"Invisible" Hill technique?

[bikerchic]

If anyone has a tip or a trick to psych me up these gentle grades, I'd sure appreciate any advice.

Here is a gem for training for hills from a gem of a guy. If any of you know MikeT who posts on mtbr this is something he sent me years (probably 10) ago. I'm sure it's copy righted™ if not it should be!

You're going to love this one, I do and practice makes perfect, mind over matter and all that stuff.......happy pedaling!

And now without further adieu, Virtual Peddling™ by MikeT:

VIRTUAL PEDALING Pt 1 by Mike T. (btw there was no pt 2)

Your race is reaching the crucial stage - you're on the last lap and everyone around you is suffering. A mile-long gradual slope looms ahead and slowly you begin to feel the tug of gravity relentlessly sucking the speed out of you. It's a small ring climb and as you click down through the gears your little group, ever so slowly, starts to inch away from you. The elastic attaching you to the end of the line of riders stretches to its limit. You begin to lose your composure; your shoulders start to heave and suddenly you feel like you're pedaling in squares instead of nice, neat round circles. Ping! The elastic snaps and you're off the back and resigned to suffering alone as the line vanishes out of sight.

Sound familiar? Of course it does, as it's happened to all of us if our racing career spans more than one race. But is there anything we can do about it? Can we keep our composure under the stress of being at our aerobic limit?

To help ourselves we can learn to utilize mental games that will allow us to take charge of our power output and pedaling style, which, in turn, will significantly improve our efficiency.

At our physical limit, and at other times while saving energy by improving efficiency, we can learn the following mind-game. As I can't coach you on the road while you practice the drills, you're going to have to read and digest, then go out on the road or trail with my little voice talking to you as you go.

Are you ready? Ok, let's go! Before we set off there are a few things you should know. First of all, I want you to choose preferably, a long, straight uninterrupted road that has a very slight uphill grade. Nothing steep - just something to stop the pedals and the bike running away with you when the efficiency kicks in. A flat road will be just fine if you can't find a slight grade. Also, I'd like you to stay in the same gear for the whole exercise if possible.

This is where it starts to get a little weird and you'll begin to question my sanity but please bear with me as everything will become clear after the first mile or two on the road. The cranks that most of us use on our bikes are 170 or 175mm or approximately 7 inches long. I'm not being specific here, as the exact measurement is immaterial, so please don't call me on it. We can all relate to a measurement of
7inches but then this is where it starts to get really strange - during the ride I'm going to talk about, and have you use, "virtual" cranks of nine inches, five inches and three inches! These virtual cranks will be solely the product of your imagination but I can assure you they will feel so real that when you are "using" them you will swear someone did a switch on your bike while you were pedaling along.

Let's do a gentle warm-up out to our favorite flat road and as we reach our flat or slightly uphill stretch we'll settle into a level of effort that can be described as "comfortable". As I won't be with you to bark orders, you're going to have to provide your own little internal voice.

"Ok", says pedaling coach Mike, "Let's just pedal as we always have, without any thought to what we are doing." Your pedaling style that you've subconsciously been using without thought prior to today is somewhat efficient - and I'll prove it to you shortly but it is far from being as efficient as it could be and I'm going to prove that to you also. I'm afraid your pedaling style will never be the same again!

Pedaling a bicycle uses many sets of muscles from the buttocks all the way down to the lower leg. The more of these sets of muscles we can utilize for doing a set amount of work then the more efficient we will be, and the more power we will have for propulsion, which in bicycle racing is surely the Holy Grail.

I'm now going to prove to you how efficient your present pedaling style really is. Pedal as I asked above - as you have always done without any conscious thought. Now - wait for it….! I want you to propel yourself just by using your quadriceps (large frontal thigh muscles). "Ok, - just with the thighs!" barks Mike. Your style instantly changed from one of partial efficiency to ungainly thrusts at cranks that felt a mile long. "How was this so, Coach"? you ask as I allow you to revert back to your regular and familiar style. Well, I told you that this would be mostly in your head didn't I?

Let us carry on. "Now, let's pedal as before but this time when I give the word I want you to switch to FIVE inch cranks and propel them, not by using masses of leg muscles, but just by your FEET!"

A disclaimer here: I'm quite aware that a bike can't be propelled by the feet alone and that muscles have to drive the feet but as most of what we have done so far has been all in your head, I'd like you to go along with me on this one too!

Back to the five inch cranks and the twirling feet. Really concentrate on turning the feet only, connected to those tiny cranks. Don't even think of individual muscle groups - just concentrate on powering with the feet. Did you feel a miniature turbo-charger kick in and your pedaling stroke smooth out? Of course you did! Don't speed up with your newfound efficiency. Just hold your steady pace. Did I hear you say you didn't feel an increase in efficiency? I don't believe you and I'm now going to prove it. Keep turning those five inchers with your feet……and….wait for it…..quickly switch back to your seven inch cranks and your old pedaling style. Whoah ! That feels awful doesn't it? Go back to your new foot-driven cranks again. There - I proved to you that your pedaling style had improved, didn't I?

Back to the smoothness of your new pedaling. Twirl those feet and feel the turbine smoothness of your new efficiency. Now I'm really going to play a mind-game on you. When I give you the word I want you to switch to the thigh-propelled nine inchers! Go! "Arrrghhh " you scream, "This is awful , Coach, please let me switch back, hurrryyyy."

I leave you there in your Virtual Agony for a few seconds - suffering under the most ungainly style that you can muster. This is similar to how you feel when you start pedaling in those awful squares when you're at your upper limit in a race. Eventually I take pity on you: "Ok, you've learned your lesson - you can switch back."

"Wow, thanks, Coach" you say in relief.

Oh but we're not done yet. I've got something else in store for you that will do another mind-job on you. As we continue to pedal along I'm going to have you switch to the foot driven THREE inch cranks. Remember those that we brought along for the ride?

Pedal as before - using your seven inch cranks, shifting down to your foot propelled five inchers and when you are settled in with those babies whirling away I want you to change to the minuscule three inchers.

Go!

"Arrrghhhh !" you scream immediately, "I can't keep up with these little virtual cranks."

Being the sadistic type of pedaling coach I now shout in your ear "Nine inch cranks !! Thighs only - Go….!"

"Ohmygawd - helppppp! Coach, please stop!" you yell frantically.

"All right, good student, you have done well. You may select your favorite length of virtual crank."

In fact, because this is all a mind-game you may choose any length of crank that feels good to you at the time. "Gee, thanks", you say, "I'll take a nice set of six and a half inchers for now, if you don't mind".



In practice

With your new-found pedaling style you will never again pedal in squares. When the going gets tough - or at any time for that matter - you can smooth out your stroke by mentally shortening your cranks and twirling them efficiently by just using your feet. You and I both know it's all in your head but the fellow racers or riding partners will wonder at your smoothness and power.

As you get good at virtual pedaling you may dump the two inch crank graduations for ones that are totally variable. As the going gets tougher and tougher, just downshift through the infinitely variable cranks and spin them with your feet to the wonder of all around you. That's if there is anyone left.

Happy Pedaling

Mike T.

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[Nerdanel]

OMG, I tried Mike T's "virtual pedaling" after seeing it here and it is wonderful advice! It sounds so silly, but I tried using my 3-inch cranks after reading it and it makes such a difference! Brilliant!

[bikerchic]

OMG, I tried Mike T's "virtual pedaling" after seeing it here and it is wonderful advice! It sounds so silly, but I tried using my 3-inch cranks after reading it and it makes such a difference! Brilliant!

Yay, Nerdanel! I'm glad someone tried this and got as good of results as I did with it. That Mikey he really knows his stuff and keeps it simple too.

[staceysue]

LOL I just found this thread. Perfect timing because I was wondering what the heck was wrong with me. There's this place where it looks like the road's going downhill. Whenever I see it coming I'm thinking "YAY!" and I shift up to go fast - then it hits like a ton of bricks. I shift way down into my grannies and huff and puff. It's harder than the hardest hill I ride. It feels like there's an invisible force holding me back. I even brought my husband out there today to see if he could tell that it was an uphill. He swears it's a downhill. Must be one of those "invisible hills" you all are talking about.

[indigoiis]

I have found since originally posting this thread that there are also something called "Dead zones" or "doldrums", just as with sailing. You might be flying along at 19-23 mph, nice and flat, when suddenly the "air goes out of the room" and maybe the pavement gets natty and the wind picks up and the sun beats down and you are going NOWHERE, no matter if it's downhill, uphill or straightaway. Although it usually happens on a straightaway. I don't know why it is. It's like the Bermuda Triangle. For me it is on our bike path in a town called West Warwick, and it is right before the turn off the path. About 2 miles of doldrums. Yuck!

(oh and as a postscript, the doldrums are completely in the head... you are still going 19-23 mph, it just doesn't "feel" like it!)

[redrhodie]

I have found since originally posting this thread that there are also something called "Dead zones" or "doldrums", just as with sailing. You might be flying along at 19-23 mph, nice and flat, when suddenly the "air goes out of the room" and maybe the pavement gets natty and the wind picks up and the sun beats down and you are going NOWHERE, no matter if it's downhill, uphill or straightaway. Although it usually happens on a straightaway. I don't know why it is. It's like the Bermuda Triangle. For me it is on our bike path in a town called West Warwick, and it is right before the turn off the path. About 2 miles of doldrums. Yuck!

(oh and as a postscript, the doldrums are completely in the head... you are still going 19-23 mph, it just doesn't "feel" like it!)

I know one of those spots--right by Casey Farm on Rte 1A heading North. It kills me. It looks totally flat. The pavement, the wind (especially if it's from the north) all adds up to a "dead zone". Perfect description!

[Miranda]

I realize this thread is old, but checked it out based upon the 5 star rating. Great reading!

I'm with the post that opts for standing. I'm not sure if it's my asthma and being somewhat compromised I would assume... but that sitting solidly in the saddle spinning the granny gear just kills me.

On my last ride, I did 8 count standing intervals. Then back to seated. Repeat. I was careful to watch my HR to not wear myself out completely before I made it to the top.

It certainly does make the hill go by faster too.

[tctrek]

Thanks for reviving this post!! There are tons of false flats where I ride.. some of them hurt and some don't... I think it's the dead zone thing going on!!

[nscrbug]

I realize this thread is old, but checked it out based upon the 5 star rating. Great reading!

I'm with the post that opts for standing. I'm not sure if it's my asthma and being somewhat compromised I would assume... but that sitting solidly in the saddle spinning the granny gear just kills me.

On my last ride, I did 8 count standing intervals. Then back to seated. Repeat. I was careful to watch my HR to not wear myself out completely before I made it to the top.

It certainly does make the hill go by faster too.

This is a great idea! I'm going to have to try this on my next ride. Hills are the "bane of my existence"...I suck at them...ALL of them...big ones, little ones, invisible ones, you name it! I've never thought to do standing/seated intervals, but it makes perfect sense. Plus counting out the 8-count, will give my mind something to do...other than focusing on how long the dang hill is! Thanks for posting that tip!