Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

  I consider myself to be a good cyclist. But it wasn't always this way. There was a time - not too long ago - that I was terrified to ride my bike on any type of road that resembled going downhill. I would squeeze my brakes and feel so unstable and this caused me to absolutely dread going downhill. Although I could have avoided going downhill by selecting races and routes that were flat, the problem was that I love climbing. And when it came to tight turns, switchbacks or roads where I couldn't see what was coming next, I would find myself frozen with fear, often with tears in my eyes. Pretty much, if the road wasn't going up or it was flat, I was freaking out.  When we moved from Jacksonville, FL. to Greenville, SC. I had no choice but to work on my bike handling skills. I was an experienced triathlete with really poor bike handling skills and this showed on our challenging terrain that is littered with punchy climbs, twists, turns and steep downhills.  With Karel havin...

Earlier this week, Karel and I traveled to Pelham, Alabama for a 1.5 day private mountain bike skills camp/clinic with Lon from Single Track Skills.  I'll write more about that experience in my next blog but the opportunity to work with a professional coach was an incredible investment of our time, effort and money.  Since 2014, we have organized, planned and executed over 15 group camps. While our training camps are fun, memorable and challenging, there is a common theme for every Trimarni training camp - bike skills and terrain management.  The convenience of the indoor bike trainer has created a false sense of confidence with regard to bike handling skills - especially among triathletes who ride triathlon (or TT) bikes. It's easy to build fitness indoors but it's impossible to improve bike handling and terrain management skills. The moment you begin to climb a steep hill, descend or take a tight corner (or u-turn), your FTP (or power) number is of little benefit. ...

Last week (while dealing with Madison's declining health ) we had two of our athletes in town for a 2.5 day private training camp. The focus of the camp was improving off-road bike handling skills (gravel biking). We also included swim/run training in the camp as our athletes have several triathlons on their schedule. But with their first ever ultra-distance gravel event (150-mile) happening late summer, it was important that our athletes improve their gravel skills to that they can both feel more comfortable, safe and confident when training off-road.  Although the weather was not in our favor with predicted rain all day on Thurs and Friday (the two full days of their camp), we got incredibly lucky in that we were able to drive to two different locations and entirely miss the rain. Even better, on Thursday we were able to ride in a short sleeve jersey and shorts!  For Zach and Ashley's camp (husband and wife from Nebraska) we completed the following over 2.5 days:  Thurs...

  After much request by triathletes, we are now offering a group cycling camp. This camp is limited to eight athletes to ensure plenty of one-on-one attention. Athlete is preparing for a triathlon. This athlete spends months training in order to feel prepared for this event. This athlete invests into coaching, the latest recovery gear, equipment and nutrition strategies in order to optimize performance. But come race day, this athlete is unable to perform to his/her potential because this athlete never learned (and mastered) basic bike handling and terrain management skills. Less fit athletes are going faster because of better skills and riding techniques. Learning, improving or mastering your bike handling and terrain management skills should not be something you only practice on race day. Because many cycling skills are not intuitive and can not be learned on an indoor trainer, improve your safety, confidence and fun-factor when riding your bike by investing in our bike skills cl...

Sandwiched between the swim and run, the triathlon bike portion is the longest discipline in both time and distance. With nearly 50% of your race time spent on two wheels, this is where your hard work pays off. But not enough time in the saddle will cost you valuable time and energy during the bike and run. When it comes to triathlon gear and equipment, cycling is the most expensive discipline. Plus, training outdoors has its hazards, especially when you are sharing the road with cars, pedestrians, nature and wildlife. For these reasons, many triathletes don’t train properly or spend a considerable amount of time only cycling indoors. Because triathletes have a reputation for not having great bike-handling skills, preparation for the bike portion of a triathlon is a combination of having the right equipment, doing the right training and having great bike handling skills. Fundamentals The cycling culture may look intimidating but as long as you are riding a bike and having fun...

The final day of camp had arrived and it was time to put everything together that our campers learned over the past 3 days. Karel and I knew that we wanted to make our camp bike heavy simply because our terrain is amazing for improving bike fitness. With all of our rolling hills, mountains and punchy climbs, you have no choice but to ride and get stronger. However, a big part of a bike-focused camp is making sure that our campers understand how to ride their bikes. Yes, it's very easy to sit on a bike and just pedal but many athletes do not know (or never take the time to learn) how to use their gears properly, how to descend and climb in the "proper" line, how to fuel/hydrate while riding (especially during intense efforts or while climbing/descending), how to sit properly on the bike and how to anticipate climbs and when to stand, sit or to stay aero (specific to triathletes).  Karel and I constantly hear these "rules" that triathletes try to abide by...