When I told my coach that I was doing Over the Mountain (OTM), this was his advice:
For OTM, I suggest that you do some rides where you go easy on the flats, very easy on the descents, and get to the top of every climb as fast as you can. The steeper the climb, the faster you try to go, pushing the biggest gear you can spin while still in the aero position (until you get down to 10 or 12 mph, when aerodynamics become irrelevant and you might as well scoot way back, and get the power from pushing the pedal forward).
I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for this race, because I signed up for it at the last minute. Still, I was able to do three rides like this, all in my new aero position.
Reflections:
This hill strategy feels alot different than what I normally do. I want to get up out of the saddle much sooner than the point where my speed drops below 10. It was a challenge for me to do this. A good challenge I think, as it made me work harder up the hills, watching my speed, not wanting to let it drop below 10. I really feel it in my hips to push hard up a hill, while down in the aerobars. Here’s a thought I just had: There is probably energy or momentum lost simply in the process of getting up out of the saddle…?
I was a bit disappointed in my average speed on these hill workouts. However, I did stop quite alot to fiddle with my aero bars – the process of braking to stop brings down the average speed quite a bit. (One reason I always go much faster in races!) Also, I did hill repeats, without much normal terrain in between to make up for lost time climbing. Still, I need to make 19 mph at OTM for a top bike split. Not sure if I am capable of THAT speed on THAT course, as there are three big climbs without alot of easier terrain in between!
I am not getting my heart rate high enough during these hill workouts! I wish I had four more weeks to train for this race! Oh well, Lake Norman, WATCH OUT!
Other things I focused on during these rides: Tight aero position: trying to make sure my forearms were horizontal and my hands were make the smallest profile possible, holding my upper body stable, and spinning with my knees as close to the top tube as possible without rubbing it. I also accelerated back up to race pace immediately after the climb, before heading back down for the next repeat.
Ride Details:
Ride #1)Brick: Easy pace out to climb Borland hill three times, then run 2 miles. Hard on the way up the hills. This was my “Pain I am used to” workout. Ride stats:
Average speed: 16.4 mph. I forgot to record the rest of the data – crud.
Ride #2) Brick: easy pace out to Mt Sinai. Climb Mt Sinai three times hard, easy down, all out on the way home, then run. This was the nirvana workout I wrote about a couple of days ago 🙂
Average speed: 16.4 mph. Max speed: 40.4mph
Climb #1) 4:59, 162 bpm avg / 162 bpm at end of lap
Climb #2) 4:57, 161 bpm / 165
Climb #3) 5:07, 159 bpm / 167
Overall workout: Average HR 153 bpm.
Ride #3) Short 13 mile ride. Take it easy out to climb Mt Sinai once. Hard on the way up while at the same time trying to stay relaxed – I was seeking nirvana on the bike! Try to beat the time it took to get to the top on my last ride. Race pace back home.
Average Speed: 18 mph. Max 37.4
First Half of ride easy: 28:28, 130 bpm
Climb #1) 4:46, 166 bpm avg / 173 end (YEAH, faster than last time)
HR monitor slipped out of place sometime after the climb, so I don’t have HR data for the rest of the workout, or overall. Crud, once again!
Here is the elevation of this short ride (red shaded area), as compared to Over the Mountain (purple line).
