Book Reviews F
or the first time, USA Triathlon, its elite athletes, and the nation’s most respected coaches share their secrets, strategies, and advice for every stage, every event, and every aspect of the world’s most demanding sport. From training to technique, fueling to recovery, if it’s essential to the sport of triathlon, it is covered in Complete Triathlon Guide.
In this guide, you’ll find invaluable
THE COMPLETE TRIATHLON GUIDE bike-handling techniques straight from
the pros, learn how to assess running form and improve running cadence and stride, troubleshoot your freestyle swim stroke, and shave seconds off starts and transitions. And you’ll go inside the sport for expert instruction and personal insights from triathlon’s biggest names. Visit
humankinetics.com to learn more or to purchase the Complete Triathlon Guide.
EXCERPT: CORNERING ON THE BIKE
The following is an excerpt from Chapter 11, “Bike Handling Techniques from the Pros.“ You also need to think about actually driving the bike and some of the more dynamic movements you have to make while racing around a course. One of the areas where athletes lose speed is in corners. These athletes lack the knowledge and the confidence to navigate a corner while slowing only slightly and letting their momentum carry them through safely and back up to racing speeds. There are a few methods of steering a bicycle at race speed. The most common are the lean and the steer. Many variables affect which method you use including road conditions, turn location, entrance speed, and number of other athletes near you as you approach the corner. I will touch on each and how you might practice them.
Remember to shift your bike while keeping a higher cadence in order to prevent dropping your chain. Also, be one or two steps ahead on the bike course, and shift your bike into the appropriate gear before you head into a corner. You don’t want to stand out of a corner either spinning without pressure on the pedals or mashing the gears. —Sarah Haskins Lean
The lean is the version most cyclists know and use in higher-speed conditions. This involves leaning the bicycle into the corner as needed, based on the radius of the curve and the speed at which you
Rich Cruse/ITU Sarah Haskins is known for her bike handling skills on the ITU circuit.
enter the corner. You will be leaning, but at a slightly lesser angle than the bicycle. For many athletes in mass-start triathlons or other multisport events, the safest method is to pedal normally until you are approximately 70 to 100 yards or meters from the apex of the corner (the center point of the radius, usually). At this point, you will decide if you need to coast or brake before entering the corner. If you need to apply the brakes, do so gradually, and remember your front brake provides most of the power to slow the bicycle. More advanced athletes will remain on the aero extensions (if a nondrafting event), while beginner athletes might sit up and drive from the base bar. Just as you enter the corner, pedal half
a revolution so your outside foot is at the 6 o’clock position, and apply pressure with it toward the ground. This “pushes” the tires down and helps settle the bike. Keep your body equally balanced between the front and back tires. Lean your bike and then your body in sync as needed, and continue to push on that outside foot. Now let the bike roll. (When you brake hard in the corner, you tend to throw the mass of your body forward, and this unsettles the bike and can cause the wheels to come off your chosen line.) As soon as you are clear of the corner, start to straighten the bike, and you can pedal away safely, hopefully without losing too much momentum. To read more, visit
humankinetics.com.
108 USA TRIATHLON SUMMER 2012
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