Ok, a question for you…I am wondering if any of you have noticed the same thing. When I ride a crit, my HR is pinned the whole way (Hr 177-182…HR Max of 186), and I am riding about as fast as I can without actually breaking into a sprint. I can hang at this level for perhaps 45 minutes without cracking, and when I do, it is all over, whether or not the race is
When I ride a TT of roughly equivalent time, such that I crack at about the same point, I find I cannot drive my HR to the same level. In other words, I can average around 160 without blowing up until 45 minutes. Any more than that and I crack earlier.
Anyone else notice this? Shouldn’t I be able to ride at the same HR no matter what? If anything, shouldn’t my HR be lower because I am drafting (although riding much faster) in the crit? Is my fear of death and dismemberment in a crash enough to raise my HR 20-25 beats?
In criteriums, you’re spinning along at higher rpms so you can respond quickly to changes of speed. Any inefficiency in your pedal stroke is multiplied by the number of pedal strokes per minute…greater inefficiency (higher rpms) at a given speed results a higher heartrate
In a TT, you’re pushing higher gears and lower rpms. Your heart is providing as much blood as it can get into the muscles, but the increased pressure in the muscle when pushing hard at lower rpms results in less blood flow through the muscle. So, since your blood flow through the muscle is decreased, your heart responds by doing what it usually does…just enough HR to provide blood flow that the working muscles can take through them. Raise your cadence slightly higher for short periods of time during a TT, and see your HR go up and your legs feel “fresher”. Then, click to a higher gear for more speed and your HR will gradually drop, but your legs will begin to fatigue.
Finding that fine line of slightly too high an RPM vs. slightly too big a gear will result in your best TT time. Anyway, that’s my guess.
never underestimate the power of trying to keep up with a group,i find my hardest rides are when i am keeping up with a group,most riders good at time trialing are good at pacing themselfs without others around, i think what your feeling is normal.try training by yourself to become better at lone pacing
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I believe its related to the fact that a TT isteady and a crit is sprint / rest/ sprint repeat. Your HR lags behind your effort level, so even though at time you are resting in a crit your HR stays high. This allows you to maintain a higher HR than during a steady effort TT.
You could do 200 meter sprints, followed by 400m easy during a TT and duplicate your crit HR, but the time would be slower, even with the higher HR.
Frankly, I think wearing a HR during a crit is fairly useless.
A crit always has those brief rests during corners before you start sprinting again, then rest for the next corner. I think that enables you to run a higher heart rate. From using a power meter during crits I have found my average power to be pretty close to my TT power, but it comes in surges. There may also be an adrenaline component as well.
