How much climbing is too much climbing for a TRIATHLON?

ROBJ3411

I come from Florida, so the only elevation change we knew growing up was an overpass. I've done some races on some rolling courses, but yesterday I pre-rode an OLY distance course that is 38kms and has 677meters of climbing( that's 2200ft of climbing in in less then 24 miles, for the math challenged)... It was brutal... No way I would even try it on my Tri bike... So my question is how much climbing is too much climbing on a Triathlon....

glevinso

I did Ironman Lake Tahoe in 2013 - the bike course had 10,000ft of climbing over the 112 miles. Still that was a course for the tri bike despite the mountains in the way.

EnduranceGirl2

It's all about your training. Once a week I do 5x 2/2/2 single leg drills on a stationary bike where the pedals are equipped with straps or clips. In other words, 2 min left leg only, 2 min right leg only, 2 min both and repeat 5 times. This teaches you to pedal throughout the stroke cycle rather than mash the pedals. They can be done on a real bike but I'd worry about crashing. They hurt something awful, but will greatly improve not only your climbing but overall technique. The 3-State, 3-Mountain Century and the 6-Gap Century are in the TN/AL/GA region and are extremely popular with Floridians if you want to test out Lake-Tahoe-like climbing in a non-race situation.

Capt_Apollo

i just did Challenge Quassy Olympic. My elevation gain was 1,850 ft, loss was 1,903. The half is supposedly even hillier.

it is what it is, each race is different. and flat courses can have their own disadvantages, as you have to constantly be pedaling. at quassy i was very happy to give my legs a minute or two of rest while i shot down hills at 40+ miles per hour (max speed of 51 mph!!)

ETA: the Challenge Quassy Half is 56.1 miles, +3808 feet / -3808 feet!!!!!

glevinso

I would add to that, that flat courses can be just as hard as hilly courses because they are usually WINDY.

I just did Challenge Atlantic City this past weekend. The total elevation gain of the 112 mile bike course came out just under 1000ft. Yet I felt like I was climbing all...damn...day... because I was pushing into a headwind for almost the entire bike course

Capt_Apollo

also, what kind of gears do you have on your bike Rob? it might make a big difference to try and find something that is more forgiving on climbs.

scott091501

Unless you're doing the Alpe d'Huez Triathlon do it on a tri bike.