I did a club duathlon a few years back and the thing I remember is the jelly, wobble legs when coming off the bike and doing the second run!
Good fun though.

Well done, Grant. I'm sure you'll start improving faster than you expect with the cycling. Have fun.

I've found a couple of local triathlons next spring... think I'll give one a try.

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Well done to everyone who has conquered these new skills.

I hope you did ok in the erskine!

Alex

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Hi (new member so before I ask for help - thought I would volunteer some)

Most "mature" triathletes come from a running background - myself included. Younger triathletes can come from any background most noticeably swimming.

The mistake most runners make when they try to ride a bike is to use too big a gear.

As a general rule of thumb, if your quads hurt, you are in too big a gear and you need to down gear. (Make is easier to pedal)

If your heart and lungs give way before your legs - you need a bigger gear - harder to pedal.

The secret with triathlon cycling is to try and conserve as much energy for the running.
(Hence you see tri bars to lower wind resistance amongst other things)

Newer cyclists should stick to the smallest chainring (on the front) or middle if it is a mountain bike and the sprocket on the back with the most teeth. (smallest gear)

Pedal as if you constantly need more resistance and it feels like it should be harder to pedal and you are probably in the right gear.

And because your saddle height is probably way off, you won't risk damaging your knees (but that's another post...)

You MUST ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET and try to use as hard sole shoes as possible and think about moving up to proper cycling shoes and pedals as soon as possible. Mountain bike shoes and pedals (generically called "spd's" although that is a brand name) are probably the first step

Modify your stretching routine (you do stretch don't you...) - especially in the first few months of cycling because your running muscles are now being asked to do something very different..

Hope this helps you - I learnt all this the hard way

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Great post, thanks for all the advice.

But you lost me when you started using words like "chainring" and "sprocket". That's a wee bit too technical, which shows how little I know about cycling.

I do always wear a helmet, even though I'm only cycling on paths round my local park and not on the roads.

why thank you grant

The dictionary is as follows - there is test later...

The chainwheel is what the chain sits on at the front end (the big wheel )

sprockets - where the chain fits at the back - the set of cogs attached to the back wheel

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