We would always recommend athletes get a proper bike fit to reduce the chance of getting an injury. However, if you haven’t had the opportunity to get a bike fit or don’t have the funds to invest in one just yet, here are some top tips on checking your fit and bringing it close to the right ball-park area.
Read MoreFor many people travelling abroad for a training camp, especially their first one, there is often a question about whether or not they should take their own bike. This handy guide will help you ask ten questions to decide whether or not you should be using your bike or if you should be renting. We will cover all aspects, including costs, fit and other considerations.
Read MoreYou may have seen the term DFA a1 popping up on forums or blog posts relating to effective base training, or its use as an alternative to getting tested at a sports laboratory. This article defines what it actually is, how it works, and the potential benefits of using it to optimise your training.
Often athletes express concern about descending fast, and we regularly have conversations at our training camps with athletes about their fear of descending. This article explores where that fear comes from and how to overcome it.
Read MoreA strong foundation of a healthy diet is a great starting point, but when training, it is crucial to ensure that energy used is replaced in a form which is readily accessible. Coach Denise looks at how much fuel is needed, in what form, and some other reasons to train your fuelling strategy well before race day.
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In this latest blog Coach Alan answers the question ‘Is a constant power output the best way to pace for race performance” by looking into pacing strategy using dFRC.
Read MoreAs coaches, we can focus on tracking metrics to help guide your training and performance as an athlete. It helps to see a quantitative measure of if things are on track or going as expected. One of these metrics is power or wattage, in this article Coach Alan looks at why ‘winning’ or riding with the lowest average power can result in a better performance.
Read MoreIn this article Coach Alan focuses on answering the simple question “what does it take to ride that potentially elusive sub-five-hour IRONMAN/Long Distance triathlon bike split.” Read on to find out some of the factors that go into that performance and how you could overcome this.
Read More“Only use your small chainring in winter”. This is a traditional piece of cycling advice, first suggested to me over 25 years ago. I’d joined my local cycling club and had been going on Sunday rides (usually just me and the ‘old boys’) for the autumn, and now winter was here. The main thing I recall was that at the same time as getting this nugget of wisdom, the frustratingly slow pace (for a 15-year-old) was getting even slower on these long rides. I’m sure the drop in pace was intentional on their part – and looking back, I suspect the advice was delivered with perfect timing.
So is it actually sound advice? Here are a couple of arguments why it might be worth listening to…
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In this article Coach Alan looks at FTP – what is it, how can we use it and why may FTP might be misleading your cycling training. Once we can understand all of that, we can better understand what we can do with this information and how you can inform your training.
Read MoreOn the 15th of March, Tri Training Harder hosted their second Zwift Points Race for coached athletes. Here coach Jon gives us a quick recap of how the race unfolded. Check out his analysis and excellent video, which goes with it and don’t forget to drop us an email if you want to join in next time!
Read MoreIn this article, Coach Alan looks at the secrets of riding a bike fast. Often people think it is the powerful legs and big efforts that determine if a rider will be quick or not. In fact, it can be more nuanced than that. Read on to find out more.
Read MoreWith our ability to track more and more data, it can become easy to get overwhelmed or miss the point. Here Coach Kevin aims to simplify all the noise and keep you focused on some of the primary metrics that make you faster. Read on to find out more.
Read MoreGrinding to a halt in a road ride or a race is the last thing we want to happen. The question is, do you know how to fix the common mechanical problems triathletes can face out on the road? Here, Coach Jon runs through some of the basic mechanical skills you really should learn before taking your bike on the open roads.
Read MoreIn this article, Coach Alan looks at how we can all make aerodynamic gains to ride more efficiently and perhaps also faster. Aerodynamics can be a confusing topic, especially for those new to the sport. However, we try and simplify it and make it easier to digest. By the end, you will be reading this in a full aero tuck!
Read MoreWhen riding in the mountains, most of your time and energy is spent going uphill. However, as we all know, whatever goes up must come down, and due to all that up, you are likely to experience some significant, exhilarating descents. A common feature of those alpine descents that you might not be so familiar with are hairpin turns. The good news for those who need a little practice is that there are usually quite a lot of them strung together, and with a just a few pointers on technique you will be able to see dramatic improvements after just a few days riding.
Read MorePerhaps you are considering mixing it up a little and swapping your traditional hot weather / pre-season training camp for something a little more adventurous….such as high Alpine passes, crystal clear lakes, and secluded forested trails. While the mountain scenery will undoubtedly be a big positive point to everyone, some of you might be a little apprehensive when imagining endless roads to climb and steep running trails (but at least you are guaranteed the swimming won’t be uphill!). This article will hopefully set your mind at rest however, by letting you know what to expect, and ensuring you have the right equipment and preparation completed before you set off overseas.
Read MoreChris Ashford had a great year of running in 2017 with fantastic results that you can read more about here. Unfortunately shortly after those successes, a “stress response” was found in his lower back, putting on hold any further running adventures for 2018. As any triathlete will tell you, if you can’t swim or bike or run, then just run or bike or swim instead (which ever you can carry on doing). This lead to a personal challenge of Land’s End to John O’Groats (LEJOG) in 2018 and as Chris looked to go further and further, 2019 lead to Paris – Brest – Paris. Lets find more about it here:
Read MoreA new client asked for help her buy her first bike to use in her first triathlon. Her goal is to eventually complete a half IRONMAN, but she is currently inexperienced at cycling and feels overwhelmed with all the options out there. Whilst we cannot make the final decision for her (ultimately it's her money, and her decision), We can help her make sense of the information she sees. Perhaps this could help you too…?
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