On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 21:20:45 -0700, Terry Morse wrote:

Ben Kaufman wrote:

I find different cadences comfortable in different conditions.

Isn't it good to vary? Something to do with slow versus fast
twitch muscle fibers?

In simple terms: low(er) cadence for strength training, high(er)
cadence for endurance.

When you use a low pedal force (high cadence), your slow twitch
muscle fibers are active. They are the endurance fibers that can do
work for a long time without fatigue. When you use a high pedal
force (low cadence), your fast twitch muscle fibers get recruited to
help in the effort. They fatigue more quickly, but they're great for
sprints or blasting over rollers.

So Terry, do you strive to ride -both- mountains and fast flats so that you
keep up both types of riding? I'm experiencing this need to go ride the
flats after about 4-5 days riding hills, and when I get to the flats, my
speed has dropped way off, and I take a full day, sometimes two, to get
back up to former spin speed?

Now, I must say that after sufficient hill climbing, say enough to get
beginners' climbing legs, if I do go on the flats for some fast riding for
a week, I can come back and up the climbing a notch. But the same thing
tends to happen to some degree - my legs struggle climbing that first or
second day back to the hills, -but- I must say I'm struggling on bigger
hills, lol.

Now some might say, 'just ride', or 'just mix up the courses', but I'm
talking about riding every day, and getting up that initial steep learning
curve to intermediate rider. Once there, I'm sure one's cycling transforms.
So bear with me. ;-D

-B