Hopefully I can give you a few bike-training tips that will help you prepare for your first Ironman Triathlon.

I'll repeat what I said in the bike-equipment page. Be sure when you purchase I bike that it is the proper frame size for you. Also make sure that experienced bike outlet personel fit you to that bike.

In other words, if you really stretch at the bottom of the pedal stroke, the bike is not set up properly. If you are all scrunched up and are not extending your legs far enough, the bike is not set up properly. Something as simple as raising or lowering the seat can make a huge difference to your pedal stroke. It's important to make use of all the big muscles.

You'll find that bike-training involves much more than biking itself. Something as simple as having the bike set up properly will make your transition into the run a lot less painful.

When it comes to the actual bike-training, many first time Ironman hopefuls have the wrong idea. You don't have to go out and cycle hundreds and hundreds of miles. Maybe one day if you decide to really go for it and try and place in your age group you might want to look at more intense training. For your first attempt at an Ironman just remember. You're not going out to set a new record for the bike split. You want to FINISH this thing!

I would recommend doing one 7 or 8 hour ride about 8 weeks from Ironman day. Go out with a couple of people. Pack lots of food and water and plan to be gone for the day. Don't worry about how MANY miles. All you are doing is getting an idea of what it will be like to be on the bike for that long.

For the rest of the training year, try and bike 3 or 4 times a week. You can do 1 or 2 of those rides on a wind-trainer or at a gym on one of their exercise bikes. As your season progresses, try and plan for one longer ride of 2 or 3 hours once a week. Don't worry about how many miles. Pay more attention to actual time on the bike and finding a cadence and speed that you're comfortable with. I strongly recommend heart-monitor use on the bike.(check my website for section on heart-monitor training). Try and stay at or below your target heart rate and your fitness level will continue to improve over time.

Be sure to try different fluid supplements and different types of solid nourishment until you find what agrees with you and then go with it. I would recommend getting used to one of the gels, because they are handy, and packed with nourishment and most likely found on every Ironman course.

As your season progresses, you should try and do one transition ride every week. The best day for this is the day you're on your wind-trainer. Ride for at least an hour and then run IMMEDIATELY after for at least half an hour. This will help you get used to the bike-run transition. Its not necessary to bike 4 or 5 hours and then run 15 miles in order to see what it feels like. Trust me, after an hour on the bike, you'll get the idea after about 4 strides into the run.

I won't kid you. There's nothing on earth that will 'truly' prepare you for what you will experience when you leave the bike transition tent and head out on your first Ironman marathon. However including bike-run transition training into your bike program will certainly help.