The other day a new recumbent rider with a fairly distinguished history as a diamond frame rider said to me: "On the DF I'd be able to get my `climbing legs' in about 3 days of a long event. Two weeks in the Dolomites in Italy on my carbon fiber high racer recumbent and I was still last up the hill, and half dead doing it. What does it take?"
A few of my thoughts were:
- On a DF you can `fall on' the pedals (dump your weight on each pedal) on the steep climbs;
- On a DF you can move your body around on the bike and recruit different muscles as you grind your way up a hill: sitting, out of the saddle, pushing your pelvis back or forward on the saddle, sit up and spin and rest, throw the bike left and right to loosen muscles and relax the back, etc...;
- A well trained recumbent rider can climb as fast as a well trained DF rider, all things (except bike) being equal;
- A recumbent rider has one, and only one, position on the bike and all the power comes from the legs and hips in that one position;
- A recumbent rider has to master `enduring' that one position the entire duration of a climb ... and that takes deliberate training of the muscular system (and mental foucus).
- On long climbs I vary the power but not the cadence. This allows me to rest some muscles periodically.
- On suddenly steep climbs I employ ankle pedalling, like a turbocharger that gives short bursts of power.
- Pushing up a long climb, even if the watts are low and the cadence is high, will have an impact on your knees that requires time to manage. The knees experience stress forces unmitigated by the DF's ability to `fall' on the pedals. To be competitive the recumbent rider must carefully, over several months, increase the capacity of the knees to deal with the stress. Ligaments and muscles have to be developed and strengthened, cell by cell. And that takes very careful and consistent training.
Do you think Lance could have given Ulrich `the look' if he had been on a recumbent?! Nope. That exquisite piece of drama wouldn't have occurred.
So, back to the title of this post: How Bad do you want to be Good (on a recumbent). It takes the same grim determination and discipline to be good on both platforms. But ... a recumbent rider has to forego some of the `fun' and excitement that a DF rider enjoys. At least that's what I think.
While it possible to "flail" while climbing on a DF bike - and many people do - there is the opportunity for "whole body" riding while climbing. By that I mean you can use more than your legs climbing while seated or out of the saddle. When out of the saddle you can also use your weight. But whether seated or out of the saddle good form dictates that all your strength is driven through the pedals and not wasted with unnecessary motion.
ReplyDeleteOn a recumbent the same hold true regarding unnecessary motion but it is definitely true that power to the pedals comes primarily through the legs. Its hard to bring the rest of the body into play in the same way as on a DF bike.
As far as knee pain goes there are two contributors:
-Gearing that is too high.
-Poor fit and/or form.
In my experience these two factors hold true regardless of whether I am on a DF bike or a recumbent. On either bike if I notice twinges of knee pain while climbing (or accelerating) then I know I'm not pedaling circles. I immediately correct my form and the knee pain goes away.
I totally and completely agree that climbing on a recumbent is a whole different animal than climbing on a DF and takes specific training. Right now I don't climb well on either type of bike but I'm still a little better on a DF. It seems it will be some time yet before I can develop the strength and technique to climb at least decently on the recumbent. It would be nice if I can make that happen by the 2013 SVLC.
I'm probably adding a different angle to your comments above, Mike, when I say this:
ReplyDeleteYou say:
"On a recumbent the same hold true regarding unnecessary motion but it is definitely true that power to the pedals comes primarily through the legs."
I'd tighten that statement up by saying that power is `exclusively' through the legs (and hips). Although bike handling skills and overall general fitness is essential the only way the recumbent moves forward is if pressure is applied to the pedals from the legs (ankles, shin, legs, hips).
As well I'd add something to your statement:
"As far as knee pain goes there are two contributors:
-Gearing that is too high.
-Poor fit and/or form."
The way I see it if bad gearing and bad fit/form were eliminated there would still be sore and aching knees as they adjust to the demands of constant climbing. Just like we have sore muscles for a while after we do calisthenics or weight lifting.
The key to building recumbent `climbing legs' is a recognition that it requires dramatically different training than on a DF. And that training has to be rational, gently tapering up in watts and inclusive of deliberate rest between training sessions.
Can you comment on climbing using your vendetta vs the carbon aero2 ?
ReplyDeleteBill
Hi Bill ...
ReplyDeleteYes. Good question. Among a few high racers (Vendetta and Bacchetta among them) there is little difference or variability in climbing. Almost same weight, cyclists position, etc. It has been my experience that given this absence of real platform difference the results of climbing are a function of the cyclist.
I did a comparison of climbing between these two platforms on a .6 mile 6% average grade. One-half of one second was the difference.
That's why I am so focused on training as the major determinant of climbing performance.