shall we dance?

When it comes to dancing, I'm more Jon Travolta than Marco Pantani. I even took ballroom dancing lessons before we got married so that I could keep up with Shinobu (an excellent dancer with medals and certificates to prove it) on the dance floor at the party. In cycling, even on the steepest of hill climbs I try to remain seated as much as possible.

I've decided to try and improve in this area. My physique means that I should look towards Indurain, Boonen and Cancellara rather than Pantani, Miller or Contador for climbing inspiration. Certainly Boonen can get out of the saddle for the steep sections in the classics.

Today I did 10 1 minute out of the saddle climbing intervals on Isonobe. Out of the saddle, I immediately notice the effort in my quadriceps. I always feel that (unlike most cyclists) my quads are weaker than my hamstrings. Certainly this seems to be the case when working on the leg curl and leg extension machines in the gym during the winter.

I let my heart raise to about 170HR for each interval, concentrating on form and maintaining a steady effort.

I'm always looking for new, interesting and of course beneficial ways to take on a climb. I really enjoyed today's training.

Friday's training: Takayanagi loop + Isonobe

Isonobe climb: (60s standing / 60s sitting) x 10 sets

(68 km, 850 m climbing)