Turning the big ring/big gears
Climber_Andy
Posts: 852
I'd say I'm more of a high-RPM small-ring man most of the time, but today I noticeably couldn't turn the big ring - I was grinding, and my companion was flying at 25-27mph with good cadence. He beat me easily in the sprint - or rather I accelerated and got agonising cramp in my right gastrocnemius muscle (what's the normal word for it? Quad?) for the first time ever...
Tips for learning to ride in the big ring, and more specifiically, its hardest gears? Keep it smooth? Practise it on intervals? I'm not sure the strength is there, but hopefully I just have to build it up.
Tips for learning to ride in the big ring, and more specifiically, its hardest gears? Keep it smooth? Practise it on intervals? I'm not sure the strength is there, but hopefully I just have to build it up.
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Comments
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Sounds like you were over-geared.
If you want to get better at using bigger gears, best technique I've found is to ride draggy climbs in the saddle and use a gear that you are just able to get round comfortably (say 60-70rpm cadence).
Riding fixed thro' the winter helps me with this as the gear equates to 53x21 and I find if I ride the same route with a few draggy climbs on it, after 6-8 weeks I'm noticeably more comfortable climbing seated.0
