At some point, every one that makes the transition from casual/recreational cyclist to fitness/serious cyclist goes through the same moment. “I want to be a better cyclist”. It takes different shapes, but it is all the same core idea, getting better. As a cyclist that has been riding for a long time, and one that is often seen as being a ‘strong’ rider, I get asked for advice a lot. As in almost every ride I do with a group of cyclists.

I am not a coach (yet), so take what I have to say on this subject with a certain grain of salt. That grain of salt is that this is experience of what I have done and what I have seen work for others. Keep in mind, here is the first secret of those ‘strong riders’ you see on the roads; they are looking at stronger riders and working to be those riders. All but the very best always think of themselves as middle of the pack riders at best. We are all our own worst critics.

So about being a better cyclist. Define “Better”? This is ultimately where it all starts. What part of cycling do you need to work on to be better in your mind. Is it speed, distance, technique or just comfort in the environment. Defining what better means to you really gives you something concrete to work on. If you want my answer, it is simply yes. More specifically, it means being comfortable first, having good technique second, and letting distance and speed come from those two.

Being comfortable in the environment, be it on the roads or the trails, really has to be the first order of business. If you aren’t comfortable, you cannot focus on the things you need to focus on to improve technique, speed or distances. If you are afraid, or intimidated by the ride, you won’t be able to put in the time you need to get the other bits in place. Unfortunately, this is also the hardest thing to learn. For most people, being on the road is a terrifying place to be. Cars, trucks and others are just scary to deal with. It has been drilled into the collective conscious that riding a bike on the road without bike lanes is dangerous, and while to a degree it is, we actually make it more so by riding in fear. Making matters worse, in our efforts to ride ‘safely’ in order to overcome that fear, we reinforce the very fears that start the cycle.

What does this mean? First and foremost, it means learning to take to the road, and own the space. Getting comfortable with 3 basic thoughts.

1. You do belong on the road
2. Your space is what you need to be safe, including space to maneuver
3. Cars do not actually want to hit you

The statistics are cut and dried, riding on the edge of the road;

• you are outside the line of vision increasing the risk of not being seen
• you are encouraging close proximity passing by giving enough space to be passed within the lane
• you are encouraging aggressive behaviors by displaying your fear of that car

You want to get better on the bike, you have to eliminate the fear.

As you ride without fear, the other parts of getting better come as natural extensions, but you can accelerate things by working on technique off the roads, using an indoor trainer. Pedal efficiency, strength, cadence can all be gained indoors. What you cannot learn is the feel of the road, and how to shift, adjust, avoid, and truly pleasure of the ride. See this is where, getting out on the road truly leads to being a better cyclist. There is an ebb and flow to the road. No current trainer in the world can replicate that ebb and flow.

Only experience can teach the subtle fell of a road that change gradient from -%1 to flat to 1% gradient, and how to shift efficiently and timely so that you don’t lose power (or drop a chain from shifting late under too much power). Only riding on the road will teach the skills that are needed to avoid and adapt to the road conditions as they change. Little things like moving around nails, rocks, sand and gravel. Hopping potholes and adjusting to bumps and rolls in the road surfaces are all important skills that directly translate into being a better cyclist. All of these things are what make it possible to truly ride farther, faster.
Finally there is the question of how do you learn to ride farther and faster? The answer to this question is by far the easiest. You just have to ride. You may need a plan, but that is dictated by your specific goals, but nothing will allow you do either of these if you do not get out there and ride.

No matter what else you do, nothing beats time in the saddle, and that is the ultimate key to riding.

Just Ride…

This coming weekend, Aug. 15-16 the Sunday OGRE ride will be without its slightly crazy ride leader. This weekend, OGRE Dru is helping move a daughter into an apartment and headed to Chattanooga to do a lap on the bike course. Sunday, will instead be a ride in the North Georgia Mountains, lovingly known as 3 Gaps. This is an Olde Blind Dog ride, with a group of riders that do the regular Thursday night ride out of the Olde Blind Dog parking lot. The pace won’t be all that tough if anyone wants to tag along and see the gaps up close and personal.

3 Gaps

I’ve done this route a few times, and honestly, I love the ride. Hard climbs, fast descents and fabulous views. It really doesn’t get any better. Basically the ride is a loop across three mountains. In the direction we will do the route, they are Neals Gap, Wolfpen Gap, and Woody Gap. None are the tallest, or the hardest in the area, but together, they make for a spectacular day of riding.

Neals Gap

The first climb of the day, Neals Gap is the climb up US-129 from Turner’s Corner to the hiker’s station at the top of Blood Mountain. So what kind of a climb are we talking about? 7.75 miles. Starting at 1517 feet above sea level, the road rises over the course of that 7.75 miles to an altitude of 3097 feet with a short flat about 3 miles into the climb. The grade doesn’t sustain more than 8% for any significant distance. All in all, yes, it is a tough category 2 climb, but not a climb that should scare anyone from riding it.

This will be my third trip to the gaps in 2015. The first ride was on New Years Eve, so while it was technically 2014, it marked the start of my 2015 season. That trip up Neals Gap took a little under 42 minutes, at an average of 9.5 mi/h. By the time June rolled around, I went back and hit the gaps again, and did Neals Gap in 38 minutes at an average of 10.4 mi/h. As anyone that has ridden with me around home, they know I tend to go up short hills very quickly, but I approach these hills with a different style. Steady, easy, spin to the top. 9.5 mi/h is a middle of the pack pace, with 6-7 mi/h being a perfectly reasonable, and a solid effort.

Once at the top, the group will regroup and refuel at the hiker’s station before a short, fast descent to the GA-180 at Vogel State Park.

Wolfpen Gap

Wolfpen Gap Road, or GA-180 is just about a perfect climb, starting at 2201 feet and climbing to 3316 feet over a distance of just under 3 miles there are two obvious difference between this and the prior climb. It is shorter, and steeper. 3 or 4 mi/h is a perfectly fine speed for these 3 miles. Most of us will go up this at closer to 6 mi/h and that is just fine.

In the two prior trips this season, I did this the first time at 6.8 mi/h in a time of 27 minutes. The second time was at 7.4 mi/h in 25 minutes. However, in both instances, I was not riding at my pace. In both cases, I was sitting back chatting with another rider who was struggling a bit. That I took away from both of those rides is that the time to sit up, spin and enjoy the view is winding up through the woods to the top of Wolf Pen Gap.

Once at the top, and the group pulls back together the descent isn’t all that steep, but it leads in about 6 miles of mountain valley rollers until everyone gets to the corner store at Suches, GA for a refuel, potty and rest break before turning left onto GA 60 for the final climb of the day.

Woody Gap

Though this is the third gap, it is, without question, the easiest, and the one where most of the groups seem to go up fairly close together. Why? Well, it is far less steep and oh, well it is also a mere 2 miles long. How much shallower is that climb? 2781 feet to 3170. Not quite 400 feet, over 2 miles.

Some perspective to the North Fulton based cyclists.

Three Gaps (from Walmart) is 50 miles with 4100 feet of climbing.

OBD long loop is 24 miles with 1850 feet of climbing.

Big Sister = 921 to 1120 in .5 miles, that is 200 feet in
Freemanville Rd = 935 to 1170 in 3.1 miles, that is 250 feet in 3 miles, with some losses in the middle to make it harder than it measures.

The Take Away

If you are worried about doing a ride like 3 Gaps, take a look at the rides you are already doing. Most of us are doing more climbing in our regular rides than we think.