Here's one you don't hear that often. I am fast on the hills and slow on the flats. This is, of course, relatively speaking as I'm still pretty quick on the flats, just not as fast as some of the people whom I regularly (quite easily) pass on the hills. I train 75% of the time in the mountains around Los Angeles and 25% on a flat loop to the beach and back. I think the answer to my query might be to ride more in the flats. This is something I don't care for.
Anyone have an answer of insight into this issue besides riding more on the flat?
That's about how I assess my abilities, too. I don't know if it's unusual, but you don't hear about it as much because typically people are clamoring to get faster on the hills.
I think the typical interval routines to improve MAP and LT should help with this, but in the meantime just do what I do: suck a wheel on the flats and attack on the hills.
Here's one you don't hear that often. I am fast on the hills and slow on the flats. This is, of course, relatively speaking as I'm still pretty quick on the flats, just not as fast as some of the people whom I regularly (quite easily) pass on the hills. I train 75% of the time in the mountains around Los Angeles and 25% on a flat loop to the beach and back. I think the answer to my query might be to ride more in the flats. This is something I don't care for.
Anyone have an answer of insight into this issue besides riding more on the flat?
Your position on the bike could be overly suited to climbing, reducing your ability to get aero in the drops. If you are a tall, lanky light-rider, you are likely to always be relatively slow on the flats as compared with your ability to climb.
Here's one you don't hear that often. I am fast on the hills and slow on the flats. This is, of course, relatively speaking as I'm still pretty quick on the flats, just not as fast as some of the people whom I regularly (quite easily) pass on the hills. I train 75% of the time in the mountains around Los Angeles and 25% on a flat loop to the beach and back. I think the answer to my query might be to ride more in the flats. This is something I don't care for.
Anyone have an answer of insight into this issue besides riding more on the flat?
Your problem makes sense to me. I am just the opposite, but I think that light weight riders generally have an easier time on the hills (power to weight ratio). The bigger rider will have trouble on the hill because of his weight. Power and aero are more of an issue on the flats than weight.
I am 195 lbs and ride with a 150 lb riding partner. He always drops me on the hills, but has trouble keeping up with me on the flats. On the downhill, I leave him behind unless he is on my tire.
My opinion on how to improve on the flats comes from "The cyclist Training Bible" - Improve your lactate threshold endurance.
Here's one you don't hear that often. I am fast on the hills and slow on the flats. This is, of course, relatively speaking as I'm still pretty quick on the flats, just not as fast as some of the people whom I regularly (quite easily) pass on the hills. I train 75% of the time in the mountains around Los Angeles and 25% on a flat loop to the beach and back. I think the answer to my query might be to ride more in the flats. This is something I don't care for.
Anyone have an answer of insight into this issue besides riding more on the flat?
Not as fast, are you getting dropped? smoked in TT?other wise if you can hang and suck wheel and just can't pull the group as fast, what's the problem. you will never be as fast as a lot of guys on the flats just like they will never be fast as you on the hills. now if your getting dropped then that is a limiter you should be able to combat through training.
Your position on the bike could be overly suited to climbing, reducing your ability to get aero in the drops. If you are a tall, lanky light-rider, you are likely to always be relatively slow on the flats as compared with your ability to climb.
Thanks everyone for the insightful comments. I'm 6'0" tall and weight in at a muscular 165 pounds. I think perhaps it's body habitus.
Thanks everyone for the insightful comments. I'm 6'0" tall and weight in at a muscular 165 pounds. I think perhaps it's body habitus.
On the flats, aerodynamics are the most important thing, which means you can work around your body type more than in the hills. I'd much rather work with your body type than be the little guy (true grimpeur ~125 pounds) who gets smoked because he simply can't make the power. Think about how low you can comfortably get on your bike - are you comfortable bent down in pseudo-TT position on the hoods, or with arms draped over the top of the bar, or down in the drops? Perhaps if you took the seat forward a little to enable you to come down? If you are racing, think about tactics too. I am 6'2", weigh about the same as you and tend to do better in flat rather than hilly races despite my lankiness (though I don't climb terribly).
Yeah, I'm completely the opposite. I usually get dropped pretty often on climbs when our group does intervals. Of course, the guys dropping me are about 6' and 140lbs soaking wet. I on the other hand am only 5'9", but at 158lbs. I usually can make up for it on the decents or on the flats. Climbing is something I haven't been able to really excel in, but it gets easier as time goes on.
You might be able to change some equipment to even out also. I was also pretty good on climbs but so so on flats. I bought my bike on ebay, knowing next to nothing about cycling. Someone suggested I measure my cranks, I did and they were 170s. I haven't been able to try different crank sizes yet so the result is pending.
Thanks everyone for the insightful comments. I'm 6'0" tall and weight in at a muscular 165 pounds. I think perhaps it's body habitus.
Same here 6'2" with the same riding style. I can drop a whole pack on a good climb, only to to be caught on the descents and flats. At least you can draft on the flats, I'd rather be able to climb fast and pass other while they're suffering. Practice your descending skills so that you can keep some of the gap that you create. Us string beans will probably always be a little slower on the flats.
I get the complete opposite to the post, I'm 5ft8 and a very muscular 178lbs (thanks to years of weight lifting and contact sports), and on group rides, the flats are a piece of cake and i don't need to do anything to stay with the group just spin away on the 53 chainring, while on the climbs I struggle massively with the tempo change. While the light guys just shoot off in the distance, i've got to use my power to crank it up slowly and hope i catch by the top...which is where my weights helps on the descent 😄
Same here 6'2" with the same riding style. I can drop a whole pack on a good climb, only to to be caught on the descents and flats. At least you can draft on the flats, I'd rather be able to climb fast and pass other while they're suffering. Practice your descending skills so that you can keep some of the gap that you create. Us string beans will probably always be a little slower on the flats.
6'1" and 175 here, so I don't really think of myself as 'light' but I do tend to be one of the 'climbers' in most groups. Sometimes I'll work my way to the front on a hill thinking I'll take a pull to help out, then look over my shoulder at the top to find that I've ridden straight off the front of the pack. No complaints, though, since I'd much rather be a fast climber than a fast descender. 🙂
I think technique, rhythm, and mental attitude play a big part of climbing, but it is possible that my posture on the bike is hurting my flat speed and helping my climbing (as another poster suggested). I've always looked for comfort first, but maybe I will experiment with more aggressive positions.
6'1" and 175 here, so I don't really think of myself as 'light' but I do tend to be one of the 'climbers' in most groups. Sometimes I'll work my way to the front on a hill thinking I'll take a pull to help out, then look over my shoulder at the top to find that I've ridden straight off the front of the pack. No complaints, though, since I'd much rather be a fast climber than a fast descender. 🙂
I think technique, rhythm, and mental attitude play a big part of climbing, but it is possible that my posture on the bike is hurting my flat speed and helping my climbing (as another poster suggested). I've always looked for comfort first, but maybe I will experiment with more aggressive positions.
I've always been more about comfort than getting that little extra 1/2 MPH also. Here's something else I'd like to throw out there. I had been training in only hills (well mountains actually) for about a month for a double that I did on June 18th. Today I decided to do some flat riding to see what I'd feel like. I skooted out 110 flat miles and my legs are sore. What's up with that? I'd swair they don't get sore after the same mileage in the hills. I think today was all leg and no heart whereas the hills is mostly heart and some leg. No science here, just feelings. Anyone care to quantify (or invalidate) this?
