Hill Training In Norfolk

Marjory Stewart BAxtor

In September I'm off to tackle ben nevis, fort william and glen coe and although my normal bike fitness is okay (and will be very good by September!) how can I hill train without a mountain to practise on?

presumably ir's not just about the physical application of mountain climbing but also the mental frame you get into???

any suggestions on how I can train for this?

endurojcb

I'd recommend getting down your local gym to do 2 or 3 spinning classes a week. That'll sort your climbing fitness out.

As far as the right frame of mind is concerned, from my point of view anyway, is even when your legs are on fire and your lungs are coming out your mouth, just keep turning those pedals. I try not to look up the hills I climb too much (apart from looking for the easiest line). I stare at my front wheel or a couple of feet in front. When you get to a slightly easier less steep section, change to a smaller cog at the back to go faster and keep the same level of effort going. Every push of the pedals you'll want to stop, get off and push. That's where you've got to be honest with yourself and tell yourslef that you are perfectly capable of making it to the top without stoping, so don't be a wus and keep mashing away. The satisfaction you'll get from passing the ones who couldn't handle it spurs me on more, and the feeling when you hit the crest is one of a kind!

Happy mashing!