Triathlon Training: Do You Really Need Long Bike Rides? | Tri To Disagree

[@gtn]

Do long bike rides have a place in your training plan? 🚴

[@andrewmcalister3462]

My Saturday 3-4 hour ride is an important part of my mental health.

[@nathanielyoung3479]

Same

[@gtn]

That's more than enough of a reason to get those rides in 🙌

[@marcuswills6569]

For me, James hit the nail on the head in the last few seconds. I simply ride my bike at the weekend because I enjoy it and I can spend some time with friends. Its the only time of the week where my training is completely unstructured, no zones, no specified time/distance, just go out and enjoy riding your bike. Fundamentally, that's why we do Triathlon.

[@gtn]

It's a great point! You have to keep things fun, we do this sport because we love it🙌 Long bike rides are a great way to clear the head and get some miles in the legs

[@DigininjaRobin]

I did my first IM on a couple of 70.3 rides and one 100 km. The IM bike was horrible, I was uncomfortable and completely messed up my fuelling. For my second I didn't do loads of long rides, but I did some, topping out at 100 miles. These helped me work out how and what to eat which made a big difference. I also sorted out pacing, I knew what I got round the 100 miles at so used that as a guide As part of a bike fit I changed my saddle and I knew that was good for the distance. I think the biggest thing I got from the long rides was the knowledge that I could do the distance and feel comfortable at the end of it after all the changes. So I don't think you need to do loads of them, just enough to know you can do the distance and know how to do the distance.

[@fikathlon]

I agree, the psychological feeling that you know you can ride the distance really helped me.

[@Thezuule1]

My long rides are a lot less about training and a lot more about exploring around and enjoying myself in my free time. Yes, I need them. Not everything needs to be a means to a PR in a race. I'm just happy to be out on the bike. Love my long rides. I'll do them three times a week if I have time.

[@patrickflanagan317]

I'm middle aged and done a 360 km 5000m race three times.Ive won my age group twice. I ride every day HITTs, Threshold and just Tempo no more than 60 km each. My mate did long training rides,well over 150 km for the same events but reckoned he sufferd because of them. In the end I thought it all came down to nutrition and saving energy and boy I was broken at the end of each event 😂

[@hynekjanousek7887]

I am 48, I did 9:25 IM in Hamburg a year ago. Reflecting on my past experience I think it is not an either or question. Slowly getting to easy 3 hours at the end of winter and early spring is ok. If you go earlier you will alway be home some time before family lunch. 5 or over 5 hour sessions are important only in the last phase of preparation where you can also sacrifice some family time. So a couple of 4 hours, a couple of 5 plus rides is enough, if you have good threshold. As soon as you get to comfortably doing one or two of them, introduce intervals in your race and above race pace and ramp them up as you progress. My favorite is 5min IMpace - 5min Half IM pace - 5min Olympic Triathlon pace - 5min rest, several times over. Followed by a brick run, because 30m-1 hour of running will not make much difference, you have sacrificed the whole day by cycling anyway). I usually start with doing 2 of these and end up doing 6 sets and I start with 6O m of IM pace in the very last sessions. Since the race day is getting near it is easy to get motivated for these. So you do not need longer rides but you do need to prepare for them (and you need plenty of rest to avoid overtraining, these are the main sessions of the last phase, and I train to prepare for this training :-) ). So I think I do about 8-10 longer rides, about 4 just easy and 4-6 with intervals (I could do less, about 6 to feel confident, but I like longer rides).

[@ricardor890]

This would depend on the size of the bike leg , the position you are prepared to accept at the end of the ride. I could happily do 3 hour rides and I could compete quite well out to a 120km bike leg. Then if I did ironmen I would need to extend my long ride out too 6 hours every 3rd weekend and have the other weekends 3 too 4 hours long depending upon the intensity of the workout, and this change as too the time period until the race and the length of the run after the bike. Fatigue is an important thing too train for, in preparation for the race, as well a nutrition, hydration and the experimenting with different patterns of consumption of product. In the 1990's I did alot of long slow riding with speed and heart rate caps, which increased the time on the bike, as the years moved on I moved away from this method and my race performance suffered and when I returned back to this method my race times improved. I think this can be an individual thing for myself as I know others who used the shorter for intense efforts and we both achieved a similar outcome Preparation is everything, as a individual for a acceptable outcome........

[@tinyrunner88]

I focus on short distance but still do longish bike rides (2.5-3.5 hours) every week. Although the bike leg is only 40km, the total time I'm racing is over 2 hours so I think it makes sense to do sessions of a similar length of time.

[@DavidFritzIII]

James… im never wasting my Saturday if I am out on the bike with a smile on my face :) The long ride is so great for my mental health and probably the most fun part of cycling. I’ll get more gains if I’m doing something that makes me happy even if I could probably have gotten more “gains” with a bit more structure and or focus…

[@JIMMYHIBBS1]

Gave up long rides (except for actual long ride events) last year, and focused on more regular shorter (actually on the rollers) last year, and never felt better ... 45 mins on the rollers is 45 minutes actually riding, whereas half a road ride is rolling down hills, stopping at traffic lights, etc ... done many a 100 mile since, and not noticed any difference ... worked on getting more efficient, so that the bulk of my long rides is done with less effort

[@nothingnew765]

I totally agree. Indoor all the way, as long as you have the technical skills for open road cycling.

[@mattnelson5925]

Yes, I think you can race long distances without training at a longer distance. One's enjoyment and mental health aside for now, my thought is that if you want to show up on race day and perform well, you must regularly be able to do 75% of race distance during training. If you want to struggle through the distance, any training will do.

[@lwittrock1]

There is a a need to do the distance but agree not continuously or all that frequently. The benefits go beyond simply proving you can do the distance. Given the time it takes to complete a long ride, helps you better plan your hydration and nutrition needs on the bike, among other things, like learning very quickly if your bike is set up correctly for you, and is your kit the right kit to keep you comfortable the entire distance. When I trained, and still do for a big race, I include a long ride, maybe once in a month. Once you've your reached a certain level of fitness, experience, you can do less long rides and even eliminate them, although it depends on your comfort level, experience, etc. For newbies I definitely encourage a long ride while building your skills, experience, etc., while learning and growing If you want to compete at your best and if you want to be competitive.

[@MatheMattical]

These segments are really good. I know some of the arguments for/against probably go against what each host honestly thinks, but I think it’s valuable, because you hear those arguments made everywhere on the internet. Good to put some of them to rest! Or good to hear that what used to be the “right way” has been disproven

[@dans1n]

Hated the 5/6 hour rides in the run up to IM Wales last year, but once on the course and seeing people dropping like flies, realised they were necessary for that event. For a relatively flat IM course I’m not sure weekly 100+ mile rides would be needed

[@דולבקרני-ר6ש]

Question for the next time: should the distances of triathlon should be changed? Shorter distances or maybe making the swim a bit longer and the cycling a bit shorter?

[@ianmackerness5966]

The swim should definitely be longer and more in proportion to the bike and run, even standard distance should be 2k,40k,10k, good swimmers lose out, with slower swimmers being able to draft of them and benefit from wetsuits further erode any time advantages they can make.

[@mikekent9488]

I love this. Thanks for sharing

[@MR-wh5wp]

I used to love long rides but then they turned into a grind. I think it depends where u live and who u share the miles with. Maybe one day ill enjoy them again. Ps, i enjoy these chats. Keep them coming

[@elisabethkilcourse1412]

What about if you are only racing sprint and Olympic distance?

[@andrecrispim3209]

who doesn't need a 5h ride on a sunday?! if its not for mental health, then its for strava trophies😁

[@MaxHeadspace9mm]

All I can say is that my fastest Ironman and my fastest shorter time trials happened when I did a 100 miler every Saturday all summer.

[@21irishace]

I’d like to see an episode done on workouts based on heart rate vs perceived effort.

[@3Max]

I love the debate format. I don't have a specific idea for the topic of argument, but it'd be really fun to see more where the two presenters genuinely disagree :)

[@sebastienbrochard9812]

Had about 5-6 rides increasing from 4 to 6 hr to prep my first IM, in the last 8-10 week leading to it ... just nice ! ☺️

[@DaveStecker]

What are your thoughts on planning a 2-3 hour ride the day following a high intensity bike workout. Say, doing 8-10 intervals of at least 150% FTP, and then the next day try to hold a steady pace for 2-3 hours. Seems like the fatigue you’d be cycling through could be similar to the tail end of a long distance ride and it would mentally challenge you because you’re half broken from yesterday. Less time, same suck?!?

[@jonfreelove]

I’m currently starting to get into triathlon training but the only use of bike I have at the moment is the stationary bike at my gym do think this would still be ok to train with for now

[@DavidBiggins]

Hullo! I'm doing an organised gym reverse super-sprint triathlon soon (2.5km run, 10km bike and 400m swim) and I'm not sure how to handle my nutrition as most of the advice focuses on fuelling longer events. If I sprint a 2.5km run, is there any benefit in taking some carb (e.g., a 40G Carb Gel) at the start of the bike to make sure I'm not dead by the swim or am I better to just focus on my water intake. I get confused because surely sprinting will empty my glycogen stores, but I'm not sure if the gel will act fast enough to make a difference in replacing them. Currently can do 2.5km run in 10 minutes, and a 10km bike ride in 19 minutes (all on gym machinery) and the swim in 6.30. I'll be having a porridge and fruit breakfast in the morning and a big carb meal the night before but any other advice would be greatly appreciated! #GTNcoachescorner

[@matthewcreelman1347]

For me, the thing at the end brings up the more relevant question: if I really like going for a long run or ride on the weekend for its own sake, where do I set the upper limit?

[@Underdog_Triathlete]

#TriToDisagree Oh, here’s one I’d love to hear you talk more about! The fabled 40-hour training week: does it actually exist, or are the pros just bluffing to intimidate the competition (and us mere mortals)?

[@paulcartridge845]

The discription should have read "Do you really need long bike rides to complete an Ironman event". It would have been great to hear what you would consider a long ride for Sprint, Olyimpic , 70.3. You only talked about ironman distance events. You could have talked more about all distances. eg Olyimpic 60-80km or 2-3hrs?

[@TheLolexxx]

Hey Gtn, 2 years ago, after 4 months of running traning, got myself to 1:50 half marathon, injured my shoulder and just stoped running.. fast forward 2 years of only gym, i am preparing for my first 70.3. Do you think it will take me 4 month again to get to 5min/km pace or this time it can go faster cus of all biking and swimming? 6'2 205 lbs All the best! 🎉

[@ScottWaltonDev]

The long ride isn’t to simulate races, it’s to improve your aerobic capacity. If you’re doing a sprint tri then a 2 hour easy spin can be your “long ride.” It also builds training volume without destroying you.

[@danielgeorge1065]

Hi i am training for 70.3 swansea and all is going well but my swim has plateaued and I can’t seem to break 2:05/100m for a 1.9km swim distance any tips thanks?

[@xosece]

not a triathlon athlete, but maybe consistency (with some resting days in between) is more important than how long you run and ride.

[@billcodey1430]

Can you comfortably race a half or full ironman with only zwift cycling training? Discuss!

[@jamiefuhrman403]

LCB did a 6 week stint of pretty much exclusively training on Zwift leading up to Kona

[@hayabusa27]

We all come up with excuses on what is best but everyone agrees long rides are fun. I for one prefer to ride my bike at least 8 hours on my weekends off, longer than that is perfect. If I can be on my bike 24 hours I would. I love my bike. All the other parts of life, eating, family, work are nonsense.

[@stephaniedannenberg901]

You guys left out doing your brick sessions after long rides! Nothing simulates the fatigue of the legs and body than after a long ride in the saddle. I really need the longer rides, 6+ hours, because it comes down to figuring out what's comfortable on the bike and what's not, making sure your not compensating incorrectly.

[@SBoots29]

I would be in the camp of at least one long ride a week to simulate position, Nutrition, fatigue , management, and any other race related questions you would be able to figure out. I am the type that mixes up all my training and it works for me. @ coaches corner. Question: I would like to see debated is SOCKS or NO Socks. Time wasted putting on in transition, comfort, Aero socks, and any other information. Although a small topic this is something that one could waste a lot of time with. Maybe not too much for this old age grouper, but I need all the time savings I can get. Cheers

[@TriDM972]

#gtncoachescorner Hello. I have a question about easy workouts. Everyone talks about hard training weeks, but almost no one talks about easy weeks. Tell me, what kind of workouts, volumes, and loads should be performed during an easy week. Thank you.

[@justsumtriduuude]

Have the discipline to not stop for the cafe stop

[@kerrynball2734]

Not every weekend. But once a month if you can.

[@dsd6538]

How else should you be able to maintain strong bike pace in a race when you did not practice this load in training? 😛

[@PureNRG2]

For me, my long ride is a lot about hinder training.

[@johnbrumbaugh83]

Because I enjoy a long ride on a nice day...

[@StewTri]

Love these, but can you find topics you do totally disagree on….

[@ironman140.6]

Mark has not done an Ironman and is not trained for an Ironman and therefore not aware of the benefits. One is the huge mental aspect. Long rides outweigh short training sessions.

[@levbobrov1398]

Well, I guess technically you are right, because Norseman is not an Ironman. 😂

[@jimjamthebananaman1]

@@levbobrov1398and Norseman is about 10 times harder than the average Ironman

[@coleg7876]

I think the point here is there are ways to be successful with or without consistent very long rides. I think Mark, a former professional triathlete at the Olympic and 70.3 distances and triathlon coach, is likely aware of the benefits of long rides. Also, they randomly selected who would argue each side so I’m thinking he’s not against long rides, merely pointing out you can race long without riding 6 hours every weekend.

[@levikamado9608]

Yoo

[@leighcarey7778]

These tri to disagree segments are awful. Just making up stuff to provide a counter argument. Would work alot better if the topic had genuine counter arguments that had merit.