No, not pedals.

From the time I started cycling properly, either on road or on trail, I have always loved a good climb. Even on my commute, dressed in suit and tie, I don’t mind breaking a sweat on the few inclines I have to do. Then, of course, it is also nice to come down – what with the wind racing past your ears and all that.

What I hate, though, and what I find most discouraging is how I feel when riding a long flat section. Even when I consciously try to pick up speed, I feel somehow constrained… a bit like those dreams wherein you try to run but don’t go anywhere. It’s like my legs just feel fatigued and refuse to go any faster.

Is this just me? Is there a way of overcoming this feeling? Is it just a matter of fitness? What do endurance riders do? Just settle with a comfortable constant speed and accept that it deosn’t feel very nice?

what’s your typical cruising speed on the flat, assuming no headwind?

I haven’t used a computer, but maybe I should. Would twice a jogger’s speed be a helpful estimate?

pump your tyres up harder

What bike?

I find the Pitch unrelenting hard work on the flat, XC bikes on the other hand skip allong nicely.

Yeah, get a cycle computer, and try and maintain speed (E.g. 20mph sustained) along the flat. Road bikes and no hills are BOOOORING unless there’s something else to amuse you.

Riding on the flat is incredibly useful for training, forget speed – aim for heartrate. Go for 85%, this is around your lactate threshold level – this is the level at which your body starts to produce a high level of blood lactate – a key ingredient in reducing lactic acid.

This is basically riding at Tempo – you’ll notice TdF riders doing this during a stage.

If you can hold yourself at lactate threshold for 20 – 60 minutes you’ll increase your tolerance to activity within this zone and be able to ride at a faster pace for longer.

Start by doing a couple of sets at 20 minutes at LT, and increase it over time. You’ll notice a marked difference in your tolerance.

It is boring, very boring indeed, I tend to listen to music on shuffle while doing this.

I’d also recommend not settling into a comfortable pace- that’ll make it even more boring, soul-destroying and not much fun. That said, for endurance riding, you should be aiming at around 75% – if you’re in threshold you’re pushing too hard. Apparently.

Lactate = lactic acid. Well, sort of. The terms are used interchangeably, anyway.

But I take your point, I guess knowing that stuff can help you make your training work for you. How does one determine a lactate threshold? Surely it can’t simply be 85% HR in everyone?

Blood Lactate isn’t the same as lactic acid – lactate (which is the body’s preferred energy source) is produced after lactic acid has been disassociated from it’s hydrogen ions – and it’s these hydrogen ions that cause the burning sensation when you’re exercising (well the acidosis is) – this is what occurs during lactate accumulation.

Ideally, you want to increase lactate clearance, i.e. how quickly you can produce and remove lactate, to improve your endurance working at these higher levels – that’s where lactate threshold training comes in useful.

Lactate threshold can be accurately calculated in a lab, but you can get a rough idea on when you reach it as being when you start to feel a burning sensation in your legs. There is a delay between effort and accumulation, but once you find your level you should be able to mark it with a HRM.

I think I killed this thread with science.

Trying praticing pumping the bike, and carving the back end on the flat, as well as manuals….

since i’ve got used to long distance riding i find I don’t tend to need it be *fun* every single second, like a roller coaster is, I just find covering distance enjoyable on a larger time scale rather than needing to be ‘in the moment’. Try to zoom out your perception of time rather than being a victim of the instant gratification culture.

.

Re: lactate vs lactic acid

HA <-> A- + H+

HA would be ‘lactic acid’ but dissolved in solution (E.g. your blood), a good proportion of lactate ions exist in the dissociated form – lactate. It’s a weak acid so only a bit is dissociated. Strong acids like HCl will be almost completely dissociated. Either way, talking about lactate and lactic acid as separate things is a bit misleading. I always thought lactic acid was a by-product of anaerobic respiration, not the ‘fuel’ for it, although some people in the cycling world seem to think this thinking is flawed, which is interesting.

Anyway, it’s very interesting that you talk about lactate clearance – that’s a concept that’s talked about in severe sepsis (I.e. the most severe form of bacterial infection). People with greater lactate clearance tend to be better at surviving sepsis. Is there any evidence that one can improve lactate clearance through training?

Cheers buddy,

Lots of articles about on the net regarding lactate clearance and tempos….

http://www.endurancefactor.com/Articles/hcbike.html
http://www.therunzone.com/index.php?topic=2222.0
http://ezinearticles.com/?Marathon-Tempo-Runs&id=2832472
http://runningtimes.com/Print.aspx?articleID=22359

I wont explain it, as its really not my area of interest – and it’s far better explained by someone who knows what they’re talking about 🙂

Ricks

Is there a way of overcoming this feeling?

move to where I live

Now that’s a proper roady thread 🙂

Commuter asks reasonable question and gets more sport science than will fit in Bjarne Riis ‘majic juice’ bottle.

Cue:

Sorry Chaps,

I’m a nob.

🙂