Today's ride - odd experience. - Page 2

01-15-2005, 08:35 PM

On 16 Jan 2005 04:40:42 GMT, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (R15757) wrote:

>jj jet wrote in part:
>
>>This difficult hill is one I've been dreaming of riding, with significantly
>>steeper sections than I'm used to, and I was basically able to sprint up
>>it, seated.
>
>>Very strange. I felt
>>like I could just step off the bike, yawn, and stretch and take a nap or
>>something, lol. Could the darling wife be slipping me EPO in my geritol?
>
>>Wonder what could happen that would give an old clydesdale such a jump in
>>ability.
>
>I'm thinking tailwind.
>
>R

Me too, but no headwind going back down. Checked wunderground and 8mph
crosswind for that time (9am).

I figure I've gotta do it at least 2-3x before I'm believing it myself. ;-)

-B

01-15-2005, 08:35 PM

On 16 Jan 2005 04:40:42 GMT, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (R15757) wrote:

>jj jet wrote in part:
>
>>This difficult hill is one I've been dreaming of riding, with significantly
>>steeper sections than I'm used to, and I was basically able to sprint up
>>it, seated.
>
>>Very strange. I felt
>>like I could just step off the bike, yawn, and stretch and take a nap or
>>something, lol. Could the darling wife be slipping me EPO in my geritol?
>
>>Wonder what could happen that would give an old clydesdale such a jump in
>>ability.
>
>I'm thinking tailwind.
>
>R

Me too, but no headwind going back down. Checked wunderground and 8mph
crosswind for that time (9am).

I figure I've gotta do it at least 2-3x before I'm believing it myself. ;-)

-B

01-15-2005, 08:35 PM

On 16 Jan 2005 04:40:42 GMT, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (R15757) wrote:

>jj jet wrote in part:
>
>>This difficult hill is one I've been dreaming of riding, with significantly
>>steeper sections than I'm used to, and I was basically able to sprint up
>>it, seated.
>
>>Very strange. I felt
>>like I could just step off the bike, yawn, and stretch and take a nap or
>>something, lol. Could the darling wife be slipping me EPO in my geritol?
>
>>Wonder what could happen that would give an old clydesdale such a jump in
>>ability.
>
>I'm thinking tailwind.
>
>R

Me too, but no headwind going back down. Checked wunderground and 8mph
crosswind for that time (9am).

I figure I've gotta do it at least 2-3x before I'm believing it myself. ;-)

-B

01-16-2005, 12:00 AM

B wrote in part:

>I figure I've gotta do it at least 2-3x before I'm believing it myself.
>;-)

One thing that happens--once in a great
while in my case--is you just have a day
when you feel unbeatably strong, and
any hill is your b*tch. Those are great
days.

The minimum requirements for such a day
include rest, diet, hitting the digestion cycle
just right, hydration, functioning equipment,
et cetera. But psychology is probably most
important.

Robert

01-16-2005, 12:00 AM

B wrote in part:

>I figure I've gotta do it at least 2-3x before I'm believing it myself.
>;-)

One thing that happens--once in a great
while in my case--is you just have a day
when you feel unbeatably strong, and
any hill is your b*tch. Those are great
days.

The minimum requirements for such a day
include rest, diet, hitting the digestion cycle
just right, hydration, functioning equipment,
et cetera. But psychology is probably most
important.

Robert

01-16-2005, 12:00 AM

B wrote in part:

>I figure I've gotta do it at least 2-3x before I'm believing it myself.
>;-)

One thing that happens--once in a great
while in my case--is you just have a day
when you feel unbeatably strong, and
any hill is your b*tch. Those are great
days.

The minimum requirements for such a day
include rest, diet, hitting the digestion cycle
just right, hydration, functioning equipment,
et cetera. But psychology is probably most
important.

Robert

01-16-2005, 05:03 AM

jj wrote:

> Had an odd experience on today's ride. On a whim, I rode over to a
> 3/4 mile hill, after about 20 min warmup - my regular route had been
> covered in mud after the torrential down pours Friday night.
>
> This difficult hill is one I've been dreaming of riding, with
> significantly steeper sections than I'm used to, and I was basically
> able to sprint up it, seated. Just a few months ago I rode -down-
> this hill and hit speeds over 35mph not even pedalling, even braking
> a couple times.
>
> Going up it a glance at my inclinometer pegged it at 11-12% in the
> last 100yds, 7-8% for most of the run-up.
>
> Even when I've been doing a lot of small but modestly steep hills,
> I've been a bit out of breath at the 1/2 mile point. Today, breath was
> completely calm, no pain in the quads -at all-, though they did seem
> pleasantly slightly pumped at the top, for a moment. Very strange. I
> felt like I could just step off the bike, yawn, and stretch and take
> a nap or something, lol. Could the darling wife be slipping me EPO in
> my geritol? ;-D
>
> Wonder what could happen that would give an old clydesdale such a
> jump in ability. I was trying to stay 'light on the bike', and be a
> little more aero, as I mentioned early.
>
> I've been averaging only about 70-100 miles/week since Oct, about
> half my normal mileage, very little of it in the foot-hills, and I've
> be-moaning my apparent loss of conditioning. Last week I had been
> picking up speed, and have been doing some modest intervals, but not
> enough quantity and quality of training to justify this insane jump
> in ability - or so it seemed to me.
>
> I get out every day, rain or shine. Rode ~330 days in 2004, 3200
> miles - fairly modest mileage, imo.
>
> Anyway, I'm psyched.

Great!

Was there any difference in how you rode before the hill? If you had more of a
warm up, or if you had been riding slower than usual, it could make a huge
difference in your performance on the hill.

When I ride with slower groups, I steam up hills that are tough when I'm riding
alone or with faster groups.

Matt O.

01-16-2005, 05:03 AM

jj wrote:

> Had an odd experience on today's ride. On a whim, I rode over to a
> 3/4 mile hill, after about 20 min warmup - my regular route had been
> covered in mud after the torrential down pours Friday night.
>
> This difficult hill is one I've been dreaming of riding, with
> significantly steeper sections than I'm used to, and I was basically
> able to sprint up it, seated. Just a few months ago I rode -down-
> this hill and hit speeds over 35mph not even pedalling, even braking
> a couple times.
>
> Going up it a glance at my inclinometer pegged it at 11-12% in the
> last 100yds, 7-8% for most of the run-up.
>
> Even when I've been doing a lot of small but modestly steep hills,
> I've been a bit out of breath at the 1/2 mile point. Today, breath was
> completely calm, no pain in the quads -at all-, though they did seem
> pleasantly slightly pumped at the top, for a moment. Very strange. I
> felt like I could just step off the bike, yawn, and stretch and take
> a nap or something, lol. Could the darling wife be slipping me EPO in
> my geritol? ;-D
>
> Wonder what could happen that would give an old clydesdale such a
> jump in ability. I was trying to stay 'light on the bike', and be a
> little more aero, as I mentioned early.
>
> I've been averaging only about 70-100 miles/week since Oct, about
> half my normal mileage, very little of it in the foot-hills, and I've
> be-moaning my apparent loss of conditioning. Last week I had been
> picking up speed, and have been doing some modest intervals, but not
> enough quantity and quality of training to justify this insane jump
> in ability - or so it seemed to me.
>
> I get out every day, rain or shine. Rode ~330 days in 2004, 3200
> miles - fairly modest mileage, imo.
>
> Anyway, I'm psyched.

Great!

Was there any difference in how you rode before the hill? If you had more of a
warm up, or if you had been riding slower than usual, it could make a huge
difference in your performance on the hill.

When I ride with slower groups, I steam up hills that are tough when I'm riding
alone or with faster groups.

Matt O.

01-16-2005, 05:03 AM

jj wrote:

> Had an odd experience on today's ride. On a whim, I rode over to a
> 3/4 mile hill, after about 20 min warmup - my regular route had been
> covered in mud after the torrential down pours Friday night.
>
> This difficult hill is one I've been dreaming of riding, with
> significantly steeper sections than I'm used to, and I was basically
> able to sprint up it, seated. Just a few months ago I rode -down-
> this hill and hit speeds over 35mph not even pedalling, even braking
> a couple times.
>
> Going up it a glance at my inclinometer pegged it at 11-12% in the
> last 100yds, 7-8% for most of the run-up.
>
> Even when I've been doing a lot of small but modestly steep hills,
> I've been a bit out of breath at the 1/2 mile point. Today, breath was
> completely calm, no pain in the quads -at all-, though they did seem
> pleasantly slightly pumped at the top, for a moment. Very strange. I
> felt like I could just step off the bike, yawn, and stretch and take
> a nap or something, lol. Could the darling wife be slipping me EPO in
> my geritol? ;-D
>
> Wonder what could happen that would give an old clydesdale such a
> jump in ability. I was trying to stay 'light on the bike', and be a
> little more aero, as I mentioned early.
>
> I've been averaging only about 70-100 miles/week since Oct, about
> half my normal mileage, very little of it in the foot-hills, and I've
> be-moaning my apparent loss of conditioning. Last week I had been
> picking up speed, and have been doing some modest intervals, but not
> enough quantity and quality of training to justify this insane jump
> in ability - or so it seemed to me.
>
> I get out every day, rain or shine. Rode ~330 days in 2004, 3200
> miles - fairly modest mileage, imo.
>
> Anyway, I'm psyched.

Great!

Was there any difference in how you rode before the hill? If you had more of a
warm up, or if you had been riding slower than usual, it could make a huge
difference in your performance on the hill.

When I ride with slower groups, I steam up hills that are tough when I'm riding
alone or with faster groups.

Matt O.

01-16-2005, 05:26 AM

On Sun, 16 Jan 2005 09:03:49 -0500, "Matt O'Toole" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:

>Great!
>
>Was there any difference in how you rode before the hill? If you had more of a
>warm up, or if you had been riding slower than usual, it could make a huge
>difference in your performance on the hill.
>
>When I ride with slower groups, I steam up hills that are tough when I'm riding
>alone or with faster groups.
>
>Matt O.

As I said in this or maybe a similar thread, I'd been working on my three
point stance on the bike - 30% of weight on saddle, 30% on handlbar, 30% on
pedals, and going for a more aerodynamic position. There were some gusts of
wind and I remembered the idea I'd been reading about, essentially gearing
down and really stomping the pedals in bursts. So when the wind came up,
instead of staying plunked down on the saddle, taking the gusts and slowing
down, I used it to get aero and do mini-bursts.

Then I rode up to where the hill starts, turning out of a commercial
parking lot - so there was essentially no run-up. I resumed the same riding
style I used in the flats, perhaps unconsciously, but I think I changed it
slightly to 10% weight on handlebars, and let the rest of the weight fall
where it would - the weight on the saddle seemed the same, but I was
thinking 'stay light on the bike'.

Immediately felt the power in my legs/quads increase - essentially I was
standing up to pedal, but still remained seated. So I seemed to have the
power of standing pedalling, without the high energy cost/fatigue in the
thighs that happens after about a minute or two like this.

Definitely a neat feeling, and it really made me want to go ride again
immediately after I got home. Quite a high...I didn't realize the magnitude
of the 'discovery' until I got home. Woke up the wife and made her coffee
and a treat and let her watch my TdF 03 CD with me on the big screen tv in
the bedroom.

(It was funny actually, b/c I couldn't stop bouncing around and left the
bedroom soon after that. About 10 minutes later, a still sleepy wife
emerged and said 'you're torturing me, you know that, don't you? You made
me watch the TdF and left the room!' Of course she was smirking when she
said that.)

jj