Q. I live in London and am training for an Ironman-distance race in the French Alps. It's going to be hilly. Is there any way I can prepare for the climbs?  If you're living in the city and don't have easy access to climbs, I'd recommend two

this could be disastrous when combined with the stresses and strains the day may bring. Tri bike shoes are a lot easier to use than you might think and using clipless pedals (though initially challenging) soon becomes second nature. Your first triathlon

Q. There's a lot of debate about how much effort to put in on bike climbs during races. What's the best strategy?A. The key to pacing hills has everything to do with the size of the hill and the length of the race. Your muscles work on the basis

Q. I keep reading that the best way to improve on hills is to ride more hills. It's pretty flat where I live, so should I just keep going up and down the one hill I have access to or are there other ways to become stronger on the bike?A. Utilising

Q. I've been drafted in a race. How do I deal with this?A. Drafting on the bike leg is an occasional unwanted occurrence in triathlon in which another athlete sits directly behind you during the bike leg, thereby reducing their air resistance, which

Q. Should I change my bike tyres before a race? And how do I strike a balance between durability and ride quality? A. I advise never changing anything before a race. Anything new presents an opportunity for something unexpected to go wrong. The best

There's no need to suffer from adrenaline withdrawal when the  triathlon season draws to a close. There are loads of cycle sportives around at this time of year to tempt you to go long and stay strong on the bike. Sportives are the cycling version

's leading Ironman Triathlete: "For me the cycling section of a triathlon is so important. It can give me minutes on my opposition and when I am fit on the bike I am able to run even better off the bike." Time spent cycle training is worth its weight in gold

Q. How do I elastic-band my shoes and where do I attach them?A. Elastic-banding of bike shoes is an excellent way to save a little time (and seconds can be crucial) in your race because you can get going quickly rather than fiddling around with your

-bars.Triathletes took note of Lemond's extraordinary average speed of 54.5kph on that final stage and were soon running, cycling and swimming to their local bike shop to buy a pair of aero-bars. The use of these new bars became so common in triathlon that they even