- Welcome to ask GCN Anything.
It's that time of the week when
we go through all your questions,
all about cycling.
And in this week, what do we have in store?
- This week have how to stay motivated
whilst commuting, how to maintain your bike
on a long multi-stage event, and
which bike should you buy,
aero versus climbing.
- So plenty up for discussion there.
But if you did wanna get your question answered
on next week's ask GCN Anything,
then use the hashtag torqueback
and make sure you put in your comment
in the comments below.
- And if you want to be in with a chance
of winning a three month subscription to Zwift,
then use the hashtag GCNTraining,
and ask us your questions that way.
- Right, first question from Onypop.
"How come my power during an FTP test is much lower
indoors than it is when I do it outdoors?
I recently did an FTP test indoors
and tested 224 watts.
Two weeks later I did the same
but outside and I got 243 watts.
What could be the cause of this difference?
Is it perhaps the fresh oxygen I get outside?".
- Well there could be a number of reasons for this,
but, first off it,
potentially the thermo regulation.
So, up to 75% of your body's energy
goes towards controlling your internal temperature.
And unless you've got a really good fan indoors,
and really good air flow,
the chances are is you're gonna be
kinda cooking yourself slowly really.
So that's one place to look.
The next one is that
actually whilst you're outdoors
you're able to neever off the bike a little bit,
and also momentum comes into play,
so that will also potentially give you more power.
If I was you, to be really honest,
I would accept that the numbers are
gonna be slightly different, but.
- Yeah so basically I would
kind of do your exercise
or your FTP test indoors,
and we've actually done a video on that,
that Si's doing here.
- 'Cause what we want from an FTP test
is for it to be easily repeatable.
One hour tests are absolutely brutal,
and because of that, they're also
wide open to error, whereas shorter tests
mean that you are more likely
to be able to do them regularly,
and they're also gonna give you
a much more accurate gage
so you can compare them with one another
to actually see your performance.
- "How do I corner blindly?
For example, on switchbacks when I can't
see because of rocks and trees et cetera.
Every time I corner I always get scared
and slow down".
Chris, you're more than capable of answering this question.
- Yep, you know what?
One of my absolute favorite aspects
of being a bike rider,
was racing down hills and descents
that I'd never been down before,
and try and nail the corners
absolutely perfectly every time.
And generally speaking,
that was doable, but
you need to call up,
a little bit of experience there.
So, the first thing to do
would be to always stay within
what you know is your limit,
because as soon as you start approaching your limit,
the fun goes out of it pretty quickly if things go wrong.
- Yeah I've definitely pushed the limits
on a few of my races, but
yeah.
- First time I ever rode with Hank
he fell off actually.
But anyway--
- Plenty of videos out there.
- Yeah there are.
(both laughing)
So always ride at around like 90 to 95%,
and always kind of pay attention
to what your bike's telling you.
So like, when you put input into the bike,
how it moves underneath you
and things like that.
You really wanna
be in tune with the feedback that you're getting through,
because that's how you're gonna learn
what you're doing and how to be in control.
You also wanna make sure
you get all your braking done before the corner,
and you definitely do not want
be hanging off the side of a bike.
When I was a kid,
I remember racing in the wet one time
and I was sticking my knee out
like you see on the Moto GP.
- Doesn't work like that, does it?
- Doesn't work like that no.
One of the older riders came up and said look,
if you're just taking the center of gravity
away from your tires so,
if you kinda think of your tires as,
well they are your only contact point,
and you wanna keep your weight
over the top of them really,
because that will give them the most grip.
- Do pay attention to the roads
and do, even if you can't see the exit,
keeping looking for it and
eventually it'll pop out.
- Yeah exactly, the road will
give you little clues as well,
so by scanning for the exit,
by scanning the road surface,
and actually by scanning the verge or the ditch,
the curb, whatever you have there,
you'll start to pick up on
how tight a corner's likely to be or not.
But you can also use traffic that's ahead of you,
you can use, there's so many things
that you can pick up on.
You kinda build like an image of the road
ahead of you and it is
absolutely possible to sort of
half predict what's coming,
even when you're on a descent you've never seen before.
- But go out and practice because
cornering is a really enjoyable
part of cycling.
- [Chris] Oh it's the best bit.
- And,
yeah you can gain a lot of speed
from taking a corner fast.
So do go out and enjoy it.
We have got three,
not one, but three,
videos on cornering,
so corner like a pro, how to corner correctly,
so please do check them out,
and also if you like that video,
do give it a thumbs up.
- [Woman] Lets talk a little bit more about
leaning your bike.
Lean is a fundamental way
in which you get a bike around a corner.
Your center of balance has to be
further over to the inside,
from the contact point of your tires with the road.
(electronic whirring)
- And the winner of this week's
AskGCNTraining question is,
Ranger MT.
- Yeah Ranger.
- Well done to you, Ranger.
Three months free subscription coming your way.
- That's cool that.
- And for this question it was,
"What's the best way to train for crit races
if you only half an hour",
which isn't a lot of time,
"To spare;
max effort sprints or FTP threshold efforts?
Thanks".
Well, good question because
everyone wants to get as fit as possible,
in a really short amount of time.
And,
it's a good one.
I mean there are
some training sessions out there that--
- There's some really good ones.
- That can kind of really increase your
sprint.
I think it's more sprint you're looking at working on
because it's very,
a crit is very much sprint out the corner--
- Yeah it's all about running
at a real high intensity and punching out the corner,
every couple of seconds really.
- So,
I would recommend,
and we'll put it in the link,
the FTP w/ Bursts.
That Si Richardson actually did on Zwift.
So do go check that out
and have a go at it,
but make sure you get some kind of six,
to eight really hard bursts,
and that will really help you kind of
get to the top end of where you wanna go.
- It's all about riding at a high sustainable power,
which is what you'll be doing in a crit race,
and then punching out above that as well.
And it'll be about
how your body copes with recovering from it,
from those high bursts, without actually easing up.
- Yeah.
- It would be a good session,
it's not gonna feel great
the first couple of times you do it, I'm sure,
but you will see the benefits from doing it
if you stick with it.
- Yeah and do good,
good luck from both of us
in your upcoming crit races,
and let us know how you get on.
- Yeah definitely.
- If you wanna chuck it in the comments below.
- Next up we have a question from--
- [Both] TheBelgianDude.
- "Two days ago
I tried going from 23 to 25 millimeter tires.
The front wheel had no clearance problems at all,
and at first sight, no problems
on the back wheel either.
Even though it was very close,
the wheel span just fine.
Today however, when going out for a ride
and hitting a bump or something similar,
Belgian roads", we all know what they're like.
- We do.
- "Suddenly the back wheel started dragging
on the brake bridge.
I tried fixing it by just taking the wheel out
and putting it back it in,
but it kept on going back
and dragging against the frame.
So, I'm guessing the minimal tire clearance
is just too little.
Is there any way I can increase it
by a few millimeters, or,
is there no other option
than going back to the 23 mill tires
I had on there before?".
Well, I quite like this question because--
- Do you?
- Well yeah I do--
- Jump straight into the answer, so crack on.
- Yeah I know.
The best thing you can do is actually
stick with your 23 mill rear tire,
I'd keep the 25 on the front though.
- Would you?
- Yeah, well 'cause why wouldn't you?
- Yeah.
- Like you've got more grip on the front then at least.
But, there are certain little tricks you can do.
I'm not sure I'd really recommend them.
- No you can actually put
a bit of like, roll up a bit of cardboard
and stick that in your drop outs.
- Where a team mate win a race
whilst doing that one, years ago.
He wanted to do exactly what you've done
and go to 25 from 23.
- But we wouldn't recommend it.
- I just don't, it's just not a great route to go down.
So I'd stick with the 23 on the back,
you'll at least have the benefit
of having a 25 on the front and
just see how that goes.
- Next up we've got a question--
- [Both] From BillyB.
- "How do I stay motivated while commuting
in the early mornings and late nights
once the weather and dark mornings
start closing in?
When it's five a.m.,
it's raining and pitch black,
the car is very tempting".
Ah, I feel your pain here BillyB.
- Yeah absolutely.
It's gonna be really tricky, isn't it?
I'm not looking forward to doing that myself.
- No but I would,
I mean I, it's what you're about to say wasn't it?
I'd really look at kind of the positives about
commuting.
What are those positives Chris?
- It's free, for a start.
- No cost in parking, no cost in fuel.
- Fitness gains.
- I mean you can get fit
without even thinking about it.
Who doesn't wanna do that?
- Yeah but actually what I would do is just
maintain your objectives so
why are you commuting in the first place by bike?
Hold on to that, even when the weather's bad, and
stick to it because, it can be alright
to commute in the bad weather.
You feel like you're getting
one over on the world if you've
been out in the hail and the rain
or whatever else you may have.
- [Hank] And it feels insane.
Like you get all those endorphins and--
- Yeah exactly.
- You get into your office and you're awake and
you feel ready to work
and you actually probably
get more work done in those early hours
than when you walked in and
you're kind of like drowsy
and you've got bags under your eyes.
- Yep.
Think of the benefits.
Think of the reasons why you're doing it,
and just remind yourself of that.
Next up we have a question from Steve DS.
"Hi guys, I will be doing a
seven day multi stage event in January,
averaging around 157 kilometers a day
with three days over 200."
- Wowsers.
- That's a big event, that.
"what kind of checks should I be doing on my bike
after each ride?".
- Well I'd start off with
kind of working down then up on your bike,
so start off with your tires,
so make sure you've got good tread,
you haven't got any splits.
Tire pressure, make sure you're kind of,
you haven't lost air on your ride.
And then chain, so
make sure your chain is well lubricated,
and, 'cause it's the last thing you wanna do
is ride on a chain that is dry and
you're losing watts there, aren't you?
- You also don't want your bike to get
so filthy and dirty so.
- So do go and check out the GCN Tech channel,
because that will give you
a whole host
of videos of how to maintain your bike,
and get it in tip top working condition.
So next question we have from Survivalproduction
"Please can you talk about the aero
vs lightweight bike,
it's such a hard choice".
I feel you on this one
because it is a really tough choice.
There's so many bikes out there,
there's so many different kinds of bikes.
Which one do you get?
And, I think we're right in saying
we've got a few videos on that, don't we?
- Yeah we definitely have.
Emma went to the Duro recently so
why don't you click,
well I don't know where you're gonna click,
but there'll be a link down in the description
below for that one.
- I wanted to ask you,
why are all your riders on the Giant TCR
and not the Propel?
- Here we have the team is,
basically good for climbs so,
guys who we're going to help
on the climbs or
before that.
Nobody here is a real sprinter.
- And then Si's got a video
on the screen behind us right now, in fact.
Aero versus lightweight versus endurance.
- Now so much work has gone into creating
stiff, aerodynamic tube profiles.
But actually comfort had been sacrificed.
Now generation two of aero bikes,
pretty much across all manufacturers,
have actually gone a long way
to sorting that problem out.
- So what would you go for then?
- Well where I live it's not crazy hilly,
and my ride's are pretty quick.
They're short and fast so
I would go with the aero bike.
- And I personally would also
go for the aero bike.
I'm riding a Trek Madon and I am loving it.
I've been on it for the last three days,
and it is a dream bike really, for me.
- But if I lived somewhere hillier
I'd definitely choose the climbing bike.
If I lived in the Alps, the Dolomites,
(mumbles) for example.
- But do go and check out those videos
'cause they really will
give you a really good insight as to
what bike to go for.
The pros and cons to both
different frames really.
- I'm gonna add one last thing in here.
- Go on.
- Choose the bike that you like the look of,
and you enjoy the ride of the most.
Because then you'll be more willing to ride it,
and you'll look forward to riding it on.
- Next question from--
- Maarten de Groot.
- Thank you Chris,
I was gonna need help with that anyway.
"I'm new to this whole awesomeness,
but have just purchased my first Canyon road bike.
Any tips on a good build-up program
for the next few weeks?".
- And in fact, you're not the only person
to ask this question this week,
as Mathias Klose has also written in.
"I am new to the sport, so
how should I start training?
For example, how long should the rides be
and how often should I do them?".
- Yeah so I would aim to start
building up from six to eight hours
in your cycling week.
So this is kind of like
two hour rides, and then
progressively
onwards from that, really.
- Yeah well the point is,
you don't have to aim for a two hour ride.
You could break it up into lots of little ones,
you just kinda wanna build on that
contact time with your bike.
You want to get comfortable on your bike,
and most cycling events,
if you look at a calendar of any kind,
they range from around the 50 to 100 kilometer mark.
So that's gonna take you,
around two to five hours,
so it is an endurance sport,
it's a time, a sport that's well rewarded by
a good investment of time.
So the more you do on your bike, the better.
So in those early rides
you really wanna just get used to riding,
how it feels.
- So really just get progressive, no?
- Yeah.
You wanna understand the sensation
you feel on your bike, and then
when you've done a couple of weeks like that,
and you're feeling adventurous,
you can try some of our training videos.
- Well I was just gonna say,
you've just spent a couple of weeks
doing your training videos,
and I actually tried to follow a few of them,
which were actually really good.
So yeah go and check those videos out,
and they'll give you kind of each week
of training programs to try and--
- They're really good sessions to
aim for actually.
I've referred to testing a few times
around the series.
And whilst you may have only been training
to improve your on the bike fitness,
why not go out and test?
And see how much you have really progressed?
- Yeah, now the preparation for this kinda begins
two days before, by taking your final rest day.
Now that kinda takes care of itself,
provided you don't spend
your entire rest day eating cake.
- Then we have Ethan Uhlfelder,
"What is the best way to transition
from an Enduro fitness
into a more road cycling fitness level?".
So I would say, longer efforts.
Higher sustained intensity, basically.
More endurance work. - More endurance work.
I was gonna say, just concentrate on that
endurance work and,
'cause you'll progressively get better.
- Yeah, Enduro's good for your fitness and
there'll be lots of short, sharp accelerations.
And you're gonna be missing out
on those long go, the five, 10, 12,
20 minute efforts so,
get stuck into a few of those I would.
- And the next question from Papapouille?
- Papapouille.
- Papaouille?
I'm sorry I murdered that one.
But, his question is,
"What is worn most during summertime in the peleton,
bibs or shorts?".
Well, that's a very easy question.
- Yep, bibs.
- Bibs.
- [Chris] Have you ever seen a pro wearing shorts?
And not bibs?
- I don't I've ever worn a pair of shorts.
Next question from Sam Wilton.
"Hi GCN, I want to do road cycling and cyclocross
but with only one bike.
Should I get a road bike,
and have a set of cross wheels
to switch them to doing cross,
or get a cross bike and put road wheels
on it when I'm doing road riding?
I ride on the road more and
I'm thinking of getting a road frame
so I can go as fast as possible on the road,
but I'm not sure.
Thanks".
Quick question.
- Cross bike.
- You won't have tire clearance on the road bike
to put cross tires on that, so.
- I wouldn't take a road bike out
on the mud anyway.
So cross bike's probably your way forward.
- [Chris] It is be a compromised geometry
won't be quite the same but,
definitely go for the cross bike.
- [Hank] There you have it.
- Cool.
Next up, bugboy152000.
"Just purchased a Canyon Aeroad.
What can I expect going aero
from an endurance bike?".
- Fast ride.
- More aggressive handling.
- And you should feel much racier.
- Yeah.
It'll feel good, it'll feel quick and it'll be
a little bit sharper.
- Next question from Larry Arrington.
"Hello and thanks for the great content".
Well we are glad we are
here to give it you.
- Nah, he means Si and Dan and Emma.
- Oh, probably.
- Cool.
- I'm lost in a sea of training plan options,
and no event to prep for.
What training objective should I use
when I don't have event details for which to plan?".
- Set a goal that you would like to achieve,
maybe a long ride, is a good place to start.
Set it six to eight weeks in advance,
so you can really build towards it as well.
Doesn't haven't to be an organized thing,
can just be your own personal challenge.
Sometimes they're the most fun ones to conquer.
Next up we've got a question from Gulliermo.
"I'm having a little tricep pain during my rides,
and especially on the long ones.
Is there any way to prevent this,
or will my body get used to it?
I get a new bike, and I passed
from a 54 to a 56, maybe that's the problem?
I've already got a shorter stem,
thanks in advice", in advance sorry, "You guys rock".
- Well Chris you've got some pretty
big triceps there, what do you do to kind of
sort that problem out?
- Well personally I do absolutely nothing,
apart from sprint.
But, there are a few things you could try
and actually I would almost say
that having a longer stem
is more likely to take the pressure
off your triceps.
Because if you're trying to hold it
in like a crunch position there,
as opposed to a slightly more neutral position there,
it's gonna create a fatigue.
- But you can also do some kind of
specific exercises to strengthen your triceps.
For example--
- Press ups.
- Press ups or--
- [Both] Tricep dips.
- Yeah get out on your little stool and.
- But you don't want biceps as big as his.
Well actually, mine are slightly bigger.
- But you will over time also get used to it.
But I would really look at your position first,
because you shouldn't really
have any localized pain whilst on the bike.
- Yeah, exactly.
You wanna feel as comfortable as possible, and
we hope that kind of,
some exercises, and
the changes that Chris has mentioned
will help you kind of feel more
comfortable on the bike.
- [Chris] Yep, let us know how you get on.
- We've come to the conclusion
of this week's--
- Not already. - Ask GCN Anything.
I know Chris.
But if you would like to be
in with a chance of getting your question featured on
next week's, then remember to use
the hashtag torqueback.
Or, GCNTraining,
to be in with a chance of winning
three months free subscription.
- What three?
- With Zwift, yep.
Three free.
- Get on that.
And if you would like,
if you did like this video then do give us
a thumbs up.
- And click on the subscribe button.
- Yeah do, there's a little bell
in the top of your screen,
and if you click that you'll get a notification
every time we put up a new video,
so then you won't miss a thing.
- And when you've done all of that,
click on the shop over there.
- I know, I mean,
you can get all these lovely T-shirts.
I mean I might get hold of the shop now.
- You could do with a new T-shirt.
- Yeah true, this one smells a bit.
- Thanks for watching.