Do you think Lance use a std Chainset?
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lol EPO asside..
Lance used a much higher cadence then all other riders - he changed his riding style after one of his coaches examined long distance runners and noticed they took really small steps instead of big ones. They tested the method on lance and because of his high lactic threshold he can spin faster without getting tired as fast as someone else
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I thought Big Mig was an influence on his high cadence (iirc)?
Maybe he watched people tootling around on mountain bikes at 5 miles an hour but with a cadence of 120 rpm?0 -
One, Armstrong’s maximal blood lactic acid levels, as measured by Ed Coyle, are not particularly exceptional for a pro cyclist.Doobz wrote:Lance used a much higher cadence then all other riders - he changed his riding style after one of his coaches examined long distance runners and noticed they took really small steps instead of big ones. They tested the method on lance and because of his high lactic threshold he can spin faster without getting tired as fast as someone else
Secondly, the importance of blood lacate has been reconsidered in recent years and it is now accepted that high level of blood lactate ( or having a low lactate threshold, which amounts to the same thing) may actually be a good thing, given that lactic acid in now known to be a primary fuel in aerobic exercise, not a counter-productive ``waste product`. What really counts is how effectively that lactic is used .
As to cadence, true, spinning faster can be more `efficient`, depending on the make up of one’s musculature, how one has been trained and the workload imposed. However, high cadences are also associated with a higher oxygen demand. If you have oxygen to spare - say from Epo use or blood doping, high cadences might well give on the edge, but with a lower maximal oxygen uptake high cadences are likely to lead to a reduction in performance, not an increase. What’s more from data collected by Ed Coyle we know that Armstrong’s highest measured maximal oxygen uptake was not particularly exceptional for a cyclist, at around 81. In 1999 it was measured to be just 71.5. In comparison Lemond`s figure was around 92 (!) So where on earth did all that extra capacity come from, let alone the extra needed to benefit from `spinning` up a mountain?
As an explanation of Armstrong’s literally incredible increase in ability, `spinning` is up there along with `threshold training` as an explanation for how Moser was able to smash Merckx`s hour record. Ironically blood doping and an association with a dodgy Italian doctor would appear to be the real reason in both cases!0 -
SunWuKong wrote:I thought Big Mig was an influence on his high cadence (iirc)?
Maybe he watched people tootling around on mountain bikes at 5 miles an hour but with a cadence of 120 rpm?
Well didn't Indurain use brute strength and just power his way around everything. I am almost 100% certain that lance's style was adopted from what I said before.0 -
IIRC, Indurain ground a huge gear rather than spun0
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I never thought that Lance doped. I reckon he used a very Hi-Tech motor in his bottom bracket which assisted in getting the pedals round. Is the bottom bracket subject to scrutineering ?? I suspect not. He was obsessive about technology after all.0
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I know Big Mig used a big gear but I remember reading (some where?) that whilst regaining fitness after cancer he had discussions with Miguel and he suggested a higher cadence. Could be a fabrication of my memory though?0
