Fat Birds Guide to Road Riding techniques - part 3

You will need to be in the right gear, that much is pretty obvious, you want a gear that allows you to push but that won't blow your knees or cause you to be unbalanced. But do not shift down too soon, as you will lose valuable momentum, push into the hill and change down when the pitch changes rather than too soon before it. Changing down too many gears at once, or too soon can put you in a situation where you are suddenly spinning very fast, just to move the bike forwards as a slow speed. If you're riding with others they may ride in to the back of you. Of course, changing too late is not good either, as you will use a huge amount of energy grinding a big gear for any distance. The gear changes should allow you to maintain a fairly constant cadence that is comfortable for you.

So what is the right cadence? Well for climbing, around 60 RPM is a good guide, but there is no denying personal style or preference impacts this, so see what works best for you. The classic comparision is looking at how Lance and Jan Ullrich used to climb, Lance danced up the climbs while Jan pushed a bigger gear.

Should you climb sitting in the saddle (think Ullrich) or standing on the pedals (think Armstrong)? And what is the best technique for each of these styles.

If the hill is long, and assuming you are not a pro-rider, you will be unlikely to climb all of it out of the saddle, but if the hill is short, you might prefer to get out of the saddle and power over the top. If it is very long, you will probably find that a mix of sitting and standing is best, as this will allow you to use different muscle groups and will ease the tension in your back, both of which will help you survive the climb. In general terms, climbing in the saddle requires less energy but will be slower.

Tips for climbing in the saddle

Put your hands on the tops of the bars or on the brake hoods, usually the drops are an unlikely place for you to feel comfortable when you are climbing in the saddle.

Concentrate on relaxing your hands, arms and upper body, save all your energy for your legs! Your head should be up, so that you can look where you are going, and keep your chest open to give yourself the best opportunity to breathe deeply and efficiently. Try to keep your upper body quiet, by that we mean don't move around too much or sway from side to side. Try focussing all your energy to your legs via the hips and don't waste energy on your top half. If you start looking down at the cranks you'll go slower, choose a point in the distance and ride towards that.

You will find that sliding back on your saddle will help you generate more force when pushing the pedals round, particularly as you come over the top of the pedal stroke. Alternately, sliding forwards on your saddle will make it easier on the down stroke.

We would suggest you try both and see what works best for you. If nothing else, experimenting with where you sit on the saddle and thinking about which leg muscles you are using in each position, will make you more aware of how your body works on the bike and give you the opportunity to think about using and resting specific muscle groups when you are struggling on a hard ride.

There is no escaping the need to get out of the saddle on some climbs, either the gradient will be so steep or the climb so long that you will be forced to do something different.

For the racing cyclist, keeping the pressure on over the top of a climb can cause riders at the back of a group to drop off and for time trialists, pushing over the top of a hill will save vital seconds over the course. This technique is also essential for anyone wanting to get fitter or improve on their climbing, it helps you make progress fast.

Whether there are riders around you, or if you are on your own, you should practice getting out of the saddle efficiently. Of course, if there is someone on your wheel and you suddenly 'come back at them' when you stand up, it will be a cause for alarm for them. For you this is a sign that have lost momentum and that will require valuable energy to get back on a steep climb.

The effort required to pull your body up out of the saddle is often initiated by the arms which can add to the loss of momentum as you stand up. Try to use your legs to push up from the saddle to avoid pulling the bike backwards and losing momentum. You can also think about where your pedals are before you stand up and then get out of the saddle as you push down on your strongest foot. You should be able to get out of the saddle on the down stroke of either foot, but this is a good tip to start with.

Typically you will find that you are comfortable pushing a slightly harder gear when you are out of the saddle, as you will have your entire body weight to assist with the down stroke, so think about changing up (to a harder gear) if you can, just before you stand up.And given that the down-stroke is now 'gravity assisted', if you are clipped onto your pedals, you should pay a more attention to the up stroke, as this will make the greatest difference to your speed now.

The position of your upper body will be determined by the gradient of the climb and the power you are putting down through the pedals. Out of the saddle, your weight is either on the pedals or on the bars and to be most efficient you should ensure as much of your body weight is over the pedals. So resist the temptation to lean too far forwards, as this will put more of your body weight on the bars and less on the pedals.

As with climbing in the saddle, keep your upper body, arms and hands relaxed and still, don't waste energy lunging your upper body from side to side as you pedal. Think about keeping your chest open to assist your breathing. Whilst climbing out of the saddle will require a higher cadence than when sitting, for both you need to find a cadence that allows you to pedal smoothly without bouncing.

DESCENDING

They say what goes up must come down and sometimes the down hills are all the sweeter for the price paid in reaching the top!

However two things can go wrong if your technique is bad on the descent; either you crash or get dropped off the group you are riding with. In competition, the loss of time could be critical, whilst in training there is always respect for a good descender.

Select as big a gear as soon as you can and continue to shift up as you build up speed on the descent, so that when it flattens out and you need to pedal again you have something to push against.

On a fast descent, particularly if there are corners to negotiate, you may find that you are more balanced and better able to use the brakes if you are on the drops. Keep your head up, look where you are going and if you cannot see around the next corner, adjust your speed accordingly, it can take longer than you think to stop in the post climb exhilaration of speed!

Just like driving a car, you should brake in advance of a corner, so that you have moderated your speed before you start the turn. You can of course continue to brake through out the corner, but if you leave braking too late before you go into the turn, things can get badly out of shape.

If you know you need to brake hard, be aware that your momentum will naturally push your body weight forward, so keep your arms strong and your weight back over the saddle.

If you are cornering at speed, you need to keep your outside leg extended, so that the outside pedal is at its lowest position. This will give you the best balance and therefore grip on the road, and crucially, it will mean your inside pedal will not touch down. By weighting your outside leg you will ensure pressure to the tyres and traction, although there is no accounting for diesel or gravel to cause loss of traction.

Think about taking corners so that you trace the widest arc possible and cut the corner at the apex. It is what is known as the racing line and will give the widest, smoothest course. However, you should never risk crossing into the lane for on coming traffic.

If you're lucky enough to get to ride in the mountains you may ride switchback descents, like Alp D'Huez and the likes. On the inside corners of switchbacks (the tightest and steepest turns) you need to be ready for the road to drop down steeply as the turn sharpens. Try to brake before the corner and as you ride over the apex let off the brakes to aid the turn, the speed will help bring the bike round the turn.

Happy climbing and even happier descending!