Pedaling down hills - need feedback

I don't know the answer to your question, but I can tell you that I pedal 99.9% of the time.  I pedal unless I spin out.  My purpose on training rides is to train, not coast.

Yes, pedal as much as possible unless you need rest. Figure out the speed that you can pedal to and always pedal to that speed, then coast. Anytime your speed drops below that speed, start pedaling again. The "tuck" part of your question shouldn't be applicable because as long as you can handle the speed, you should be aero anyway, pedalling or not. If you want to ride hills at a fast average MPH you must push the downhills.

Two points of clarification.  First, I'm trying to figure this out for a real triathlon, not just my training.  I wanted to understand the best strategy in preparing to enter the run. 

Second, I shouldn't have said "Tuck" but instead said "Coast."  Yes, I would be in a tuck position regardless. 

Thanks for the feedback.

Mike

I pedal down, but often in a higher gear with a lower cadence and not cranking hard. You'll pass a lot of coasting people if you keep pedaling.

Depends.  What do you consider spinning out your gears?

In my 53/11 I can still pedal at about 100 - 105 cadence and will be doing around 40 mph or so.  That is my usual cadence, so not a big deal.

If you look at numbers from a power meter in that situation, you'll find that it's extremely difficult to pedal hard enough on a fast downhill to even come close to sustaining a power output that'll tire you out. So yes, pedal, absolutely!

x2
I don't have a power meter, but that was what I was thinking.  On downhills with speeds over 34 mph, I don't really push, but pedal with moderate pressure.  It feels like a rest.  If the grade is over about 6%, I coast when I reach terminal velocity and start passing cars in a 45 mph zone.  I stay in aero if the situation is safe enough, but if it appears that I might need my brakes, my hands will be near my brakes.

Edited by pga_mike 2009-07-12 6:49 AM

I would still say, as others have, to keep pedaling on the downhill unless you spin out.  The effort will probably be less than it was on the uphill, so you'll still get a bit of a break.  In shorter races, even pushing on the downhill is part of my game plan.  In a longer race, I'd plan to pedal downhill, but not all out.

Welcome to BT.

The difference between coasting and pedaling will be more than 1mph, in most cases.

But yes, the difference, in time, isn't huge.  However, in a sprint, if you are contending (or just want to go as fast as YOU can), every second still counts.  And in a longer race, those seconds add up.  Also don't discount that this is a relatively easy opportunity to pass people.  The folks that you pass on the downhill will have to work that much harder if they are going to pass you later on the flats or hills.  Finally, one shouldn't assume (not saying that you were...) that the comparison is between no recovery (spinning) and resting (coasting), but between some recovery (spinning) and possibly more recovery (coasting).  I'm not convinced, in fact, that easier pedaling doesn't provide JUST AS MUCH recovery as coasting.  But then I really hate coasting, so maybe I'm biased!

Anyway, to the extent that my mental concentration allows (something I'm still working on), I'm going all out in any sprint race.  For longer races, I'll think more about pacing.

I do agree that it makes sense to go harder on the uphills (or any time that conditions dictate lower speed).  This is, I believe (I'm no expert), widely agreed in the cycling world, and is due (at least in part) to the velocity-dependence of drag.

Pedal! Cause its fun! Yeah......no science behind my response.....       
I pedal until I spin out and then just enjoy the ride.

Welcome to BT! 

Welcome to BT!

In my experience, pushing hard on downhills will add far more than 1 mph average and it's easy speed. As mentioned above, even hard pedalling downhill doesn't result in high power outputs. On my descents (which are long) the time improvements are in minutes that could never be made up on flats or climbing.

My physics isn't that good but it appears to me from descending a lot of hills is that, take two riders everything being equal and one does a short burst of pedaling at the top of a descent. That extra speed will effect the entire descent, not just the time he was pedalling. Then consider the distance that the faster cyclist put on the slower one. At the bottom of the descent that distance must be made up by the slower rider which is going to require more power on flat terrain.

Yeah, plus the people you just passed can't believe you have the energy to pedal DOWN the hills, for Peet's sake, and will not chase such an obviously superior rider. ; )

(I can't seem to get the red sarcasm font on this browser. Any advice?)

Here's another vote for pedaling - unless, of course, it means you're going to pass me, another Utahn, in a race. In that case, DON'T PEDAL! Ever.

Unless you are me.. and too darn scared to go downhill fast.

I'm working on it.

Pedaling downhill is particularly important when riding rollers.  A lot of people want to coast down so that they can "save" themselves for pedaling up.  If you pedal down, the uphill will be that much easier.

Generally- keep the legs moving but don't try for a super high cadence.  Flailing away just wastes energy & may stress the knees.  If you're going too fast to pedal effectively, just soft pedal a bit to keep the legs fluid (active rest).
Also- consider the terrain.  There's little to be gained by aggressively pedaling a downhill only to jam on the brakes for a sharp upcoming turn.  And on high speed downhill turns you may want to keep that outside leg down for better handling & balance through the curve.

Watch the TdF on TV during a mountain stage.  Great action shots of the best riders going freaky fast on the descents.  The other day George Hincapie was flying down a long descent trying to catch the break-away.  He generally was pedaling for extra speed, but on the highest-speed curves he stopped pedaling to use the legs for best handling. 

It depends.  It especially depends on what kind of race it is.  For an IM, generally I will pedal until I hit ~mid-30s then coast.  In a sprint, I'd probably keep pedalling right up until I truly spun-out.  It does 'cost' more for those extra few mph once you are going that fast (more of the power you produce goes to overcoming air resistance than moving the bike faster).  So you just have to learn when it's worth it to spend the extra effort or save it for later.

I vote for pedaling on the downhills as well.  For me it keeps me in rhythm for my strokes. If I spin out I coast until I get to a speed where I won't spin out.  Don't forget that it isn't just the down hill you will save time and effort on. If you end up on a flat at the bottom of the hill you will be able to keep a higher speed along that flat without having to work as hard to get up to that speed.  If you are going into another climb it lets you attack that climb better.  If it is a small roller it may carry you over it or on bigger hills it will get you further up the hill before you have to really start to push.