On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 17:01:37 GMT, "Peter Cole"
wrote:

"Badger_South" wrote

I'm only focussing on this stuff as part of a phase I'm going through,
though. I keep seeking out and testing myself on harder and harder
sections, which are not hard to find where I ride (lots of 100-200 yd
steeps). So far I'm doing pretty well for a my condition with the hip
injury and everything, I believe.

We all go through phases, one of mine was beginning fixed gear riding where
I learned that cadence didn't have as much of an effect as I had presumed
it would.

Yet ime, cadence, at least right now, is the focal point of my riding. (can
you tell I just installed a cadence computer? ;-) But in actuality I
rarely look at it. I just know that when I can 'spin up' I go faster with
seeming less effort. YMMV.

If you don't mind my asking, what is the best way to learn the 'blowing up'
part?

The classic "blowing up" is more of a short-term phenomenon, where you
briefly exceed your cardio-vascular capacity and go into debt. We all have
a steady-state pace that we can sustain for several minutes, when you push
beyond that, your output drops precipitously until you recover. This is
more of an aerobic/anaerobic thing than a fatigue thing. If you're climbing
hills, or doing fast, relatively short rides (like time trials), it's
important to go to your limit, without exceeding it, for your best time.
Learning exactly where that is takes time and knowledge of your body. Heart
rate monitors can help learning to pace, but given day-to-day variations, I
find listening to your body works better.

OK, makes sense. Watching the TdF 2003, Millar talks about blowing up, so
I've been looking at that pheonm.

The long-term fatigue limit is different. Fatigue accumulates in your
muscles, and eventually you get to the point where your output drops off
severely. Unlike blowing up, which is recoverable after a few minutes,
muscle fatigue doesn't go away with brief rest. If you keep pushing, the
muscles often go into spasms (cramping). Muscle fatigue can be accelerated
by periods of high level exertion, so if you want to go long, you have to
watch the pace, too.

OK, all common sense stuff, but it helped to hear it. Very much thanks for
taking the time to type all this out! ;-)

I'm off to scout that 2 mile hill and ride.

-B