Mark Threlfall: Racing in Ironman is, obviously, an amazing achievement. For most, just completing
one is the obvious target. For some, they may be looking to better their time and the obvious
place to start and to look to is the bike. Heather Fell: Yes and that's where the six-hour
bike split comes in. It's a pretty common goal and if you can get under six hours on a bike, you're
going to put yourself in a very good position for a decent time. That's why we're here to guide you
how to cycle a sub-six bike split. [music]
Mark: Let's start with some basic numbers. Now, obviously, the Ironman bike leg is 180,000 or
112 miles. To complete that and enter T2 in under six hours, that requires you traveling at a speed
of 30 kilometers an hour or faster or 18.67 miles an hour. That is certainly not an insignificant
speed, particularly over that duration and distance. How do we go about targeting that goal?
Heather: Like you said, Mark, obviously, 112 miles is a very long way. First up,
you've actually got to significantly increase your volume. You need to
address that area before you can start looking at the speed. That's where we're going to start.
Consistency is obviously key with any type of training but even more so when it comes to
training for an Ironman bike split. You're going to have to spend a fair amount of time
working in zone two. Building those aerobic base miles and this is where the long ride comes in.
Ideally, you want to perform one long ride per week and you've got to be working in zone two,
like I said, so around 85% of your threshold heart rate and around 65% of your threshold power.
These rides need to be around four hours. You don't want to be getting carried away and
thinking you've got to do a hundred miles or more each week. You're just going to get mentally
and physically tired. Ideally, if you can start to build these for around four to
five months out just once a week to get that base in. Then as you get closer to your race,
around eight weeks, this is when you'll start to work in a zone three and putting in some harder
efforts and also start to increase the length of those rides where you will get up to around six
hours. That will give you that confidence and that brilliant base to put the rest on top of.
[music] Mark: Yes, the long ride is pretty
key and fundamental workout, but you can nicely complement that indoors on the indoor trainer.
Many people are pretty time precious and actually being on the indoor trainer, we
can get some serious bang for our buck in a short space of time. This is a great opportunity to work
on some slightly more intense workouts around zone three, sweet spot, zone four. Basically,
allowing you to raise that ceiling, raise your threshold, and ultimately, allow you to dial
into that race pace and travel at 30 kilometers an hour or faster. It's also a brilliant chance
to practice being in the aero bars. Do not underestimate the power of aerodynamics,
particularly when we're trying to go a sub-six-hour bike split. Use this opportunity
to practice and get comfortable with the aero bars and use these intense workouts to do that.
[music] An example workout
for this after doing a good warm-up obviously with some intervals to prep you well will be a
main set of six lots of 10 minutes at zone three with two minute spin between. Building up two in
a subsequent session to four lots of 15 minutes at zone three with three minutes spin between.
Then maybe to three lots of 20 minutes with a five minute spin between and ultimately, two
lots of 30 minutes zone three with five minutes easy spin between and trying to hold and get into
the aero bars on those zone three intervals to get nice and comfortable. Finally, try
to do these key long workouts solo if possible. I know it may be tempting to join others and join
club rides, but ultimately, when you're in Ironman, it is non-drafting. You will
be riding solo. Try to get comfortable doing these intervals in the same style.
[music] Heather: No matter how hard you've trained or how
well you stuck to your training program, you are going to have to actually consider the course. It
depends how much you're chasing this sub-six-hour when you're looking at the overall picture because
actually trying to hold around 90 miles an hour or 30 kilometers per hour over this distance
is quite challenging on certain courses. Obviously, you're going to have to take
into consideration your budget and your traveling circumstances, but there are
some courses that can lend themselves to a faster time. For example, you've got really
flat fast courses in Arizona and in Florida. Then you've got more rolling versions in Europe.
In the UK, they tend to be a little bit hillier and they're going to make getting sub-six
that much harder. [music]
Mark: You're nicely armed and ready with specific volume training workouts and even perhaps know
where you're going to race at this point, but that is only really part of the puzzle. How you
execute your ride on race day has almost the biggest bearing of them all. Firstly,
I'd recommend that you do your homework. You know the course, you know the terrain,
how many laps. Maybe even if there's any technical sections and where they lie on the course. You
may even want to look at the prevailing wind and maybe even the typical wind direction.
Of course, you always want to strive for a well-paced and even ride which is easier on a flat
course but some courses are hilly or they have quite strong winds at some point. It's important,
again, to know where they lie in the course because if you do start to lose that speed,
then you can stay calm knowing that you're perhaps going to gain that back
later into the race. Then, lastly, you want to go in with a good nutrition plan.
It is all too easy when you're striving for a goal and a target is to get carried away
in that moment, but as anyone will tell you once you do start to feel hungry
and thirsty, it's almost too late. Try to stick to that nutrition plan right
from the outset. After all, you do need to remind yourself regardless of going after this sub-six
hour bike split, you still have a marathon to do. You need to be adequately fulfilled for that.
[music]
Riding 112 miles in under six hours is obviously a pretty big deal especially
in the middle of an Ironman, but with some structured training and, hopefully,
our tips today, you'll be well under your way. Heather: Yes, good luck with that challenge. Let
us know if you're close to it if it's a goal that you've put in your diary. If you've enjoyed it,
give us a like. Remember, you can follow us on our social media and you can also
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