Changing from a big gear to a smaller one

Danilot said:

How could I adapt my legs to a smaller gear when attacking, in order to gain vital acceleration? Is there any training method for this?

It might seem simple but the principle of specificity applies here.

If you want to perform at higher RPMs, you have to train at higher RPMs.
How do you measure your intensity? RPE? HR? Power?

Pureshot78 said:

It might seem simple but the principle of specificity applies here.

If you want to perform at higher RPMs, you have to train at higher RPMs.
How do you measure your intensity? RPE? HR? Power?

I measure my intensity with my heartrate.

On the other hand, I do not want to change completely from a low RPM to a higher one. I am very at ease with a huge gear if I'm maintaining the same speed for long periods (TT, breakaways...); the only problem is quick speed changes, mostly when attacking and counterattacking. So... what I'd like is to be able to use smaller gears when attacking, while keeping my big gear, lower cadence style at constant speeds.

Danilot said:

I measure my intensity with my heartrate.

On the other hand, I do not want to change completely from a low RPM to a higher one. I am very at ease with a huge gear if I'm maintaining the same speed for long periods (TT, breakaways...); the only problem is quick speed changes, mostly when attacking and counterattacking. So... what I'd like is to be able to use smaller gears when attacking, while keeping my big gear, lower cadence style at constant speeds.

Seems pretty obvious to me. If you want to be better at something, then practice it!

Danilot said:

the only problem is quick speed changes, mostly when attacking and counterattacking.

Alternatively you could do some "stomps" in the larger gear and lower cadence in an attempt to raise your ability to respond to those changes in speed in the larger gear.

Get up to speed in the comfortable gear and cadence, get out of the saddle (or don't) and "stomp" on the pedals, 2 or 3 hard presses with each foot. Ride at a comfortable pace for a several minutes and repeat a couple times.

Danilot said:

I've got a "problem" which I share with riders such as Jan Ullrich or Santiago Botero, and even though I've tried I can't find a way to get rid of it. The thing is that, when I attack, I always use a huge gear; I'm used to it and I feel uncomfortable with a smaller one; if I do use a smaller one, I find myself at a pedaling cadence way too high, and it is not very effective.

Now, if I took part in races with long climbs, this wouldn't be a problem, because on the long run, my slow acceleration in attacking would be compensated by the extra distance I advance with each pedal stroke. But in my region, there are only short climbs, so acceleration is quite more important than top speed if you want to win.

How could I adapt my legs to a smaller gear when attacking, in order to gain vital acceleration? Is there any training method for this?

Don't worry about using someone else's perceived technique ...

Start your sprint with the BIG CHAINRING + the rear cog which is TWO up (or, more depending on the number of teeth on adjacent cogs -- this will be trial-and-error specific to you) from where you want to end up ...

Consider using CAMPAGNOLO shifters whose thumb shifter will expedite moving the chain DOWN to smaller cogs more readily than the Shimano's inner lever can.