Originally Posted by
timeforheroes
is it better to increase my sitting efforts to maintain speed? or just get better at standing?!?
also... the amount of standing on this particular climb is, I think, because of all the varying gradients... any advice how to cope with this as it breaks my rhythm alot
A 14 mile climb is definitely long. You should try to sit as much as you can. A general rule of thumb some people use is to sit unless your cadence drops below 70 (60 for others), then stand. Lower cadences put more stress on your knees and muscles. Standing in those cases for short periods of time would help.
If you're having trouble climbing while seated, do some seated climbing drills. On a trainer at home, raise the front wheel of your bike to simulate an incline. After a good warm up, do some intervals where you put your bike into a large gear where you can only pedal around 50-55 rpms. Do this while seated for 3-5 minutes. Then shift to an easier gear and spin for a while. Repeat 2-3 times and alternate with easy spinning and some lower gear/high cadence climbing intervals. Those would be around 80-85rpms for 3-5 minutes. This will help you develop power you can use while still seated so you won't go anaerobic quite as fast and will last longer on long hill climbs. You will eventually be able to sit and spin over grades that used to force you to stand up and power through.
neneboricua