Go harder!
Today, what was wrong with me was that I hate wind. Why is it that 200 watts with no wind feels incredibly easier than 200 watts in a headwind? You may think it's because in the headwind, my cadence drops. You would be wrong.
Despite the wind, I rode today. The initial plan was for about 3 hours. Then I got to River Road and the plan changed to about 20 minutes. Then I thought about the difference between 20 minutes and 3 hours. The plan changed to First Bridge (about 1.5 hours). When I got to First Bridge, the plan changed again -- to Second Bridge. The change in plan was brought about by my hopes to avoid wind, i.e. by running into the Red Train on their ride back from Princeton. I got to Second Bridge without passing the thundering Red Train so the plan changed again, this time to Third Bridge (we have a lot of bridges). I never ran into them. Once I got within sight of Third Bridge, I decided that, rather than turning around and riding the same road I had just come down, I'd do one of my favorite hills, Coppermine. But I was already past Coppermine and hadn't gone up Old Georgetown Road since last year (Old Georgetown is the descent I take from Coppermine). That hill has two awesome sections. The very first 100 meters or so are super steep (a.k.a. fun). Then there is a bit of a downhill for a ways. The road turns back up, slightly, for a few hundred meters then curves to the right and kicks up, steep again (again, fun). It tops out at a smelly horse farm. There was no wind on the climb. I liked it.
Then I descended Coppermine. There was a lot of wind. I did not like it.
Wind sucks. But I got good miles in today. Oh well, at least Strasburg got moved to next Saturday instead of being cancelled altogether. I'm looking forward to seeing how my sprinting prowess comes out of hibernation.
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3 comments:
headwinds are a lot like climbing, in that there is additional force reducing your momentum. this means that you can't coast through the deadspot. fatigue.
they say that probably the best training for headwinds (aside from headwinds) is riding trainers that have light flywheels, for the same reason.
like i said, hills have a similar effect... but another big difference is your body's geometry relative to gravity and to the bicycle. your muscles have to activate with different timing patterns in order to produce force.
Abiss, et al. "Dynamic pedaling strategies during the cycling phase of an Ironman triathlon". Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006 Apr; 38(4):726-34
Excerpt:
"Interestingly, the deviation in torque was also significantly greater in the headwind compared with the tailwind section. It is hypothesized that this variation in torque was the result of the participants' altered riding style as participants attempted to maintain both a constant cadence and speed, despite the deviation in speed caused by the increased aerodynamic drag (deceleration).
I hate you Jenks.
Truthiness.
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