[sleepyday]

hey guys i have some questions
1. is there any tips when drafting? i have trouble when drafting because i cant see the road in front of me and scared i might hit the bike in front of me
2. my friend told me, when climbing i suppose to put more power on pulling up the pedal instead of pushing down, is it correct?
3. is there any exercise that can increase the ability to stand pedaling more often?

thank you

 

[wim]

Some thoughts.

1. Don't draft directly behind someone, but slightly offset (3 inches or so) to one side. It allows you to take a look at what's ahead every so often. It also makes it much less likely that you contact the rear wheel of the rider in front of you should he or she slow down without warning.

2. Complete nonsense for seated riding. In a short but all-out acceleration while standing ("sprint"), pulling up on the backstroke as an add-on to forcefully pushing down on the downstroke might get you a bit of extra speed for a few seconds.

3. Do a timed standing interval once a week. Put the bike in a relatively large gear (50 x15, for example) and for a specific time, pedal at a sustainable speed standing up and with your hands on the brake hoods. Start with one or two 60-second standing intervals the first week, then do one standing interval for 2 minutes, 5 minutes and 10 minutes per week after that. You will have to resist the powerful urge to sit down, but that's part of the drill. Because it gives a purpose to these intervals, it's mentally easier to do them up a slight grade or into a headwind.

/w

 

[PJ352]

Considering this is the beginner's corner I agree with wim on the first two, but not the third. I don't see this specific interval as necessary (in this case) and as presented, it'll put undue stress on the knees.

I'm in no way professing that anyone emulate the pros, but if you watch them climb, generally speaking, they're out of the saddle long enough to bring cadence back up and then return to a seated position. I think it would be better to practice similarly (and keep cadence up while doing so). If you're unfamiliar with cadence, there is a recent thread here that may help.

Lastly, for a variety of reasons we all have differing methods of climbing, so IMO it's a questionable goal to "stand pedaling more often' without knowing it'll work for you.

 

[Andy C]

I find that while drafting, watching the rider's hips in front of me helps me judge when they are speeding up or slowing down. I recommend you also keep one to two wheel length's away until you're more comfortable with closer drafting. There is also some measure of trust that you must have in the front riders to call out obstacles and give general warnings, turns, so forth.