Re: Cadence update 2

Following on from WibbleWobble's message. . .
Re my previous post about cadence. Tried it for a while. Up from 30rpm to
60-70rpm with plenty of gearchanges.

After the intial probs tiring out if legs rotated too fast my average speed
has gone up 15-20% (really!) and I get a steady aerobic 60rpm rhythm which
is fine for my 19 stone body, and...I've lost 1.5 stones since recently
restarted cycling and eating better!

All good news.

A couple of 'advanced' points worth noting when working at stretching your capabilities and using your gears.

1
It takes at least 10 minutes for every bit of your body to get into the swing of working hard and in harmony with the others. Despite knowing this I still get surprised when I start of with a 'today will be a slow no-hurry day' only to find myself flying along 20 minutes later.

2
The occasional sprint, for example blasting up a short hill, might clobber you for a minute or two but is (a) satisfying when you do them, (b) even more satisfying when you repeat a month later and its so much easier and (c) helps to build strength.


Tip for bursting up hills: Suppose you've just come down to the bottom of a U and are now about to head up the other side. It is quite critical that you're in exactly the right gear and you are settled into a power stroke rhythm _at the bottom, before the climb._ This can most easily be described as 'piling on the coal a handful of seconds before the hill starts'. Most definitely the /wrong/ way (if the hill is sprintable) is to glide up some way before getting stuck in. For one thing your speed is changing so quickly that it's difficult to find the most effective gear.

Finally: Don't be fooled by the above discussion into thinking I'm a super athlete. This time of year I do 14mph ish to the pub and 13mph ish back for perhaps a 20 mile round trip. And since I've spent a fortune in beer to achieve my figure I've no intention of following outrageous suggestions of losing 1.5 pounds let alone 1.5 STONE!

Keep up the good work. You'll soon be at 80.

--
PETER FOX Not the same since the borehole business dried up
peterfox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.eminent.demon.co.uk - Lots for cyclists
.

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