G
Gags
Guest
"DaveB" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> ritcho wrote:
> > My strategy for such a hill following a sharp corner is to get to the
> > corner first. DaveB, you need to be first into that corner - first into
> > the corner followed by a hard interval effort and then a little rest at
> > the top...
> >
> > Ritch
> >
> me at the front? CHAMPAAAAAAAGNE comedy!!!
>
> DaveB "have the ambo waiting at the top of the hill fellas"
FWIW Dave, here is my 10 cents worth......
From my "vast" experience on that course (4 x D grade races - 3rd, 7th, 2nd,
1st):
It is a really good idea to be in the first 5 or so riders coming into that
corner so that you don't get so much of the "accordian effect" where the
leaders accelerate out of the corner and the poor buggers down the back who
have had to slow down for longer on entry to the corner have to put in big
efforts. You can also afford to go a bit slower up the hill, dropping back
maybe half a dozen places or so and then pick them back up on the downhill
(you gotta love gravity when you weigh 100kg).
Get into the right gear before entering the corner.....I never know what
gear I am in but I always shift down 2 gears coming into the corner and it
is about right (except for the last lap when I leave it in a bigger gear).
It always amazes me how many people crunch gears as they try to shift down
once the chain is under load on the uphill exit to the corner. Also, I only
ever do one change on the front ring and that is from the small ring to the
big ring at the top of the hill on the first lap......I wouldn't recommend
trying to change into the big ring on the last lap (just ask Dutch).
As Dutch suggested, pick a likely looking wheel, claim it as your own, and
hang onto it no matter what. Avoid doing what I did on my first few
attempts when I would let guys wander across and steal the wheel that I was
on.......hold the wheel and stick the elbows out if need be to stop young wh
ipper snappers from pushing in. For the one race that I managed to win, I
picked a guys wheel on the second lap and stayed on it until the second last
lap.
I stay in the saddle going up the hill although most guys are out of the
saddle for at least the start of the hill (I count this as a psychological
victory although I know deep down that it is just a personal preference). I
only get out of the saddle in the last three laps to get the legs going
before the final sprint. For the final sprint, stay out of the saddle all
the way up to the finish line (aint that right Ess??). This is mainly
psychological and I was never able to do it until near Christmas last year
when You, Dutch, Brett, and I did those intervals out on the
circuit......once I had done it once I can now do it every time.
Clearly, your best bet will be to get a stack of the BR guys there (prob
more likely for the summer series) and then grab a wheel of someone you know
who can hold a line (ie. Dutch rather than me!!). Suck wheel till the final
straight and then come around for the win.............
Ride On,
Gags
news:[email protected]...
> ritcho wrote:
> > My strategy for such a hill following a sharp corner is to get to the
> > corner first. DaveB, you need to be first into that corner - first into
> > the corner followed by a hard interval effort and then a little rest at
> > the top...
> >
> > Ritch
> >
> me at the front? CHAMPAAAAAAAGNE comedy!!!
>
> DaveB "have the ambo waiting at the top of the hill fellas"
FWIW Dave, here is my 10 cents worth......
From my "vast" experience on that course (4 x D grade races - 3rd, 7th, 2nd,
1st):
It is a really good idea to be in the first 5 or so riders coming into that
corner so that you don't get so much of the "accordian effect" where the
leaders accelerate out of the corner and the poor buggers down the back who
have had to slow down for longer on entry to the corner have to put in big
efforts. You can also afford to go a bit slower up the hill, dropping back
maybe half a dozen places or so and then pick them back up on the downhill
(you gotta love gravity when you weigh 100kg).
Get into the right gear before entering the corner.....I never know what
gear I am in but I always shift down 2 gears coming into the corner and it
is about right (except for the last lap when I leave it in a bigger gear).
It always amazes me how many people crunch gears as they try to shift down
once the chain is under load on the uphill exit to the corner. Also, I only
ever do one change on the front ring and that is from the small ring to the
big ring at the top of the hill on the first lap......I wouldn't recommend
trying to change into the big ring on the last lap (just ask Dutch).
As Dutch suggested, pick a likely looking wheel, claim it as your own, and
hang onto it no matter what. Avoid doing what I did on my first few
attempts when I would let guys wander across and steal the wheel that I was
on.......hold the wheel and stick the elbows out if need be to stop young wh
ipper snappers from pushing in. For the one race that I managed to win, I
picked a guys wheel on the second lap and stayed on it until the second last
lap.
I stay in the saddle going up the hill although most guys are out of the
saddle for at least the start of the hill (I count this as a psychological
victory although I know deep down that it is just a personal preference). I
only get out of the saddle in the last three laps to get the legs going
before the final sprint. For the final sprint, stay out of the saddle all
the way up to the finish line (aint that right Ess??). This is mainly
psychological and I was never able to do it until near Christmas last year
when You, Dutch, Brett, and I did those intervals out on the
circuit......once I had done it once I can now do it every time.
Clearly, your best bet will be to get a stack of the BR guys there (prob
more likely for the summer series) and then grab a wheel of someone you know
who can hold a line (ie. Dutch rather than me!!). Suck wheel till the final
straight and then come around for the win.............
Ride On,
Gags
