Hill climbing anonymous....

bristolpete

Kneesaway wrote:

Back on topic rather than being snippy with each other. After cycling for around 30 years, most of which I spent avoiding hills, I have developed a new technique over the last couple of years that works for me.

As you approach the hill, concentrate on getting into a steady rythm of strong deep breaths. Count as you breathe in, count as you breathe out, listen to the sound of the your breathing, keep it at the same rate. Don't think about anything else other than keeping strong deep breaths, think about the shape of your mouth as you breathe and the different sounds it makes as you breathe out, keep counting, it does not matter what to, just try and be consistent. If you start to pant and gasp, you have lost it, slow right down until you get the breathing rate under control again.

Before you know it, you are cresting the hill and whizzing down the other side. If I don't do this, I concentrate on how much my legs are hurting instead, go too fast and ultimately stop.

I now seek out hills and rarely get defeated by them. A lowish bottom gear ratio (36/27) does help as well of course.

Brilliant, will apply this on Saturday. Thanks.

Grazy81

Kneesaway wrote:

Back on topic rather than being snippy with each other. After cycling for around 30 years, most of which I spent avoiding hills, I have developed a new technique over the last couple of years that works for me.

As you approach the hill, concentrate on getting into a steady rythm of strong deep breaths. Count as you breathe in, count as you breathe out, listen to the sound of the your breathing, keep it at the same rate. Don't think about anything else other than keeping strong deep breaths, think about the shape of your mouth as you breathe and the different sounds it makes as you breathe out, keep counting, it does not matter what to, just try and be consistent. If you start to pant and gasp, you have lost it, slow right down until you get the breathing rate under control again.

Before you know it, you are cresting the hill and whizzing down the other side. If I don't do this, I concentrate on how much my legs are hurting instead, go too fast and ultimately stop.

I now seek out hills and rarely get defeated by them. A lowish bottom gear ratio (36/27) does help as well of course.

This is a very similar technique i have heard about unaided divers who basically flood there blood vessels with oxygen that then gives them in some cases a few extra minutes underwater.

I have used this in the gym too and is very effective at getting those last few reps out where you would normally fail so i don't see why this cant be used in cycling too especially on climbs.

cjw

It's also a yoga / meditation technique. Good for distracting from pain.

carrock

I'm 16 stone plus and also struggle with hills- moving position helps, ie standing up and sitting down alternately, though standing gets the heart rate up.

Better to spin in lowish gear than pop your knees in a higher gear- especially hauling that weight up a hill

At the end of the day, though, fitness and leg strength will only take you so far- it's the physics of hauling weight up a gradient that you can't escape...I know that however strong and fit I get, some hills I will never get up at this weight- am aiming for 13 stone next year.

On the plus side, I've never been overtaken up a hill by anyone over 13 stone!!

Woodchip

I go with the breathing option as well. I seemed to acquire that from MTBing. I'd go up hills sounding like a steam train, but would be one of the first to the top. Breath in quietly, breath out through puckered mouth, breath in quietly, etc...

davelakers

Chrissz wrote:

I used to hate hills too :!:

I have this year managed to drop my weight down to 15st and when I'm out with the Sunday club run (a pretty quick bunch) I can happily drive the bunch along on the flats, drags and gentle undulations. However, as soon as we hit a propper hill I start going backwards quite quickly

For the past couple of months I have tried to ensure that all my mid-week rides include a nasty hill (Hollingbourne just outside Maidstone) and I am slowly but surely getting better.

I doubt if I'll ever weigh less than 14 1/2stone so my only option is to learn how to get up the hills quicker. I also now find that (in a rather masochistic sort of way) I actually enjoy the hills now

One day I'll be good enough to keep up with the whippets up the hills as well as drag them along on the flatter parts of a ride

This is me down to a tee, even down to the our matching weight!! No probs sitting at the front on a run managing 20+ mph. Soon as the road goes up, I slide embarrassing backwards!!

Bhima

I've come to love hills and the associated pain that comes with them.

Remember: No pain, no gain!

I know a few people who also "love" hills, but there's not a rider on the planet who doesn't regret doing a hilly ride when they're in pain half-way up a leg-breaking climb. If you're pushing hard enough, you'll want to stop/turn back but it's this physical & mental torment which improves your climbing ability.

Hill repeats are fantastic, but you probably wouldn't want to do them every day. Just make sure your diet is good (enough protein), or it's all wasted effort as your muscles wont develop.

When people talk about power:weight ratios, everyone thinks about weight first. The best way is to get the power in your legs and let the weight issue take care of itself. If you're going hard enough on the hill repeats, you should be burning ridiculous ammounts of calories anyway.

frenchfighter

Good post Bhima.

cjw

frenchfighter wrote:

Good post Bhima.

Thought you weren't going to reply again

CyclingBantam

frenchfighter wrote:

Yeah well worth an extra topic. You could have easily have put that post onto the end of another thread.

There was no need to be rude, I was offering very useful and detailed info.

You don't have to take it - I couldn't care less.

And fyi, in case you think I am all talk and no show, I am my clubs hill climb champion.

You do understand the point of a Forum don't you? Every single topic on here will have been discussed before. I seem to remember you being heavily involved in the Armstrong vs Contador discussion. That has been done many times before. Forums keep going because people keep talking about things, it keeps it lively as new people come in with differing opinions. If you don't want to see beginers topics which will tend to be simular things, my question is, why click on the Road Beginners section. :roll:

frenchfighter

You guys need to get out on your bikes more if you do at all. Seriously, reading some of these comments I would think there is a lot of growing up to do.

If you cannot contribute something useful to this thread like I have I think you should refrain.

Ben, you are wrong about the Contador topic and I cannot be bothered to debate the point with you.

freehub

Apparently hills are an inefficient way of cycling....

redddraggon

frenchfighter wrote:

The alternatives are: don't do any reply or reply but with a shorter one.
I am sure you can see that both are worse options to take

I just don't bother even reading repeated posts anymore. I've generally replied already at length and if they can't be arsed searching I can't be arsed to type out a few hundred words again.

Fair enough equipment changes and some posts can be repeated again, but some stuff stays the same and the information remains valid in previous posts

redddraggon

freehub wrote:

Apparently hills are an inefficient way of cycling....

That is correct, generally you can places quicker if you take flatter routes. But according to you anyway Will, cycling is not efficient so it doesn't matter.

screebs

AGNI wrote:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bwlch_y_Groes

If a fat middle aged porker like me can get up this, then we all have a chance

TBH, I did stop a few times but I was determined to get up it.

Similar story with me doing Mont ventoux 5 weeks ago - my feeling being if i can do that without getting off and pushing my bike, albeit i did stop a number of times. i can now look at most hills and say "i can do it!". Positive attitude is key.

That from someone who walked up Freuchie Hill 2 weeks before Mont ventoux - it's all in the mind (and the legs of course!)

SCREEBS

Dunkeldog

Couldn't agree more with many of the comments here regarding hills - it's largely a mental thing. I avoided them for ages until I got so fed up with myself I made a point of going for shorter rides where I targeted hills. The trade off for me was a shorter ride that actually had a point rather than just spinning away for three hours. You'd be amazed how much you enjoy the challenge when you lose the fear.

freehub

redddraggon wrote:

freehub wrote:

Apparently hills are an inefficient way of cycling....

That is correct, generally you can places quicker if you take flatter routes. But according to you anyway Will, cycling is not efficient so it doesn't matter.

Hills are fun.

Anonymous

Chrissz wrote:

I used to hate hills too :!:

I have this year managed to drop my weight down to 15st and when I'm out with the Sunday club run (a pretty quick bunch) I can happily drive the bunch along on the flats, drags and gentle undulations. However, as soon as we hit a propper hill I start going backwards quite quickly

For the past couple of months I have tried to ensure that all my mid-week rides include a nasty hill (Hollingbourne just outside Maidstone) and I am slowly but surely getting better.

I doubt if I'll ever weigh less than 14 1/2stone so my only option is to learn how to get up the hills quicker. I also now find that (in a rather masochistic sort of way) I actually enjoy the hills now

One day I'll be good enough to keep up with the whippets up the hills as well as drag them along on the flatter parts of a ride

I love Hollingbourne hill, Coldblow lane along the Pilgrims way is good, but Boxley is a real tester I think.

gbs

[Do not go into the red as that will be it for you as there is no time to recover on a climb like on the flat.]

I have often seen comment re red zone and have assumed that people are talking about a high % of MHR. I would appreciate a reference or detailed advice.

fungus_the_muffin_man

frenchfighter wrote:

This topic comes up so so often. Why don't people use the search function?

Because if we took that attitiude to every thread they'd be no point ever posting anything as evry subject will have already been discussed.

redddraggon

freehub wrote:

redddraggon wrote:

freehub wrote:

Apparently hills are an inefficient way of cycling....

That is correct, generally you can places quicker if you take flatter routes. But according to you anyway Will, cycling is not efficient so it doesn't matter.

Hills are fun.

I love hills. Climbing is a bit of a pain, but normally worth it for the descent.

redddraggon

gbs wrote:

[Do not go into the red as that will be it for you as there is no time to recover on a climb like on the flat.]

I have often seen comment re red zone and have assumed that people are talking about a high % of MHR. I would appreciate a reference or detailed advice.

Going into the red is the point where if you can't carry on for much longer. You don't need a HR monitor or PM to tell you that, you should be able to tell whether you are in the red by the way you feel.

adydow

Aaaah Hills you either love them or hate them...I am learning to love them and there is a definate tecchnique that seems to help, which can be getting in a comfortable gear (not always the lowest) I have found being on the inside front ring (presuming you have a double) and then a few goggs down from the bigun at the back ( I am a beginner) helps beacause when out of the saddle you can lean over the front wheel more and have the right pressure without having to turn the pedals with great effort. My legs do ache but soon recover when I reach the brow of the hill, I try and include hills that are short and steep and also 1- 2 miles long sometime more depending on my route as I have not gone a great distance yet only 30 miles. Although I was in the outer ring for my short hill on my home leg so my fitness must be improving! Looking forward to doing a 50 miler now with plenty of climbing.

gbs

Going into the red is the point where if you can't carry on for much longer. You don't need a HR monitor or PM to tell you that, you should be able to tell whether you are in the red by the way you feel.[/quote]

Well, that is a very pragmatic response but as an OAP who often cycles into the Surrey Hills alone I would like to have a little science about me. I am guessing that the red zone refers to above lactic threshold ie 85% of HRM - whatever that may be!

redddraggon

gbs wrote:

Going into the red is the point where if you can't carry on for much longer. You don't need a HR monitor or PM to tell you that, you should be able to tell whether you are in the red by the way you feel.

Well, that is a very pragmatic response but as an OAP who often cycles into the Surrey Hills alone I would like to have a little science about me. I am guessing that the red zone refers to above lactic threshold ie 85% of HRM - whatever that may be!

IMO it doesn't work like that - at least for me anyway.

It depends how you feel, some days I can hardly raise my HR if I'm feeling slightly off and will going into the red sooner.

Stone Glider

With my sig I have to respond to the OP. As many have said, to improve you have to practice; futhermore a positive mental attitude helps.

When I ride out in a westerly direction i try to include a nearby village in the trip. It is on top of a hill and there are four roads to it, some steeper than others. Over the past couple of years I heve tried them all and struggled up each with varying degrees of success. Last week I went up the steepest, a short brute of a farm track, I was struggling with the pedals barely moving when i looked at the computer to see i was going quite fast :?: As the slope eased slightly i looked down to see i was on the middle ring and in the middle of the cassette lol. So I must be getting better! ( although it didn't feel like it)

i live in an area described as "rolling countryside" which means that you can see the next hill as you roll down the previous one. This used to intimidate me and i would be beaten before it began. Now I think, at the bottom of the hill, "it's not as steep as it seemed" and i am going fast from the previous downhill. At about a third up the run-up has run-out but i am pedalling OK, at about two thirds up it is hurting but i am well up the hill and i can see the top. My head is over the top of the hill before my feet and the rest of the bike but i can convince myself that I'm practially there now and should feel good, even though i don't.

I am 100k, i shall never be a lightweight but I will not be beaten! (except for pleasure :oops: ) Best of luck to you.

Aggieboy

Has anyone got any tips on hill climbing please?

capilinconnemara

Pete
I thinkk they thing you have to remember is that now when you go out with the group you are probably going faster before you get to the hills than you would if on your own.Its only natural the climbs will feel tough. The more you do the easier they get

bristolpete

Thanks all with positive posts.

As I have said, before, I apologise for the repeat post and as for being arsed about searching, well I did, but wanted to post anyway. Nothing wrong with that I feel but forums are the same the world over

I have had a good week on the bike and did some hill work yesterday and had a massive climb on my MB today. I applied some of the technique here regards to sitting up and a feathering hold on the bars and spinning up with high cadence. I feel better and am off to bed now with PMA for tomorrows big one of which I will update if needed.

bristolpete

capilinconnemara wrote:

Pete
I thinkk they thing you have to remember is that now when you go out with the group you are probably going faster before you get to the hills than you would if on your own.Its only natural the climbs will feel tough. The more you do the easier they get

Spot on and the one thing I keep forgetting as the pace of a mini peloton is quite a step up from ones own.