There's an old saying that goes something like this: "the smartest rider wins the race, not the strongest." Part of being a smart rider is being able to read the road and adjust your efforts accordingly. I've talked a lot on this blog about climbing position and climbing efficiency, but all the technique and efficiency in the world won't do you any good if you don't use it properly. So, that being said, let's take a look at how to read the road.
Before I even say anything, the Tour of the Catskills one day race was a disaster for me. I felt good, I was staying well positioned in the group (riding up with the first 5 riders) and everything was going perfectly. I stood up and accelerated to chase an acceleration off the front of the group and felt a pull and a shot of pain on the outside of my right knee. Each pedal stroke for the next 5 miles was just like some sadistic devil sticking an ice pick into my knee joint.
Needless to say, with 'cross season coming up, I climbed off and accepted a DNF. Fail. Maybe I shouldn't have swapped cranks, maybe I shouldn't have swapped pedals, who knows. Next year, Catskills, next year.
Anyway….
[dc]S[/dc]ince I posted about various climbing positions a couple of weeks ago, there has been some interesting questions and some interesting discussion on the idea of changing your climbing position.
Specifically, some questions were posed as to why we slide backwards on the saddle. Or why do we switch positions (or should we switch positions) regularly on a climb?
Well, let's get a little deeper into that, shall we?
A few posts back we talked about different positions to make your climbing more effective. This time around, we're going to talk about the intangible side of going uphill: the psychological and physiological side of things.
Climbing is tough, there's no question about it. But what makes a great climber? Ask that question on an internet forum and you'll get all manner of answers from “high power to weight ratio” to “they like to suffer” to “some people just are.” All are good, legitimate answers, but it doesn't help you if your goal is to not get dropped on the Saturday group ride or to set a personal best going uphill. Fortunately, just like any other aspect of cycling, you can practice and improve your climbing, which will make your days in the saddle that much more fun.
Climbing hills on a bike is perhaps the toughest challenge a rider will undertake. It's no secret that the big mountains are the deciding factors in the biggest bike races in the world, and the skinny climbers that can conquer those mountains are often on the top step of the podium. For us mere mortals, the struggle to find our way up into the clouds can be made easier by utilizing different climbing positions for different situations. We'll explore a few of the most common and explain their uses.
