General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Which bike workout will get me better results? Rss Feed  
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2010-05-12 11:02 AM

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Subject: Which bike workout will get me better results?
Which bike workout is better to concentrate on in the near term - a shorter course that is mostly hills (has both long gradual and short steep hills) or a longer ride (double the distance) that is mostly flat?  I feel like time is running out before my race in 6 weeks and I want to get the most out of my limited training time until then.


2010-05-12 11:05 AM
in reply to: #2853885

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Subject: RE: Which bike workout will get me better results?
Why not rotate between courses to mix it up.  Is your race flat or hilly?  Just because your course is flat, it doesn't mean some hills won't help...and vice versa.
2010-05-12 11:06 AM
in reply to: #2853885

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Champion
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Subject: RE: Which bike workout will get me better results?
what are you racing on?

Without going into zones and all that, the basic gist - practice on the kinds of conditions you'll race... that'll make you faster in the race itself.
2010-05-12 11:11 AM
in reply to: #2853898

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Subject: RE: Which bike workout will get me better results?

How will you treat the mostly flat course?  Do some race pace, gear up and push, etc.  Just because it's flat, doesn't mean it's easy.   If you choose the right gear you can actually stand and "climb" on a flat course.  You just need to go a few gears harder before you stand up.

I'd hit the longer course, unless you race is very hilly.  But don't relax on it.

2010-05-12 11:16 AM
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Subject: RE: Which bike workout will get me better results?
tri808 - 2010-05-12 12:05 PM Why not rotate between courses to mix it up.  Is your race flat or hilly?  Just because your course is flat, it doesn't mean some hills won't help...and vice versa.


x2 depends on the course you'd be racing.
2010-05-12 11:18 AM
in reply to: #2853885

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Subject: RE: Which bike workout will get me better results?
Assuming you can recover from each, the one in which you do the most work.  If you ride shorter, ride harder.  If you ride longer, ride easier.  If you can handle it, ride longer and harder.  The terrain only matters in that it may force you to ride harder at times (i.e., whether you want to ride harder or not, you need to get up that hill).


2010-05-12 11:24 AM
in reply to: #2853885

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Subject: RE: Which bike workout will get me better results?

Thanks for the advice.  The race has one medium sized hill and is mostly flat otherwise.  I just feel my legs get a better workout on the hilly course I train and my heartrate goes higher but maybe I'm just not pushing hard enough on the longer, flat ride.

2010-05-12 11:48 AM
in reply to: #2853964

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Subject: RE: Which bike workout will get me better results?
Personally, when faced with an "either-or" choice in workouts, I choose to work my weakness.  On the bike, that means hills.
2010-05-12 12:32 PM
in reply to: #2853885

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Subject: RE: Which bike workout will get me better results?
First I would say make sure you can cover the distance without question, if you fatigue towards the end, you need to keep working on your base, so the longer ride will probably prove more beneficial. 

If you are comfortable with the distance, start working in some hills or pushing the pace on the flats, as mentioned above, just because you are on a flat does not mean you cannot work harder than on hills, its all about gearing and boils down to power. 

Take the long ride for example.  You could start out slower for the first section and build through your ride focusing on getting up to race intensity.  This will get you used to your HR steadying out as you are racing. 
2010-05-12 12:41 PM
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Subject: RE: Which bike workout will get me better results?
I'd offer a third alternative. I've found that I get the best bang for my time by incorporating two structured interval workouts into my routine. When I do the Carmichael Training Time Trial video workout of 3x 5 minute maximum efforts with 5 minutes rest in between followed by 12 minutes of a tempo interval (85% or so of max) I get significant improvement in my 40k tt times. I can then go out and enjoy my weekend rides on whatever route I feel like riding on the weekends.

Just a thought.

2010-05-12 12:45 PM
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Subject: RE: Which bike workout will get me better results?
Dlaxman31 - 2010-05-12 10:16 AM

tri808 - 2010-05-12 12:05 PM Why not rotate between courses to mix it up.  Is your race flat or hilly?  Just because your course is flat, it doesn't mean some hills won't help...and vice versa.


x2 depends on the course you'd be racing.


Well, you can always simulate hills by increasing your intensity on the flats. I look at my route based on the workout I am planning on doing. If I am riding jst a basic aerobic effort, I'll ride hills for some variabilty of that effort, if I am looking to do sustained aerobic effotsat a specific intensity or tempo/speed work, a flat course is much better.


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