LogSeq/pages/claudeoutout-64289705-d0c1-4f03-9139-a13815bc3969.md

Climb Pacing Strategy

• Gear Comparison (38t chainring with your available cogs)

  All calculated at your actual 214W power. Shows cadence at different gradients and estimated total time.

  | Cog | Ratio | Cadence @ 3% | Cadence @ 5% | Cadence @ 7% | Cadence @ 8% | Min Cadence | Est. Time | vs Current | | ---- | ---- | ---- | | 14t | 2.71 | 63 rpm | 41 rpm | 30 rpm | 26 rpm | 26 rpm | 20:56 | +2:13 | | 16t | 2.38 | 72 rpm | 46 rpm | 34 rpm | 30 rpm | 30 rpm | 20:56 | +2:13 | | 18t | 2.11 | 82 rpm | 52 rpm | 38 rpm | 34 rpm | 34 rpm | 20:56 | +2:13 | | 20t (current) | 1.90 | 91 rpm | 58 rpm | 43 rpm | 38 rpm | 38 rpm | 20:56 | — | | 22t | 1.73 | 100 rpm | 64 rpm | 47 rpm | 41 rpm | 41 rpm | 20:56 | +2:13 |

  ✓ Green highlighted rows = optimal cadence range (60-90 rpm minimum)

  The gear that keeps you in this range on the steepest sections will be most efficient.

• Parameters

  Rider Weight (lbs)

  Bike Weight (lbs)

  Chainring

  Rear Cog14t (38/14 = 2.71)16t (38/16 = 2.38)18t (38/18 = 2.11)20t (38/20 = 1.90) - Current22t (38/22 = 1.73)

  Target Time (mm:ss)

• Target vs Actual

  YOUR BEST EFFORT

  Time:18:43

  Avg Power:214W

  Avg Speed:9.1 mph

  TARGET (15:08)

  Required Power:298W

  Avg Speed:11.1 mph

  GAP TO CLOSE

  Time:-3:35 (19.1%)

  Power:+84W (39.3%)

• Speed Profile

• Elevation & Gradient

• Detailed Pacing Table

  | Distance (mi) | Elevation (ft) | Grade (%) | Speed (mph) | Cadence (rpm) | Power (W) | Time | | ---- | ---- | ---- | | 0.0 | 1330 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 298 | 0:00 | | 0.2 | 1400 | 6.6 | 9.3 | 62 | 298 | 1:17 | | 0.4 | 1450 | 4.7 | 12.6 | 84 | 298 | 2:15 | | 0.6 | 1480 | 2.8 | 19.2 | 129 | 298 | 2:52 | | 0.8 | 1510 | 2.8 | 19.2 | 129 | 298 | 3:30 | | 1.0 | 1540 | 2.8 | 19.2 | 129 | 298 | 4:07 | | 1.2 | 1570 | 2.8 | 19.2 | 129 | 298 | 4:45 | | 1.4 | 1600 | 2.8 | 19.2 | 129 | 298 | 5:22 | | 1.6 | 1650 | 4.7 | 12.6 | 84 | 298 | 6:19 | | 1.8 | 1700 | 4.7 | 12.6 | 84 | 298 | 7:17 | | 2.0 | 1750 | 4.7 | 12.6 | 84 | 298 | 8:14 | | 2.2 | 1820 | 6.6 | 9.3 | 62 | 298 | 9:32 | | 2.4 | 1900 | 7.6 | 8.2 | 55 | 298 | 11:00 | | 2.6 | 2000 | 9.5 | 6.6 | 45 | 298 | 12:48 | | 2.8 | 2130 | 12.3 | 5.2 | 35 | 298 | 15:08 |

• Analysis: What Happened in Your Effort

  Critical Issue: Speed Collapse at 39:00 mark (around mile 2.3-2.5)

  Your speed dropped dramatically to ~7.3 mph while HR stayed at 168 bpm and cadence dropped to 46 rpm. This is where you lost significant time - you were grinding at unsustainably low cadence on the steepest section.

  Pacing Pattern Analysis:

• Start (0-26:40): Consistent ~12-13 mph, 70-90 rpm cadence, ~150 bpm HR - good sustainable pace

• Middle (26:40-35:00): Speed holding ~11-12 mph, cadence still decent 60-80 rpm, HR climbing to 160s

• Crisis Point (35:00-39:00): Speed crashes to 7.3 mph, cadence drops to 46 rpm, HR maxed at 168 bpm - you hit the wall on the steepest pitch

• Recovery sections (gaps in data): Appears you had to stop/soft pedal briefly, then resumed

• Final push (40:00+): HR surged to 135+ but speed didn't recover - too fatigued

  The Singlespeed Problem (38/20 gearing):

  At 46 rpm on the steep section, you're at 60% of your average cadence. This gear is simply too tall for the 7-8% gradient sections. You're forced to:

• Mash at very low cadence (high muscular force per pedal stroke)

• This fatigues your legs faster than your cardiovascular system

• Notice your HR wasn't maxed out (168 bpm vs 181 max) - your legs failed before your cardio did

  Where Time Was Lost:

  Comparing to target 15:08 pace:

• First half (miles 0-1.4): Relatively close to target, maybe lost 30-45 seconds

• Steep section (miles 1.4-2.8): Lost 2:30-3:00 here due to the speed collapse

• The 39:00 mark crisis point alone probably cost 1:30-2:00

• ⚠️ Critical Finding: Gearing is Your Biggest Limiter

  Your data clearly shows the 38/20 singlespeed forced you into an impossible situation on the steep sections. At 214W average power, you should be capable of ~10-11 mph on 7% grades with proper gearing (80-90 rpm). Instead, you were forced to 7.3 mph at 46 rpm.

  If you had gears allowing you to maintain 70+ rpm throughout:

• You could likely sustain 230-240W instead of 214W (less muscular fatigue)

• You wouldn't have the catastrophic slowdown at 39:00

• Estimated time with same 214W but proper gearing: 16:30-17:15

• With 230W + proper gearing: 15:30-16:00

• Realistic Pathways to 15:08:

  Option 1: Switch to gears + maintain current 214W:~17:00 (not quite there)

  Option 2: Switch to gears + increase to 245W:~15:08 ✓

  Option 3: Keep singlespeed + increase to 300W+:~15:08 (extremely difficult, cadence issues persist)

  Option 4: Gears + lose 15 lbs + 230W:~15:08 ✓

• Gearing Recommendation Based on Your Data:

  Looking at the gear comparison above with your actual 214W power output:

• 38/14 or 38/16: TOO HARD - You'd be spinning 90-110+ rpm on easier sections (leg speed limited, wastes energy)

• 38/18: MARGINAL - Better than 20t but still drops below 60 rpm on steep sections

• 38/20: YOUR CURRENT - Forces 46 rpm on steepest sections = catastrophic muscular fatigue

• 38/22: BEST OPTION - Keeps you in 60-70 rpm range on steep sections, 75-85 rpm on moderate sections

  Recommendation: Switch to 38/22 (1.73 ratio). This should save you 45-75 seconds and feel far more sustainable. You'll spin a bit faster on easy sections (85-90 rpm) but maintain viable cadence (60-65 rpm) on the steepest pitches.

• Realistic Pathways to 15:08 (Updated with Cog Options):

  Option 1: Switch to 38/22 + maintain current 214W:~17:45-18:00 (better but not enough)

  Option 2: 38/22 + increase to 245W:~15:15 (very close!) ✓

  Option 3: 38/22 + increase to 260W:~14:50 (beats target!) ✓✓

  Option 4: Full geared bike with optimal ratios:Even better, but 38/22 gets you close

• ⚡ Quick Win Strategy:

  Next attempt: Use the 38/22 cog. This single change will:

• ✓ Prevent the catastrophic slowdown you had at 39:00 (from 46 rpm → 60-65 rpm)

• ✓ Let you sustain power more evenly throughout the climb

• ✓ Save 45-75 seconds immediately with no fitness change

• ✓ Allow you to access more of your cardiovascular capacity (your HR showed room to push harder)

  Then focus training on raising your sustained power from 214W to 240-250W over the next 8-12 weeks, and 15:08 becomes very achievable.

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