I've been reading Tim Krabbé's book The Rider and one thing that really stood out is how much time he spends thinking about which gear he is in. For instance, during one of his long long climbs he recalls scouting the route and riding in the forty-three nineteen, and now, during the race, he's thinking about shifting up to twenty. This is something I never do. Sometimes I'll look down at my chain to see if it's high or low on the cassette, and I generally know whether I'm in the big or small ring simply by speed and cadence, but I don't pay attention to exactly which gear I'm in. I don't really see the point.. If I have a certain effort and cadence I'm looking to maintain, then I'll shift whenever I need to in order to keep them where I want them.
Does anyone else do this?
I do the same thing you do. I find myself pushing the hardest gear I can push at 80-90 rpm's. I couldn't recite gear combinations if I tried.