Today I purchased an aero-bar attachment to fit on my bike. This device allows the rider to tuck into a low-profile position to minimize the drag coefficient. It is typically used in time trials and can shave precious minutes off your elapsed time for a 25 to 40 k course.
On June 14th I will essentially be doing a time trial at the Quad City Triathlon event held in West Lake Park. I will be doing the biking portion of the team event. It is a 15 mile (25 k) course along Locust Street and Y40. I should have done this much earlier so I could get some practice in, but will need to bike with it every day until the race to get used to it and condition my muscles. Down in this tuck position you end up using more of your hip muscles (gluteus maximus) rather than your quads and hamstrings.
Today I went out for a 90 minute ride (23 miles). It was very windy today (25-30 mph). Not a good day to experiment with the aero-bars. When you
are layed down in these your arms are used to guide your wheel and it takes a little getting used to. With the wind it made me try and over-correct every time a gust of wind hit me. So I was weaving all over the pavement. I am sure if someone saw me they would have thought I was drunk. By the end of the ride I was starting to master it and found it very relaxing. I am thinking of taking my Trek Madone racing bike on TOMRV this week-end instead of my Trek 5200. This will give me 2 long days of riding to get used to the aero-bars.
are layed down in these your arms are used to guide your wheel and it takes a little getting used to. With the wind it made me try and over-correct every time a gust of wind hit me. So I was weaving all over the pavement. I am sure if someone saw me they would have thought I was drunk. By the end of the ride I was starting to master it and found it very relaxing. I am thinking of taking my Trek Madone racing bike on TOMRV this week-end instead of my Trek 5200. This will give me 2 long days of riding to get used to the aero-bars.
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