The Triathlon Experts

It is no surprise that many triathletes and spectators see XTERRA off road triathlon racing as an event for the borderline mentally insane…especially when watching the TV footage from the mountain biking leg of the XTERRA triathlon.

I will not completely disagree that we triathletes are insane, but know that you can apply good training and strategy to improve the chances of success and to decrease your chances of crash injury. First, learning how to ride a mountain bike properly is a must. A good training guide to start with is Blair Thorne’s Mountain Bike Guide . Check this material out.

XTERRA events add the challenge of nature’s unpredictability to an already difficult sport. We want to provide you with some tools for ensuring that you come out on top of the heap, instead of ending up on the bottom of the crash pile.

Practice Your MTB Riding Skills Beforehand

As part of your training program, make sure you include training sessions specifically focused on riding difficult technical sections of trails at or near racing pace. Trust me, the one place you do not want to learn how to go over a log or down a rutted winding course of switchbacks is on race day.

If you have the time, consider training for and doing some mountain bike racing before your XTERRA triathlon event. This will give you the chance to practice your mountain biking skills on a fresh body (no swimming beforehand).

Ride the Course Beforehand (If you get the chance)

Imagine that you have just come out of the chilly water…your balance is off, you are a bit tired and winded. Now, get on the bike and ride into the woods at full speed, not knowing what is ahead of you. Sounds like a plan for trouble or disaster? Well, it is certainly a good start!

If at all possible, try to ride some or all of the mountain bike course before your XTERRA triathlon event. This will give you a huge advantage and train your brain on what to expect. So, when you are flying down the trail on race day, you won’t be so surprised when that carefully-placed log jumps in front of your bike. Get the picture?

Invest in Mountain Bike Training Tools

As with any complicated endeavor that takes skills, the pros are always taking advantage of training opportunities. As mentioned before, I like the comprehensive and inexpensive course that Blair Thorne has put together, called How to Master Mountain Biking . This book course will save beginner riders a lot of bruises and hard lessons-learned.

Additionally, I would suggest browsing Amazon.com’s selection of Mountain Biking Books and picking up a book or two that looks like it will help you. They often provide free or very low shipping and I have always found Amazon to be cheaper than any retail stores.

Good luck out there…maybe I will be eating your dust :)

This entry was posted on Monday, June 16th, 2008 at 7:58 pm and is filed under Beginner Triathletes, Mountain Bike Riding, Off Road Triathlons, Triathlon Cycling, Triathlon Disciplines. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.