> I think by now you know what's REALLY holding you back from developing more speed. We've talked about that recently, haven't we? <

We know part of it - but this spinning thing has been on my mind for years and I think there is something I'm missing in that area too. Hey, I'm taking it easy still - between schedule and weather, I have ridden very little.

> When pedalling uphill, the idea is NOT to pull and push the pedals- this usually decreases power in your pedal stroke, since the result is less circular pedalling. What you should do is move to a lower gear that allows you to keep a lowered heart rate, then as you're climbing, emphasize the horizontal movement of your pedal stroke- across the top of your pedal stroke and across the bottom. Typically, you'll have more success of pushing across the bottom of your pedal stroke. <

I do shift down, though I don't focus on those horizontal strokes you refer to. I only do the pulling up, etc, on that one hill which I use to periodically test what I can do.

But mostly I'm wondering about the spinning on flats, at least for now. Simply fewer variables to deal with.

> Remember, it's not pulling back and up... it's pushing across the top and bottom of your pedal stroke. <

Gotcha. If I get to ride tomorrow, I'll try it. But what about on the flats? Should I feel any "pulling up"? Like I said, right now I normally don't feel any of that unless I deliberately try to.