Don't deny it, the KOM...can it help you better yourself as a rider?

Dave Taylor

Dave Taylor

Rex kwan Do
This thread may go long and far but I will start it off. I love KOMS, more specifically hunting them. They have made me a better rider in strength and skill. I love looking up local segments and starring them. Uphill, downhill, rollers etc. The more people that have attempted them the more prestigious the KOM is.

I bit of history of my hunt to claim KOMs. I was riding Hartshorn with Rob Williams one day as Greg Kaasmann passed by...he says "there's Greg!". I said "Who is that" with a reply from Rob "The King of the mountain!". That day my life changed. It started with some Strava cups, then a first rom, then many more before my first good friend Don (@Dairyman ) moved in and proceeded to claim everything there is in Hartshorn and Huber, then eventually the dirt roads and onto paved roads. I shorten the story a bit but I needed more than strength, I needed tactics and strength. Run ins, momentum and flow. Pretty soon I would start getting one or two back but it's taken years to get more than a handful at hartshorn as of late.Probably because more time is spent on a road bike now.

Round two of new guys. Meet Dan G from Middletown. A local rider that commuted and would hunt segments on his commute...who the heck is this guy? Well, he is a strong college runner that moved to bikes too and he's strong. We would go back and forth almost daily trading KOMS and eventually it got good, real good. I'll leave it at this, Dan and Don is probably the best sub 2 minute climbers in our area. Anytime a local climb KOM was taken is was short lived.

Eventually it took more than power. In the last two years we have resorted to power, leading, Gail force winds, aero, supertuckin, narrow bars, clips, tt bikes etc. As many FTP tests and zwift races as I have done 95% of my power PRs are outside while going for a KOM.

Why do they help me? I train lazy by myself unless I have the rabbit to chase. The KOM is my rabbit. They make me not be lazy. @Dairyman started the short stuff by figuring most people used 2-3 min power on a 2 min segment. Well guess what, when you FTP is 400 plus you can use 1 min power and turn that into a 1 minute KOM!

All fun and games, but I have had my best NUE finishes while using KOMs as my intervals during training season and leading up to the races. I hear so many people say I don't care but then you see them occasionally putting out monster efforts on an obvious segment. I even do running segments for intervals. They all help.

So in conclusion, what KOMs have done for me. Kept things competitive, made my top end much stronger despite having a diesel engine, made me go faster easier (momentum, carrying speed, super tucking, drafting, leading, aero equipment etc). All of the marginal gains like aero , friction, better rolling tires, 5w higher ftp etc really add up.

Get out there and get that KOM

Honorable mentions in the hunt for the illusive KOM..
Jim Roberts.
Jim Guirreri
Dennie Waite
Thomas Barnett
Mike Fennell
Banana Fontana( even though he says he never chases them)
and the thriftiest of them all Greg Leach.
 
I took a Kom from Dan on a minute section of waterloo rd on an alloy gravel bike. He took it back shorty. I am wondering at what age you can't push these 800w minute sprints anymore and change your riding style to be more modest.
 
Last edited:
My favorite was when I took as many of Clapp’s KOMs on the road as soon as I moved to Somerville

It did not make me faster or a better cyclist, but it pissed of Clapper so I kept doing it
 
Pearl said:
My favorite was when I took as many of Clapp’s KOMs on the road as soon as I moved to Somerville

It did not make me faster or a better cyclist, but it pissed of Clapper so I kept doing it
Click to expand...
They have definitely improved my craft, racing and power. Mainly do to tactics and how hard I push myself not wanting to get a 2 vs when I push myself in an interval on the trainer. The best KOMs are the ones when you are going at it side by side up a climb just dumping the tank.
 
Ironjunk said:
I took a Kom from Dan on a minute section of waterloo rd on an alloy gravel bike. He took it back shorty. I am wondering at what age you can't push these 800w minute sprints anymore and change your riding style to be more modest.
Click to expand...
Power is all relative to the type of effort. I did a lot of leg work at the gym this year but my strongest max power was ny first year or two cycling. This was i. Part because I rode mx for 25 years and feel I had tons of residual muscle. That has depleted over the years but recently my 30 sec -1 hour power has been a bunch of PRs. I am 45 today if that means anything. I use creatine to help build muscle in the winter. Power is also partly relative to weight. Sure there are some exceptions but typically I guy that weighs 140lbs will do long sustained climbs easier(maybe not faster but lower relative effort). This is the same reason myself at 200lbs this year puts little guys in the hurt locker in places like sandy hook. Example…I averaged 343w up the opening climb at wilderness this year. I thought I went “easy” but I did 29 min and my hr was controllable. First 2 hours were 273 avg. I handled it well because the first part of that race is a bunch of road and rollers which suits my w/kg. On the other hand I blew up and the stillhouse climb I mashed up…barely…but only sustained 237 watts. Personally my favorite segments are 30-45 sec climbs or rolling climbs.
 
Ironjunk said:
I took a Kom from Dan on a minute section of waterloo rd on an alloy gravel bike. He took it back shorty. I am wondering at what age you can't push these 800w minute sprints anymore and change your riding style to be more modest.
Click to expand...
I am not sure. So far for the last 5 years I have been able to up all but my 5 sec power…I am happy if I hit 1600w max once a year. Some newer wahoo stuff obviously isn’t here. Most zwift stuff is. On a side note @Dairyman is a power phenom as I think his 20 min pr is like a crazy 460!
 
There are a couple of KOMs on my regular road loop that I think are within reach, although I think they may require me buying or borrowing a time trial bike. But I have to face the facts that at 52, I'm usually going up against guys a lot younger and more talented than I will ever be. I do enjoy chasing PRs once in awhile when my legs feel good and I can take advantage of a bit of "wind-doping". 😉
 
Go for it tiger! Let us know when you got it 🙂
Screenshot_20220731-143109_Strava.jpg
 
mattybfat said:
Go for it tiger! Let us know when you got it 🙂View attachment 192549
Click to expand...
Will probably never ride there but Gregg galletta def has some koms on that course. Some tougher ones we have done locally are sandy hook time trial course, 10 min loop etc.You don’t have to be the strongest to get a kom but the best at going fast on a particular day. Also, by diving in deep we have found that many koms at hartshorne and allaire were taken via shortcut and cheater lines.
 
Great post @Dave Taylor!! I'd say that sums up nicely my feelings on the KOM as well. I try balance them against my being a clyde, as well as north of 50. Makes me very happy when I pip a bunch of young bucks on a segment, even with a little wind doping.
 
Dave Taylor said:
Power is all relative to the type of effort. I did a lot of leg work at the gym this year but my strongest max power was ny first year or two cycling. This was i. Part because I rode mx for 25 years and feel I had tons of residual muscle. That has depleted over the years but recently my 30 sec -1 hour power has been a bunch of PRs. I am 45 today if that means anything. I use creatine to help build muscle in the winter. Power is also partly relative to weight. Sure there are some exceptions but typically I guy that weighs 140lbs will do long sustained climbs easier(maybe not faster but lower relative effort). This is the same reason myself at 200lbs this year puts little guys in the hurt locker in places like sandy hook. Example…I averaged 343w up the opening climb at wilderness this year. I thought I went “easy” but I did 29 min and my hr was controllable. First 2 hours were 273 avg. I handled it well because the first part of that race is a bunch of road and rollers which suits my w/kg. On the other hand I blew up and the stillhouse climb I mashed up…barely…but only sustained 237 watts. Personally my favorite segments are 30-45 sec climbs or rolling climbs.
Click to expand...


Creatine makes sense in cycling for sprinting. When taken exogenously it should be periodized as a pre workout because of the short half life. So on a short rides, it can help with short uber high out put.
 
The Kalmyk said:
Creatine makes sense in cycling for sprinting. When taken exogenously it should be periodized as a pre workout because of the short half life. So on a short rides, it can help with short uber high out put.
Click to expand...
It also builds muscle mass which is good for muscle endurance.
 
Dave Taylor said:
It also builds muscle mass which is good for muscle endurance.
Click to expand...

If you just took creatine Dave you wont build muscle mass. It simply allows you to push harder for short spurts. As a result you may grow muscle but by itself it wont do anything. Thats why i said you have to periodize it.

Happy Birthday young man😜😜🤘🏻🤘🏻
 
The Kalmyk said:
If you just took creatine Dave you wont build muscle mass. It simply allows you to push harder for short spurts. As a result you may grow muscle but by itself it wont do anything. Thats why i said you have to periodize it.

Happy Birthday young man😜😜🤘🏻🤘🏻
Click to expand...
https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a19515624/creatine-side-effects-what-it-is-what-it-does/ Builds lean muscle as well as muscle mass. Adds weight via muscle. Basically if you take it before 30/30s it’s money.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom