As posted earlier, it is obvious that I need to be faster in the time trials if I want to be competitive. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy doing tt's no matter the outcome, and I really don't enjoy beating anybody. But I like having the time and trouble I put into racing provide positive results, i.e. being as fast as I can be, usually resulting in a high placing.
I THINK I can be faster if I work on a faster cadence. Don't "duh" me, of course if you pedal faster you go faster. But there is a trade-off. If you drop to a lower gear, then you need to know how much faster to pedal in order to meet or exceed the speed of the higher gear. Up until now, I was guessing.
Tomorrow I install a Garmin cadence counter on my tt bike. I have one on the road bike but it is too much trouble to keep switching back and forth. Then I'll head out to my tt practice place and do some laps at various rpms. I'm hoping: 1) My information is accurate; and 2) I can adjust my practice to achieve the improvement necessary.
For those who are not familiar with gears and rpm, visit Sheldon Brown's Calculator. Sheldon passed away last year, but his website has invaluable information.
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How'd you get on, Jerry? I'd be interested to hear your conclusions, given Lance Armstrong's predilection for high cadence rates. Does it translate to us normal mortals?
ReplyDeleteThis is on-going. But read my latest post, it works. My next Sunday ride might be even more telling. Stay tuned.
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