Why Triathletes Should Rethink Standalone Cycle Races as Training

Many recreational triathletes or even, committed age-group competitors will consider doing standalone cycle races as preparation for their triathlon goal events but why do we not see the professionals doing the same thing?

For one thing, it is much simpler for an amateur triathlete to enter a local bike race, pitch up on the day, and give it a go. A professional triathlete, while not being at the level of their cycling counterparts on the bike, is probably too good for their local, neighbourhood road race and will not see much benefit from competing there. Races where they may benefit in the same way that an amateur triathlete would, are out of their reach as far as being able to actually get an entry. At the professional level, cyclists don’t go online and enter top level bike races. Cyclists are paid members of professional teams who are invited to take part in races that make up the professional calendar.

Logistics aside though, are there any other reasons why triathletes should not take part in bike races in order to improve that discipline of triathlon?

Although pedalling is pedalling, the effort required in a triathlon is quite different to that in a bike race. Most amateur triathlons are non-drafting events and require a steady, controlled effort from start to finish. This leans heavily on the aerobic energy system. One which utilises energy to power the muscles at an intensity level where the cardiovascular system is able to keep up with the demands for oxygen and processing of by products that result from that energy metabolism. Simply put, this is an effort that stays below the anaerobic or functional power threshold.

Bike races are run off differently. The pace and effort vary widely depending on the nature of the stretch of road that the bunch is on and what the tactics are in the group. There will be periods of very low intensity for extended lengths of time, interspersed with shorter bursts of extreme efforts, way above the anaerobic threshold. There can also be times where the effort required to stay in the group is around our threshold but these are far less predictable and much more inconsistent than they are in the bike leg of a non-drafting triathlon.

The training for these two types of events is therefore quite different and, as a result, the training effect achieved by racing each type of event is also not the same. A triathlete will concentrate the quality portion of their bike training on steady-state efforts of a fairly long duration with short recovery periods. These interval or tempo rides will be focused on improving FTP or speed and power at or just below the anaerobic threshold. A road cyclist on the other hand, will perform a lot more work in the VO2 training zone (Z5), which is 110-120% of their FTP. Efforts that will require much more recovery time before the next.

Although there are far less time trial events than bunch races on the cycling calendar, the above may suggest that triathletes should rather look for time trials in order to help prepare for the bike leg of a triathlon. Yes and no. The effort in a time trial is obviously steady and well-paced, making it similar to that in a triathlon but, a standalone time trial is ridden at a higher effort level because there is no run afterwards and no swim before, which means it is not exactly as we would approach things in a triathlon.

So, do bike races have no place in a triathletes pre-season calendar?

They can definitely have some benefit but we do need to understand what we are looking for when entering a cycling road race. If we are building time in the saddle and going out on our own for multiple hours is becoming tedious, then signing up for a nice, long bike race, or even joining in at the local bike shop group ride is not a bad idea. Although the cycling is not super-specific to what we will be doing in a triathlon, the time on the road will still have benefit.

We must also remember that we will be riding in a different position on the bike. Possibly even on a completely different bike to the one that we will be racing triathlon on. Most bike races will not allow us to enter on our TT/Triathlon rig and some club training groups may also frown upon us riding on the wheels in our aero position, with our hands far away from our brake levers. So, as long as we are still spending adequate time in our triathlon racing position, allowing the joints and muscles to adapt to spending extended periods of time getting the power through the pedals like that, the odd group ride in a bunch is fine.

On the subject of safety, riding in big bunches has its own share of hazards. Bunch skills are not required in non-drafting triathlons and these are skills that are not easily picked up in a couple of group rides. If we don’t come from a cycling background, which many triathletes do not, and haven’t grown up riding shoulder to shoulder or tight on the wheel in front of us, we are probably better off getting in our miles on our own or in smaller groups of other triathletes.

While bike races can be fun and exciting and a good way to break the monotony of our triathlon training, they are better left to the off-season for a bit of variety and a break from our usual training schedules. As specific preparation for triathlon racing, our time is better spent riding as we do in those races, on our own.