By Lance Watson

Popular opinion holds that triathlon, regardless of the distance, is won on the run. This saw is bolstered by performances of athletes such as American Tim DeBoom in Hawaii and Canadian Simon Whitfield on the short-course ITU circuit, both world-class runners. But recently, racers like Switzerland's four-time Ironman world champion Natasha Badmann, ex-pro cyclist Steve Larsen, who won Ironman USA Lake Placid in 2001 by crushing the competition on the bike, and Aussie Chris McCormack, who routinely demolishes the chase pack on the bike in draft-legal events, have brought some yin to the runners' yang. Now it's clear that, even if it's hard to win a triathlon from the saddle, it's certainly easy to lose one on the bike.

And, as the intensity of competition ratchets up at all levels, including age group, the reality is that you can no longer rely on a killer run as your ace in the hole. But don't despair: Regardless of your cycling background or level, you can achieve dramatic advances in your cycling ability, and with these improvements will come increased efficiency, which will leave you with more energy for the run.

If the bike fits The first component of faster cycling is an efficient and comfortable fit on your bike, so contact your local bike shop and ask them to recommend a professional bike-fitter. A proper fit will give you better control, increase comfort and power and improve aerodynamics - all of which assume even greater importance when you have to get off and run. As you tweak your position, you can measure changes in efficiency by using a bike computer, power meter and heart-rate monitor. The improved efficiency should allow you to pump out more watts or achieve greater speeds for a given level of intensity.

Going in circles Cycling cadence affects both your efficiency and speed on the bike - and how well you are able to run afterward. When you run, your cadence should be approaching 90 steps per minute regardless of your speed, so holding a similar cadence on the bike will allow your muscles to transfer smoothly to the run. Your legs are going to revolt if you ride at a cadence of 75 rpm for five-plus hours and then ask them to move at 90 steps per minute.

Performing cadence-specific sets on the bike will help train you to ride smoothly and efficiently at higher cadences. It is important to remember that when performing high-cadence sets, your gearing should be easier than usual: Over time, as you become stronger and smoother, you can increase the resistance. On your long rides, try including 10 work intervals of between 10-30 seconds each in which you drop your gearing to an easier range and practice spinning at 110-plus rpm. (To count your pedal strokes, take the number of pedal strokes in 10 seconds and multiply by six.) Include at least a one-minute recovery in between each work interval. Alternatively, you can spend five minutes riding at 100-110 rpm, followed by 10 minutes of recovery.

Going up If you are planning to do an Ironman, even on a relatively flat course such as Florida, it is important to incorporate hills into your bike training. There are two key types of workout for hills: sprints and long, strength-building climbs. Sprints develop strength and power for accelerating uphill. The long climbs develop your aerobic and anaerobic thresholds and increase your ability to process lactic acid.

Sprints are always performed at 100 percent of your maximum output, and you need a flat road leading into a steep hill. Once you hit the hill, stand up and push as hard as you can on the pedals. Each sprint should last about 10-20 seconds, and you should be standing the whole time. After each sprint take between two and 10 minutes recovery.

The longer climbs should be done on a long, steady hill, and you should not break your anaerobic threshold (i.e. you should not feel the burning sensation caused by lactic acid). You should focus on trying to keep a cadence of 70-85 rpm during the steady climb. Start out with five minutes of climbing followed by 100-percent recovery. Each week you can increase the length of the climb or the number of repeats, but keep the recovery between each climb at a minimum of a 1:1 ratio of work to rest.

Pumping up While many wiry triathletes don't look like they have ever seen a dumbbell, most of the top pros spend time in the gym strength training. For years cyclists have understood the benefits of weight training, and triathletes too can increase their strength considerably without gaining bulk.

If you do hit the gym, consult a personal trainer to develop a strength-training program and show you the ropes - lifting weights incorrectly can do more harm than good, leading to strength imbalances or injury. Also, as a general rule, triathletes are looking for a balance of muscular strength and endurance. It makes no sense to lift heavy weights with low reps. Instead, in the early season, strive for lighter weights with which you can perform 10-16 reps of a given exercise.

The goal of weight training is to train the cycling movement patterns as well as the cycling-specific muscles. Therefore, free weights are better than machines as they require the use of the same stabilizer muscles that are used in cycling. A good exercise is the split squat. A split squat is similar to a traditional squat except that you should stand with one foot slightly in front of the other with a hip-width stance. Holding a barbell across your shoulders, make sure that your hips are pushed forward throughout the entire range of the movement. Place 75 to 90 percent of your weight on your front foot and then squat down to approximately a 90-degree angle at the lead knee. The lead knee should not move in front of the toes on the lead leg. As you stand up, push off the front leg, keeping your back leg on the ground. Do one set with each leg in the forward position.

Bench step-ups are also a valuable exercise. Holding a barbell or dumbbells with arms at your sides, perform a step-up onto a flat bench 14 to 17 inches high. Push up using the front leg and lower yourself under control on the descent. Don't use the back leg to assist in the push phase on the ascent.

Once you've developed the proper cadence, form and strength, improvements in your cycling time should follow naturally. You'll find yourself not only ahead in T2, but less tired out for that all-important closing run.

A well-fitted machine is key to increasing your efficiency on the bike. Consult a professional bike-fitter to adjust your ride, and measure the increased efficiency using a bike computer, power meter and heart-rate monitor.

Make sure your cycling cadence (pedal rpm) roughly matches your running cadence, i.e. around 90 rpm. Do short bursts of high-rpm pedalling, on easier gears, to develop your cadence. Over time increase the resistance (i.e. move to more difficult gears).

Include on your rides sprint climbs (short, intense climbs at 100-percent effort for 10-20 seconds) and long, steady climbs at a cadence of 70-85 rpm, followed by a full recovery.

Incorporate weight lifting into your regular training routine. Using high reps with lighter weights, do cycling-specific exercises such as split squats (one foot in front of the other) and bench step-ups.