Bike Advice

A friend of mine, who is an accomplished runner, contacted me today looking for advice on buying a bike for triathlons…  and tri training in general.  Here is an excerpt of the email:

"I'm also finding that the upright nature of the hybrid is bothering my shoulder a lot (I have a chronic injury there and am thinking that if I could distribute my weight a little better I could take some stress off of it); do you have any thoughts on this?

I'd also like to try a half ironman but can't entertain spending 56 miles on a hybrid……

I have been using the bike a lot to cross train and I really like it, I can pull 16-19 mph on a hybrid w/road tires so I figure I might be a halfway good cyclist.  I've also been doing a brick once a week and find the bike to be a great running warm up, once I get past the first half mile or so of wobbly legs….."

My reply:

I have no doubt that you can/will be an excellent cyclist…  you have the aerobic base and mindset to do very well..  really you just need to apply the words of Eddy Merckx,  the world's greatest cyclist, gave a fan who asked him what advice he would give a new cyclist who wanted to be great.  "Ride Lots".

It's really true…  ride fast, ride slow, ride every day, ride alone, ride with a group, race…  all excellent ways to become a good cyclist…  so much simpler than swimming and even more straightforward than running.

Olympic…  that's a tough distance for me….  Too much swimming… to little bike

 

I too enjoy running off the bike….  It feels natural.

Now back to the shoulder…  it's likely due to a weak core as much as it is your bike…  I think that everyone needs to spend 30 minutes 3x a week doing core work…  simple stuff like planks…  standing on one foot…  leg raises, bridges…  it's simple but if neglected can lead to injury and discomfort doing what you enjoy doing.

 what advice would you have given?