Strategy for the surge at the top of a climb

[sellsworth]

I think that I'm getting too analytical about climbing. Anyway - here's a situation that I think about:

Often it's the case where I'll want to put in a hard effort at the very end of climb knowing that I can rest on the downhill. This would be either to put some distance on someone behind or to catch up with someone up ahead. This effort would typically be 30 secs - 1 minute and put me above the lactate threshold for a moment or two. Now lets say that I've been climbing for 45 minutes at 85% of max heart rate before the surge at the top. Here's the question: in order to maximize the speed of the surge and minimize time in the red zone is it better to stick with the same gear ratio and increase cadence or shift down and grind away at a lower cadence? This may be analogous the question that sprinters face when approaching the finish.

So - how do find extra speed when you're already at a high heart rate? High or low cadence?

[jeffg]

but I tend to shift down (assuming I am at a good cadence) and either stretch out on the hoods or stand. If it really kicks up at the end of the climb I tend to stand, if it is moderate I tend to shift down and try to maintain the same cadence.

Most fun example: Climbing Mont Ventoux early morning the day the Dauphine came through (left hotel at about 5:30 AM) At about 7:15, the sun was rising and it was already pretty full with campers and other folks enjoying a glorious sunrise. About 300-400 meters before that steep right-hander, I shifted down and got out of the saddle for the final stretch. I know I am a pathetic hack, but riding through that crowd with people cheering and feeling like you are attacking that &%$§ mountain for a change rocks!

And, you certainly have enough time on any descent of Ventoux to recover a bit!

[weisan]

Save the best for last....

[KevinK]

I shift to a higher gear if possible near the top of a climb. My philosophy is in order to go faster, grab a bigger gear. I have a difficult time increasing my speed by increasing my cadence for an apppreciable length of time, whether its on the flats or hills.

Kevin

[Too Tall]

Sellsworth, just an observation and for your feedback. If you have been climbing for an extended period so close to the "red" zone than any increase in effort will put you into lactate overload. Rather than nail it for the last min. hold it steady and pedal over the top where most people back way off and hold that effort upto 30ish mph and tuck/coast while pedaling slowly to clear lactate.

If so inclined...efforts of 30 seconds or less have relatively little impact overall so if you want to attack the top of the hill to pop someone (else) I'd aim for the hard short effort in a bigger gear....otherwise, play it cool fool ;)

[coylifut]

are you sure that 85% of max is near your red zone. I'd guess thats somewhere in your tempo zone. Seems that your red zone would be 90% and above.

[sellsworth]

KevinK and jeffg - it does seem that for short bursts of speed that shifting down is better than increasing cadence - at least when up near 85-90% max heart rate. I suppose that the explanation is that shifting down and going for power activates the fast twitch muscle fibers (anaerobic), whereas going to a higher cadence requires efficient slow twitch fibers (aerobic) - which are generally worn out after 45 minutes of climbing.

Does anyone know what sprinters tend to do as they enter a sprint (in terms of shifting down vs. increasing cadence)?

[KevinK]

Does anyone know what sprinters tend to do as they enter a sprint (in terms of shifting down vs. increasing cadence)?

It's a combination of both. When I prepare for a sprint (road, not track), I grab a gear that I can efectively turn over when standing. That usually means a gear that is higher than what I am currently in (sitting). Caution #1: Grab a gear that is too high and you will have a difficult time making the initial jump. On most of our sprints I need to shift to a higher gear at least once during the sprint. Caution #2: You don't want to be in so high a gear that you are still standing at the line. Ideally, you should be seated, spinning furiously but still accelerating when you get to the line. Timing and executing the ideal sprint is difficult as there are many factors involved (positioning, length of sprint, remaining strength, leadouts and/or blocks) but that is what wins races at the line.

Kevin

[yeehawfactor]

i think it depends a lot on your body type. i'm 6-3 and 200ish, so for me maintaining my pace while rolling over the top and then putting it immediately into the big ring to gain speed and keeping the legs moving to move lactic acid works well. unless i'm showing off for flatlanders i've found that with my climbing ability it's much more worth it to work on descending skills than planning a mini burst near the top. also there is an inverse correlation between my bike handling skillz and my heart rate.

[toaster]

Well, 85% of max means you've got 15% left. Just getting over the top right before you blow is the important thing. What you want is more speed so getting in a bigger gear is necessary unless that will take more strength than you have available. If your initial effort in increasing the cadence in the present gear means that you are now spinning faster than the climbing cadence you've trained for then you can shift to a bigger gear, gain extra speed and use the 15% remaining energy over the distance left to the summit by maximizing that gear selection with your normal climbing cadence and with extra brute power.

On hard group rides and road races a 15 sec gap at the summit means you can be pretty hard to catch on the descent and it'll usually reward you a clean getaway.