Rate of ascent - going faster for longer

GenevaCamper

I'm fairly new to road cycling but have found chugging up alpine hills retrospectively enjoyable and like most people (I guess) I want to get quicker at it.

Currently from warmed-up I can manage a rate of climb about 1000m/h for an hour
After an hour or so I'm down to 800m/h
After two hours about 600m/h

In terms of training to climb faster for longer is it best to go flat out for as long as you can manage with a view to sustaining the effort for longer or do interval type bursts? Over 9% I'm finding that any kind of foward progress is putting my heart rate at 90%+ so this may be academic!

Riding a light-ish bike (PX-pro carbon, Zonda wheels).

Bronzie

GenevaCamper wrote:

is it best to go flat out for as long as you can manage with a view to sustaining the effort for longer or do interval type bursts?

A mixture of the 2. Incorporating 2/3 interval sessions in your training each week will almost certainly allow you to progress quicker than just riding every time full on until you run out of gas.

Focus interval training at or around lactate threshold (the sort of effort you can maintain for a maximum of around 1 hour) with long intervals of 10-30mins at as constant an effort as you can manage. If using a heart rate monitor, c. 85-90% of MaxHR (provided you accurately know your maxHR and allow for HR to drift upwards during the interval).

Pep

GenevaCamper wrote:

Currently from warmed-up I can manage a rate of climb about 1000m/h for an hour
After an hour or so I'm down to 800m/h
After two hours about 600m/h

You climb 3hr, 1000m in the first 1hr, 800m in the 2nd 1hr, and 600m in the 3rd 1hr?
Wow, you must be living in a gorgeous part of the world (Geneva?), with a climb of 2400m elevation. I do know a few (I've done a couple) but there arent many around, even in the alps.

But the numbers seem wrong. If you climb 3hr and 1000m in the 1st hr but only 600m in the 3rd you should simply start slower.

One climb opf 2400m = I envy you a lot.