Hill Climbing - Out Of Saddle?

I’m going on holiday on 16th July and need to loose some severe bodyweight.
I’ve been using my road bike for training for the last 3 weeks, I train every morning, get up at 04:30, on the road by 05:00, and do a minimum of 15 miles, this morning I did 23 miles, and on Sunday I rode 30 miles, i’ve been limiting my calories to 1500 per day (although last night had mixed kebab and chips :evil: ), and to date have lost 1.5 stone…..
During the last 3 weeks, I’ve noticed my fitness has increased significantly.
Whereas before I would approach a really steep hill and change down to a really easy gear and ride up the hill slowly, now I’m changing up one or two gears and then standing up and climbing out of the saddle whilst leaning the bike from side to side. This style of riding seems to suit me really comfortably and I keep the bike in a straight line, and seem to be sprinting up the hills with this technique.
Is this cheating? Would I be better off going back to the way I was riding before?
I’ve been using my road bike for training for the last 3 weeks, I train every morning, get up at 04:30, on the road by 05:00, and do a minimum of 15 miles, this morning I did 23 miles, and on Sunday I rode 30 miles, i’ve been limiting my calories to 1500 per day (although last night had mixed kebab and chips :evil: ), and to date have lost 1.5 stone…..
During the last 3 weeks, I’ve noticed my fitness has increased significantly.
Whereas before I would approach a really steep hill and change down to a really easy gear and ride up the hill slowly, now I’m changing up one or two gears and then standing up and climbing out of the saddle whilst leaning the bike from side to side. This style of riding seems to suit me really comfortably and I keep the bike in a straight line, and seem to be sprinting up the hills with this technique.
Is this cheating? Would I be better off going back to the way I was riding before?
My Road Bike:-
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd35 ... G_3654.jpg
My Mountain Bike
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd35 ... G_2642.jpg
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd35 ... G_3654.jpg
My Mountain Bike
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd35 ... G_2642.jpg
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Posts
Ask yourself, my friend, who do people remember more fondly... Pantani and Virenque out the saddle and gurning at the cameras or Ivan Basso robotically spinning away with his mouth shut?
@gietvangent
I'm sure I read somewhere that Armstrong's trainer (Carmichael?) was always trying to get him to stay in the saddle as it's supposedly more efficient, but out of the saddle feels right to me.
Are you saying that it isn't possible to ride at a medium intensity out of the saddle?
And that old bad for yer knees fallacy too? Bad for your drivetrain too?
Short answer, ride what suits you.
@gietvangent
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd35 ... G_3654.jpg
My Mountain Bike
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd35 ... G_2642.jpg
I've never noticed that, infact completely the opposite.
PB's
10m 20:21 2014
25m 53:18 20:13
50m 1:57:12 2013
100m Yeah right.
As for your knees and drivetrain given a constant gradient, weight and speed they will see a higher loading grinding a big gear (lower mechanical advantage) than sitting and spinning a lower gear. When was the last time you snapped a chain in the saddle? Exactly.[/quote]
I've snapped three chains all whilst I was in the saddle iirc :roll:
What is the likelihood of this happening these days?
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd35 ... G_3654.jpg
My Mountain Bike
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd35 ... G_2642.jpg
21lbs(1.5st) in 3 weeks is 7lbs weight loss a week. There is no way that this is all fat.
On 1500 calories per day, you will be losing a lot of muscle as well as fat, lowering your metabolism and making sustained fat loss much harder. Anything less than 2000 cal for a guy is very low, especially with extensive cardio, as you are doing.
With 6 weeks left, you still have a lot of time to lose significant body fat while minimizing muscle losses. Up your calories a bit. Eat often. Eat clean. Get Abs!
Hope this doesn't seem intrusive, and if you want to stick with what you're doing, then that's fine! To each his own
My biggest fear is getting off and walking, it hasn't happened yet but I must admit I've been close to being defeated a few times.
Pinarello Dogma 2 (ex Team SKY) 2012
Cube Agree GTC Ultegra 2012
Giant Defy 105 2009
Roger, forgive if I have misread/muddled what I have read in other posts but my impression is that you (and yr steel bike have a lot of experience) and that you do not have the advantages of a young racer on a cf frame. So coping with a 20% hill (as opposed to a short pitch) is impressive.
What gear ratios do you have?
What speed do you maintain?
Are you v fit?
I did box hill for the first time yesterday and almost felt like getting off and chucking the damn bike over the side :shock:
However I persisted and made it to the top. The time was embarrassingly slow but hey always next time 8)
I'd be interested in knowing as well....
for interest if I am on say a 22% ramp then, I'll use something in the region of a 39" gear .. out of saddle and grinding hopefully not tooo slowly but deff NOT in any sense of the word spinning up! Depending on the length of that ramp then at the top end of the HR but still in control.. insurance if ever on new routes it ramps up even more and on known routes when %up starts to drop able to start acceleration