Originally Posted by
gtrob
Im not sure its worth getting that complicated (small gears first part of the season, big later, or other way around).
I always describe the bike sessions as a way to get the high speed, high intensity training without using up your energy 'getting' there. In that sense, I generally go a bigger gear since Im not going to tire myself out with the 0-50kmh part, and just get the 50+ stuff. If I want to spin to 150rpm, I don't need a moto for that. I don't need a track for that lol.
+1
The general purpose of moto training is to get the body accustomed to working at max speed that you would encounter at the apex of a race. This includes G-forces, muscle firing rates (the rate at which you fire particular muscles to keep the "gas" on the pedals), bike handling, etc...That way it's not new and awkward to you when you hit 43MPH in a race chasing some guy through turn 4 and you are distracted by the new sensations.
One example workout is "the come-around" drill where the rider follows the derny up to race pace and into turns 3/4 and out of turn 4 the rider will jump out into the wind and try to overtake the dermy (usually pulling alongside) then going into turn 1 he'll fade back behind the derny and take a few laps and repeat. For sprinters, this simulates the end of a match sprint and for enduros this simulates a sprint for points and recovery.
I've even seen Madison riders practice behind a derny where they ride behind, do an exhange, then throw the incoming rider on to the back of the bike...repeat. Again, simulating race-paced events.
Murakami,
Some use derny training as "rollers on the track" kinda thinking. Basically, for an easy warmup or workout at race-pace without having to fight wind. Some tracks will offer a derny-paced warmup paceline where the derny leads and no one has to take pulls. This is like some VIP sh*t
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