Smallguy

so last night I went out a a hilly ride and the person I normally ride with told me I keep opening the gap on them as long as I'm sitting but if I stand they close the gap considerably till I sit down again

I know I'm not very efficient at standing and climbing and probably have poor technique (trying to work at being more graceful getting out and standing and sitting) but is there a time and a place to stand ?

like at the bottom to gain momentum ? or just when your going to crest the top to get momentum for the decent or flats?

DaveSSS 

I've followed riders who have the same problem. They push me to my limit when they ride seated, but when they stand, I can stay seated and get a rest because they are riding slower and putting out less power.

Standing at an endurance pace should use body weight and not the quads as the main driver. It helps to have a power meter, so you can actually monitor what you're doing. I've ridden a number of 2-mile climbing intervals in the mountains where I consistently produce 5-10% more power while standing, compared to riding the same interval seated. When seated, I average 87 rpm on this 2-mile stretch, but only 63 rpm when standing and have about the same average heart rate using either method. Choosing the right gear ratio is critical when standing. Too big a gear will drop your cadence too low, but too small a gear will increase your heart rate to a point that can't be sustained.

Of course you can also stand to attack with the point being to distance other riders, but that's deliberately done at a higher cadence and heart rate that can only be maintained for a short time. Your power output will increase by a much greater amount. Sometimes that works, but it can also backfire if you can't recover from the additional effort. If you blow up, you'll just get caught and passed.

NickDavid

I generally stand when attacking or if I need a change in position during long climbs. I would recommend sitting and spinning at a high cadence. Save the out-of-the-saddle sprints for when you need it.

I like to train doing 20 second out-of-saddle bursts, then seated for 20, then out again.

skol

stand when you can't sit any longer and sit when you can't stand any longer - worked for me on a century this weekend

n8tron

On longer climbs I generally stand everyone once and awhile when I feel like I've been sitting for to long. Usually standing works different muscles and gives my back a rest, then when i sit back down I feel tired in areas that don't get worked as much while sitting and rested in areas that get tired while sitting.

Mostly though, I sit for the vast majority of the climb only standing now and then for a hundred yards or so probably.

OBXCycling.com

Pardon the threadjack....

What is the best position to be standing in? When I sprint I rise up and by the end I tend to be forward of my seat a bit. Is it better to stay over the pedals more or over the bars more?

dstrong 

climbing position depends on the grade of the climb. the steeper it is, the more forward you'll be. there's a "sweet spot" you'll find where you're balanced. too far forward and you'll have too much weight on your arms and on the front wheel...too far back and you'll unweight the front wheel.

OBXCycling.com

I knew I should have edited that....I meant on flat ground, standing up sprinting. I do lean forward going up hills but I also do on flat ground and I'm sure it's bad form.

4cmd3

Ditto.

"And when you run out of gears..."

gregf83 

Watch videos of Mark Cavendish and do what he does.