New thougthts on Triathlon setup

I have to say that I've spent considerable amount of time mulling over the triathlon setup for cycling. I continue to be function driven. Triathletes are required to follow the same laws of physics as any other cyclist yet, it seems that they do this with some animosity. Here's my point.

Is forward faster...? I guess it all depends on how you interpret the question. If I took an athlete(without previous cycling experience) from a running background and placed him/her on a bike. We would have to assume that they would be faster in the advanced position compared to the traditional neutral road position. Most likely, this would be due to the fact that they would be using muscles groups that they use prodominately in running. (i.e.: they would be faster by running on the bike vs. pedaling the bike). However, there are several other considerations to be made. Would their running position on the bike be their fastest position once they were given a change to become effective as a cyclist? Now this is an entirely different question. It gets into the area of sport specialization, skill and muscle memory. Secondly, if we consider position in a purely aerodynamic sense, forward would be faster. But, even Kim Blair, PhD from MIT states that riders can't necessarily assume the fastest aerodynamic position. Why not? Becuase riders have to pay attention to all laws of physics, not just those related to fluid aerodynamics.

Have you ever considered that the average time of for the biking leg in IM Hawaii hasn't significantly changed. In fact, it's tipped downward a bit. There's also some indication that running times have decreased a bit as well. This is over a course of the history of IM. During this time, we have had a huge influx of technology which are designed specifically to increase our speed. During the same course of time, TdF overall times and TT times have increased.

I think it's impotant to deconstruct the forward position. How did it evolve? Here are my postulations. Greg Lemond was the first to introduce aerobars. As I understand it, they were developed by Profile. I could be wrong. They were placed on a typical road bike frame and the forearm pads were placed over the top of the handlebar. With this setup, a typical rider will be in too much shoulder flexion with their arms on the pads. In this position, the shoulders will fatigue rapidly. If you are a fan of core stabilization, you should be aware of an exercise called the Plank. Do this little exercise. Get into a typical plank position and now, move your elbows forward 4-6 inches. See how long you can maintain the position compared to elbows under your shoulders. Good, how did it go? With the elbows forward, you have to rely on muscular isometrics for stabilization vs. joint approximation and ligamentous support. This puts tremendous stress on the body and the muscles fatigue rapidly.

On the bike, it's the same thing. If your shoulders are being stabilized by muscular means, you will adjust your position so that it is less stressful. Otherwise, you will violate rule one of cycling. Rule 1: The rider must be able to control the bike. So, the rider will adjust their position on the saddle so they are able to maintain the least stressful shoulder position.

Based on typical geomety setup, this causes the rider to move forward to the tip of the saddle so that the elbows are basically in line with the shoulder. Let's take note that resting the perineum ( otherwise known as the "taint") on the tip of a saddle is less stressful than shoulder fatigue. It should also be stated that the rider/runner would unload themselves by appling more peak forces on the downstroke so they would take the pressure off the saddle. This is a significant loss of power and tends to cause the rider to change direction due to a change in center of gravity. Changing direction causes the rider to ride a longer distance between point A and B.

Now we come to the second component in the evolution of the advanced position. The "forward seat post". To the best of my recollection, these were also manufactured by Profile. This moved the saddle under the rider. Mind you, the rider moved forward as a result of "pathodynamics". This was quickly followed by the advanced frame design with steaper seat tubes. And there you have an entire industry that has been created around this phenomenon.

Why aren't triathletes getting faster?

I know this is getting long. I'm having a hard time keeping everything straight as well.

Am I opposed to the advanced set-up? No. Not as long as the rider can do everything that is expected of them as cyclists and do these things in the forward position. It's my contention that most riders who are in the forward position can't. I like what Christopher Kautz of PKRacing said. "Giving a new rider a bike with a forward setup is like giving a 15 year-old a formula one race car". From a steering and control perspective, the formula one car is too responsive for a new driver. For sure, they would loose control. For the new bike rider, the advanced position is the same thing. Now, once a rider develops the skills of a cyclist, they can trasfer these skills over to a bike that is more responsive and potentially more aerodynamic.

Shoulder position is the key. Weight distribution is critical especially if you are going to be forward with more weight on your upper body.

If you continually move forward to the front of your saddle, you have a problem. Your problem can be corrected.

Here's the end statement. There's one bit of research that is in the works that seems to support forward position. There have been a couple studies but I don't think the jury has reached a verdict. It's about the whole issue of forward position decreasing hip angle and this allows for better "post-cycling run events". I'm still waiting for all of the information to come in. It's hard to do these types of studies because there are so many variables to control.

As an anecdote: Jeff Lockwood of Chandler, AZ has been working with cyclists for 15-20 years. Many of his clients are triathletes. In fact, he married one. He demands that his clients work on becoming effective cyclists 1st. Most of his triathletes are set up in a biomechanical neutral position. His clients have shown increased TT and Cycling split times over the course of this time. In addition, his triatlete clients have shown inproved run times as well. What gives?