerobars feel restrictive. 

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date: May 22, 2010