What is a hill? And what's up with my power?

[Deleted User]

So I have a couple of big days behind me, and have my gears taped where I can see them and have been practicing riding steady on those rides.  Been getting VI's of about 1.05, and there are some good hills my route.  Lately I've been wondering when exactly I should be using third gear?  Anytime I am gaining elevation?  Or for more significant "hills".  Maybe I'm overthinking this, but I'm just not sure when I should be trying to stick to gear 2 and go as steady a possible, and when I should be pushing a little harder.

A possibly related question has to do with why my NP, when analyzed after a steady ride in WKO, is about 5 to 10 watts lower than what I would have guessed by looking at LYC during the ride.  On the trainer I am pretty good at hitting the target watts - not so much on the outdoor rides.  Am I doing too much coasting or slacking off a little bit without realizing it?  Should I aim 5 to 10 watts higher to compensate - or would this just drive up my VI?  Maybe I just need to ride steadier, although I thought I read here that a VI of 1.05 is not bad (while the power webinar suggests I should be doing better).

Thanks in advance for the input.

ghernand

jim:

i too have yet to master riding steady, but i am getting close!

-outdoor always harder to ride steady than indoor;
-long climbs easier to ride steady (VI: 1.01), than rolling course (1.08 very good);
-long hill considered >3minutes as per IM pace calculator spreadsheet;

what i am noticing is working for me, is to not worry about 'gears' in training or on big days. ride 80-85% no matter what, unless specified to ride at FTP! by default, you are practicing riding steady...only at 80-85%. when it comes time to ride using 'gears', at race rehearsals, it will be easier to ride steady and shift gears at will.

gh

Joe Matchette

Follow on question -- What techniques do people use to keep VI down and NP up while riding in rollers and hills?

On a recent ride, I was trying to keep 80% for three 10 min. intervals. The course I rode was not anywhere near flat. So my NP was not close to the desired NP. The same thing happened on my 2nd Race Rehearsal (same course). I know CoachR coasts above 34. Is that what most people do? Or do you soft pedal while on the downhill...but that will keep VI up and NP down....in order to keep the speed up and avoid surging?

Thanks.

ghernand

Joe:

sorry for answering again, as i am sure there are others with a more proven cycling track record.

i'm pretty sure the gears are for racing not training.  so, on a 10minute interval on a rolling course, then you work the whole way as long as it's safe to do so.  if you know that the descent doesn't allow for high watts, then climb at higher watts, so that it sort of balances out.

definitely accelerate over the crest of the climb each time and hold the watts for as long as you can until you just start spinning out.  repeat that over each roller (this is not easy to do!). 

on a ride with strauss, over small rollers after a big climb, i caught on his wheel and did the above.  i am much weaker than him, but we both dropped a bunch of guys who would hold on up the roller, but were not accustomed to holding the watts over the crest. 

i think if you ride at 80% or more in training and approach the rollers as above, then when it comes time to use gears, you'll be able to hold them steady over any terrain.

hope this helps!

gh

[Deleted User]

Thanks for the feedback Gilberto. I do realize the gears are for racing - and I only focus on steady riding in those gears when doing a big day or trying to ride steady. I guess my question is on the nuances of it all. When exactly in a race, or big day training ride preparing for a race, do you use gear 3. Should I try to stay in gear 2 as much as possible, only using 3 and 4 if absolutely needed? Or would I under-perform doing that and should be using gear 3 anytime I'm gaining elevation?

Keith Wick

I'm similar in that my NP is usually lower than where I think it is. I compensate for this by going 5-8 watts above my target and I am usually able to hit it using this technique.

As far as VI goes, use it when you look at your intervals to see if it's around 1. If your doing it for a full ride that includes intervals, then it will be all over the place, so there is no need to keep it close to 1. One other key component to riding steady is constantly changing gears in order to maintain a consistent cadence with your effort/watts.