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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2014 5:50:33 GMT
I'm reading wiggins boost the moment and one thing he mentioned was his (relatively) weak climbing skills compared the rest of the top rides. In the off season he worked hard on building upper body strength to help his climbing, especially whe out of the saddle. While the book did not specifically say it, I read that along the lines of a stronger upper body can support the body weight easier and use less energy.
No shame at all in pushing up a hill. I find picking the correct gear is essential near the start. If possible try to approach the hill with a decent amount of speed and try to carry that up the hill as far as possible. You can then go up the gears as you start getting tired or the incline increases. You can also try Moving your body to the nose of the saddle or to the back to use different muscles groups.
Good luck with the rest of your rides.
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Post by jimc on Apr 10, 2014 9:59:07 GMT
There's no shame in getting out of the saddle, it'll just tire you out quicker than sitting.
Standing allows you to bear more that your total weight onto the pedals (if you pull on the bars). I climbed a 16%er last Sunday at the end of a mostly 8% hill and stood up for it.
While I (try to) keep my action smooth in the saddle, when I'm standing the bike goes from side to side and I'm really grinding and using upper body a lot more - leaning weight forward over the bars helps which is the opposite of what I do when climbing in the saddle, your centre of gravity will change when you stand and I find weighting forward helps my power and balance.
And use your granny ring, Miguel Indurain used a triple at times and if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me.
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Post by Radchenister on Apr 10, 2014 10:07:36 GMT
Just take care when you stand, doesn't need to be fast as you can push a bigger gear, I stand when the gradients crank right up for short spells on long climbs, think of it like an easy jog to winch yourself up. Use it sparingly, sometimes nice to change emphasis on achy parts. Caution over bumps and damp surfaces as you may spin up the rear.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2014 16:48:55 GMT
There's absolutely nothing wrong with standing or getting off and pushing up a 30% gradient for that matter. We all watch the pros and get sucked into thinking we should be able to do what they do (albeit slower). The reality is they are elite level athletes, we aren't!
Anyway, for short sharp efforts standing can be very effective. Suffolk may be mostly flat but it does short and steep fairly well (must be the proximity to the Low Countries). On longer climbs it can get you over a steeper section or used to stretch tiring legs.
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Post by Radchenister on Apr 11, 2014 18:01:14 GMT
30% will have some of the pros getting off if they have the wrong gears on the bike.
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