How do I stop mashing???

[spokewench]

Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away, we used to do downhill intervals.

Climb the hill, turn around, stay in your low gear, and pedal as fast as you can on the descent. Don't coast if you can help it, but stay in the low gear so you're just keeping tension on the chain.

The benefit of descending is that you have more gyroscopic force from the wheels than you would if you were pedaling on the flats and traveling so slowly that resistance is minimal. So it's easy to stay upright as you learn to smooth out your stroke.

Safer than motorpacing, cheaper and better scenery than rollers.

I'm with Oak Tree on this idea. This is how I improved my spin when I was first riding. I would go down a hill, not a real steep hill but a fairly low level downhill and I would put my bike in a low enough gear where if I spun, I was just not making the bike go much faster, but was spinning as fast as i could! The definition of spinning as fast as you can is, put it in a moderately low gear, spin as fast as you can without BOUNCING on the seat. The more you practice, the faster your spin will get.

Also, go up a moderate uphill, put it in a gear one or two lower than you usually ride and try to keep your spin cadence up higher than you are normally used to.

All of this takes practice, it does not happen overnight, but it will help you be a much more efficient rider.