Your Weakness

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Hip Priest

Hip Priest

Veteran
My weight is my weakness. I can just about break even on a 20 mile TT, and I'm 16st 7lbs. If I lost 3-4 stone, I'd probably be reasonably quick. My weight also means that any significant climb is hard work.

At least it's something that can be overcome with a little willpower.
 
Monsieur Remings

Monsieur Remings

Guru
Location
Yatton UK
HLaB said:
Tbh I think I'm answering mine as I type,

My weakness is when the pace of the peleton changes. I think that I turn too high a gear and whilst it seems like I can go on for quite a distance at a good speed, I'm not always upping to that higher speed and I think I need to work on that, upping cadence and better hydration/ nutrition is my current thinking.

Does anybody know of good references as to improving this ?

Back to my original thought whats your weakness ?
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Just reading this again I know what you mean. Insofar as nutrition etc I feel I've done my own bit and know what works for me but in regards to gearing, yes, I can see one of my own traits in there. The last few races I've ridden I've started on the penultimate cog (a 12) on a standard 39 chainring. I was virtually spinning the first lap or so and felt I could have gone on for a touch longer but remember thinking in the heat of the moment whether it was more knackering actually sustaining such a high cadence in such a low gear at speeds averaging 26-7mph, than shifting onto the top ring and working on the mid-range cogs? It's all experience I know but I'm perhaps a little reluctant to change gears too often too..?

Is this force of habit and/or biting off more than you can chew in regard to that higher gear that feels fine at first but actually saps your strength unnecessarily in the long run? In my case I also know there is a somewhat irrational fear of the chain coming off when switching from 39 to 53 and back, thus ending my race. Interesting points though HLab.
 
VamP

VamP

Banned
Location
Cambs
Monsieur Remings said:
Just reading this again I know what you mean. Insofar as nutrition etc I feel I've done my own bit and know what works for me but in regards to gearing, yes, I can see one of my own traits in there. The last few races I've ridden I've started on the penultimate cog (a 12) on a standard 39 chainring. I was virtually spinning the first lap or so and felt I could have gone on for a touch longer but remember thinking in the heat of the moment whether it was more knackering actually sustaining such a high cadence in such a low gear at speeds averaging 26-7mph, than shifting onto the top ring and working on the mid-range cogs? It's all experience I know but I'm perhaps a little reluctant to change gears too often too..?

Is this force of habit and/or biting off more than you can chew in regard to that higher gear that feels fine at first but actually saps your strength unnecessarily in the long run? In my case I also know there is a somewhat irrational fear of the chain coming off when switching from 39 to 53 and back, thus ending my race. Interesting points though HLab.
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I am amazed at this.

Where do you race out of interest? The only time I have ever used the small ring in a road race was in the latter stages at Hog Hill, but the hill there is 15%!
 
smutchin

smutchin

Cat 6 Racer
Location
The Red Enclave
Cornering is my weakness. I'm far too cautious, especially on descents.

However, on the triathlon last week, I was overtaking quite a few people at the tight hairpins at either end of the bike leg, so I guess the adrenalin helped me overcome my fear - perhaps being in proper racing conditions meant I had less time to think about it...

Or it could just be that the people I was overtaking were the numpties who are even worse at cornering than me. ^_^
 
VamP

VamP

Banned
Location
Cambs
smutchin said:
Cornering is my weakness. I'm far too cautious, especially on descents.

However, on the triathlon last week, I was overtaking quite a few people at the tight hairpins at either end of the bike leg, so I guess the adrenalin helped me overcome my fear - perhaps being in proper racing conditions meant I had less time to think about it...

Or it could just be that the people I was overtaking were the numpties who are even worse at cornering than me. ^_^
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Triathletes do have a reputation to live up to ;)
 
Ciar

Ciar

Veteran
Location
London
stacking my 29er seems to be my main weakness, usually involves trees, dirt jumps or evil mole holes ;-)

in all honesty though it's hills, evil gits!
 
smutchin

smutchin

Cat 6 Racer
Location
The Red Enclave
Ciar said:
stacking my 29er seems to be my main weakness, usually involves trees, dirt jumps or evil mole holes ;-)
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Hey, if you don't fall off occasionally, that means you aren't trying hard enough.
 
VamP

VamP

Banned
Location
Cambs
smutchin said:
<sweeping generalisation>I suspect a lot of the crowd on the London Triathlon last week were the kind of cyclists who also ride sportives. </sweeping generalisation>
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I did Blenheim Triathlon for a charity event last year. I am not a swimmer, so naturally did the swim leg, my wife is not really a cyclist but can run 10k under 39 minutes, so naturally did the cycle leg. We had a 4 stone overweight smoker anchoring down the run leg. We still made top half of the field.

I guess that's how a lot of these events roll. Funnily enough, my wife reported that she was overtaken by about three people on the bike leg, while she *apparently* overtook hundreds :smile:
 
Herzog

Herzog

Swinglish Mountain Goat
Location
Bern, Switzerland
Descending (braking too much) and my sprint (far too slow). Half the battle is identifying the weaknesses...perhaps there are others I'm yet to discover!
 
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