By John Tucker
When I decided to attempt to do the Ford Ironman Louisville — with only a short six months to train for an event that I had never tried before — one aspect of the challenge intimidated me most.
It was not the total race distance of 140.2 miles and the tremendous amount of training that it would take preparing for the event. It was not the fact I don't run well in the heat and that the weather on race day will probably be humid and around 90 degrees. Thinking about swimming 2.4 down the murky Ohio River didn't even bother me that much. No, the thing that I found most worrisome was the seemingly easy task of riding a bike.
Like most people, I've known how to ride a bike since I was a kid — in fact I used to ride my bike all the time. But that bike had a banana seat, a flag and one gear, and the farthest I usually would ride was around the block. It was nothing like the type of bike that I would need to go the 112 miles of a full triathlon.
I must state that the best and smartest way to learn cycling is by purchasing a modest road bike and going out for a few rides. Then, if after time and experience, you find that you still enjoy riding you can purchase bigger and better bikes, gradually increasing the length of the ride and eventually working into a group ride or race.
Unfortunately, I didn't have that luxury. In deciding to enter Ironman Louisville, I had committed myself to advancing in six months from a beginner to someone who could cycle continuously for over six hours. I needed to purchase a very good bike and start training immediately.
I did have an old road bike (back in the day, we called it a “10 speed”) gathering dust in my garage and I set it up with a “trainer” in my basement (a trainer is a contraption that elevates the back tire of a bike on a wheel that allows you to cycle in place). In doing this, I was able to get some workouts in while it was cold outside and I tried to figure out what type of bike I needed to buy.
My initial inquiry into purchasing confirmed my suspicion — buying a bicycle is complicated. You have to consider what type of brakes, frames, gears, peddles, wheels, forks, handlebars and saddles you want (just to name a few). Then you have to decide what type of metal or material you want the aforementioned items. Would you like your frame in aluminum or carbon? If you are a cycling newbie like me, it'll make your head spin.
The first thing I had to determine was whether or not I wanted to buy a bike specifically for triathlons or just a nice road bike. Road bikes are easier to train with. They go up hills and maneuver better than triathlon bikes. Triathlon bikes are better for speed and flat courses. They are also made so that you are positioned on your bike for comfort and in a way that will allow for an easier transition from the bike to the run during a triathlon.
Because I have a 20-year-old bike sitting in my garage that I never use and the only reason that I was looking to get a new bike in the first place was for the triathlon, I decided to purchase a triathlon bike.
Make no mistake: the sport of cycling is an expensive one. Of the three disciplines of the triathlon, it is by far the most time consuming and expensive (the cost of my bike and equipment ended up being well over $2,000). One shouldn't just go out and purchase a bike without either a decent amount of knowledge or the experience of someone who knows bicycles. Otherwise you just may end up spending a bunch of money on something that isn't going to be comfortable and enjoyable.
I had absolutely no knowledge of bikes so I consulted Marcus Moran of Train Smart ( www.trainsmartmultisport.com ). Marcus was very helpful and gave me several options of triathlon bikes based on my measurements, riding goals and what I was willing to spend. He also helped me understand several components of how and why a bike is set up.
Sifting through Marcus' recommendations, I decided on purchasing a Trek triathlon bike. In the Louisville area, the Trek brand is carried by Scheller's Fitness and Cycling. You can go on the Internet or visit a big box retail store to purchase sporting equipment. However, in my experience, local running, swimming or cycling stores are the best place to go when looking for fitness gear. Generally, employees that work at these types of stores know and love their sport and are extraordinarily helpful. Their advice can often save you from poor equipment choices. Mark Newbold of Scheller's was no exception. He took the time to listen to and answer all of my novice cycling questions, helped me further understand the difference in the various triathlon bikes available and educated me on what other accessories I'd need to cycle (helmets, shoes, shorts, a computer for the bike that checks mileage and speed etc).
After all was said and done, I decided on the Trek Equinox 9 triathlon bike — a popular model right now. In fact, it is so popular that I had to order the bike and wait for it to come in. The entire process of researching and purchasing took well over a month, but I felt that I had made a sound purchase for not having any cycling experience — only time will tell. Unfortunately, as of this writing, I've had the bike for just a few days and most of those days I couldn't take the bike out because it was unseasonably cold and windy. So I'll have to discuss my experience training on the bike at another time. All I can tell the reader right now is that the bike looks really fast — much faster than my old bike with a banana seat and a flag.
