The Ironman Bike

The Context

Before we delve into executing a great Ironman bike leg, we need to think about the bike in the wider context of the race.

The race finishers area is full of athletes talking about the bike, all having the same conversation …

“what was your bike split” or the even more common “my bike split was xx, but I had some problems on the run”.

The bike split seems to be like a badge of honour amongst triathletes.

Instead of being like these athletes, you want to be that rarer athlete, the one who says “I’m really pleased with my run”.

To do that, you need to pace the bike knowing it is 180k long AND you have a marathon to run after it.

Tales Of Woe!

You will not see a triathlete who has gone too hard on the Ironman bike go on to have a good run. Instead, there will be tales of woe.

• Nutrition was wrong.
• Not enough run miles in training.
• An old run injury returning.
• Stomach was in bits.
• Felt really weak.

More than likely these are just symptoms of poor pacing on the bike.

Patience

One more point. A “slow” Ironman bike is going to cost you 10-15 minutes compared to a bike where you applied pressure and rode (too) strong throughout. A run where you are forced to walk for miles and miles because you have nothing left, is going to cost you hours!

So, how do we avoid the “could have been a great race if I’d sorted the run” trap?

We think about pacing and nutrition on the bike. We are generally a little cautious on the bike, particularly early on. We know we have a long day and going hard in the first few hours is not going to end well.

With all of that said, how do we do that?

Metrics & Zones

The general advice is to try and ride the Ironman bike leg at between 65-70% of your FTP. Try this pace on your turbo, it feels easy. That’s how it should feel. You do have a marathon to run after it! Think Zone 2. If you are using a heart rate monitor, look at your zone 2 heart rate range. You may drift into zone as the race progresses (heat, dehydration, fatigue creeping in), but keep it low zone 3 if you can.

Do you know your Zone 2 power numbers or heart rate zones?

That said, don’t be a slave to your numbers. If you are supposed to be pushing a target power eg 200w, but your legs are struggling or your heart rate is rocketing and you are finding it difficult to hit the numbers, race on feel for a while. Drop the effort. Bring your perceived effort to a level you are happy with and able to sustain. Your legs might come back to you after a little while or it might not be your day on the bike. Either way, pushing on when your body is telling you to slow down (on the bike) is not going to end well. Listen, slow down and re-group.

Hills

Of course, some Ironman bike courses are hilly and there is no way you can stay in zone 2 on the hills. My advice here would be to try and keep a cap on your power or heart rate if you can. Try not to go above your FTP – even for short bursts. If you can, use your gears and spin up the hills. You will feel fresher at the top – and then you can crest the hill and power down, rather than reaching the top gasping and cruising for a minute or two. Again, some triathletes will be standing and grinding big gears and will zip past you. Honestly, let them!

Peer Pressure

Adopting the ‘keep a lid on it’ bike strategy is sensible and works, but you have to trust it. You will see so many people fly past you, particularly early on, and you will wonder if you should follow them. Please don’t! You don’t know if they are elite athletes – or just really poor pacers. Stay humble, respect the distance! If you execute well, the chances of you catching them later in the race are high. You may even catch them later in the bike as the reality of 180k presents itself.

And you may know some Ironman athletes. Naturally, you want to beat their bike split. Or perhaps you think “they managed to sustain that pace, so I should too”. You know that’s wrong, don’t you?!

Artificial Targets and Round Numbers

And beware artificial targets. A six-hour bike split is a classic. “I’ll be happy if I can get under six hours for the bike”.

Why? Where did that number come from?

Best Advice

The best advice I received was to take the first hour really easy. If you have a target pace or power, this first hour should be below that target. You’ve just swam almost 4k, charged through transition and have 10 or more hours ahead of you. Use this hour as recovery from the swim, a chance to let your heart rate settle and find your rhythm on the bike. Do this and you will see people fly past you. When that happens, smile to yourself with confidence that you know what you’re doing.

Nutrition

Start your feeding early and keep it consistent. Have a nutrition plan which you’ve practiced in training and try and stick to it.

My strategy was simple. Every 30 minutes, my watch would beep and I would take a gel. I would wash this down with water or electrolyte drink. In some races, I would have a caffeine gel (instead of a normal gel) after two hours and four hours. That was my strategy.

However, be aware that you might need to change your nutrition strategy.

Sometimes it worked, other times due to over-pacing or heat or lack of hydration, I would start to feel bloated after three or four hours. The nutrition plan then had to change.

So, I would suggest you have a ‘just in case’ strategy. The ‘Special Needs’ bags are great for this. Some flat coke in a bottle, perhaps some solid food, a banana, a cereal bar or even a chocolate bar are great emergency choices!

Do you have a well-practiced nutrition strategy?

Do you have a ‘just in case’ strategy?

Exceptions

Of course, there are exceptions to the advice above. If you are going to be battling cut offs, there is little point saving lots of energy for the run … if you don’t make it that far. I would still adopt the ‘first hour a bit easier’ strategy, but overall, you will want to push a little harder than the advice above. You make the bike cut off in 10.5 hours, you still have more than six hours to complete the marathon.

Continuous Problem Solving

In the race, be mindful of where you are and what you’re doing.

• Are you doing things in that moment that are helping you achieve your goals, or potentially hindering you?
• Have you eaten / drank recently?
• How are your legs feeling?
• Is your heart rate creeping up?
• Are you in the right gear?
• Are you riding too quickly?

What action do you need to take in that moment to give you the best chance of success?

If nothing else comes across from the notes above, go 10-15 minutes easier on the bike and you will potentially save hours on the run!