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Cycling tips for Climbing hills - " Lance Armstrong mentality " + Power meter training?
- Published_at:2012-07-16
- Category:Sports
- Channel:durianriders
- tags: Lance Armstrong (Cyclist), Cycling (Sport), Climbing (Sport), Sport (Industry), sports, martial arts
- description: Cycling Survival 1 - How to cycle in the mountains - Climbing with Durianrider & Lance Armstrong, well sort of. ;) Cycling tips for Climbing hills - " Lance Armstrong mentality " + Power meter training? Cycling in the mountains is all about staying relaxed and having a fluid technique by using easy gears with a higher cadence vs hard gears with a low cadence. Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador are good Tour De France examples of this. As are Andy Schleck & Frank Schleck Bradley Wiggins etc. Tour De France 2012 is currently on so check out the high cadence of the fastest climbers. STAY SEATED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE Although you develop more power while standing (you are taking advantage of all your upper body weight pushing down on the pedals), you also use 10 to 12% more energy as your pelvis isn't in contact with the saddle which means more work for your core and back muscles as you pull up on the unweighted pedal. The net effect is more energy used (less efficient) to climb standing versus to climb seated. On short climbs, the length of a football field or less, it makes little difference. But on longer climbs, stay in the saddle and spin at 80 - 85 RPM. This is particularly so if you are heavier as standing puts just that much more weight on your leg muscles, while sitting uses the seat to help take the extra upper body weight off your legs. Staying in the saddle will: burn less energy - heart rate is approximately 8% lower for any set speed use your bigger gluteal (butt) and hip muscles to your advantage. Want to train for climbing hills while seated?? Here is a drill you might consider. Go hard up short hills while seated. Find a climb that's moderately steep and takes about 30 seconds to crest. Hit it hard at the bottom in a fairly large gear. Beware of letting your cadence slow by the top. Use a gear that lets you pedal at 90 rpm or more all the way up. Start with two or three reps and increase as your strength improves. That having been said, on long, fairly steep climbs, it may provide a break to alternate sitting and standing to employ different muscle groups. Just before you stand, shift to the next smaller cog, then shift back when you sit. These gear changes will help you maintain a steady pace during cadence changes. And if you are going to stand, let the bike rock side to side under you - an arc of maybe 6 inches side to side. And don't lean too far forward. Stay back so that your weight is directly over the crank. BODY POSITION Being bent over in the drops is the most efficient position on level ground, but hills are different as there is much less aerodynamic resistance. You actually get the most power sitting up as high as you can. HAND POSITION Comfort overrides these comments, but for seated climbing, most riders prefer to keep their hands on top of the bars, perhaps 2 or 3 inches from the center stem. A wide grip on the top of the handlebar reduces breathing restriction. And remember to drop your elbows and relax your upper body. For out of the saddle climbing or aggressive climbs (where you are accelerating or attacking on the saddle) put your thumbs on the hoods and rest one or two fingers on the levers or wrapped around underneath. And when you get to that descent, most riders will go to the drops (keeping your wrists straight) for the aerodynamic advantages although others prefer the hoods for the feeling of control. But not the top of the bars as your hands will be too far from the brakes. UPPER BODY STILL AND CHEST OPEN Keep your upper body quiet - the bike should rock under you (try pulling up on the handlebar opposite of the leg on a down stroke). Too much movement wastes energy. And your shoulders should be back and "open". If not, you are constricting your chest and cannot breathe efficiently. SIT BACK ON THE SADDLE When you slide back on your seat, you gain a leverage advantage on the pedals. The only time you would want to slide forward is for a short sprint on a small rise. WHEN YOU MUST STAND - pedaling while standing If you must stand, remember it's hard to pull up because you aren't in contact with the saddle -- there's nothing to brace your hips to pull against -- and you will to power into BOTH the down and up strokes (12 to 5 o'clock on the down stroke and 7 to 10 o'clock on the upstroke). You should use your body weight to help you push down. Let the bike move fluidly under you. DonÂ't force it. The bike should rock rhythmically side to side in an arc of about 6 inches (judged by the movement of the handlebar stem).
| ranked in date | views | likes | Comments | ranked in country (#position) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-07-20 | 2,285 | 98 | 67 |
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| 2012-07-21 | 2,608 | 100 | 68 |
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| 2012-07-22 | 2,966 | 106 | 79 |
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| 2012-07-23 | 3,320 | 108 | 81 |
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