Preparing for a cycling or triathlon event involves much more than training for the race distance, duration, and intensity. The race course itself should play a major role in how you train. Terrain, elevation, grades, temperature, wind, and the tactical demands of the course can all influence your performance on race day.

Although this may seem obvious, many athletes continue to train on the same routes simply because they are familiar, convenient, or part of their normal routine. The problem is that your body adapts specifically to the stresses you place on it. If your training does not resemble the demands of your upcoming race, you may encounter some unwelcome surprises when you finally reach the starting line.

Match Your Training to the Race Course

Different types of courses create very different physical demands.

A hilly cycling course requires repeated applications of strength and power. A flat course requires sustained strength endurance because there may be few opportunities to recover. A rolling course can combine both demands, requiring repeated changes in effort while maintaining an efficient overall pace.

As you approach your goal race, your training should become increasingly race-specific and course-specific.

During the base period, your training may have focused primarily on developing a particular aerobic fitness component or energy system. As the race approaches, however, the emphasis should shift toward reproducing the actual demands you will face on race day.

That includes:

• Elevation and grade
• Climbs and descents
• Temperature and weather conditions
• Sustained versus intermittent efforts
• Race pacing
• Aerodynamic positioning
• Course-specific tactics

The closer your training resembles the event, the better prepared you are likely to be for the demands of race day.

Build a Cycling Course "Toolbox"

I recommend that my athletes develop a toolbox of cycling training routes that allows them to train for different types of terrain.

Ideally, this includes a relatively flat course for sustained intervals, a rolling course for repeated changes in effort, and a long or steep hill for sustained climbing intervals.

Today's technology makes course-specific training much easier. Race websites, GPS data, mapping applications, and elevation profiles allow you to study a course before ever riding it. In many cases, you can examine the climbs, grades, distances, and elevation changes without leaving your home.

Whenever practical, I also recommend pre-riding the race course. A course reconnaissance ride can give you information that a map cannot: how the climbs actually feel, where you can maintain speed, where you may need to change position, and where pacing decisions will matter.

A GPS cycling computer can also provide useful information that you can review later.

Be careful, however, about relying too heavily on subjective descriptions of a course. One person's "hill" may be another person's "mountain." Whenever possible, look at the actual elevation, distance, grade, and terrain rather than relying solely on someone else's description.

Once you understand the course, the next step is to match your training to its demands.

This may require some additional planning or travel, but incorporating at least one course-specific workout or race simulation each week during the final phase of preparation can be extremely valuable.

How to Train for Hills Without Hills

What happens if you live in an area with very little elevation but have an upcoming race with significant climbing?

Your stationary trainer can become an extremely useful tool.

You can estimate the duration and difficulty of a climb by examining its distance and average grade. If you have a general understanding of your speed on a particular grade, you can estimate how long you will be climbing and structure your indoor workout accordingly.

Many modern cycling GPS computers also provide real-time grade information. This allows you to develop a better understanding of what different grades feel like and how your cadence and power change as the road gets steeper.

One way to simulate climbing is through low-cadence, high-intensity intervals. For example, a lower-cadence effort around 65 rpm may provide a useful training stimulus for a steep climb, while a higher-cadence effort around 80 rpm at a lower intensity may better simulate a more moderate grade.

The objective isn't to perfectly recreate a hill on an indoor trainer. Instead, the goal is to create a training stimulus that resembles the strength, cadence, duration, and intensity demands of the course.

This type of training should be introduced carefully. Low-cadence, high-force cycling can place considerable stress on muscles, tendons, and other connective tissues.

Practice Pacing on Varied Terrain

Pacing over varied terrain is considerably more challenging than maintaining a consistent pace on a flat course.

The objective, however, remains the same: meter your energy as effectively as possible throughout the race.

When cyclists encounter a hill, the natural tendency is often to increase power dramatically to overcome the additional resistance created by gravity. Unfortunately, repeated surges can be much more fatiguing than maintaining a controlled effort.

A valuable course-specific workout is to practice maintaining a smooth, controlled effort over hills and rolling terrain rather than responding to every change in grade with a large increase in power.

Learning how to control your effort over changing terrain can pay significant dividends later in the race. For triathletes, this is particularly important because excessive effort on the bike can compromise the run.

In fact, bike pacing may be one of the most important factor in producing a fast run off the bike in a triathlon.

Learn the Tactics of the Course

Course-specific training isn't only about fitness. It is also about learning when and how to respond to the terrain.

You need to know when to:

• Stay in an aerodynamic position
• Sit up
• Change cadence
• Shift gears
• Get out of the saddle
• Control your effort on climbs
• Allow your speed to build on descents

Aerodynamic positioning is particularly important on faster sections of the course. As speed increases, aerodynamic drag becomes a significant component of the resistance you must overcome. Sitting up can increase your leverage for climbing while also giving your back and neck a welcome change of position.

Standing on the pedals can provide additional leverage during hard climbing efforts, but it also comes with a substantial metabolic cost. Think of hard out-of-the-saddle efforts as your "afterburners." They can be useful when prescribed appropriately, but they should not become the default response to every difficult section of road.

Descending is another opportunity to gain time. Learning to descend confidently and efficiently without excessive braking can save seconds—and potentially minutes—over the course of a long event.

Train for the Course, Not Just the Distance

The best race preparation goes beyond simply accumulating miles.

If your upcoming event contains long climbs, train for long climbs. If it contains repeated rollers, practice repeated changes in effort. If it is predominantly flat, develop the strength endurance necessary to maintain a steady effort for long periods.

Most importantly, practice pacing and tactics on terrain that resembles the race course.

By understanding the course, adapting your training to its specific demands, practicing your pacing, and learning how to respond tactically to changes in terrain, you can arrive at the starting line with a significant advantage.

Remember that the bike leg often provides one of the greatest opportunities to reduce your overall race time. Course-specific cycling training can help you ride faster while also preserving the energy you need for the rest of the event.

By Coach Matt Russ originally for Triathlon Life Magazine

Matt Russ enjoyed a professional coaching career spanning over two decades of working with professional endurance athletes. His athletes have achieved numerous regional, national, international and championship titles under his direction. Matt achieved the highest level of licensing by both USA Triathlon and USA Cycling, and was a licensed USA Track and Field Coach. His accomplishments include being named "Team USA" Coach for the 2011 Beijing World Championship. Head Coach and founder of The Sport Factory, a USA Triathlon Certified Performance Center, he has authored many articles on a wide variety of endurance related topics.