To be successful, athletes must do more than mindlessly complete scripted training sessions. Training will often be mentally as well as physically demanding. Athletes need to be armed with knowledge and tools to allow them to evolve and make the best decisions for them- to become an active participant in their training. Purple Patch is committed to educating you as an athlete.

Below is but a small example of a simple but powerful education piece on bike posture and the relationship to overall triathlon performance.

Better Posture = Better Results

Our sport is not swimming, biking and running; it is swim-bike-run. One sport composed of three unique disciplines. The cycling portion is often taken for granted but has the most potential for real-time gains. It also carries great importance since your level of effort and exertion on the bike will have a great influence on your run performance. You can never truly run to your potential or maximize your overall triathlon performance, without establishing a strong ability to ride well.

However, during training, most riders don't spend any time truly thinking about how these miles are ridden, or how they actually ride their bike. The first key in learning to ride your bike well is learning and practicing good posture. Poor posture can create musculoskeletal havoc on an athlete, and leave them unable to run off the bike with proper form and pace. Even within acceptable standards of a 'good' bike fit, it's possible (and common) to have poor posture. Riding with good posture requires education and focus.

In practice, mentally use the following simple checklist every time you ride:

• Fingers relaxed
• Wrists straight in both planes
• Elbows flexed
• Neck and shoulders relaxed
• In control of breathing and heart rate
• Sitting in the correct part of the saddle
• Recovering the foot through the bottom of the stroke
• Unweighting the retreating leg
• Relaxing the foot

Riding well begins with the creation of positive habits that will ensure you always default to posture that maximizes power, comfort and the ability to run off the bike. Begin and end every single ride with great riding posture.