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Climbs. Love them or hate them, most cyclists want to be able to get up the hills faster. There are many approaches to training and workouts you can do to become a better climber, but what’s the fastest way to attack a hill? Steady power like a flat time trial or vary your effort? Stay seated or stand or mix it up?  As is often the response to many cycling related training and performance questions, the answers to these questions fall into the category of “it depends.” For years, we just didn't know. And while we could see some techniques were faster for some riders, it was hard to definitely offer specific guidance. However, new technology has allowed coaches and sport scientists to look more in depth into this often discussed topic and come up with conclusions based in science.
It’s important to understand that what’s best for performance may not necessarily be best for generating a training stimulus for adaption. The research was conducted from the perspective of truly “what’s the fastest way to ride up this climb?” The article and podcast are really great if you’re interested in taking a deeper dive into the subject, but the big take away is that the fastest approach is to focus on speed, not intensity. So while you need to be careful not to put yourself into the red and burn too many matches, on a climb with varying grade, keeping up the speed will almost always be the fastest approach. From a physics standpoint, this would certainly seem to make sense as you would want to conserve your momentum in the form of forward velocity. So as the grade transitions to a steeper section, you’ll come in with a little more intensity in an effort to maintain as much speed as possible. For some cyclists, this may be best accomplished by standing up and driving the pedals a little harder. Again, it’s important to be mindful of your effort, but the notion of pinning it at your threshold for that 20 minute climb might not be the fastest approach. In no way am I suggesting you go for your PR every ride, but Strava can be a great tool to experiment with different approaches to a climb. Get out and do some repeats on your favorite hill using various approaches and see how your time is impacted. Create a new segment for yourself if there’s not a suitable one and have at it. Science is great to give us some starting points, but find what works for YOU. So check out these great resources here, and give a try for yourself: Fasttalk: Inside the New Science of Climbing https://www.fasttalklabs.com/fast-talk/inside-the-new-science-of-climbing/ Pez Cycling: The Biomechanics Of Climbing: Stand And Deliver https://pezcyclingnews.com/toolbox/toolbox-stand-and-deliver-the-biomechanics-of-climbing/ Have fun, and remember in the immortal words of Eddy Merckx, “Don’t by upgrades, ride up grades.” Find those hills and ride them! Cheers, Coach Brian
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 Staying fueled up during exercise is important. Some riders find that fueling during cold rides is challenging due to their gear (gloves) and others report that they just don't feel like eating. Some take the approach with lower intensity rides common during the colder months that they don't need to fuel.
That last thought is debatable for sure, but science has shown that cold weather can make you feel hungrier, and your caloric needs may actually increase. Our bodies have to work hard to keep us warm which takes energy, and energy comes from calories. "When a person is shivering, the body needs to work harder to maintain thermoregulation (body temperature). According to Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D., shivering can burn about 400 calories per hour and it depletes glycogen stores and leaves you feeling fatigued" (Clark, Nancy (2004). Winter and Nutrition: Fueling for Cold Weather Exercise downloaded from www.active.com on 10/26/2010) Over eating should be avoided, of course, but it is important to take in calories during any ride of about 75 minutes or more. I'll be writing about general fueling ideas in a future post, but for now, as the weather turns colder, keep yourself topped off! If you want to perform well, keep your immune system strong, and recover effectively to be ready for the next bout of training, proper fueling is important. Here are two good articles if you're interested in learning more: Outside Online: Why Am I Hungrier When It's Cold https://www.outsideonline.com/health/nutrition/why-am-i-hungrier-when-its-cold/ And if you really want to nerd out: PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10369496/ Don't let the cold keep you from riding your bike, and while you're out there, give your body the energy it needs. Now let's ride bikes. Coach Brian  TRUTH: Cyclocross, or 'cross, is awesome! It's challenging, it's addictive, it's darn hard, and most of all it's FUN! If you've never raced 'cross or are new to the sport, it may seem rather intimidating. Despite the fact that cyclocross' roots go back to 1902 (that' right, 1902...not a typo!), it's relatively "new" in America. It's popularity in the U.S. really boomed in the early to mid 2000's, hence the new feeling.
Since then it has evolved into a sport of it's own instead of something that road racers and mountain bike racers did in the fall and winter. There's cowbells, mud, tall socks, mustaches, dollar bills, beer, costumes, heckling, music, and more. Along with the excitement can a lot of hype and plenty of misconceptions. I'm not blaming all the misconceptions on the Internet, but this was also the same time period where the interwebs became THE source for information. 'Cross created a real buzz on the web, in particular on social media, and an abundance of race reports, pictures, tips, advice, and bunk was readily available. To a person on the outside of the CX world looking in, it could certainly seem intimidating. I can assure you from over 20 years of racing 'cross that, while there are certainly some unique elements to this discipline, it's not much more than riding your bike on varied terrain with some places where you'll need to get off an run with your bike. I've taught dozens of cyclists how to "cyclocross", and after the clinics they would often say, "that's it? I can do that!" Yes you can! Let's not let these misconceptions keep you from trying something that's really fun. Let's get into it: 1. There's a lot of running in cyclocross Yes, in almost every course that you'll find there will be at least one place where you'll need to get off your bike and run with your bike. Most common are the man made barriers. However, these are between 4-6 meters apart so it's only a handful of seconds of running per lap. Sometimes you'll have a very messy course with lots of running, or super deep sand, a muddy, steep run-up. or snow and slush But over the course of a 5-10 minute lap, it will be a very small percentage of running. So you need to be able to get on and off your bike and run with it, but you don't need to be a "runner" to go have some fun with 'cross. If you choose to become more competitive, being able to run faster will certainly come in handy, but let's get you out there first. 2. You need wheels or a bike in the pit Having a spare set of wheels or better, a bike, in the pit can definitely save your race if you have a mechanical. As one climbs through the categories, this maybe become more important. But it is NOT a requirement at all. With today's technology such as tubeless tires and disc brakes, I've seen far fewer bike/wheel changes than a couple of decades ago. 3. You need to have multi-thousand dollar carbon bike with electronic shifting and deep dish carbon wheels One of the aspects of 'cross that I love is it can be a real "run what you brung" sport. I started in this sport with a used aluminum bike with an aluminum fork (HARSH!) with v-brakes, 700x32 tubed tires, and 48/38 gearing. That bike was also my winter training bike, but it served me well on the race course, earning me a good handful of podiums including several state championship podiums in the elite category. My buddy started racing CX on an old road bike with skinny 'cross tires jammed in there. Not ideal, but on a dry course it was great. And it got him his start and has since become a very successful 'cross racer. Go check out a race. You'll see mountain bikes, flat bar bikes, gravel bikes, and more. Just go race! 4. I need to be fast over the barriers or everyone will make fun of me. True, there's heckling in cyclocross and as the number of beers increases, the shouts become louder. But when there's hecklers, they make fun of EVERYBODY! Unfortunately, at our local races, the number of spectators is minimal, and I've seen the heckling really decline. So just do your best to stay smooth and work on your dismounting/mounting, but don't stress over it. Get some thick skin and focus on the task at hand and the FUN of cyclocross. In the immortal words of Elanor Roosevelt, "You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do" 5. You can't take a drink during a cyclocross race I wrote about this last week and how this is not true. You CAN keep your bottle cages on your bike and you CAN have a bottle in those cages. As I wrote, if you don't need to or can't shoulder your bike and it's hot or even warm, why not? Sure, someone may goof on you and tell you you should take off your cages, but just let that unsolicited advice wash off of you. If taking in some water or sports drink during your race will make your experience better, go for it! Keep in mind what is prohibited, unless noted by the officials, is receiving a "hand up" from a helper on the side of the course. A hand up of beer, however, is often overlooked, but not always recommend. : ) So there it is. Things I've heard over the years and things that folks have told me that kept them from signing up for a race. A great way to increase your comfort level and understanding of cyclocross, is to jump in a clinic or hire a coach to show you the ropes. I'm avaialbe for both group and individual training sessions so if you're interested, give me a shout! What misconceptions have you heard about 'cross? Let us know by leaving a comment below. Until next time, Hup-Hup! Coach Brian  Drinking during a cyclocross race IS NOT BANNED.
I've found this to be a common misperception. I believe the source of the confusion comes from the ban of hand ups (taking a bottle from a helper on the side of the course) except for when "feeding" is permitted. The picture above is Christopher Blevins' bike from the 2018 U23 National Championships. Didn't slow him down any! When cyclocross was "normally" held in the colder months, this was rarely a discussion or an issue. But now that the mercury may hit 90+ degrees during an extremely intense type of bike rassin', there has certainly been many a conversation about this topic. While there's certainly different schools of thought if hydration is necessary during an event that is 60 minutes or less, some studies show it is beneficial. Additionally, it can be real mental boost to just get some cold water in your mouth even if you spit it out. And then there's the whole notion of the carbohydrate rinse but we'll let that lay for another time. Many purists may scoff at the idea of having a bottle cage on your 'cross bike. However, if you don't need to shoulder your bike, or if your frame so small that you can't shoulder it, it is certainly permissible to leave a cage on and race with a bottle. You can also get grab a bike out of the pit that has a cage and a bottle, and a helper may certainly put a new, cold bottle on your bike in the pit. Remember that the bottle doesn't need to be full. If your race is one of the shorter ones, maybe you start with half of a bottle and even toss it to your helpers during the race. With this all said, coming into the race properly hydrated is way more important that any sort of hydrating you could do during the event. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't take a drink if you think it would be beneficial. Try it out during a hot practice session and see what you think. I think the biggest take-aways are that drinking during a 'cross race is permitted, and it's OK to to have a bottle cage on your bike. Check out this article from VeloNews: https://www.velonews.com/news/cyclocross/yes-you-can-take-a-drink-while-racing-cyclocross/ Until next time, drink your water and rest as hard as you train! Cheers, Coach Brian |
AuthorCoach B.L. is the head coach at BJL Coaching and an avid racer and cycling enthusiast himself. Categories
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