Sprint Tri Bike leg strategy: What do you do?

Sprints, just like a 5K, pretty much hurt like he11 the whole way.  

As you said, with a few years of solid base/experience and Oly and HIM's under your belt.  You should be able to hold on 50 minutes or so.

Have you done a similar size duathlon? (5k or less for run 1) About the same as that if you went after it there. For me this should be at 95% threshold or better, depending on how good I'm feeling that day.

yes I have , but it was early on in my tri training (3 years ago) so I like to think I have a little more experience and more fitness now to compare . Back then I think I was not too serious about it also.

Thanks for the input.....I guess I will just hammer away except for the last .5 miles or so and HTFU on the run and try to get a good time.

My wife is funny because she says "Why are you doing this race? this should be a piece of cake"....not realizing that though a sprint, many people "redline" the effort compared to the bigger distances...thanks I will report back, especially if the stars align properly and I get a podium.

Thanks

I ran one this past Sunday (my first ever) and ended up really wishing I would have pushed harder on the bike.  I came into T2 feeling like I'd lefts some time out there on the course.

Especially with your experience and it only being 10.5 miles I way get after it and run on the ragged edge.

This is what I'm trying tomorrow; after all, it's a sprint.  Pretty much a C race, and I just want to see what I can do over a short course.

For me anything under 12 miles bike is ALL-OUT and as my coach says:

"If you are not in pain - you are not going hard enough"!!

Oh and this is also for the swim and run if its is a sprint. Basically the whole race is ALL-OUT!

This is good advice.  I don't like the idea of 'spinning' over the last 1/2mi (or whatever) of the bike.  Or, I should say, I like it when the competition does that.  If you need to do that, you rode too hard.  If you don't need to do that, you just lost a few more seconds.  The only time to spin or coast is for safety reasons as you approach transition.

Shane: can you do it for me and use my name? our secret....Thanks for info, always making sense

Since I've never had a sprint as my A race I usually go pretty much all out because if I die on the run it doesn't matter (hasn't happened yet).  But it is like a 5k and I generally do not like 5k's.  They HURT!  I much prefer a longer race but sprints are fun but painful.

Go for it!

Duane

I have a sprint tomorrow and still thinking about my strategy.  Biking is my strength, running is my weakness.  Beyond weakness. My running is a big pile of pooo.

My focus tomorrow is swimming and biking.  I'm going to go all out on the swim and my goal run pace is 8:30.  Run is 4.5 miles, so slightly longer than typical sprint.  Just not sure what to do on the bike. Historically I averaged 22-23 mph, but thinking about dialing back to 20mph so I have a better run.  I'm not really good at bike pacing so having a target average may be good practice.  

This race is just part of my training for HIM in August. 

In a sprint race I am absolutely pegged. Flat out.

My friend Dave Koesel once described the experience as "feathering the throttle against redline".

this is exactly what i do

Basically a sprint is a huge sufferfest.  I've only done 2 but I know how to suffer and do so accordingly.

On the bike it is between 30-40 minutes depending on length, so this is an above threshold effort usually.  You will feel the burn in the legs if your'e doing it right.  Basically, you should be going at an effort that you barely think you can hold for "just 5 more minutes" despite you having to hold it for 30 or more minutes... mentally this is what you need to be thinking.. just 5 more minutes I can do it.  It is possible to overcook the bike (I think I did slightly), but as long as you don't sprint out the last bit (like in a standalone TT) you should have enough in the tank to hit the 5k.

The first mile of the 5k is going to feel like your legs are made of jelly.. I usually have to ward of cramps, but once I get the legs turning over properly you should be able to run within a couple minutes of your open 5k time.  It's going to hurt so be mentally prepared to SUFFER!