Hill Repeats

jame58rown

I'm looking for some advice on incorporating a hill repeats day into my riding week. I live on a hill that must be 20%, probably more. It's EVIL! lol. However, it's only a few hundred metres in length:

When I really attack it, it only takes about 2mins. After that 2mins though, I am totally f*cked; my heart feels like it's going to explode, I feel like I'm suffocating because I cant get enough air in and if I try to walk I stumble around like I've just been smacked in the face. :roll: Seriously, my legs just burn. Of course If I take it easier it's OK but it's impossible to actually sit and pedal it's just too steep for that; I have to stand up. I've been doing the same hill for a few months now but it never gets any easier because I always try to go faster. lol

Anyway, if I did hill repeats on this: how long should I have between repeats and how many times should I do it?

To help my climbing would I be better off just doing a normal 20 odd mile ride with hills of varying lengths and gradients?

Thanks in advance.

phreak

Depends what kind of hill you want to get good at. Hill repeats on a short 200m climb won't help you much on European style climbs.

Garz

Find a long long steady gradient to help the fitness repeating on that, then do your shorter hill in a training loop to mix up the types. Most people can grunt over a short hill but on a long steady climb you can certainly drop your mates if you put the effort in.

jame58rown

There is a hill thats more like 10% - 12% but takes me about 15 minutes to scale.

So would it be more beneficial to do repeats on that? Or do I need longer still?

And how much time should I have to recover between repeats?

Thanks again.

gavintc

15 min hill is pretty good. I have one that is about 2.4km long and I do 3 climbs on the way home from work - seems to have helped this year as my hill climbing was better.

Surfr

Which hills are you using? Penglais is a local favourite for hill intervals. Not sure where in the county you are though.

Surfr

Oh sorry, I see you are further south in the county. Bit of a trip to do intervals!

I'd say a hill between 10 and 15% is probably great. Just pick your timings and turn around when you've done your interval, roll back down and start back up again after the alotted rest period. Helps if it's a quiet road. Penglais is NOT a quiet road but the popular time for hitting intervals on it is Sunday evening which is as quiet as it gets.

jame58rown

Is penglais hill the one that goes past the uni? Or past the college? Because the one going past the college is flipping steep!! I saw someone on a road bike with a rucksack and jeans really going for it past the college in Llanbadarn. Must have been pretty fit! I couldn't have done that hill at those speeds.

Anyway, yeh Aber is a bit far to do intervals. Thanks for the advice though.

Surfr

Penglais is the one past the Uni in Town. The main hill. The one you are talking about is called Primrose hill. We did a hillclimb up both this season and another up Pen y Bont in Penparcau.