"Training" Gearing for WI

Greg Fay

I am planning on my new compact (Quarq PM) and 11-28 rear cassette for IMWI. Question (maybe stoooopid?) is whether I train the next several week on hills using the Race-Day 11-28 (to keep power more constant at targets and cadence high), or use my 11-25 (to build strength on hills)?

Thanks in advance,

Greg

morpheus

Greg, I think we're close enough to race day that you should start riding with the gears that you're gonna use on Sept 8th.

'Building Strength' ship has pretty much sailed at this point. As we get closer to race day, we need to start settling into a Racing With What We've Got mentality.

Just my angle.

Greg Fay

Thank you Chris. Makes sense. I'll switch 'em out then, unless I hear anything to the contrary!

Joe Matchette

x2 on what Chris said: Now is the time to learn how to ride steady with the gears you will have on race day. Question: Are you using power with your training yet? I ask b/c I interpret what you wrote to mean that you have not yet installed your Quark.....

Greg Fay

Yes, I am racing with Power as of about 3 weeks ago. Got the Quarq right after Coeur d'Alene. So relatively new . But using it and loving it! Seemed to help for Boulder 70.3 last weekend, where I also used the 11-28 (not bad hills but because my FTP is currently a low 210).

Thx for the "Second",
Greg

Bruce Thompson

3x on going with your race gears.  The compact crank & 11-28 will work well for IMWI.

Dave Barr

I have been riding with my race gears all year so that I am used to them. I found when I switched to the 11-28 that there were some gears where I just couldn't get the numbers I needed so I had to work through that. I would hate to find those gaps a week or 2 before race day.
Dave