The business end of our season downunder is upon us.
At the end of this month the Australian Triathlon
Series is wrapped up and the final Australian team
named for the Triathlon World Championships in Canada
in June. The Australian Ironman also is only just
around the corner. Over the years MSC has had athletes
represent at many championship races and this year
is no different with some of the experienced campaigners
going around again but also a handful of first time
competitors lining up also. The key with this sport
is to hang in there and you will find a progression
from season to season.
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The experts tell up the magic number is 7 years - that is
7 years of consistent, smart and progressive
systematic training and you will find your
endurance potential - to some wanting a quick
fix this can be a scary number but the need
to encompass this sport or any endurance pursuit
as a lifestyle means that the time will pass
quite quickly if you make it fun and are realistic
with your expectations and actually make the
process enjoyable.
"Never, Never,
Never Quit!" - Winston Churchill, British
prime minister during World War II
Train smart
Nick |
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MSC has a masters training feature in the current
edition if Australian Triathlete magazine. The article
can be downloaded from the MSC home page or the hard
copy of the magazine is available at newsagents now
MSC and Incline
Sports form Alliance
Incline Sports and Multisport Consultants have formed
an alliance that will see a number of joint initiatives
take place over the next 12 months. Training camps,
clinics and event management are but a few projects
in the planning stages - not to mention some great
discounts and savings for all MSC squad athletes for
the various products that Incline Sport distributes.
Peter Nimmo - Managing Director of Incline is pleased
to me working with MSC and Nick and together have
the aim to introduce some innovative concepts to the
multisport market place.
Accelerade Gel special exclusive for MSC squad athletes
24 box of gels
- Chocolate
- Vanilla
- Citrus Orange
Normally
$84.00
With MSC coaches partnership – now
$55.00
delivered.
(email
Nick
if you want to purchase and you will be put in contact
with Incline Sports to proceed with your purchase)
Below is a description of the Infinite Nutrition specialised
formulas available to MSC athletes as discount rates
GOING LONG is designed for events
lasting longer than 4 hours such as Ironman- and half-Ironman-distance
triathlons, long bicycle road races and other such
long endurance events and workouts. In a 20-ounce
serving GOING LONG offers high carbohydrate (246 kcal/20
ounces), a blend of multiple sugars shown to increase
carbohydrate uptake, 20 kcal from whey protein and
branched chain amino acids, an 11:1 ratio of carb
to protein, and 402mg of sodium. All of this plus
an osmolality of less than 300. It is recommended
to take 20 to 30 ounces per hour in very long events
and workouts.
Was $ 49.95 NOW $ 24.95 plus
postage flat $7.00
HEAT MIX is the drink for those
hot days when you are racing or training for up to
4 hours. Its low osmolality, 5 % carbohydrate concentration
ensures quick and easy transfer of nutrients to the
working muscles without upsetting your stomach. Electrolytes
(307mg sodium in 20 ounces) are added to replace what
you are rapidly losing. By leaving out protein, amino
acids, antioxidants and caffeine it gives you just
the results you need in the heat. Suggestedserving
is 20-30 ounces per hour during hot workouts and races
lasting up to 4 hours.
Was $ 49.95 NOW $ 24.95 plus
postage flat $7.00
RECOVER
blended with 16 ounces of fruit juice, one serving
of fruit, and a handful of ice provides everything
you need to lower post-workout body acidity while
quickly replenishing
glycogen stores, electrolytes, branched chain amino
acids and antioxidants. With a 5:1 carbo-to-protein
ratio, it's a great tasting and healthy way to start
the recovery process after training or racing. Athletes
are recommended to use RECOVER within 30 minutes
after all long and/or intense workouts and races.
Was $ 49.95 NOW $ 24.95 plus
postage flat $7.00
SHORT & FAST
is to be used in sprint-distance triathlons, bicycle
criteriums, and other highly intense events and
workouts lasting less than 90 minutes. With a 7%
carbohydrate blended from 3 sugar sources, this
drink will get to your muscles quickly without causing
gastric distress. Its low electrolyte level and
absence of amino acids also makes it easy on the
stomach. Caffeine (200mg/20 ounces) works as a muscle
stimulant to encourage quick and explosive movement.
Suggested serving is to drink 16 to 24 ounces of
SHORT & FAST per hour during highly intense
workouts and races.
Was $ 49.95 NOW $ 24.95 plus
postage flat $7.00
Fluid Energizer
- Lemon Lime or Orange
Mark Allen's Fluid Energizer was designed with an
exclusive blend of carbohydrates containing a high
percentage of eGrip-Glucose that will continue to
absorb even in the later stages of a race. The unique
blend of organic sea salts, electrolytes and proteins
helps muscle contraction work smoothly hour after
hour. And the balance of all natural lemon and lime
flavors tastes better as the race progresses. Use
it in your long workouts. Test it in the heat. Try
it in your races. This drink was designed for you.
Take your hard earned fitness and have the race
of your dreams!
Was $ 49.95 NOW $ 24.95 plus
postage flat $7.00
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QTS Robina
(QLD) January
Huskisson
(Aust) Sprint NSW February 23
Paul Argall 10th / 35-39
Mark Preston 3rd / 50-54
Otway
Classic MTB 100km marathon
Naomi Hansen - 5th open women
Luke
Harrop Tri Gold Coast March 2
Tom Mewing 1.06.22 / 35-39
Sean Macphee 1.09.25 / 13-15
Neil Macphee 1.11.38 / 50-54
Mark Martin 1.12.27 / 35-39
Maddie Bartholomew 1.12.58 / second 15-16yrs
Jan Avery 1.17.32 / first 50-54
Geoff Bartholomew 1.18.00 / 45-49
Leonie Cook 1.19.11 / 45-49
Ironman
New Zealand March 1
Carl Schmidt 12.33.16 - First Ironman
X-Terra
Saipan March 8 (International event)
Renata Bucher (swiss) First female (4th overall)
12hr
MTB
Jason Cheshire - 10th overall
State
MTB Series March 9
Naomi Hansen - second
Florida
(USA) Sprint Tri March 9
Kim Fabian (Canada) First Place 35-39
Tagaman
Triathlon March 15
(International event)
Renata Bucher - First
Bribie Island (Qld Race 4) March 16
Jess Fleming 1.04.48 - First 30-34
Neil Macphee 1.05.55 - Third 50-54
David Coulter 1.09.48 - Second 60-64
Maddie Bartholomew 1.11.34 Second 16-17
Geoff Bartholomew 1.13.15 / 45-49
Annie Jennings 1.21.20 Second 50-54
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Mooloolaba
Triathlon - March 30
Tom Mewing, Brian Hannon, Angelika Hannon, Jess
Fleming, Neil Macphee, Mark Martin, Sue Stevenson,
Peter Fry, Jan Avery, Mark Powell, Jason Cheshire,
Tim McGavin, Sam Charlton, Heidi Moore, Mark Preston,
David Coulter, Annie Jennings, Geoff Bartholomew
Ironman
Australia - April 6
Jon McLachlan, Matty O'Neill, Allan Moustoukas,
Justin Hunter, Doug Griffiths, Andrew Partington,
Grant Callaghan, Peter Degnian
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Bike Handling Skills for
Triathletes
By: Andy MacDonald
It’s written in the Scriptures somewhere:
Triathletes have no road handling skills what-so-ever.
And I see it all the time at races where triathletes
can’t corner because, well, they just don’t
know how. Chances are you were never taught how
to corner, or draft (if in a draft-legal race),
or taught pedaling techniques, or what to do during
long climbs as opposed to short climbs, etc. Yes,
there is more to just jumping out of the water and
hopping on your $5,000 rocket. It takes some technique
that can only be learned from cyclists (newsflash:
just because someone owns a Ferrari doesn’t
mean they know how to drive it). If you keep reading
you’ll know what I’m talking about and
you might even learn something that’ll get
you to the bike finish faster or even avoid a crash.
So now what? Where to start? First, let’s
take a look at your bike. No matter what, you have
a bike that, in some way, resembles Lance Armstrong’s
bike. Now, it’s just a question of whether
it’s his time-trial bike or his road bike.
If it’s his TT bike, then the handling will
be a little different from something with drop bars
and STI/Ergopower shifting. In fact, it’s
a little harder. If you’re sporting something
like his 5900 Superlight, then you’re in business.
Yes, frame geometry and bars can make all the difference
in the world when it comes to handling.
We’ll start with
cornering…
When cornering, the first thing that might go through
your mind is that you want to slow down so you don’t
crash or do the “water park slide”.
If there’s a bunch or gravel in the road,
then yes slow down a little. If not, why worry.
If you slow down, you’ll just have to speed
back up and if you’re cornering into a hill
then you’ve lost all momentum to start you
out. What’s recommended when cornering is
that the hands are on the brake hoods (or bullhorns).
You want to approach the corner for the far side
of the road without breaking the yellow line rule
(and you probably don’t want to end up as
a hood ornament, either). Slide your weight back
on the saddle as much as humanly possible and place
your body weight on the outside pedal (the left
pedal in this instance). Try to point your inside
knee in the direction of the turn, bend your outside
arm and straighten your inside arm. This will keep
the body a little more upright and, with the weight
on the outside pedal, create a balance and make
your turn sharper and faster. This method is called
counter steering. If the turn isn’t too sharp,
you may also pedal through the turn, thus creating
the momentum to get through the corner and you won’t
have to speed up when finally through.
Now, for climbing…
When climbing, the obvious thing that will happen
is that you’ll slow down with gravity (that
Isaac Newton guy was right). How to negotiate? There
are a couple of different ways to climb: seated
and standing. If on a road bike fitted with clip-on
aerobars, then you’re in better business to
climb than anyone else. This is due to the more
shallow seat angle, which will allow you to move
back a little further and make it more comfortable
(if there is such a thing). When seated on this
type of bike, push the hips back on the saddle without
falling off. Bring your hands back to the tops of
your handlebars and keep a lighter grip so you won’t
begin to compress the diaphragm by white knuckling.
Keep your chest up so that the airway stays open
and relax the shoulders and elbows. If you bring
your elbows in, it’ll automatically depress
the shoulders. What a concept! Drop your heels as
you “pull” through the pedal stroke.
I.e., you should feel like you’re scraping
your shoe on a curb and this will engage the hamstrings
(endurance muscles) and take the quadriceps out
of the equation by about 40%. This technique is
called ankling. If standing, then bring your body
forward so that your body is in a good upright position.
Your hands should be on your brake hoods or bullhorns
and you should be lifting instead of pushing. I.e.,
you’re lifting your knees upwards instead
of just mashing and pushing with the quadriceps.
The chest is up so the airway stays open and your
body weight is distributed evenly in the upper body
and in the hips (where you should be hinging over
from). When I come out of my saddle to climb, I
keep my chest over my headset and stem. This will
allow me to lift a little better and utilize my
hip flexors a little more. Oh yeah, relax the shoulders
or you’ll pay for it later.
If seated, and it’s a shorter climb, I’ll
recommend staying in the aero position (thank you
Mr. Empfield. I’m now a believer). There’s
really no need to come out of the saddle on a short
hill, unless you’re attacking and we’ll
talk about strategy in another article. You may
want to move the hips back slightly, but no more
than that. It’ll take you more time to mess
with the gears and come up than it will to just
stay seated, especially if you have bar-end shifting
where it can be a real pain in the ass to shift
while on a standing climb.
One last thing on climbing: your armrests on your
aerobars were made just for that – your arms
and not your hands. If you have clip-ons, bring
your hands to the tops of your handlebars. If you
have bar-end shifting and bullhorns, stay aero or
stand. The geometry of a triathlon/time trial bike
is different than that of a road bike and won’t
let you bring the hands back in proportion to how
your body has been set up on your bike on the steeper
seat angle.
If wanting to learn more about bike handling skills,
you may want to refer to a cycling coach or even
just join a local team. Even in the off-season,
pros like Peter Reid ride with cycling teams to
a) work on their skills as riders, and b) be humbled
by other cyclists when it comes to road racing.
Before he took his plunge into triathlon, Steve
Larsen spent his time as a professional road rider
on the Motorola team. It’s amazing what cyclists
can learn from triathletes, but it’s even
more amazing what triathletes can learn from cyclists.
Andy MacDonald
Andy MacDonald is a licensed coach with USA Triathlon,
USA Cycling, and USA Track and Field
