Three Attitudes of Triathlon

Part II - Joining

Re-cap

Last month we introduced three attitudes of triathlon – yielding, joining and aligning – as tools for our pursuit of effortless power as triathletes.  We focused on yielding as an approach to swimming. Now we transition to the second leg of our attitude triathlon – biking and joining. When we make the transition from swim to bike in our “attitude triathlon”, we don’t cast aside our attitude of yielding as we toss the swim goggles. Aerodynamic position on the bike is based on yielding to the wind. Now, we are adding the new attitude of blending – joining with our bike.

Effortless power starts when we tap into forces we don’t have to generate. While our bike is not an actual “force” that we can tap into, it’s geometry and components embody a force potential that we join with to magnify our own force and to vastly increase our speed and distance.

Bike Fit

Your bike must fit your body well, in order to serve effectively as an instrument for magnifying your body’s force through the action of pedaling.  A poor bike fit is just as detrimental as the wrong running shoes – but you will have to suffer the consequences for a lot longer, after a much greater investment. When you consider the expense of a bike fit, also consider the amount of time you will invest training and racing with this “instrument”.  The cost will factor down to pennies per hour. (Look at it as a form of marriage counseling.)  Riding a well-fit bike maximizes your time and energy investment and increases the joy of riding.

Materials and Design

The materials and engineering that go into a bike profoundly influence its behavior and transparency.  Aluminum – the most affordable material – transmits lots of vibration, significantly increasing muscle fatigue during long rides.  Titanium and carbon, while more expensive, alleviate much of the vibration.  Don’t neglect steel as a very affordable alternative.  I ride a custom-built niobium steel Serotta CXII with carbon seat stays.  It is noticeably lighter and smoother riding than most aluminum bikes.

Position

Observe a great time-trialist: The athlete’s body and bike move as one graceful unit – no squirming or weaving side-to-side. The athlete joins with the bike through the contact points – seat, pedals and bars. These are “portals” for the athlete’s kinetic energy, allowing it to enter into the frame, concentrate in the bottom bracket (which is the energetic core of the bike), and extend out through the wheels and tires. Imagine a virtuoso violinist merging with her violin to make sweet music.

Your body produces 80% of the wind resistance you must overcome to achieve and maintain speed.  As with swimming, constantly strive to improve your body’s position – seeking the perfect blend of aerodynamics, stability, comfort and efficient power production.

Joining Exercises

Joining with your bike is the first essential step in efficient cycling, requiring intimate sensitivity to make it an articulate extension of your body.  Here are some specific exercises to help you become one with your bike: While the dynamic quality of balance is absent, stationary training offers you the opportunity to “train blind” – to ride with your eyes closed!  Without visual stimulus, you can focus directly on the intimate feeling of riding. Begin by mounting, clipping into your pedals, closing your eyes and just sitting still.  Focus your awareness on your breath until it is slow, relaxed and deep. Maintain conscious breathing as you focus on your relationship with the saddle. This is the primary conduit for extending your sense of feeling in to your bike. Find your sweet spot on the saddle. Bring your arms to rest on the aero bars or the brake hoods.  Incorporate these new contact points into your feeling through the bike. 

Begin to pedal slowly, smoothly, circularly.  Without opening your eyes, “locate” the rotating center of the bottom bracket through your sense of feeling, and place all of your awareness there.

Breathe through the contact points – saddle, bars and pedals. Begin pedaling slow and easy, striving to keep your pelvis calm and still in the saddle.  Explore the internal movement and energy dynamics in your pelvic core and how this core stability translates into your circular pedal motion. Within your pelvic core there is a calm, still place where all of your body’s movement originates.  With your eyes closed, can you locate this place?

Remember, this is a meditation training session with a calm inner focus – even when you increase cadence and power output. Strengthening that place of stillness within your pelvis is the first fundamental step to joining with your bike. Be patient, open-minded, curious and creative in this “blind training” exercise.  Turn off the lights, bike computer and heart rate monitor.  Turn on your feeling intelligence and your conscious breath. 

Pedal mechanics

Circular pedaling is an essential skill for joining with your bike. Practice single leg circles often or use Power Cranks in your training. Explore the mechanics of circular pedaling during every recovery workout and blind stationary session. Strive to be equally aware at all times of both your left and right leg circles, rather than focusing on the alternating downstrokes. Experiment: Exaggerate your ankling motion as you circle the pedals so you can explore the function of ankle leverage in pedaling mechanics. Then minimize your ankle motion and exaggerate the hip and knee movements. This process helps you to “understand” pedaling mechanics with your body rather than your logical mind.

Bicycle Tai-chi

Find a flat or gently inclined location free of traffic and begin riding very easily as you synchronize your breath with your pedaling.  Connect the still center of your pelvic core to the still center of the bottom bracket. Extend your sense of feeling through the saddle, pedals and bars. Begin to pedal circularly in aero position. Guide your bike in a straight line, steering from your torso rather than your arms.  Relax deeply in to your bike to improve your balance and agility.  Notice that as soon as you tense up you sever your energetic connection. Your ability to ride a straight course diminishes. The greatest challenge is to practice bicycle Tai-chi at the slowest speed possible.  This challenges our notion that improvement is only possible through exertion and control.

A great BMX or trick/trials rider can balance indefinitely while completely stopped and perform amazing feats of balance in motion. Relaxation and balance are principal elements of this skill. Awaken your diligence, curiosity and creativity. There are no limits. Remember Einstein’s famous slogan, “Imagination is more important than knowledge”.

Joining as a Life-skill

Next month we will conclude this series with aligning and running.  Until then, practice slow, relaxed, deep breathing during all of your daily activities – especially during the challenging times when anger, impatience and frustration begin to surface. As a multi-sport athlete, your breathing capacity is strong.

Beyond your triathlete training and racing, look for opportunities to practice the skills of yielding and joining in your everyday activities and relationships. Your athletic training for aerobic fitness can be a powerful resource in your development of spiritual fitness, effortless power and mastery in every aspect of your life as a human being.