Little Ring v Big Ring

[VamP]

The stuff TV commentators say, eh....

 

[Peter Armstrong]

Had a quick read of the comments, Iron men will have a high cadence for efficient riding as they have some distance to cover, however shorter sprint distances you may well be going more for speed over efficiency.

 

[Hacienda71]

what does that mean in English?

I've got norfolk en idea what constitutes a sensible warm up before cycling, what I do know is that my body seems to take an age before it feels right to get the blood flowing and legs working properly. I'm conditioned to do long efforts I think, although I'm looking to do short TT's (10 miles). Thoughts?

It means you ride at a lower level of effort until all the blood vessels in your legs are dilated enough to allow your muscles to work at maximum efficiency, i.e. supplied with plenty of red oxygenated blood cells. I think.

Or put very simply don't hammer it until you have fully warmed up cos you won't go as fast.

 

[Rob3rt]

what does that mean in English?

I've got norfolk en idea what constitutes a sensible warm up before cycling, what I do know is that my body seems to take an age before it feels right to get the blood flowing and legs working properly. I'm conditioned to do long efforts I think, although I'm looking to do short TT's (10 miles). Thoughts?

Ride for 15 mins at lower aerobic intensity, then ride for 5 minutes at threshold. Then ride easy again for 5 minutes. Then commence your suffering! See how that works out for you.

With regards to pre-race resting, if you race regularly (i.e. every weekend) then you simply can not go into each race rested (if you intend to improve over time), you just wouldn't be able to get a solid block of training in as you would spend too much time resting. Also racing short time trials does not generate a high training load (even if you finish on your knees, dry heaving and seeing double), so by resting for the event, you miss out on training load in the build up, then by racing, you only generate a small load, that is two days of your training week compromised. I structure my training week so the hardest two days are Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday is quite easy and Friday I do a pre-race tune up which tends to involve about 45 mins riding at an aerobic intensity with mixed efforts either at or just above race intensity thrown in. This won't detriment your race performance if you are fit (if it detriments your performance, you weren't race fit, train some more)!

The actual warm up itself should include some hard efforts, for a TT, I ride for 15 minutes in aerobic zone, building to tempo, then ride hard for 3x2 minutes with a 2-5 minute rest in between, then continue at tempo, then reduce back down to aerobic zone and ride at this zone until a couple of minutes before I am due to start. This provides a thorough warm up that will increase performance, and it also serves to generate some training load!


As for the quote in the OP, it is a load of old crap! Train like you race and race like your train, i.e. specificity is a key component in an effective training plan!

 

[400bhp]

Thanks and I agree rob, not worth resting for short TT's IF you normally do a lot of miles.

 

[GrasB]

A hill climbing/<25km TT warm up:
* 5 min at just bellow active recovery threshold
* 5-10 min a bit above active recovery threshold
* 10 min at a casual cruise
* 5 min pace ramp up to about 95% race effort
* 5 min casual cruise including a 60-90s effort ramp down
* 60-90s ramp up to about 105% race effort, hold for about 2 min.
* Ramp down to 80% over 60s or so.

You should now be sweating a little bit with controlled breathing, your heard beating quickly but not pounding & nothing feeling like it's about to jump out of your chest. Your legs feel really lose & full of power.

Now this is where I diverge from what most people do.
* 5 min at just under LT
* 5 seconds at 90% flat out sprint effort (this means about 50% of all out sprinting power)
* 2 min at LT (marginally higher effort than pre-power interval)
* 5 seconds at 90% flat out sprint effort
* 5 min at just under FTP effort level.
* a 60s-90s ramp down to active recovery pace & hold for a few min

At this point get off the bike remove all but your race clothing (if it's cold I'll throw on some tracky bottoms until I'm just about to walk up to the start) & start your in-race nutrition schedule. At this point check the bike over & do all those final prep checks.. water in bottles, gells in pockets, etc… also get to the start line.

So for a <40 min hill climb or TT I'll do about 1h of warm up.

 

[ianwoodi]

big ring every time only small ring for hills

 

[Shadow]

Thanks for all the replies guys, some useful stuff there.

Pedro: makes sense to me, thanks.
edindave: partly the situation I've found myself in recently, hence the post.
Greg: goals? Good question. More 100 miles for 2 days rather than 10 mile TT - neither will be happening soon.
Fossy, ian & others: I wish!!!

 

[Ningishzidda]

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/road/article/roa2012-Licence-Categories-2012--Road---Track-0

The best age to start training is the very first on this list. Get in a club with a coach who knows what he's talking about.

After ten years when you start racing in Junior, you should know what type of muscle you've got ( and what gear you can push ) and how to warm it up to optimum.

 

[Ningishzidda]

Everyone has their own methods, but here's mine.

1/2 hour cruising round looking like a twolley in my aero hat.
Get on the A452 and get it up to 30 mph ( or until LT ).
Cool it for 1/2 mile.
Repeat the 30 mph sprint.
Repeat the 'cool it'.
Keep repeating the sprint until I feel comfortable at over 25 mph for five minutes.
Ride round for 5 miles like a twolley again, until I reach the start of the TT.
Arrive at the start 15 minutes before the start time and sign in, saying 'I feel like a bag of s**t tonight."

 

[Ningishzidda]

BTW, before arriving at the start, stop in a quiet lane and empty your bladder, swallow a dose of Creatine capsules, swigged with down some flat full sugar coke with a High5 'Zero' caffeine tab disolved in it.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

It's curious, but I've found (for me anyway) that if I use reasonably similar gear in inches, I find it's far easier to climb on the little ring, but easier to 'roll' on a flat road on the big-ring

Eg; 39x15 = 69" & 52x19 =73"

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Thanks for all the replies guys, some useful stuff there.

Pedro: makes sense to me, thanks.
edindave: partly the situation I've found myself in recently, hence the post.
Greg: goals? Good question. More 100 miles for 2 days rather than 10 mile TT - neither will be happening soon.
Fossy, ian & others: I wish!!!

Assuming your 100 miles for 2 days isn't to be performed at stage race pace but at something more suited to a chap of mature years....

Get yourself down the library or bookshop and blag one of the various variations on the theme of the long distance cyclists handbook. Everything you need to know is there including lots of guidance on how to 'train'.

 

[GrasB]

I think I get it what the commentator was try to say. Most of your training will be shorter higher intensity intervals compared to your race effort (eg to optimise for 1-2h constant effort rides you will be working with 15 min intervals). This means you'll turn bigger gears training than racing.

 

[Shadow]

Assuming your 100 miles for 2 days isn't to be performed at stage race pace but at something more suited to a chap of mature years....

Ah, you recognize the type from the mirror...actually a more realistic goal would be a 'Legs of Lead Goes West' type of ride without the dying feeling with 15 km to the end.

p.s. your sig line - shouldn't 'eye' be plural or hast thou been smitten in one?!!