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Olympic Triathlon Bike Pacing Plan to Ride Your Fastest

Best Bike Split turns your power, course, and conditions into a precise Olympic bike pacing plan — so you're ready to run a fast 10K.

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Olympic distance triathlon racing is decided on thin margins. The 40-kilometer bike leg is short enough to push near threshold — but long enough that overcooking the first half quietly destroys your 10K run. Best Bike Split's physics-based modeling creates Olympic-specific pacing plans that maximize your 40K bike split while protecting the legs you'll need for 10 kilometers of running — dialed in to your exact course, conditions, and fitness.

The Olympic Triathlon Bike Pacing Challenge

Push the 40K to the Limit Without Paying for It on the Run

Olympic distance racing demands disciplined near-threshold pacing. The bike is short enough to hurt and long enough to punish mistakes. The solution? Science-based variable power pacing built specifically for the demands of Olympic distance triathlon racing.

The Problem

Traditional steady-state pacing — like riding a flat 82% of FTP for all 40 kilometers — ignores course reality. Short punchy climbs, technical corners, exposed wind sections, and the accumulation of near-threshold fatigue all create moments where steady watts leave speed on the table or quietly push you past your sustainable ceiling before the run.

The BBS Solution

Best Bike Split analyzes your entire Olympic bike course — elevation changes, road surfaces, wind direction — and builds a precise 40K triathlon pacing strategy with exact variable power targets to maximize bike speed while managing fatigue before the 10K run.

The Result

Olympic distance athletes using Best Bike Split consistently report faster bike splits paired with stronger 10K run performances. Our algorithms eliminate the most common Olympic mistake: going just 3–5% too hard on the bike and paying for it across all 10 kilometers of the run.

Our Top Features

Everything You Need for Your Perfect Olympic Bike Leg

Predict your Olympic triathlon bike split, plan your power from your own data, and step off the bike in T2 ready to run a fast 10K — not just survive one. Get more information about our top features, including the new Course Builder.

Predict your exact Olympic bike split before race day

Know your target time before you ever toe the line, with accuracy within 2–3% when power data and conditions are correct. Understand exactly where on your specific Olympic course you'll gain time on climbs or lose it in a headwind — and plan your race strategy around it.

Optimize power so you run your best 10K

Our Olympic-specific algorithms calculate the power ceiling that maximizes bike speed without compromising run performance. See projected Training Stress Score (TSS), Intensity Factor, and fatigue metrics calibrated for a 40K bike leg followed by 10 kilometers of running — not just the bike split in isolation.

Train the exact demands of your Olympic race, indoors or outdoors

Upload your Olympic race plan to Zwift, TrainerRoad, or your smart trainer for indoor workouts that replicate your exact race-day power profile kilometer by kilometer. Take it outside with workout files for Garmin or Wahoo devices for course-specific outdoor training before race day.

Follow real-time power guidance on your Garmin or Wahoo

Execute your perfect Olympic pacing plan on race day with turn-by-turn power targets loaded directly to your bike computer. See your plan, current power, and time ahead or behind pace in real-time throughout the 40K bike leg — so you never have to guess whether you're on track.

Choose the fastest equipment and race strategy for your Olympic

Model different scenarios before race day: aero helmet vs. standard, aggressive position vs. comfortable, conservative opening kilometers vs. pushing the first climb. Understand the time impact of every equipment and pacing decision so you show up on race morning with zero guesswork.

See how fitness, drag, weight, and weather change your Olympic time

Test what-if scenarios before committing to your plan. See how a sustained headwind through the back half of your course should change your pacing strategy. Model different FTP levels to set realistic finishing goals — all with our Time Analysis Tool.

Pace the 40K perfectly so you have legs for the 10K run

The most common Olympic mistake is overcooking the bike by just 3–5% — it feels manageable at 20K and costs you 2–4 minutes across the run. Best Bike Split's variable power algorithm prevents that error before it happens. Our plans account for the cumulative fatigue of racing near threshold, ensuring you don't exceed your sustainable ceiling even when competition tempts you to push harder than your plan allows.

Learn from real ride data to race smarter every season

Upload your actual Olympic race files and compare against your plan. See where you held target power and where you deviated. Analyze the impact of those pacing variations on your 10K run performance. Use these insights to refine your strategy for the next race and continuously improve your Olympic triathlon execution season over season.

Plan with physics-based modeling trusted by top pros

Best Bike Split's algorithms are used by World Tour cycling teams and professional triathletes — including pro TJ Tollakson, who used BBS to achieve a record-breaking Ironman performance — to optimize race performance. The same physics-based modeling is available to age group Olympic distance athletes. Our math accounts for aerodynamics, rolling resistance, gradient, wind, and power output to calculate the fastest possible way to complete your Olympic course.

Start race morning with total confidence in your Olympic strategy

Eliminate pre-race anxiety about pacing. Walk into T1 knowing exactly what power to hold on every section of the course. No more guessing whether to push the opening kilometers or stay conservative through the windy back half. Execute your plan with complete confidence that it's optimized for your fastest 40K bike split — and your strongest possible 10K run.

Triathlon Pacing Plans

How Olympic Pacing Compares to Other Distances

Sprint Triathlon Bike Pacing

With a short, intense bike leg followed immediately by a 5K run, sprint triathlons require disciplined threshold pacing. Our plans typically target 85-95% of FTP depending on course profile and your run strength, with precise power targets that prevent early fatigue while maximizing bike speed.

  • Predict your exact bike split before race day
  • Dial in aggressive pacing without blowing up your run
  • Optimize speed for short, high-intensity efforts
  • Execute perfectly with real-time power targets
85–95%
FTP Target
12–20 mi
Bike Distance
5K
Run Distance
age group triathlete using power pacing for a sprint triathlon

Olympic Distance Power Plans

Olympic distance racing demands careful power management at and near threshold. Best Bike Split helps you find the power ceiling that allows for a competitive 40K bike split without compromising your 10K run performance. Most athletes target 80-85% FTP with strategic surges on key sections.

  • Find the fastest sustainable 40K power
  • Balance bike speed with a strong 10K run
  • Model terrain, wind, and course dynamics
  • Train precisely for race-day demands
80–85%
FTP Target
40K
Bike Distance
10K
Run Distance
olympic distance triathlon pacing with garmin

70.3 Bike Pacing Strategy

Half Ironman racing sits in the sweet spot of triathlon — more intensity than a full Ironman, more distance than Olympic. Most athletes target 75–80% of FTP across 56 miles, but the right number depends on your course profile, heat, your individual bike-to-run strength, and how the race is laid out. Best Bike Split models all of it.

  • Execute variable power across all 56 miles
  • Adapt pacing for hills, wind, and heat
  • Protect energy for a fast half marathon
  • Validate nutrition and effort before race day
75–80%
FTP Target
56 mi
Bike Distance
13.1 mi
Run Distance
70.3 athlete following precision pacing plan on bike leg

Ironman Bike Pacing Plan

The Ironman bike leg is a 112-mile exercise in patience and precision. Most age groupers perform best at 68–72% of FTP, but this varies significantly based on course difficulty, temperature, and individual run-to-bike strength ratios. See how pro triathlete TJ Tollakson used Best Bike Split to achieve a record-breaking Ironman performance with precise power pacing.

  • Distribute effort perfectly across 112 miles
  • Prevent late-race fatigue and pacing mistakes
  • Model heat, terrain, and endurance limits
  • Set up your strongest possible marathon
68–72%
FTP Target
112 mi
Bike Distance
26.2 mi
Run Distance
triathlete using power meter on Ironman bike course

Easy Setup

Create Your Olympic Pacing Plan in 3 Steps

triathlete power profile

Build Your Athlete Profile

Enter your FTP, weight, bike specs, and aero data to generate precise Olympic distance race predictions. Don't know your CdA? Our system can estimate it from your position and equipment or from a past ride — so you can start planning with confidence even without a wind tunnel.

triathlon specific courses

Select Your Olympic Course

Choose from thousands of existing Olympic triathlon courses — most major events are already in our database — or upload your own GPX file. Our database includes detailed elevation profiles and road surfaces, plus historical or forecasted weather for accurate split predictions.

custom triathlon pacing plan

Your Personalized Olympic Plan

Receive a detailed, segment-by-segment Olympic bike pacing strategy with variable power targets optimized for every section of your 40K course. See your predicted bike split, Intensity Factor, TSS, and exactly how your pacing strategy balances speed with 10K run readiness.

Train and Race with Your Plan

Download your plan to Zwift, TrainerRoad, or any ERG-mode trainer for indoor training. Export to Garmin or Wahoo for outdoor training rides and race-day execution. Practice makes perfect — rehearse your exact Olympic race plan in training before the big day.

Create Free Olympic Pacing Plan

Indoor and Outdoor Workouts

Train with Your Olympic Bike Pacing Plan

Indoor Course Simulation

Olympic training demands specificity. Upload your Olympic plan to Zwift or TrainerRoad and ride the exact power profile you'll execute on race day. Practice holding near-threshold watts, managing surges on punchy climbs, and recovering efficiently on technical sections — all from your pain cave, weeks before race day.

Outdoor Race Rehearsals

Load your Olympic pacing plan to your Garmin or Wahoo device for outdoor execution. If you can ride sections of the actual race course beforehand, do it with your plan loaded. If not, simulate the effort on similar terrain with the same duration and power profile. Follow your plan's power targets and build the race-specific fitness your body needs for confident race-day execution.

Brick Workout Integration

Best Bike Split plans are built for Olympic-specific brick sessions. Execute your race-day power plan during your 40K training rides, then run off the bike to simulate race demands. This training builds the neuromuscular adaptation needed to run at 10K pace on legs that just completed 40 minutes at near-threshold effort — and validates your bike pacing before race day.

Progress Tracking

Compare your training bricks against your plan. Are you holding the target watts across the full 40K? Do you step off the bike feeling ready to run at goal pace? Use real ride data to refine your plan, adjust FTP estimates, and dial in your race-day strategy before you ever cross the start line.

Wahoo/Garmin bike computer displaying Olympic power targets from Best Bike Split

Top Olympic Events

Use Best Bike Split for Your Next Olympic Triathlon

Noosa Triathlon

The world's largest dedicated Olympic-distance triathlon, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast — featuring a 1.5km swim in Laguna Bay, a 40km undulating hinterland bike, and a flat 10km coastal run. A five-day festival atmosphere with a world-class pro field makes it a benchmark event for heat management modeling and race-pace strategy.

Chicago Triathlon

One of North America's largest and most iconic triathlons, with a Lake Michigan swim, lakefront bike, and scenic urban run through downtown Chicago. Early bird registration for 2026 hit the highest levels in event history, making it a benchmark event for FTP-based pacing and aerodynamic efficiency testing on a fast, flat course.

World Triathlon Hamburg

One of the world's largest triathlons with 10,000+ participants and 250,000 spectators, returning as a World Triathlon Championship Series stop. The Binnenalster swim, Hamburg city-centre bike, and Jungfernstieg run offer ideal conditions for studying elite draft-legal pacing models and Olympic-distance race dynamics.

St. Anthony's Triathlon

One of the oldest and largest dedicated Olympic-distance triathlons in the United States, taking place in St. Petersburg, Florida. Now in its 43rd year, the race features a Tampa Bay swim, flat closed-road bike, and waterfront run with a strong pro field — a classic event for normalized power output testing and race execution strategy.

World Triathlon Yokohama

A marquee stop on the World Triathlon Championship Series, held in Yokohama's waterfront district. Known for record-setting Olympic-distance finish times, the protected bay swim, technical closed-road bike, and flat harbourside run make this one of the fastest and most analytically rich courses in elite triathlon.

Royal Windsor Triathlon

Tthis award-winning UK standard-distance triathlon features a Thames River swim, a rolling countryside bike past Windsor Castle, and a run along the iconic Long Walk through Windsor Great Park — well suited for variable-terrain pacing strategy and split optimization across mixed elevation profiles.

T100 London Triathlon

Returning with Olympic distance as a GB Age Group qualifier alongside its flagship 100km format, this massive London multisport festival runs through the heart of the capital past Tower Bridge and the London Eye on fully closed roads. An ideal event for aerodynamic efficiency testing and data-driven Olympic-distance race execution.

Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon

This iconic bucket-list event features a 1.5-mile open-water swim from Alcatraz Island, an 18-mile hilly bike through the Presidio, and an 8-mile run including the notorious Sand Ladder — a modified international-distance course that demands advanced open-water current modeling and variable-terrain pacing strategy.

Big Apple Triathlon

New York City's premier Olympic-distance triathlon, with a Hudson River swim, bike through Manhattan's iconic streets, and a run through Central Park — offering a unique combination of open-water currents, urban wind exposure, and variable road conditions for advanced race-day pacing and environmental modeling.

Olympic Distance FAQs

Olympic Triathlon Bike Pacing Questions

Most age group athletes perform best at 80–85% of FTP for an Olympic distance triathlon — making it the best IF for Olympic triathlon racing when balanced against your 10K run. But the right Olympic triathlon bike power target varies significantly based on your course profile (flat vs. hilly), conditions (heat, wind), your personal bike-to-run strength ratio, and overall fitness.

Sprint triathlons target 85–95% of FTP over just 12–20 miles, allowing you to push closer to your absolute threshold. Olympic distance demands slightly more restraint — 80–85% FTP across 40 kilometers — because the longer bike leg and 10K run that follows require careful fatigue management. The margin for overcooking the bike is smaller than it feels in the moment. Best Bike Split accounts for this difference when calculating your optimal Olympic power targets.

Olympic distance athletes push near threshold — 80–85% FTP — over just 40 kilometers. Ironman racing demands dramatically more conservative intensity at 68–72% FTP across 112 miles, with far tighter fatigue management over 5–7 hours. The compounding cost of small pacing errors plays out very differently at these distances: an Olympic pacing mistake shows up in your 10K within minutes, while an Ironman mistake can take 60 miles to surface.

While Best Bike Split can create heart rate-based plans and pace-based guidance, a power meter is strongly recommended for dialing in your Olympic triathlon bike power on race day.

Yes. Best Bike Split can estimate FTP based on recent ride data, or you can perform a standard FTP test to establish your baseline. We also provide guidance on translating your FTP into Olympic-specific training and racing power zones so you train at the right intensities for short, high-intensity triathlon racing.

Best Bike Split functions as both a triathlon bike power calculator and an Olympic tri bike split calculator — and when power data, course information, and weather conditions are accurate, our physics-based modeling typically predicts Olympic triathlon bike split times within 2–3%.

It's the single biggest controllable factor in Olympic triathlon run performance outside of your base run fitness. By avoiding overcooking the first 20 kilometers and managing energy expenditure throughout the bike, you'll arrive in T2 with more glycogen, fresher legs, and the aerobic headroom to run at genuine 10K race pace. Athletes who nail the Olympic bike consistently run the back half of the 10K stronger than the front — athletes who overcook it almost never do.

Yes. Our database includes thousands of Olympic triathlon courses worldwide — from World Triathlon Series events and national championships to local club races. Select your course from the database or upload a GPX file for any event not already listed.

A standalone 40K time trial lets you empty the tank completely — you can target 90–95% of FTP or higher because there's no run to protect. Olympic triathlon bike pacing requires holding back deliberately to preserve aerobic capacity for the 10K that follows. Best Bike Split accounts for this difference explicitly, calculating a power ceiling that optimizes your combined bike-run performance rather than just your 40K split in isolation.

Best Bike Split vs Old Methods

Why Best Bike Split Beats Traditional Olympic Triathlon Pacing

Steady-state pacing works on a trainer. It doesn't work on a real Olympic course with punchy climbs, wind exposure, and a 10K run waiting in T2. Best Bike Split analyzes every element of your specific course to deliver a data-driven pacing plan that produces faster bike splits and stronger run performances.

Old School Method Best Bike Split Method

Ride Steady State Power

"Just hold 82% of FTP for the whole Olympic bike leg."

Variable Power Pacing

Calculate optimal power for every kilometer based on gradient, wind, road surface, and the need to run a hard 10K immediately after.

The Problem

Real Olympic courses aren't flat training loops. Short punchy climbs, technical corners, and wind exposure all impact optimal power output. Riding steady watts means overcooking the climbs and quietly draining your run legs — and at Olympic distance, there's no time to recover.

The Result

Faster Olympic bike splits with less post-bike fatigue. More efficient use of your FTP across all 40 kilometers. A 10K run that doesn't fall apart after the first 3K.

Guessing your Olympic bike split from a previous race on a different course isn't a strategy. Best Bike Split models your exact course, your current fitness, your equipment, and expected race-day conditions to deliver accurate split predictions before you ever leave home.

Old School Method Best Bike Split Method

Guess Your Bike Split Time

"I went 1:05 on a flat course last year, so maybe 1:08 on this hilly one?"

Physics-Based Time Prediction

Model the exact Olympic course you're racing with your power, weight, equipment, and expected conditions.

The Problem

Every Olympic course is different. Elevation gain, technical sections, wind exposure, and road surface quality can swing your bike split by 5–12 minutes. Past performance on a different course doesn't predict what you'll do on your next one.

The Result

Know your target Olympic bike split to within minutes before race day. Plan your run target and overall race strategy around accurate, course-specific time predictions.

Join 150,000+ Athletes Already Racing Smarter

Stop guessing at Olympic bike pacing. Stop following generic IF recommendations that don't account for your specific course, conditions, or run fitness. Start using the same physics-based modeling trusted by pro triathletes and World Tour cycling teams — and race the Olympic triathlon you've been training for.

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  • BBS AI Workout Builder
  • BBS AI Assistant
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  • Goal Race Time Model
  • Training Stress Score Model
  • Advanced Weather Feature
  • Advanced Surface Conditions
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