Getting faster on the hills

StrangelyBrown

Ok guys, after some advice to improve my hill climbing.

Have no real problems anywhere else and am generally considered a fairly strong rider. Overall riding this year has steadily been improving. Minor inclines are no problem, and short and sharp hills I can power up and over. However, every time I get to more serious and lengthy hills I get shelled out the back in an embarrassing stylee. It's as if I only have one speed up them (slow), regardless of how hard I try. Yet at the top I can crank it back up again.

How much would specific hill training help here? What? How often? etc What other training would help?

I don't think my weight helps - 6'2" & 14st 2lbs (90kgs) - but that is currently getting shifted.

Anonymous

Ride up the hills you have trouble on more.

On the Turbo, longer intervals (20 mins) would help.

You can't beat actually riding up hills to train for riding up hills.

Especially if you train on the hill you struggle on!

Alex_Simmons/RST

Speed up hills is primarily a function of your sustainable power to weight ratio.

To go faster you need to increase that ratio.

If you are carrying excess non power producing mass, i.e. excess fat, then that slows you down and you'll need to address that. Clearly taking care with what we eat is important. But don't cut back so much as to impact ability to train and become more powerful.

Of course training to improve power is key. That involves a mix of riding durations and intensities - the best mix of which really depends on you but typically involves a blend of endurance, tempo and threshold work, in a way that sustainably increases the overall workload.

Threshold work can be done on longer hills or on the flat or indoors, it doesn't really matter where - doing the work is what's most important. Hills are good as they provide an automatic resistance, whereas on the flat and indoors it requires extra concentration to keep the power going.

Ride long hills at your own pace and forget others. Getting shelled and grovelling to the top is slower overall.

Tom Butcher

I would just concentrate on the weight for now - in my experiencehalf a stone can make a very noticeable difference.

StrangelyBrown

Thanks for the replies.

I'm keeping away from the pies and losing weight steadily and consistently - so far - but not too fast. I think my p:p ratio is my main problem (pie to power) but want to do some specific training to help things along.