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How to keep from spiking watts on hills

mcstrangelovemcstrangelove
in General Training Discussions

First time outside with the PM today (been using on the trainer for 3 wks).  Decided to do some hills since my A-races are hilly courses. I tried to keep my watts at an EN-approved z2-3, but on a 5-8% grade for 4 miles my power was spiking over 100 watts above where it should be and never came down.  Mind you I was in the granniest, Driving Miss Daisyest gear I have (34/25) and I was mashing at watts I have no business hitting, as far as EN is concerned.

Question is, how do you keep your watts down in the correct racing zones (z2-3) when doing climbs for 10-20+ minutes?

Also, is it a bad idea to use a tri-bike on hilly courses?

Comments

  • Nemo BrauchNemo Brauch

    1. More Gears = More Better, consider a 27 cassette



    2. W/KG is a big factor in climbing and you have two choices. Raise the numerator or lower the denominater.



    3. Some of this is practice. You have to get comfortable spinning easy & slowly, going at a pace so slow that it feels like you just might fall over. If you don't typically ride up hills in the way EN recommends for race day- it's gonna feel funky. But you can get used to it.



    4. At some point there is a w/kg to %grade hill equation that just adds up to a "no way no how" outcome. For those times (and you really gotta be sure it's one of those time), you just gotta suck it up, go over the prescribed watts, and not worry about it. This is a common problem for l'il peeps, but for bigger/stronger dudes it does't happen as often.



    5- No- it's not a bad idea to use a Tri Bike on a hilly course. Absolutely positively you should be using your TT bike at IM Lou.

  • steveperxsteveperx
    Mac:

    Rich has a great article on this. Check the Wiki. Depending on the grade of the hill and your W/kg, you WILL eventually encounter the hill that forces you to go above Z2/Z3. In that case, you simply try to keep the watts as low as you can without falling over. As far as whether or not to use the tri-bike on hilly course? I'd say it doesn't really matter unless you are typically faster on your road bike on hilly courses. If you think about it, the tri-bike is designed for riding in the aero position. This is because people will typically be faster in the aero position (less resistance = faster, right?). If you're not staying aero, then perhaps the road bike is a better choice for both comfort and speed. It really depends on you.
  • NortonNorton
    The other choice is lower cadence. Bigger gears on the back are far preferable.
  • Carrie ChavezCarrie Chavez
    Sounds like your questions were answered. My first thoughts were:more gears: compact crank with 27 or moreimage, then lower cadence( feels like you will tip overimage ), then more complicated is decreasing body weight. ( I hate that one).

  • mcstrangelovemcstrangelove

     "27 cassette" meaning 12-27?  I'll have to check on this because I recall the LBS saying there was an issue adding more gears.

    I tried slowing the cadence, in fact, most of the hill I was btw 40-50 rpm (according the the PM data afterwards) but the watts were still spiking.  

    I'll definitely look for that article (I had searched the wiki before I posted my question but didn't see anything).  Do you know what the article was called?

    I'm chalking it up to inexperience.  These hilly courses will probably be a wash this season.  Hopefully by 2012 season, my FTP will be a bit higher and this will be a moot point.

  • tuckermtuckerm
    Yes a 12-27 cassette. You should be able to add it to your bike. As for controlling the power spikes on hills, I will say to crush the hills now to help you raise your FTP. Worry about controlling on your race rehearsals.
  • NortonNorton
    Yeah, 27 cassette means 12-27. Explore your options: SRAM make a killer 11-31 cassette that may work for you. If you're running Campy (highly unlikely) they have a great 13-29 piece and IRD makes a 13-32 that I often use for hilly brevets. There are also micro-drive cranks available (48-30) if you really want to keep the gearing down.

    The hardest part may be swallowing your pride at running "sissy" gearing. Screw 'em; you'll be running on strong legs while they'll be walking.
  • David AmbroseDavid Ambrose
    @Mac - my hat off to you. There is no way i go up an ascent with 40-50rpm. I was riding some big lengthy climbs a few weekends ago ranging from 6% - 10% grade and my cadence average was 78. X2 with going with a 27 or 28 cog cassette.
  • David RDavid R
    I live in an area with a lot of hills. This past year I ran an 11-28 on my Tri bike. There were times when I first started I thought I was going to fall over. But I kept riding the EN way. As I got stronger and lost more weight I was able to maintain higher watts going up the hills. It is somewhat nerve racking when your getting passed by everyone on the hills. But then it feels better when you fly past them on the downside and then leave them behind on the run. Now that I know I have the discipline to race my watts, this year I am crushing the hills to build strength. I know when it comes to a race I will be able to race my watts.
  • steveperxsteveperx
    Mac:

    Check out this link:

    http://www.endurancenation.us/blog/2008/05/15/climbing-hills/
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