Five weeks to go!

[MallyG]

Only five weeks until L'Etape. For those who are interested, 8,000 of us shall be riding Stage 10 of this year's Tour, from Limoges to St Flour. It's 150 miles, ending in the mountains. I will be riding my Serotta Legend ST, having trained now for almost six months HARD! I'm now up to riding a regular century on a Sunday and managed 130 miles on Wednesday this week. The event has taken over my life like nothing else and I have become a fleeting figure to my family and my business partners. Then again, I'm riding in a good cause, to raise money for Cancer Research. Please wish me luck (and if you want to check on my Etape training diary, click on the link below).
It's getting close......

[BumbleBeeDave]

You will ANNIHILATE the competition! I have heard that these are always so hard that it’s a victory merely to finish, but I’m sure you will do better than “just” finishing . . .

Good luck!

BBDave

[Kevin]

I'm jealous.

Kevin

[weisan]

Hi MallyG,

You mentioned that Sean gave you a few tips that make a large difference to your descending ability. Could you share those with me? I am a quivering jelly when it comes to descending at high speed as well, in part due to the lack of having big hills with switchbacks to practice on where I live. :p

Also when you were riding with cycle coach, Mike Dawson, you mentioned he corrected your mistakes, what are some of those, can you share?

Looks like you are going to have loads of fun ahead of you, enjoy! :D

weisan

[MallyG]

The most important thing I learned about descending was to keep my backside as far back as possible, almost floating of the saddle, whilst moving my hands to the drops on the bars (scary at first, but makes sense). When cornering to the right, put your left pedal to the six o'clock position to act as a counterbalance and 'steer' with your bum (NOT your hands). As your body leans into the bend, keep your head perpendicular with the horizon (in other words, straight). Do NOT brake on a bend. If you feel you are approaching the corner too fast, slow down before you get there. Always look ahead, where you want to go, not where you don't want to go. And (easier said than done) relax. If you are descending down a steep straight road, keep your pedals level and grip the top tube lightly between your knees.
The main mistake I was making was pedalling in too hard a gear and not spinning enough. (Now this one may be specifically for a long event like 'l'etape where you really have to protect and conserve your legs). The other important thing was to try and ride as agroup, as close to the rider in front of you as possible in order to splipstream. If this makes you feel a little nervous (it does me!), you can ride slightly to the side of their wheel and still get some benefit, whilst having an escape route if they do anything sudden and unexpected.

[weisan]

Awesome! Thanks MallyG. I like the "steer with the bum" advice. But they are all good.

[jeffg]

Mally --

Yes, descending while in the drops is key. Do it quite a bit before L'Etape so you feel confident and get used to the different type of strain this can put on your arm muscles when you are descending for almost 30 minutes.

As for the gearing, what did you eventually decide on and what cadence are you trying to keep? I would be interested to hear what training you are doing to adapt to higher cadences. Lower force peaks and torque is a good thing for long rides, but it also takes adaptation if you are not used to it. Good luck! My next big ride is just about a week away, so I just have to be content with the training I can get in this weekend and then taper and hope for the best! :banana: :banana: :banana:

[MallyG]

I'll be practising my descending this weekend when I train in the Alps!. I eventually went for a triple gearing, but kept the 13-29. Although I haven't yet used the very lowest gears, it's nice to know they're there! I've certainly increased my cadence and generally keep it around 90rpm. This has meant spending most time in the middle chain ring on the front, but seems to work. I rode a 130 mile ride last Wednesday and my legs still felt fine at the end.
Good luck with your race!