Sprinter or climber ?



eortiz

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Nov 12, 2003
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Has anyone accepted the fact that their genes are not meant to climb fast (big body frame) or sprint fast? I lifted weights before and I got pretty big. Switched to cycling and lost a lot of weight but not enough to be a mountain goat. Although I still try to climb as fast as the rest of my riding partners but I just can't seem to be ala Tyler Hamilton :D .
 
I find that sprinting or climbing is more a mental thing than physical. People who view themselves as sprinters tend to concentrate on sprint training while people who feel better at climbing focus on climbing. For me the most important thing is to find something enjoyable about both sprinting and climbing, then I focus on the enjoyable part more than the negatives during my training. If I still can't hang with the better riders then I pretty much figure its a training problem and not genetics. Of course at the elite levels I suppose there are physical differences that allow one person to be better than another but I don't ride with any elite riders. ;)
 
Although body physique is a big component, BMD is right. I think it's your mental game. If you're climbing just as fast as your friends, i'm sure you've got something hidden that could boost your performance. Just a little thing that has helped my climbing. Whenever you're cresting a hard hill, alot of people ease up, like the work has already been done and now its rest time. Instead, about 50 yrds from the top, I switch to the next hardest gear and still push hard on the downhill.
 
Hmmm....would have to say climber but temper that by saying I`m 206 pounds so it ain`t fast climbing...lol. Don`t usually have an opportunity of trying out the sprinting since I`m usually dropped on the big hills. :eek:

In all seriousness I agree with the others. I think alot of climbing/sprinting is mental and if you are willing to put in the efforts you can improve...at least for the recreational/amateur riders anyway.

I like to think of myself as a domestique...kinda OK as an all around rider who enjoys the companionship, teamwork and freedom of just riding a bike.
 
rolfdevinci said:
Hmmm....would have to say climber but temper that by saying I`m 206 pounds so it ain`t fast climbing...lol. Don`t usually have an opportunity of trying out the sprinting since I`m usually dropped on the big hills. :eek:

In all seriousness I agree with the others. I think alot of climbing/sprinting is mental and if you are willing to put in the efforts you can improve...at least for the recreational/amateur riders anyway.

I like to think of myself as a domestique...kinda OK as an all around rider who enjoys the companionship, teamwork and freedom of just riding a bike.

Yeah! I regard myself too as a domestique. I try to do all the hard work on flats and climbs and let the rest pass me if the crest is almost reached or when everyone else burst for a sprint. I figured I'm getting more of a work out than those just behind me.

Back to the topic. You guys are right. I guess it's all in the training. Since I was not a good (in my mind) climber for awhile, I did a lot of hill repeats during unemployment and pretty much improved in my climbing ability. The reason I just feel bad about my climbing is that I am 175lbs in summer and I can't seem to go any lower. But my BMI is pretty good (I think) - 17%. Down from 20%. ANwyay.
 
eortiz said:
Yeah! I regard myself too as a domestique. I try to do all the hard work on flats and climbs and let the rest pass me if the crest is almost reached or when everyone else burst for a sprint. I figured I'm getting more of a work out than those just behind me.

Back to the topic. You guys are right. I guess it's all in the training. Since I was not a good (in my mind) climber for awhile, I did a lot of hill repeats during unemployment and pretty much improved in my climbing ability. The reason I just feel bad about my climbing is that I am 175lbs in summer and I can't seem to go any lower. But my BMI is pretty good (I think) - 17%. Down from 20%. ANwyay.

Yeah...it`s maddening. Whether i like it or not I`m always between 200 - 210 pounds and that is with lots of exercise and a decent diet. At 6 feet that still puts me in the overweight category according to the official charts. My last measurement at body fat% had me at c.15% and I have actually slimmed down a fair amount since then due to the increased cycling. It can`t be brains( ;) ) so I must still be carrying lots of muscle mass from the gym rat days...lol.

I don`t know.....I feel great and am healthy so i guess it doesn`t matter.
 
I used to be a really good climber. I am 6'4' and I used to weigh 165 pounds back in my early twenties. Now I am 31 and weigh 210 pounds with 11% body fat. I have just bulked up a bit over the years. I still really enjoy climbing but I am definitely not as fast uphill. However, I am capable of generating a lot stronger sprint now and I attribute that to having more muscle mass.
 
Where's pace-line on this one - he could give some street cred here I believe .. yooohoooooooooo? I hate the fact that you guys can get so low on the body fat - if you find the = to go up hill let me know - Co. Springs is all hills and I hate them but they say the more you do them the better you get. I also have heard to practice in the big rings?!?!?? Then again, don't listen to me cos I am 130lbs and one swift wind on a hill and I am off - sideways :mad:
 
You'll really hate me now. When I was 165 pounds I was about 7%. I was extremely skinny back in the day. Incidentally, I descend much faster now that I am heavier :D Gravity rules!

Susan Repp said:
Where's pace-line on this one - he could give some street cred here I believe .. yooohoooooooooo? I hate the fact that you guys can get so low on the body fat - if you find the = to go up hill let me know - Co. Springs is all hills and I hate them but they say the more you do them the better you get. I also have heard to practice in the big rings?!?!?? Then again, don't listen to me cos I am 130lbs and one swift wind on a hill and I am off - sideways :mad:
 
birdman23 said:
You'll really hate me now. When I was 165 pounds I was about 7%. I was extremely skinny back in the day. Incidentally, I descend much faster now that I am heavier :D Gravity rules!

Live in a port city along the Atlantic coast...lotsa rolling hills and ALWAYS windy.I think I hate wind far more than hills...at least hills have a summit, wind is relentless!

That said my climbing has improved. Being a big gear masher I am trying to stay seated during climbs and spin to the top, thus conserving some energy. A work in progress.

That said ain`t gravity an equalizer....200+ pounds scorching downhill makes for some "fun" descents!LOL. :eek:
 
birdman23 said:
You'll really hate me now. When I was 165 pounds I was about 7%. I was extremely skinny back in the day. Incidentally, I descend much faster now that I am heavier :D Gravity rules!


Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm :mad: yep, I hate you .. I am around 22% but it was done on one of those new fandangled scales so I am not sure how accurate it is - I used to be under 19% but those days I am chasing .. I am not sure what is normal and would like to work on it - less weight uphill = faster? Downhill uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh molases! :eek:
 
I agree. Wind sucks!!! I would rather climb any day. And yes gravity is a great equalizer. It really pisses my brother-in-law off. I have about 40 pounds on him and he has to pedal his butt off to keep up with me on descents where I am coasting at 45mph +.

rolfdevinci said:
Live in a port city along the Atlantic coast...lotsa rolling hills and ALWAYS windy.I think I hate wind far more than hills...at least hills have a summit, wind is relentless!

That said my climbing has improved. Being a big gear masher I am trying to stay seated during climbs and spin to the top, thus conserving some energy. A work in progress.

That said ain`t gravity an equalizer....200+ pounds scorching downhill makes for some "fun" descents!LOL. :eek:
 
Susan don't feel bad. You are actually in great shape. Go to this website and look at the comparison between men and women. http://www.healthchecksystems.com/bodyfat.htm
The amount of essential body fat a woman needs just to be healthy is like 10-12%. Men can get by with as little as 2-4%. Your essential fat needs are much greater and just think a lot of that essential fatty tissue has a lot to do with what makes you women so appealing to men, that and a womans obviously superior intellect.;) :)

Susan Repp said:
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm :mad: yep, I hate you .. I am around 22% but it was done on one of those new fandangled scales so I am not sure how accurate it is - I used to be under 19% but those days I am chasing .. I am not sure what is normal and would like to work on it - less weight uphill = faster? Downhill uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh molases! :eek:
 
45 mph - I think the fastest I have been was was around 35 with the wind behind me and I was pedling like a mad thing - looks hillarious no doubt - I will get my fat ole rump to that site immmmmediately .. I know we need all that fat stuff to maintain that superior brain matter but how comes it comes in the form of padding .. does it migrate all by itself? It just doesn't help when climbing them there hills ..

Skiddadling outta here .. happy climbing and hope the wind is from behind :D
 
Steep Utah mountains help...on the descent that is. I am still pretty lean but just being 45 pounds heavier really kills on the climbs.

I don't know about the migration of the padding but it sounds like it might be fun to watch. :D

Susan Repp said:
45 mph - I think the fastest I have been was was around 35 with the wind behind me and I was pedling like a mad thing - looks hillarious no doubt - I will get my fat ole rump to that site immmmmediately .. I know we need all that fat stuff to maintain that superior brain matter but how comes it comes in the form of padding .. does it migrate all by itself? It just doesn't help when climbing them there hills ..

Skiddadling outta here .. happy climbing and hope the wind is from behind :D
 
birdman23 said:
Susan don't feel bad. You are actually in great shape. Go to this website and look at the comparison between men and women. http://www.healthchecksystems.com/bodyfat.htm
The amount of essential body fat a woman needs just to be healthy is like 10-12%. Men can get by with as little as 2-4%. Your essential fat needs are much greater and just think a lot of that essential fatty tissue has a lot to do with what makes you women so appealing to men, that and a womans obviously superior intellect.;) :)

Ditto that! What he said. :)
 
Here's what I've culled:

Being a good climber requires a high weight/power ratio. Light people need much less power to have a high ratio due to their low body weight. The heavier you get, the more power you need to offset the additional mass. Punch some numbers into http://www.analyticcycling.com/http://www.analyticcycling.com to see. Heras is a good climber because he weighs 130 pounds, whereas armstrong is a good climber because he's unbelievably strong.

On the flats, it's a different story. Since wind resistance is primarily composed of a riders frontal area, the larger you are the more resistance you'll have to overcome. However, the frontal area does not vary that much from a small rider to a bigger rider. One of the climbers on my team is 6' 135, while I am 5'11" 157. He has almost 25 lbs. less to carry up the hill than me, but the same frontal area to push through the wind than I do. While he drops me on the climbs, I can drop him on the flats with a couple good accerelations to make him work in the wind. Check out the above link again for some numbers.

Sprinting is a different story. You need lots of fast twitch fibers to generate the initial accerelation for a good sprint. The more fast twitch fibers you have, the sooner you'll get up to speed. Let's say you can sprint at 35 mph for 150 meters. If you can get up to speed in 10 meters, you'll be able to go 35 mph for the remaining 140 meters. If it takes you 15 meters to get up to speed, you'll be behind since you are going 35 mph for 135 meters. Do the math, and you'll see that the first person will win. Since you're usually sprinting for a short period of time, you don't need a lot of strength to hold that initial accerelation. You obviously have to be strong, but if you look at the size differences among top sprinters, like alle-jet compared with robbie mcewan, you'll see that almost any sized person can be a good sprinter. :D
 
Yeah, downhill is a thrill for me. I can coast and easily pass guys ahead of me. So I just capitalize on what my advantages are and try to work on my weaknesses. But I'velearned to like hills because I remember someone saying that to be good at something, you first have to like it and that is a big obstacle out of the way.
 
That is a great philosophy. I think I will pilfer it from you.

eortiz said:
But I'velearned to like hills because I remember someone saying that to be good at something, you first have to like it and that is a big obstacle out of the way.
 
eortiz said:
Yeah, downhill is a thrill for me. I can coast and easily pass guys ahead of me. So I just capitalize on what my advantages are and try to work on my weaknesses. But I'velearned to like hills because I remember someone saying that to be good at something, you first have to like it and that is a big obstacle out of the way.

Yup....It`s kinda a masochistic thing. As much as steep climbs make me suffer a ride is not a ride without at least one challenging climb. I actually live on a ridgeline so any ride in either direction means a climb to get home.