Originally Posted by
Robert Foster
I think my mind equated it with running. A long easy stride seems a lot easier in the mile than a sprint for the 200. But that doesn’t translate directly to cycling. I guess it was my everyday experiences that made spinning seem counter intuitive.
Showing my age now- but in the 50's we had a runner- Gordon Pirie- over here in the UK. I used to watch him run at White city Stadium and he was one of the best runners in Europe- if not the world. He used to wait till about 4 laps from the end of the race and his pace would not go up- but the length of his stride would. He normally used to gain yards on the opposition in that one lap and the race was won after that one lap of effort. In an interview years later- he was asked what he did if it did not work for him on that one lap. His reply was to the effect that the one lap at a different stride pattern gave him a rest that enabled him to put more effort in again- if necessary.
Same on the longer rides for me. At some point I lower the cadence and keep the speed the same. Just rests the legs or lungs for a while.