On Wednesday, January 11, 2017 at 11:30:08 AM UTC-8, wrote:
On Wednesday, January 11, 2017 at 8:16:29 AM UTC-6, AMuzi wrote:
I recall well the wise words of my then-roommate Rich
Hammen, writing in his Competitive Cycling column under the
pseudonym 'Ask Captain America':
Q = Should I train spinning small gears or pushing big gears?
A = To win, you need to spin big gears.

--
Andrew Muzi


I am always amazed when I see pro riding on TV. It shows them going along on the flat at 32-33 mph. I don't hit those speeds going down hill pedaling as hard as I can. I don't think I have ever hit those speeds on the flat even with a very strong tailwind.

Three years ago at the Century from Gilroy I ended the last five miles at 28 mph. I had gotten behind and every time I was about to catch them I would instead catch a red light. Then I would run the speed up and be closing on them like gangbusters and they would just get through another red light. This went on for every half mile for five miles. So I was accelerating REALLY hard and then running at 28 or a little above. At the end of the five miles I couldn't find my car in the parking lot for a half hour I was so shot. We beat probably 80% of the other riders back even after starting late. I was 69 at that time. And I thought we were riding pretty easy. I was even staying back with a slower climber in our group.

And that was with a 52. Racers are running 54's or even 55's these days. Rumor was that LeMond used a 56 in TT's.