For the record, this is how Tony Kanaan trains.
Sunday, he rode 56 miles in the Miami Man Triathlon and considered it a light day on the bike. Typically, he rides 60 to 80 miles per day, usually totaling more than 500 miles per week.
Tuesday evening at Bicycle Garage Indy North (4340 E. 82nd Street, Indianapolis), Kanaan participated in an event known as Crank It Up! The Brazilian who lives in the city was the celebrity contestant in the head-to-head virtual sprint event.
“I’ll use it as another day of training,” the 2004 NTT IndyCar Series champion and 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner said prior to the event.
Kanaan was the class of the biking field Sunday at Miami’s Thompson Park, easily delivering the fastest time as his team won the relay portion of the 70.3-mile event (swimming 1.2 miles, biking 56 miles, running 13.1 miles). Kanaan completed his 56 miles in 2 hours, 16 minutes, 21 seconds -- an average speed of 24.6 mph.
Fellow IndyCar Series driver Matheus Leist also participated, his team finishing second to Kanaan’s team. His bike time was 2:26.55, an average of 22.9 mph.
One of Leist’s teammates was Benito Santos, who has worked with Kanaan for years. Santos ran the mini-marathon leg in 1:36.49, an average mile pace of 7:23.
Kanaan has long been known for his endurance cycling, and he said he plans to do another individual Ironman competition (70.3 miles) in 2021.