Originally Posted by
Mr. Beanz
Yeah, I usually try to exhale on my left down stroke. Read something years ago called "switch breathing". Naturally on the right so it's stronger. To strengthen the left, exhale on the left side. Also prevents injuries by not overworking the right side (right handed). So I concentrate on breathing after I warm up and go into full breathing. Notice in my vids, I'm always out of breath in the early 2 or 3 miles before I warm up into my rhythm/breathing.
But yes, there are times the pattern won't cooperate with the grade.
Another thing that causes mine to sound uncontrolled is pain. After a long descent, the next climb often starts out painful, like what it would feel like if you climbed it without warming up. The lactic acid burn disappears rather quickly, but pain makes it hard to control my breathing.