Originally Posted by
robertorolfo
I just remembered another quick question I have for the group: when you get out of the saddle to accelerate (for an attack, to cover one, to sprint...) do you change to a harder gear right before? I found that every time I got out of the saddle, I was almost immediately getting to a cadence that felt too fast out of the saddle, without any huge burst of speed.
The answer here is it depends. I usually feel like I get a better jump if I gear up a bit before I go, maybe because I tend to spin a pretty high cadence when in the pack. This is almost always the case if the jump is when the group is moving at an pretty easy pace (i.e. when there is a lull). Do be careful of over gearing before you jump as it is a common beginner mistake. You may think you can generate more power in that higher gear, but it might be less than you can at a higher cadence. This is something to practice and get a feel for what you like.
As an aside, you can often gauge when a rider right in front of you is getting ready to jump by a shift up (usually accompanied by other body language). You can be ready to react quickly and jump on their wheel.