Blown my thighs, twice!!!!

[neilb1906]

Sounds like you have low tolerance to lactic acid build up ie you are not as fit as you think. I would take it much easier and ignore the peer pressure your saddle companions are putting on you. Even for 6ft - 18 3/4 stone is still really rather heavy. You need to build up the miles in your legs. Try riding every day and cutting down on your calorie in take, but sensibly don't deprive yourself of essential food groups. Just eat a little less and cut out the crap in your diet. Drink lots, water not alcohol, to remain hydrated.

Perfect advice ^^

 

[Ningishzidda]

Sounds like you have low tolerance to lactic acid build up ie you are not as fit as you think. I would take it much easier and ignore the peer pressure your saddle companions are putting on you. Even for 6ft - 18 3/4 stone is still really rather heavy. You need to build up the miles in your legs. Try riding every day and cutting down on your calorie in take, but sensibly don't deprive yourself of essential food groups. Just eat a little less and cut out the crap in your diet. Drink lots, water not alcohol, to remain hydrated.

Define 'crap'.

Half way through a 200 rando, a McDonalds Big Mac & fries with full sugar coke is just perfect.

Micky D et al have a bad press because people eat it IN ADDITION to their usual stuff.

A 12" pizza is about 1000 cals. Just right before a 100 km Audax. No need to take gels and energy bars.
Some would call a 12" pizza "crap".

 

[Rob3rt]

Define 'crap'.

Half way through a 200 rando, a McDonalds Big Mac & fries with full sugar coke is just perfect.

Micky D et al have a bad press because people eat it IN ADDITION to their usual stuff.

A 12" pizza is about 1000 cals. Just right before a 100 km Audax. No need to take gels and energy bars.
Some would call a 12" pizza "crap".

Only if it came from Dominos.

 

[Hip Priest]

Try going as slowly as you can on long hills. I had a tendency to try and get hills 'over with' as quickly as possible, and would blow up long before the summit. Now I take it very steadily, and I usually have enough gas left to sprint over the top.

Like you, I'm no racing snake. 6ft 2, 16.5 stone and my smallest gear is 36-26.

 

[TheJDog]

I'm 6ft 4, 14 1/2 stone, and I have a 34-28! And I need it! Trying to crank out a big gear standing up in the pedals is much much harder than spinning a smaller gear for the same speed over a long-ish climb.

 

[jowwy]

i'm 5ft 10 - 16st 12lbs - my lowest gear is 30/26 and i defo need it here in wales

 

[Hip Priest]

I'm 6ft 4, 14 1/2 stone, and I have a 34-28! And I need it! Trying to crank out a big gear standing up in the pedals is much much harder than spinning a smaller gear for the same speed over a long-ish climb.

Tell me about it. But that's what I've got and I can't afford the necessary parts to change it! So if you see me on a steep climb (10% plus) then I'll more than likely be out of the saddle!

 

[Ningishzidda]

5ft 9, 13 st 10lb -

Bike for Audax lowest gear 22 x 27, but never use it.
Bike for clubruns lowest gear 39 x 23. Not used often.

 

[Road ride]

Lots of stretches on your quads after every ride, Google to improve your understanding of the muscles in this area. Also may be worth getting getting a foam roller, I have occasional issues with my quads and the foam roller is the fix for me. There are some good foam roller massage videos on Youtube that show you how to do it.

I find that I can get away without stretches for a few rides but the problems subtly build up and then all of a sudden I have issues out on the road. Prevention is better than cure etc...

Also watch your nutrition, if you are riding in deficit this can but additonal strain on your muscles and that is when you will hurt them.

Stretching before and after a ride is often a area that is neglected by lots of us, after an injury that hurt my back muscles someone pointed me to this book. The Anatomy of stretching by brad walker. Not only is it a step by step guide to each stretch but also tell you how to fix a muscle that is injured and also tells you what stretch will work for which sport and if to use it . It was about £15 quid and has been worth every penny .

Hope this helps and that you get sorted.

 

[totallyfixed]

I'm 6ft 4, 14 1/2 stone, and I have a 34-28! And I need it! Trying to crank out a big gear standing up in the pedals is much much harder than spinning a smaller gear for the same speed over a long-ish climb.

Not necessarily, I'm your height but quite a bit lighter and can happily stand on the pedals going uphill for miles at a time, weight [and specifically power to weight ratio which includes the bike] fitness, how steep the hill is, and crucially also technique are the ingredients you need to make a good hill climber.

 

[TheJDog]

Not necessarily, I'm your height but quite a bit lighter and can happily stand on the pedals going uphill for miles at a time, weight [and specifically power to weight ratio which includes the bike] fitness, how steep the hill is, and crucially also technique are the ingredients you need to make a good hill climber.

I dunno, I bet the efficiency of sitting down and spinning would mean you were faster over anything longer than a minute. In my younger days, I was like you, all eagerness and high gears!

 

[Rob3rt]

Stretching before and after a ride is often a area that is neglected by lots of us, after an injury that hurt my back muscles someone pointed me to this book. The Anatomy of stretching by brad walker. Not only is it a step by step guide to each stretch but also tell you how to fix a muscle that is injured and also tells you what stretch will work for which sport and if to use it . It was about £15 quid and has been worth every penny .

Hope this helps and that you get sorted.

Unless you are talking about dynamic stretches (which may as well be replaced by doing the activity in question, but at a lower intensity) then it is poor form to stretch before exercise.

 

[Rob3rt]

Not necessarily, I'm your height but quite a bit lighter and can happily stand on the pedals going uphill for miles at a time, weight [and specifically power to weight ratio which includes the bike] fitness, how steep the hill is, and crucially also technique are the ingredients you need to make a good hill climber.

Power to weight ratio, as usually stated does not include the bikes weight. It is a measure of the athelete, i.e. how many watts the athlete can output, per kg of body weight. It is also not a static figure but a dynamic figure that is a function of time/duration, eg. an althete will have a different power to weight ratio over 5 minutes than they will over 20 minutes. People tend to state power to weight ratio in a general sense as their FTP value/body weight though.

Of course the weight of the bike should be included in any calculation on how much power is needed to ascend a hill at a given rate though.

 

[Road ride]

Unless you are talking about dynamic stretches (which was as well be replaced by doing the activity in question, but at a lower intensity) then it is poor form to stretch before exercise.

I can only comment on my personal experience on the subject and I am in no way an expert but in every sport I have been involved with which have been a few trainers have alway started with a warm up then stretches then exercise and why Brad walker sports and exercise health science coach has written a section about pre and post exercise stretching in the book I mentioned.

But I would not like to encourage anyone to do anything that they may think was bad form of bad for there health, But to read and review the information available to them and make an informed decision on what is best for them in each given situation.

 

[totallyfixed]

Power to weight ratio, as usually stated does not include the bikes weight. It is a measure of the athelete, i.e. how many watts the athlete can output, per kg of body weight. It is also not a static figure but a dynamic figure that is a function of time/duration, eg. an althete will have a different power to weight ratio over 5 minutes than they will over 20 minutes. People tend to state power to weight ratio in a general sense as their FTP value/body weight though.

Of course the weight of the bike should be included in any calculation on how much power is needed to ascend a hill at a given rate though.

Not disagreeing, I've been at this a long time and the one thing that is often dismissed is technique, a good technique will allow a rider to maintain efficiency for very long periods and therefore take advantage of power to weight ratio. In the recent National 25 this was massively skewed because of a pan flat course, not the smoothest of roads and a nasty wind. See you at the National Hill Climb?