(logo swooshing)
- Welcome to this week's Ask GCN Anything.
Today we will be answering your questions
on how to improve your climbing,
what's best to specialize in, TTs, climbing, or sprinting,
and how are disc brakes gonna improve
as more pros start using them. - Interesting.
And don't forget, if you'd like to get in
on next week's show, then to use the hashtag #torqueback.
And if you've got any training-specific questions,
then use the hashtag #gcntraining,
and you'll also be in with a chance of winning
three months free subscription from Zwift.
- Right, let's get stuck in.
- First question from Tirey Pagel.
In a few months, I will undergo a minor surgery,
which will involve a week of semi-bedrest recovery time.
Do you have any insights on how I would get back
into training after a long period of medical recovery?
For what it's worth,
I use Sufferfest for training, and a Wahoo Kickr.
- Hey Tirey, best of luck with your surgery
and your recovery after that.
One thing I'd like to say is do not underestimate
just how hard your body's gonna have to work
after that surgery to get back to where it was,
so the rest in those initial few days is absolutely crucial.
Don't even look to do anything.
You'll really speed up your chance
of actually making a full recovery quickly.
- Yes, and then I would use the turbo trainer
as a good tool to get back to fitness
by maybe starting off with an hour just pedaling,
and then as you start to get fitter
you can implement some intervals,
and then it won't be long, so don't worry too much,
before you're back to good fitness.
Next up is a question from Bla Bla.
I'm liking that name.
I'm only 61 kilograms and 185. - Centimeters.
- Centimeters, so I'm not the born sprinter,
so I'd like to focus on my climbing.
What can I do to improve my climbing strength
with no mountains around where I live?
- Well, this is a question that a lot of people
actually ask, and it's not that difficult.
- It's not.
- Because if you do live near flat roads,
it's the continual loading on the pedals
of a really high effort that will help replicate
the climbing that you'll be doing,
so probably best to over-gear slightly--
- I was gonna say, yeah. - So you're gonna aim for
a cadence of 75 to 85, which simulates riding up big hills.
And then you'll want to be on the pedals as long as you can,
so your efforts of 20 to 30, 45 minutes.
- Or even an hour.
- Even an hour. - Yeah.
- And you really want to push it hard
for that entire duration,
so kind of max intensity to failure for that duration,
and that will replicating riding up big climbs.
It's never gonna be quite the same.
You're not gonna stand up in the same way.
The bike's not gonna feel the same underneath you.
But it goes a long way to increasing your aerobic fitness,
which is what you need for those climbs.
(logo swooshing)
And the winner of this week's
Zwift question is Terance Hore.
I'm Cat 1, trying to get into the National Road Series
in Australia, basically a continental team.
I'm a climber and TT rider with some sort of sprint,
but it is my weaker attribute.
Is it better to specialize in my climbing or TT ability,
or should I strengthen my sprint?
Thanks in advance.
- Yeah, if it is the climbing that you're focusing on,
that you put training into,
remember, don't neglect your sprint,
because often in a race scenario
you'll break up the bunch, let's say on a climb,
but you'll still maybe come the finish
or the last couple of what, four to 200 meters
with maybe a small group or a very much condensed group.
- Yep, and answer the question, who's gonna win that?
- Yep, it will be the best sprinter of that group.
So remember, put in some sprint sessions,
maybe one in seven days or two in 14 days or however many.
But don't neglect them, because ultimately
the one who has the biggest sprint will win.
- Yeah, and you might find, actually,
if you've got less power,
seated sprinting might be something
that you can really work on,
so trying to get really aero for those fast finishes.
Next up is a question from Sergio Cristancho.
Hi GCN, I'm coming back
from a serious accident where I broke my jaw.
I'm trying to get back into training
after three months or more,
and trying to start indoors until I get
a full all-clear on the medical side of things.
Two major issues, one, how do I approach getting in shape
for the longer rides after riding indoors,
and also how to improve my confidence
and focus my mind on the road,
and also the people around me are worried for my health.
- Right, I'm super, yeah, we're both really sorry
to hear about that awful accident,
and we hope you get back to your normal self very quickly.
But in regards to getting back to fitness and endurance,
the indoor trainer is good for endurance,
but there's no shortcuts to building endurance,
is there, mate? - No.
Just try and get yourself as fit as you can
whilst you're indoors, and that way when you go outdoors
it won't be as much of a shock,
and you'll just have to slowly rebuild
after all that. - In regards to the family.
- Yeah, I think the best thing is to emphasize
just how important your cycling is for your health,
your wellbeing, the mental side of things,
and why you took up cycling in the first place,
but also put them at ease and let them know
that you're not taking any risks
and you're boning up slowly.
You're not trying to rush back
into getting where you were before.
Just bit by bit, I think is the answer.
- Or a good thing is to stick to bike paths
if they are around, so then you're not worried
about traffic and all that kind of thing.
So stick to bike paths until you're even more confident,
until you're out on the open roads.
- Yeah, the road to recover can be quite a long one.
It's not unusual for you to not feel quite right again
for maybe even as much as a year.
But if you persevere with it,
every single ride will build your confidence,
build your fitness, and you'll get back to where you were.
- Yeah, so keep at it,
and really good luck with your recovery.
Question from Dejaune Jones.
Hey guys, I'm a former professional downhill speed skater.
Wow, that's pretty cool, isn't it?
Getting ready for the bike season here in the States,
and soon to be hopefully on the States
under-23 development team.
I'm not working at the moment because I'm focused on
training and securing a national championship.
With the help of GCN training kit and Zwift,
I feel I'll accomplish my whole year on the bike.
- Well, Hank's chosen this question
because he's gonna buy a pair of skates,
and wants you to pick him up at the airport
'cause he's on the way over. - Yes, 100%, I can't wait.
- But great work with the cycling,
and we are gonna bring more race-oriented videos
this coming, well, these next few months
as the season starts to kick off.
So stay tuned for those.
They're really gonna help go into your tactics,
positioning, when to make efforts, that sort of thing.
- Yes. - They'll be really in-depth,
unlike anything that's been done before.
- Yeah, we're actually quite excited to put
some of our knowledge that we've learned through racing,
and put them into video forms so you can use
the tips and tricks we used when we were racing.
- And good luck this year.
Next up is Charlie Pilkington with,
now that more pro teams are using disc brakes,
what do you see as the next step in improving them?
Easier to maintain, swap wheels, et cetera?
- Oh, that's such an interesting question,
and I'm gonna go straight to it with lighter.
I reckon they're gonna start making disc brakes
that are a lot lighter and also industry standard.
So the standard that goes across the board,
so everyone's using the same design and same attributes
like rotor thickness, et cetera, et cetera.
- I think you're right about that,
because then if you're in a race,
you need a SRAM rear wheel,
doesn't matter if you end up with a Campag one, for example.
- Exactly, yeah. - Genius, cool that.
- But we've also done a video
on what we think the 2019 trends will be,
and it's actually me sitting on an armchair.
So check out that one that's playing on behind us.
Over on the tech channel, you might have noticed
that we've got a countdown to the death of the rim brake.
Yes, the point where all new bikes come out with discs.
And this was actually predicted by an industry insider.
Could 2019 be the year that we see
every major manufacturer release new bikes featuring discs?
I mean, I think yes.
Now time for the-- - Quickfire round.
- Yes, first question is from Hyrum Merino.
Any tips on keeping helmets fresh?
Mine has developed a smell and I've tried everything
from vinegar to Febreze, and the smell just won't go away.
- Whatever you do, don't put vinegar on it.
- No, please-- - Nor Febreze.
- Don't put vinegar on it.
- I actually tend to wash mine in the shower,
along with everything else.
JM Shemaria, I know there are a lot of variables,
but I'm looking to get my first proper road bike,
and I've narrowed it down to three options.
Entry-level carbon with Tiagra or Veloce,
higher-end aluminum with 105,
or a custom-made steel frame with components
from a donor bike, mostly an early 2000 Campy Record.
Any thoughts? - Right, Chris,
this is definitely one for you, mate.
- Yeah well, I would actually go with the carbon one,
if you were looking to upgrade it long-term,
'cause then you start off with a really good frame
that's gonna be like a contemporary fame that'll last well.
But if you don't ever plan to do any upgrades,
I'd go for the aluminum one.
- Yeah, I think I probably would agree with you there.
Ricky Lynn, hi, I'm 12 years old and I'm a junior girl,
and I'm starting my first season of road racing.
One of the races I'm doing is a short one.
It's uphill, small flat, and then a descent.
I would do this lap about two times.
When should I go hard, when should I take it easy?
Do y'all have any vids to help me out?
- That's a really good question.
- And we do have videos eventually, just not up yet.
- Yeah, well I'd go hard on the climb,
'cause you'll get more reward for your effort.
Simply going hard on the descent
is gonna be really difficult-- - It is.
- To make up the difference in the time,
because everyone has kind of a similar descending speed,
unless it's mega, mega technical.
- And even on the flat, it's when you're sitting
on someone's slipstream, so sitting on the wheel,
you are getting a lot more of a benefit and it's 30% easier.
So making an effort on the climb is,
like Chris says, gonna make the big differences.
- Yeah, save your energy on the flat.
Ride the descent to stay where you are on the punch.
- And hit it on the climb! - Exactly.
- Next up, Justin LeSueur comes in with,
hi, I a Ritchie Swiss Cross for both road and gravel riding.
I'm looking at going on an overseas tour
for around four to five weeks.
Wow, that sounds amazing. - Yeah.
- I wish we were going.
Where I will be there to carry all my kit,
and the ride will be on a mixture of sealed and gravel.
The Swiss Cross does not have
any mounting points for racks, et cetera,
so I am thinking of getting a tour-specific bike
so I don't have to alter the Swiss Cross
and damage it on the tour.
Am I being too precious about the Swiss Cross?
I don't think you are.
- No, I don't think you are either.
I don't think you can be too precious
about your pride and joy. - You can't.
- If it's the one bike that you love the most,
then why risk anything happening to it?
- Yeah, exactly.
So I think we're both gonna agree
on going with that tour-specific bike,
where it comes with racks-- - It'll be less stressful.
- And you're not gonna be worried about it
getting hit or banged when you put it down.
- No, exactly, and you can just chill out
and enjoy the whole trip that way, can't you?
- Yeah, exactly.
Think of it as a workhorse, would you say?
- Yeah, definitely, that's a good idea.
Enjoy, and make sure you send us some pictures.
- Yeah! - 'Cause I want to see
what that looks like. - Yeah, me too.
- And that's the end of this week's Ask GCN Anything.
But don't forget, if you'd like to get in
on next week's show, then what do you do, Chris?
- You leave a comment in the box below
with the hashtag #torqueback
for any cycling-related questions.
But to be in with a chance of winning
a free three months subscription to Zwift,
use the hashtag #askgcntraining.
- Yeah, and don't forget if you did like this video,
then give it a big thumbs up.
And why don't you check out this video,
where Si and I try to burn 10,000 calories in just one ride.
- Horrible.
- Mate, it was brutal, I'm telling you.
It's horrendous.
- You still look tired now.
- I feel tired.
I'm not recovered after two weeks.
It was brutal.