Originally Posted by
jonathanf2
If it takes weeks to improve, I have all year to train! Yeah, I originally started training my OOS saddle riding because it was the only way to keep up with strong high cadence climbers. For example, when seated and climbing, I'll get passed up. Yet when I switch to my OOS I can usually catch up and pass before reaching the top, sometimes even passing just meters before they summit. Also I notice amongst the high cadence riders I ride with, they tend not to switch to OOS, maybe due to keeping their rhythm and pace? I also have a habit of staying in my big chainring and not switching to the small unless absolutely necessary. I'm wondering if this technique has given me both an advantage and disadvantage?
Hi Jonathan
viewing and there have been some good ideas and considerations. Maybe I can add some other perspective. Humans, are a 'Bell curve', within some very narrow dimensions. We can't jump like a grasshopper nor run like a cheetah. But within our narrow spectrum, there is diversity.
same,same for cycling. We often pick other riders to admire and emulate, Pantani, Armstrong, Ganna, Gilbert, Contador.... But who's to say that our individual attributes are similar to any rider we compare ourselves to? And Body Type is not often a good indicator... Pantani is known for his long escapades climbing OOS, while Froome climbed with extremely high cadence, in the saddle.
SO what are we to do? Best is to define who you are and what your parameters are.
Riding in a group forces you often to get outside of your 'character' - so it's not a good way to 'define/test' what constitutes 'you'. We are all some combination of Biomechanics, body chemistry and mental processes. Taking 'mind' out of it for the moment, cycling is muscle power, endurance and processing energy for the ongoing act of providing power to the muscles.
Cadence helps us chunk out the work load into smaller requirements, but in a quick 'cycle'. Let's consider cadence (within cadence range which is not extreme high or low). Cadence increases require greater loads of oxygen and other nutrients to the cells, done by greater blood flow, increased load on the heart.
Slower cadence means less need for blood flow (to a degree), but the grouping of muscle fiber needs to contract stronger, engaging more fibers strongly, which creates possible energy deficits in the immediate cellular environments. So it's either 'power' thru muscle contraction or system wide load by greater load on the circulatory/heart.
We're all some combination of these 2 major areas. Some genetic limits and some 'current state of condition' limits.
That;s what you need to define, rather than reacting to the outside conditions of the group ride.
I suggest testing (as did carbonfiberboy). The two different uphill sections you describe. Go there, test yourself, when you're by yourself. Do each in the 2 styles of riding you mention, OOS and on saddle. But check your progress thru each entire test. Have a constant reading HRM and power meter. Compare those, especially the HR, in each method.
Compare the your avg Hr and the Highest HR readings to your Lactate/Anerobic Threshold (you have done the Lactate Threshold testing?).
Once you've done all the testing you'll have an idea how best to handle each section of the climbing based on YOUR known capabilities. Then you can also formulate some training to improve either climbing method on sections you feel could become better on.
I have one Q - on the sections you mention, in the group ride - Is the group riding over and thru the top and continuing riding on to whatever is next? Or is there a 'regrouping' at the top, having the lead riders waiting for others to reach the top? This, of course, affects how one rides any of the climbing sections...
Ride On
Yuri