Hi folks,
I was wondering if there was any group within WCC that trains specifically for the triathlon? I.E. group runs, longer rides in TT position, etc? I have started combining long runs and bike rides on Tuesdays, but the dynamics of the HIIT don’t really align with endurance preparation. I know there are some guys that do triathlons, I just don’t know if there is any organized group training.
Thanks in advance,
Sebi
There are no specific group training events for triathlon or duathlon. The WCC is a bike specific club and group riding in tuck positions is dangerous and counter to our ride culture.
It is not possible to conduct safe group rides where everyone is in an aerodynamic tuck. We do not even condon riding in the drops on road bikes while on group rides within the group.
Take the previous response with a grain of salt… I’m not sure why the hostility was warranted.
Not sure where this comes from… it’s not true at all. Drops may not be appropriate for say a Thursday night ride where we are two up front and pulling for a minute, but drops are certainly used in high speed rotating pacelines like you find on Tuesday nights. It’s perfectly safe with experienced riders, and Seb definitely knows what he’s doing.
Anyways…
There are many people in the club who do triathlons, surely there would be some who would appreciate training with others like minded individuals.
The members participating in the TT series are likely your best bet. Maybe show up to a TT and ask around?
I don’t know if they are an organized group but I’ve seen folks on tt/tri bikes meeting up at Laurel Heights on Tuesday evenings in the past… not the most helpful response but maybe roll by there and see if they still do that.
I was going to mention the same thing as @charlie-horse seen a lot of folk in yellow jerseys and tri bikes doing the reverse Bamberg the last few Tuesdays.
Hey there. I do triathlons. Let me know if you have any specific questions on training or racing. If you’re looking for triathlon specific club training, check out LP Endurance, a tri club in Waterloo run by Mark Cullen. https://lpfit.ca/join-lp/lp-endurance/
I stand corrected. I am not fast enough to join those groups, so my experience is that it is prefered to stay out of the drops. 
Seb’s ridden group 1 with us a lot and also tons of fast gravel rides, he’s very experienced.
Andrew - Re the drops comment: In helping people learn to road race or race crits we actually encourage new racers to get comfortable in the drops and race there a lot for a few reasons:
1: It’s more stable if you’re shoulder bumped in the pack. (Which can happen a lot)
2: Much less chance of locking bars with the rider next to you and going down
3: React more quickly to crashes in front of your
4: Sprinting should always be in the drops
Seb: @AlexV, Mark Cullen, and @Luke_Ehgoetz can hook you up with Tri groups. There’s actually a group of Tri riders that ride the Bamberg loop backwards on Tuesday nights. (I think it’s the LP gang but not sure)
Also I try to head out on the TT bike at least once a week and Lorie and I often team TT the Elora loop or will do intervals on Crowsfoot or similar.
If you’re interested in good club TTs HCC has a great weekly series. They have a 20/40km flat TT this Saturday at Binbrook. Membership is cheap and they’re great people. We also have our WCC TT series as well.
Are you training for a specific Tri? Are you planning to do Tri’s or Du’s going forward? (I’m going to start running again this fall and will try a sprint Du next year if I can get my 5km somewhat respectable) 
Thanks, for the input guys. The ultimate goal is to complete the full Ironman one day but I might need to start with a shorter distance. To be honest, I have not completed the full marathon yet, 36kms is my longest distance so far. Be careful with the running plan Chris. I started running just to cross-train and get some activities during the lunch break, but now I like it as much as cycling perhaps we can set something up for the running part in the group set-up. No specific membership, just a social gathering ?
Hey Sebi, looks like you have been given a lot of great advice! My biggest advice is to make sure you build in recovery and progress gradually. You need to balance your swim/bike/run workouts with stability/mobility/strength activities for many reasons but mostly to prevent injuries. If you need help with a plan, let me know - it’s what I do 
but I will also up my running again in the fall if you ever need company on a slow day!
Hey Andrew, riding with your hands on the drops is a safe position and provides solid stability in many situation but where I think you may be confused is that we do not allow tri-bars to be used on group rides. So, if on a TT bike or on a regular bike with the aero bars attached, riders should not use the aero bars in a group ride. Hope that helps clear up any confusion.
Sebi, another option is to look at the Health and Performance club in Waterloo run by chiropractor Sean Delagne. They have their own TT series and have weekly run groups of all levels. There are also weekly workouts they send out. HP is free to join right now. LP Endurance (Mark Cullen) is a tri-specific club, with more expensive membership options. Check out both the Health and Performance website or the LP Endurance websites. I just did Muskoka 70.3 this past weekend and have Ohio 70.3 in two weeks.
Luke
You’re way beyond my ability in running at the moment but we can definitely get together for a workout once I get going with it again. I’m planning short stuff only (Sprint Du’s or similar or even just a 5km race to start). Let’s target sometime in the fall.
Thanks for the correction. That makes sense.
