Hill climbs - getting dropped
Comments
-
1) dont have a turbo (or an interest in sufferfest). I'd rather ride on the road.
2) what tom says (presume he's being ironic).
honestly folks thats enough. i'm pretty clear on what i need to do.
thanks again.0 -
Try this.
Climb in a much easier gear and try and keep your cadence at 90rpm. On Box Hill, take the zig zag road up to the first hairpin quite steady and then really try and accelerate as you hit each hairpin. On the 4th hairpin, get out of the saddle and try and sprint the last few metres to the car park.
Box Hill is good in that it maintains a relatively constant gradient, so force yourself to work a bit harder. It isn't that much of a challenge though. Mix things up a bit. Cross over the A24 and either ride up Chapel Lane or Old Ranmore Road a few times.0 -
Thanks, shall look into this.0
-
I wouldn't worry about your cadence.
Edit: I'll add a bit more. Self selected cadence is usually best. Talking about 'higher cadence' and 'saving energy' is usually best left to pros trying to explain to gullible cycling fans why they've gone from one day riders to Tour de France winners.0 -
How did your trip to box hill go?
In terms of cadence, I find that sometimes I don't get on too well with my 11-23 on long hills. On Zig Zag road, I have to use the 39 tooth ring and the 23 tooth sprocket (sometimes higher if lucky). Do note, I'm an average cyclist who has been cycling since September. I can do the hill in just under 7 minutes 20, but some people can do it in mid 4 minutes or so. I done my best time with stock wheels (300-400g heavier) but the difference was that I used an 11-28 cassette which allowed my legs to spin more.
Not sure what the ideal cadence is, but I struggle to maintain a low cadence up hills.
Something that strikes me is different climbing styles. Wiggins will spin up a hill and will almost spend 99% of his time in the saddle. Contador, on the other hand, spends a lot of his time out of the saddle on steep climbs. Not sure how he's able to do it for so long, but it is impressive.
I did see someone climbing up a rather long hill in Surrey the other day. He spent the entire time out of the saddle, but wasn't going that fast mind you. I assume he was practising a different style, as he looked the part and looked in very decent shape. Do people often train this way?0 -
He could just be climbing it slowly? Just because you stand on the pedals, doesn't mean you have to go fast. It's all about your riding style really. I spend lots of time standing when climbing so you can catch me on recovery rides standing for ages and I can assure you I'm completely relaxed.. As for practicing it, it's good for riders who blow up as soon as they stand (most beginners) since being able to alternate between seating and standing on long climbs is a valuable skill to have (if only so you don't suffer numbness), but it doesn't need to be "forced", considering it's actually more efficient to stay seated.Gabbo wrote:I did see someone climbing up a rather long hill in Surrey the other day. He spent the entire time out of the saddle, but wasn't going that fast mind you. I assume he was practising a different style, as he looked the part and looked in very decent shape. Do people often train this way?0 -
Lightning wrote:
He could just be climbing it slowly? Just because you stand on the pedals, doesn't mean you have to go fast. It's all about your riding style really. I spend lots of time standing when climbing so you can catch me on recovery rides standing for ages and I can assure you I'm completely relaxed.. As for practicing it, it's good for riders who blow up as soon as they stand (most beginners) since being able to alternate between seating and standing on long climbs is a valuable skill to have (if only so you don't suffer numbness), but it doesn't need to be "forced", considering it's actually more efficient to stay seated.Gabbo wrote:I did see someone climbing up a rather long hill in Surrey the other day. He spent the entire time out of the saddle, but wasn't going that fast mind you. I assume he was practising a different style, as he looked the part and looked in very decent shape. Do people often train this way?
I gathered that he wasn't intending to go fast. I have absolutely no doubt that he could've flown up that hill, given his slender physique. I was just wondering as to why someone would train this way, or what benefits could be gained from it.
I'm someone who'll tend to blow up quite quickly when out of the saddle.. especially up a hill. Will make more of a conscious effort to climb out of the saddle more though. Am sure it's a very valuable skill to have.0 -
Gabbo wrote:I gathered that he wasn't intending to go fast. I have absolutely no doubt that he could've flown up that hill, given his slender physique. I was just wondering as to why someone would train this way, or what benefits could be gained from it.
Maybe he wasn't 'training'. Maybe he was on a recovery ride, or in-between intervals, or maybe he was just out for a ride.0 -
Maybe he just prefers standing on the pedals when climbing. Like Pantani0
-
Maybe he wasn't training
Maybe it was his recovery ride
Maybe he was trying out a new style
Maybe he was working on his ability to climb out of the saddle for prolonged periods
Maybe that is just his climbing style
Maybe Bradley Wiggins was visited by the EPO delivery man during the summer of 20120 -
Gabbo wrote:Maybe he wasn't training
Maybe it was his recovery ride
Maybe he was trying out a new style
Maybe he was working on his ability to climb out of the saddle for prolonged periods
Maybe that is just his climbing style
Maybe Bradley Wiggins was visited by the EPO delivery man during the summer of 2012
Next time, why not ask him? Will save all this fruitless speculation0 -
maybe this topic needs to be closed.
Today was good, tried a gear higher than usual and it seemed to help. didn't go mad... thats for tomorrow.0
