stand up rider

ebrunner

I think your speeding car analogy is a perfect one, and would like to take it a bit further. Like you said, 60 mph would be the absolute most efficient speed to travel at, but there are times when the car has to go 80 to get to it's destination on time. The driver (or the automatic transmission) must then select the gear or RPMs that is most efficient relative to the speed of 80 mph. If the driver puts the car in second gear, and floors the gas, the engine would burn out quickly.

Cyclists are the same. In a race, their speed may not be as efficient as a lower speed, but they still must maintain that speed. The cyclist has to determine how their particular bodies are more efficient at a given speed (seated or standing, low gears/high cadence, or high gears/low cadence, etc).

SquadraSF

well, since everyone is fond of using LA analogies, here's another one. Lance's training focuses on specific reps both in and out of the saddle, mixing speeds, mixing cadence on the same climb. he does this because he must train his body to be able to respond to the multiple attacks from his arrivals and he also must be able to attack himself and then transition smoothly back into an in-the-saddle, high cadence effort.

in a race, half the amateur riders you face will get dropped if the lead group starts mixing up the speed and cadence. when people do not train specifically to be able to adapt to these changes, they cannot handle the change in pace and will go anaerobic and blow up.

a fun trick on a climb is to hit a particularly steep pitch pretty hard but to make sure the guy on your wheel is able to follow. slow WELL BEFORE you're maximum effort and fake like you've blown up. the guy following will see you "suffering" and take the pull, often burning every match in the book to drop you because he sees his "opportunity". you can take his wheel and then wait till HE blows up. of course, if you don't have the fitness, then this exercise is rather pointless.

ebrunner

SquadraSF,

Maybe you can answer my earlier question on Lance. Although everyone labels him a seated climber, I see him standing a lot. This year, he was often on the ropes, so it is understandable to see him standing simply to keep on Ullrich's or Vino's wheel. However, when he was arguably on his best form, in 2001, he seemed to stand a lot, even when he wasn't actually attacking (or responding to attacks). I would consider Jan Ullrich to be much more of a seated climber--he hardly ever stands. Armstrong seems to do about 50/50 (standing/seated).