The bike leg of most triathlons takes up 50% or more of the total race time. Your training should appropriately reflect this. However, there are also a number of actions you can take (or avoid) during race week and within the race itself to gain a bit more time and drop that bike split.

Pre-race:

• Ride the course. This will help you learn the turns and twists, and will allow you to eyeball most of the hazards you’ll encounter.
• Get a bike tune-up, or at least clean your cassette and chain. Accumulated grit will create extra friction – which slows you down.
• Put on new tires for big races. Worn out treads are more likely to flat or slip.
• Warm up on the bike before sprint and Olympic-distance races. The more you’ve trained, the longer your warm up should be. Bring a bike trainer if the race site won’t let you take the bike out of transition.

Race:

• Stay in the aerobars as much as possible. The only reason to leave the bars are when you’re taking a corner, getting a drink or eating, during steeper climbs, and sketchy situations involving other riders or vehicles.
• Maintain a realistic steady effort throughout the race, especially on climbs. Power meters and heart rate monitors are good for this.
• Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming hazards – and avoid them.
• For longer races like 70.3 and Ironman, use the first few miles as a warm up.
• Corner aggressively – but within your ability. Lean into and accelerate out of the turn. In a sprint, stand up and get back to speed as quickly as possible.
• Make yourself known. Yell “on your left” or “passing” when approaching slower cyclists from behind.
• Don’t relax at the top of a climb. Ride up, over, and through it.
• On long, steep downhills, level your feet and ‘tuck’ your body into as aerodynamic a position as you can muster. Break or sit up only if you’re not comfortable with the speed.
• On windy days, you may be able to get a slight draft while staying outside the draft zone of another rider. On normal days, you can get a ‘mental’ draft by fighting to keep stronger cyclists in sight. Don’t sit on anyone’s wheel though – your only cheating yourself (as well as the rest of us).
• If you have an aero helmet, remember to keep your eyes looking forward, not down. That tail doesn’t do any good sticking straight up in the air.