+1

Ah, where can I find this information then?

Neato. Thanks.
Gonna give me more ideas for what I can do at home.

Holy Balls! Take a look at those step ups!?!? That is the best cyclist ever doing strength training. I think that gives us an answer, however I have personally always included strength training...notice how he emphasizes his core during every exercise....

He also swims and runs. Do you think those are good for cycling also?

If ALL you want to do is be a competitive cyclist, weight training may not help or may even diminish performance. If, however like most of us, cycling is a fun, and important part of an overall healthy lifestyle, then your overall health and fitness will most certainly benefit from swimming as well as weight training. Running is just too hard on the joints and I don't recommend anyone do it - at least not extreme distance running. Everyone should be fit enough to run 1-3 miles at a sub 7 minute mile pace.

Then please tell me why top coaches/trainers include weight training in their plans? And please tell me why world-class competitive cyclists use some sort of weight routine to prepare for their season?

Note the use of the word "may"... If a person tends to add bulk easily through weight training that would be a hindrance to cycling performance.

Can you explain why why top coaches/trainers/world-class competitive cyclists don't include weight training in their plans?

At the end of the day it's a personal decision that may be appropriate if you are strength limited. Most people aren't strength limited for cycling which explains why it is so difficult for researchers to show any performance benefits from weight training.

Contrast the effects of weight training to that of interval training. There are dozens of studies quantifying the performance benefits of doing intervals. The evidence supporting weight training is equivocal at best unless you are an older cyclist.

So weight training is advisable for older cyclists? Good. This is something that I haven't read before in this forum. I do believe that resistance training is helping my cycling. Particularly in the hills. Not at all in the flats.

Have you thought about what's different between hills and flats (assuming you're properly geared)?

I believe I know where you're going with this question. But on hills that are, say 7% and above, strength comes in handy. At that grade, almost everyone runs out of gears. Seems to work for me since I can keep up or (gasp) lead my group on long uphills whereas I get dropped consistently on the flats.

It definitely helps but I expect the primary concern others will mention is related to the misconception that everyone who strength trains will bulk up.
Added weight being adverse to climbing.
I strength train 4-5 times a week and weigh 149 lbs. I tend to ride off the front on climbs with my friends and I barely train to climb.

Riding at low cadence up a hill requires more force on the pedals. If you're strength limited, hill climbing (and sprinting) will tend to show up those deficiencies. Riding the hills at a higher cadence (e.g. 90RPM) may help also.

I'm with you there. I don't feel I've ever added a pound of weight from weight training. Maybe it's because I don't do very heavy weights. The best I can hope for is definition.

I was definitely strength limited. My sprinting still stinks but I fear that is a deficiency in tactics and technique.

Can you do 90RPM on a 7% hill? My lowest gear is 39 25 and I don't think I can come close to 90 RPM unless it's a really short one. And no, I don't think I'm strength challenged.

Strength is the maximal force or tension a muscle or muscle group can generate. Therefore if you can turn the pedals over even once, you are not strength limited. So if you are pedaling up a hill or in a sprint, you are not strength limited.

If it's a matter of doing it at all, it's strength; if it's a matter of how long you can do it, it's power (aerobic or anaerobic depending on duration).

Are we really sure that muscle bulk added through weight training is a hindrance in climbing? I think I have to dispute this. We're only talking about a few pounds, 10 or 15 in half a year if you really worked at it. More than that would take a dedicated, deliberate body building regimen which I think is beyond the scope here.

My understanding is that the 10 or 15 (more likely 5 or less) pounds is compensated by physical improvements.

For those of us over 50 it's not only beneficial but necessary, unless you like to run (ugg) or spend a LOT of time walking.

I am.

You're pretty old school about it if I read you right. It used to be accepted that weight training only added bulk and couldn't help, even hinder, skill performance. That's pretty much deprecated - there are strength training techniques even for endurance sports, including cycling.

So you have data (not anecdotes) that increased strength improves road cycling performance? Please share.

You, holding the contrarian position, should go first :)

It's impossible to prove a negative, but if as you say strength training leads to improved performance there should be plenty of evidence. Just look at all the data showing the efficacy of interval training or tapering. Nevertheless, there are numerous published articles showing strength training has no positive impact on endurance cycling. This despite the fact that there is less motivation for a researcher to pursue null or negative results. Ric Stern and Hamish Ferguson have both summarized them at length (on cyclingnews.com I believe). Further, studies have shown that strength is exhibited as muscle contraction rates approach zero which is a prohibitively slow cadence for cycling. Also, neuromuscular adaptations leading to increased strength are specific to the joint angles and speed of training and so don't carry over to the high contraction speeds of cycling (or are you proposing doing strength training at 80-100 rpm?). Strength due to hypertrophy has the disadvantage that in addition to increasing mass (with no positive benefits due to the low forces involved in cycling, http://www.aboc.com.au/tips-and-hint...urance-anymore ) hypertrophy results in a decreased mitochondrial density in the muscle fibers reducing aerobic capacity.