Originally Posted by kotomile

I'll never have a climber's body. Sprinter is in the cards for me.

Originally Posted by shlammed

I definitely need more work on my climbing technique... I was so out of breath at the end of the climb. 8% isn't THAT bad, but if the hill were any longer I would have been sitting back down before it was over.

Originally Posted by emilio700

Unless you actually sprinting at full power, standing climbing should be done at a lower cadence, 60-80rpm. >90rpm seated is just for closing gaps, shorts bursts. The rest of the time you should be trying to hold 80-90rpm seated sustained on long climbs. You need to have exceptional aerobic fitness and power to weight to be able to climb standing for sustained periods. Only the absolute best pro, pure climbers in the world can do it.

Running out of aerobic fitness is why it was easier to sustain a lower rpm. Bryan Wood, back in his cycling days was the consumate big gear low rpm masher until I started training him. 12 weeks of spinning a gear restricted fixie on club rides turned him into an efficient high rpm 195lb Wiggins clone. Point is, even with the "wrong" body type, any rider can greatly improve their aerobic efficiency with focused training.

Easiest way is to simply force yourself to use the smallest gear you can spin seated and not bounce. At first it won't be very fast and/or you'll tire quickly. In a few weeks you'll find you can spin faster at a lower HR and then, you'll discover you're actually putting out considerable watts.. and your legs don't hurt.

There are different energy pathways a cyclist (or any athlete) enlists depending on the work needed. Ideally, you get a good idea of what load the challenge will present and focus training on the relevant systems.

A century for someone that has been off the bike for a long time will have specific workloads. No 35mph time trialing in a peloton. No 1100 watt sprints. No 40rpm sand pit cyclocross grinds. You will have long unbroken periods of 80-90rpm sub 200w pedaling with the steady climbs interspersed. Not much accelerating I suspect. So high demand on aerobic threshold efficiency, no demand for peak power or hard acceleration, some demand for aerobic threshold power. The challenge will be to not burn all your matches on that first climb so I'd also focus on that. Figure out how long that climb will be, what wattage you need for your gearing then do intervals of 40-80% climb length at just above the power level required. By the time the century comes, you should easily be able to handle that climb at target power while keep the powder dry for those kickers two hours later

Gotta maintain hydration and decent blood sugar level for about 6 hrs. So start doing rides as close to that length as possible. Your gut requires blood to process food for fuel. Problem is it's all being used to transport oxygen to your screaming legs. Every rider has a limit of how many calories their body can absorb per hr when near aerobic threshold HR. That same new rider will also burn calories less efficiently, generating more watts on body heat than torque. With training, you'll use your calories more efficiently and need to eat less per watt. You'll also be able to absorb more water and calories per/hr at your aerobic threshold.

The human body, stores roughly 2hrs worth of easily accessed muscle glycogen (fuel) regardless of training level. 300lb couch potato and Tour winner both need to eat before the 2hr point in exercise to avoid bonking.
That's relevant because you never want to run the tank that low. If you do, it takes a while to come back. That's where defizzed Cokes and high glycemic sugars can save a ride. Problem is they trigger an insulin response in an otherwise healthy system. That's bad because they make your body resist all the low glycemic stuff in your stomach. So you end up switching gears in metabolism and need to keep feeding it junkfood at a high rate to keep the fires burning. So avoid the easy high glycemic stuff until the end of the ride. Do your best to fuel with the lowest glycemic but calorically dense and easily digested foods for as long as possible. In general, the best energy gels/fluids use maltodextrin almost exclusively. Expensive but easy to digest and lower glycemic than say, HFCS or plain refined sugar. Also experiment with what foods you can get down with elevated HR. Some stuff is fine when you're putting around but impossible to handle or choke down when you're struggling at the back.

Also good to try to do that first 2-2.5 hrs of any long training ride without stopping. That works the system harder and helps to train the body to be fuel efficient.

I rely on Hammer Nutrition (sounds like an ad, lol) gel. You can buy their gel in powder and either make your own gels or add it to your energy drink. HEED sports drink is electrolytes with a modest portion on maltodextrin. Super easy on the stomach when your're hammering.

I also like PBJ sandwiches. Everyone has their own fave bike food but it's critical that you find what works for you.

Power wise, it's a long day just under 200watts with a 45 minute 250-300w climb early on and those ugly 1-2 minute 250-400w grunts late in the ride. No need for super high (120+) cadences so we can leave that out for now. The more efficient you can remain for 6hrs just under 200w, the more energy you'll have for those kickers late in the ride. On your LSD (long slow distance) training ride, I'd throw in some intervals to simulate
those loads. You won't acceleration those climbs in the century, but merely want to hold pace in the group as the stronger riders lay down the watts at the front.

One thing to remember in group rides is to never ease off the watts until you are past the crest and starting to accelerate down hill again. The strong riders will never coast at the crest but instead keep the watage up and zoom down the backside like a roller coaster. Nothing more soul shattering than turning yourself inside out for a half hour up some god-forsaken hill then getting popped off after the summit because you sat up 3 pedal strokes too soon.

Originally Posted by dcamp2

big tabletop get you too?

Originally Posted by hustler

I did 5500' outside of Bandera, TX on a 65 mile ride today, ------.

Originally Posted by dcamp2

but what broke your frame?

you OK?

Originally Posted by hustler

The Rd hanger broke when climbing. I'm not sure what caused it.

Physically, yes.

Originally Posted by Sam TII

So question for the MT.NET bike crew. I'm a long time Mountain/BMXer, I'm looking to get a road bike. What would you recommend either new or used for like a $700 or so budget? I don't mind waiting for something used, I worked at a bike shop all through highschool so I can check out/fix stuff but I have no handle on the road market in terms of what good value is etc.

I expect to be riding about 100 miles a week, just for fun with some friends. I'll spend more money as I get more serious, figured I'd get something reasonably priced with hopefully good resale to get my feet wet.

Originally Posted by emilio700

Sonny's bike came in today. Some hand me down parts I donated to the build that knocked 1.6 lbs off:
Roval carbon clinchers
Zipp Ti QR's
Specialized carbon post

Added cages, wireless computer. 19.3 lbs as show in pic. Not super light but he says it rides great and shifts like butta. Look at that pie plate rear cog. Jelly.