What's faster: steady ...or... hard in / hard out
09-25-16, 04:22 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
What's faster: steady ...or... hard in / hard out
What is a faster way to do most courses?
Steady effort with minimal slowing for corners. Carry your speed as best you can. Reduce braking where possible. Aim for smooth accelerations.
...Or...
Jam max speed at corners -- too fast for being able to power thru them -- then hit the brakes hard -- then sprint out of the corner as fast as you can. Aim for fitness that can tolerate constant hard accelerations.
Steady effort with minimal slowing for corners. Carry your speed as best you can. Reduce braking where possible. Aim for smooth accelerations.
...Or...
Jam max speed at corners -- too fast for being able to power thru them -- then hit the brakes hard -- then sprint out of the corner as fast as you can. Aim for fitness that can tolerate constant hard accelerations.
Last edited by JeffOYB; 09-26-16 at 05:55 AM.
09-26-16, 01:45 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 4,764
Mentioned: 28 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1975 Post(s)
Liked 232 Times
in
173 Posts
this totally depends on where you are in the race and your relative placing and start position. Usually you have to burn matches to pass people on sections where it isn't optimal
09-26-16, 01:55 PM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Buffalo, NY
Posts: 1,109
Bikes: s-1
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 221 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
steady state smooth cornering is faster, ask any race car driver. it's also easier on your "engine" and less taxing in the long run. with that said, bike races are done in groups, and unless you're strong enough to solo TT off the front, then you're not gonna be able to just pick your line and go, which means you're gonna have to position well and go hard when it counts.
09-28-16, 06:57 AM
#4
Senior Member
Thread Starter
steady state smooth cornering is faster, ask any race car driver. it's also easier on your "engine" and less taxing in the long run. with that said, bike races are done in groups, and unless you're strong enough to solo TT off the front, then you're not gonna be able to just pick your line and go, which means you're gonna have to position well and go hard when it counts.
well, we're talking about going fast not about going easy on yourself.
car-racers also use the brakes hard -- to go faster.
foot-runners aim for constant state because they don't really overcook corners anyway.
I notice I've used more steady-state in CX in the past when I had a HEAVY bike.
this group dynamic you mention applies to CX?
i agree there's some waiting and being strategic about when to make a move but otherwise... no real need to yo-yo in terms of group dynamic. not much of that
09-28-16, 09:05 AM
#5
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Naperville, IL
Posts: 17
Bikes: Specialized Allez E5, Specialized Crux Pro, S-Works Langster
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
What is a faster way to do most courses?
Steady effort with minimal slowing for corners. Carry your speed as best you can. Reduce braking where possible. Aim for smooth accelerations.
...Or...
Jam max speed at corners -- too fast for being able to power thru them -- then hit the brakes hard -- then sprint out of the corner as fast as you can. Aim for fitness that can tolerate constant hard accelerations.
Steady effort with minimal slowing for corners. Carry your speed as best you can. Reduce braking where possible. Aim for smooth accelerations.
...Or...
Jam max speed at corners -- too fast for being able to power thru them -- then hit the brakes hard -- then sprint out of the corner as fast as you can. Aim for fitness that can tolerate constant hard accelerations.
- on the course layout and what comes before/after each turn
- on the course features
- on your fitness
- on your power curve
- on course conditions and tire grip (mud, dry grass, dirt, gravel)
- on whether there are other riders in front of you and their relative ability/fitness
- on your technical ability
10-19-16, 05:36 AM
#6
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Garden State
Posts: 194
Bikes: 2009 BMC Team Machine, 2012 Jamis Supernova
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
1 Post
Carrying momentum & free watts are what I look for while I'm on the course. If you're building momentum into a turn, decelerate dramatically to get through the turn and then accelerate dramatically out of the turn, you're not carrying the momentum you've gained pre-turn. Discover the optimum line through each turn, which can change over time/with each circumstance and find your limits or that place where you're about to go from rubber down to rubber up. This will allow you to use the momentum you've created to spring you out of the turn. Free watts.
This doesn't mean you shouldn't be aiming for your stated fitness goal. If you're coming out of the turn and applying this strength you will drop opponents like a bad date.
If you're going anaerobic less, you can "burn matches" in other places to pick up more ground, such as post barriers/obstacles, where so many riders are fishing for their pedals after their remount and are not settled in. Jump here and claim your step on the podium.
If you use some simple math, you can see how effective this is. If you can carry momentum more effectively, let's say you gain a second per instance (turn, barrier, obstacle) and there's 20 of these features per lap you just gained 20 seconds per lap. In 5 laps you gained a minute forty on the field. These numbers are conservative and vary depending each individual situation. Free watts
I do a lot of oval work on practice days. go hard into the turn, NO BRAKES, sprint out and settle in, next turn. If I'm not going down at least a few times I'm not finding my limits in the turn. Then I go from left handers to right handers and push that limit as well. Better to go down on a practice days than on race days. I make sure to set up markers to limit my outer radius to mimic the tape on a course.
This doesn't mean you shouldn't be aiming for your stated fitness goal. If you're coming out of the turn and applying this strength you will drop opponents like a bad date.
If you're going anaerobic less, you can "burn matches" in other places to pick up more ground, such as post barriers/obstacles, where so many riders are fishing for their pedals after their remount and are not settled in. Jump here and claim your step on the podium.
If you use some simple math, you can see how effective this is. If you can carry momentum more effectively, let's say you gain a second per instance (turn, barrier, obstacle) and there's 20 of these features per lap you just gained 20 seconds per lap. In 5 laps you gained a minute forty on the field. These numbers are conservative and vary depending each individual situation. Free watts
I do a lot of oval work on practice days. go hard into the turn, NO BRAKES, sprint out and settle in, next turn. If I'm not going down at least a few times I'm not finding my limits in the turn. Then I go from left handers to right handers and push that limit as well. Better to go down on a practice days than on race days. I make sure to set up markers to limit my outer radius to mimic the tape on a course.
10-25-16, 01:23 PM
#7
Senior Member
Carrying momentum & free watts are what I look for while I'm on the course. If you're building momentum into a turn, decelerate dramatically to get through the turn and then accelerate dramatically out of the turn, you're not carrying the momentum you've gained pre-turn. Discover the optimum line through each turn, which can change over time/with each circumstance and find your limits or that place where you're about to go from rubber down to rubber up. This will allow you to use the momentum you've created to spring you out of the turn. Free watts.
This doesn't mean you shouldn't be aiming for your stated fitness goal. If you're coming out of the turn and applying this strength you will drop opponents like a bad date.
If you're going anaerobic less, you can "burn matches" in other places to pick up more ground, such as post barriers/obstacles, where so many riders are fishing for their pedals after their remount and are not settled in. Jump here and claim your step on the podium.
If you use some simple math, you can see how effective this is. If you can carry momentum more effectively, let's say you gain a second per instance (turn, barrier, obstacle) and there's 20 of these features per lap you just gained 20 seconds per lap. In 5 laps you gained a minute forty on the field. These numbers are conservative and vary depending each individual situation. Free watts
I do a lot of oval work on practice days. go hard into the turn, NO BRAKES, sprint out and settle in, next turn. If I'm not going down at least a few times I'm not finding my limits in the turn. Then I go from left handers to right handers and push that limit as well. Better to go down on a practice days than on race days. I make sure to set up markers to limit my outer radius to mimic the tape on a course.
This doesn't mean you shouldn't be aiming for your stated fitness goal. If you're coming out of the turn and applying this strength you will drop opponents like a bad date.
If you're going anaerobic less, you can "burn matches" in other places to pick up more ground, such as post barriers/obstacles, where so many riders are fishing for their pedals after their remount and are not settled in. Jump here and claim your step on the podium.
If you use some simple math, you can see how effective this is. If you can carry momentum more effectively, let's say you gain a second per instance (turn, barrier, obstacle) and there's 20 of these features per lap you just gained 20 seconds per lap. In 5 laps you gained a minute forty on the field. These numbers are conservative and vary depending each individual situation. Free watts
I do a lot of oval work on practice days. go hard into the turn, NO BRAKES, sprint out and settle in, next turn. If I'm not going down at least a few times I'm not finding my limits in the turn. Then I go from left handers to right handers and push that limit as well. Better to go down on a practice days than on race days. I make sure to set up markers to limit my outer radius to mimic the tape on a course.
Idea is, using 800 W to sprint to 30 km/h to settle into to a 400 W 25 km/h steady state is a huge waste of energy. I found myself doing this when I really started looking at some of the numbers. Using less watts for a longer time or the same watts for a shorter time to sprint to that optimal velocity (25 km/h in this example) is a nice match saver. Compound that based on conditions, line choice, competitor strategy, etc....it's a constant battle of fitness vs efficiency.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
totalnewbie
Professional Cycling For the Fans
16
10-02-13 09:32 AM
