After a hill......

[Aescott]

Hi

Morning commute is relatively flat but with a couple of climbs. Final climb is not steep but is long, so legs are a bit sore by the top.

A question which comes to mind each day is - when I get to the top, should I switch to lowest possible gear and take it easy to recover, or switch up a gear or two? It's the same distance either way, just don't know which option is best for recovery.

 

[wafter]

It's flat at the top..?

I'd just do what feels right at the time. Taking it steady should help to an extent with fatigue / aches; equally these potentially suggest muscle growth, so if getting faster / stronger is a goal and you can tolerate the discomfort hit it hard

 

[Sharky]

There's an old piece of advice...
- if your legs are hurting, use a lower gear
- if your lungs are hurting, use a higher gear

I think you should have changed to a lower gear at the bottom of the last hill and keep the cadence higher.

 

[katiewlx]

normally I stop, have a rest and recover, then carry on in whatever gear my legs can cope with

 

[Punkawallah]

normally I stop, have a rest and recover, then carry on in whatever gear my legs can cope with

Indeed. It’s not illegal to get off and chillax- although I suspect the likes of Strava don’t have a button for that ;-)