hill repeats - which hill?

alp078

Morning all

I'm keen to include a weekly hill repeats session into my training and being a newbie wanted some advice. What I want to achieve is greater endurance over longer climbs and improved ability to spin on the flat into the wind etc. What I don't know is the best way to go about it. I have some very short but, for me, very steep climbs like 80ft ascent over 0.15 miles or longer and shallower like 250ft over 1 mile. Would another climb altogether be preferrable?

Probably neither are that impressive to the experienced amongst you but, at the moment, both get me working hard. I just don't know which would give me a better return. If the former I could maybe do 3-5 climbs or the latter 2-3 times and build it up for instance. Or shoud I do both, split across two sessions a week or alternate them each week?

Ideas and guidance much appreciated.

alp

bobtbuilder

You said in your post that you want to improve over longer climbs, so the best way of doing that is to train on that type of hill. The shorter, steep climbs won't hurt either, but you specifically mentioned the longer climbs, so I'd focus on those.

SBezza

For hill repeats I would always go for the longer hill, and keep a sustained effort over it's length. If you were training for a hill climb, and it was a short steep hill that would be different.

LittleB0b

So how long (time wise maybe) should the up bit take? and what kind of gradient?

guillaume

it's also handy to pick a quiet road if possible - i've fallen off a couple of times, once exhaustion sets in

bobtbuilder

LittleB0b wrote:

So how long (time wise maybe) should the up bit take? and what kind of gradient?

I like to use a few different ones in the 3-5 minute range. They are all between 6-10% which is the gradient range that I feel is my weakness.

Pokerface

I used to do repeats on a 5-mile climb, around 20 minute efforts :oops:


Helps living in the Peak District.

alp078

Pokerface wrote:

I used to do repeats on a 5-mile climb, around 20 minute efforts :oops:


Helps living in the Peak District.

I would vomit and then die. (Not necessarily in that order.)

Thanks for the responses folks. Looks like I will take the longer climb from the seafront up to Beachy Head. Just checked on mapmyride and it looks like circa 325 feet over about a 1 mile. I'll aim to do it twice to start and aim to add a repeat each week.

Will just one session at this each week suffice? And will an 8-10 mile flatish warm-up be enough?

bobtbuilder

8-10 miles should be OK as a warm up, but only you will truly know that.

Personally I would try for 4-5 repeats and just try and beat your best time in the next few weeks.

How much other riding do you do? At this time of year, most of us will be just doing base winter miles, and leaving intervals / hill repeats until spring.

holker

Instead of doing hill repeats up and down same hill, would you get same effect by simply picking a hilly route with a variety of climbs? In fact would this be better as each hill would offer slightly different challenges?