Originally Posted by
Trakhak
Giovanni Battaglin said in an interview in the 1980s that to preserve his legs on long climbs in the Alps and Pyrenees, he would look at the sprocket size his competitors were using on the climb and go one tooth larger.
New England simply doesn't have the climbs of the Alps and Pyrenees except the big one in NH. The one time i did that in competition, while everyone else put their 28s in back, I put it in front. (I love TA cranksets. Erector sets, yes. Flexy, yes. But you can make up anything. A 28 tooth single? Easy.) Saved weight in back (and maybe a little in front. I didn't take the FD off.) 85 teeth; 13-21. And a shorter chain.
Giovanni's tactic wouldn't have worked for me unless everyone else was overgeared. I climbed best doing a lot of standing and riding higher gears. Spinning was never my forte. Yes, I paid the price but I made "the cut" in my hardest race where losing 2 feet to the wheel in front of my would have cost me 10 minutes. I could not have stayed on in a 21 tooth cog.