lactate threshold heart rate (about an eight on a scale of one to 10 of perceived effort) once a week. Also look at lowering the weight part of the equation.Use the right gearDon't be afraid to use your easiest gear. You might feel you need a big gear

and then lower the cadence to 50rpm. Match your recovery time (easy riding, normal gears) to your interval time. Your heart rate should remain about 10 beats below your threshold. Don't produce excessive lactate; remember, this is not about maximum effort

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

as part of his training. "A good 10-mile time trial is close to the highest amount of pain I can deal with, so training at this intensity to build lactate endurance helps my bike-leg speed in triathlons," he says. "When it really starts to hurt it

that focusing on cycling can provide the biggest improvement in your race times.Although a triathlon involves three sports, the greatest proportion of time during a race is spent on the bike section. During a sprint- or Olympic-distance race you may spend around