Big difference between climbs and flats

Ec0

I'm still pretty new at this so it may seem a strange question but I'd appreciate if some of the experienced guys could take a look at the linked Strava data (i know its not the most accurate thing in the world but it should suffice for my question :P ) http://app.strava.com/rides/21140584#achievements

Now on the flat/downhill segment for "Heighington Lane" my time has rolled in 9/60 and at just under 50kph for myself who has only been cycling for 2 weeks I'm pretty happy with it. With the climb sections I seem to struggle much more and at best I'm middle of the pack. The longer shallow uphill runs seem specifically bad. The Rushyford one can be ignored as I was ruined at that point thanks to it being very hot and forgetting my water bottle, but the "School Drag" segment was pretty early on and is still slow even though I felt as if I was working quite hard.

So the question is are large gaps in performance between the flats and climbs typical in new riders or is this just a case of a TT bike flattering an otherwise average rider :oops:

Bustacapp

sounds like weight.

Barteos

Poor power to weight ratio.

Ec0

Ah well with power to weight I'd guess its the power part dragging me down as at 6'1'' I'm just under 73kg so more hill work or high gear work (maybe squats in the gym) would be the way to improve?

Cheers for the replies

StillGoing

You're doing something your body isn't used to so going up will be difficul at first. It doesn't get easier either; you just get quicker. I'm what I term crap at hills, simply don't have the same pace uphill as more experienced riders, but I do pass people occasionally showing gains are being made. Technique can make a difference. Personally I try and remain seated, hands on top, bum pushed back on the saddle, head high, with a high cadence pushing against the pedals as I find standing uses energy more quickly. Short ramps I'll try and sprint up as quick as possible while long elevations I just find a pace and settle down for the long haul.

Power to weight is important for most I'd say; the heavier you are the more power you need to put out. If you're overweight losing it will make the biggest difference.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Ec0 wrote:

Ah well with power to weight I'd guess its the power part dragging me down as at 6'1'' I'm just under 73kg so more hill work or high gear work (maybe squats in the gym) would be the way to improve?

Cheers for the replies

NO

Grill

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Ec0 wrote:

Ah well with power to weight I'd guess its the power part dragging me down as at 6'1'' I'm just under 73kg so more hill work or high gear work (maybe squats in the gym) would be the way to improve?

Cheers for the replies

NO

+1
Do hill repeats. Fast twitch muscle will do you no good on climbs.

Ec0

Thanks, sounds good, got a nice place a couple of miles away with 2 decent hills back to back with roundabouts at the top to do circuits on.

t4tomo

at 6'1" and 73kg you're not overweight.

If you've just started off, going up hill uses different muscles than you are used to so takes longer for them to build up.

could also be tchnique, try spinning faster in a lower gear, rather than grinding up in a high gear - it uses less energy.

Also it could be that a local cycling club or group target that climb so there are more people having a crack at it on strava, whereas the little downhill is less of a challenge so they might just coast down that if its on their regular route. such are the vagaries of strava.

BTW didn't ou leave Teesside ages ago and end up makin footy boots in aus, via a stint at some small club in the north west?

Ec0

t4tomo wrote:

BTW didn't ou leave Teesside ages ago and end up makin footy boots in aus, via a stint at some small club in the north west?

Ha, I wish I was as skint as that Craig Johnston :P but I don't envy his mullet to be honest

There is a local Tri club here which does bike sessions which I'm looking to get involved with over the next few weeks after the Great North Run so maybe getting out with a few more experienced guys will help push me up them better.

Calpol

You have to be careful of the Strava Iphone App tbh. It overstates a lot of speeds particularly downhill. When I was using it I clocked 48mph at one point. I know for a fact that I bottle it at much over 35mph and since I started using a Garmin Edge it seems to be much more accurate.

Gizmodo

Calpol wrote:

You have to be careful of the Strava Iphone App tbh. It overstates a lot of speeds particularly downhill. When I was using it I clocked 48mph at one point. I know for a fact that I bottle it at much over 35mph and since I started using a Garmin Edge it seems to be much more accurate.

So that's why I've not no KOMs! I must go and buy an iPhone.

peejay78

iphone is inaccurate on strava. not hugely, but sometimes quite errant.

riding uphill fast takes practice and willpower. if there's a decent hill near you then the lightweight whippets will have made it a key feature of their training loop.

if you keep doing hills and riding them at tempo - a fixed wheel winter really helps - then you will make significant gains. your weight will also come down a bit, although as people have mentioned, at 6"1 and 73kg you're not overweight. As a fairly hardcore hillclimber and time triallist and occasional road racer with no sprint (no longer on strava, fed up with the attention and the endless carpetbagging and the comparison value of unlike rides) i'm also 6"1 but weigh in at racing weight at around 67kg. i do lots of hilly rides, it's not so much the bulk of my riding as the only riding i do. Commute is 16 miles with 1500ft, normal loop is 45 miles with 4000ft, regular longer loop is 55 miles with 6500ft.

i

Madproforg

If your looking for a cycling club there is also the Ferryhill Wheelers not far away.

RandG

6.1 and you think you might be over weight ?? WTF !

I'm 5.9 and 95kg's ffs and don't particularly think I'm over weight.

SPOC

+1 to more hills and also losing weight, although in the OP's case there isn't a huge lot to lose.

I was 170lbs (77kgs) at 5'8 and certainly felt way too overweight for hill climbing, down to 155lbs (70kgs) now and with a mixture of more hills and weight loss over the last 2 months, everything suddenly seems a lot easier.

white91

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Ec0 wrote:

Ah well with power to weight I'd guess its the power part dragging me down as at 6'1'' I'm just under 73kg so more hill work or high gear work (maybe squats in the gym) would be the way to improve?

Cheers for the replies

NO

YES squats are a brilliant exercise, very useful for cyclists, will help you build power. But obviously keep cycling as well

briantrumpet

white91 wrote:

YES squats are a brilliant exercise, very useful for cyclists, will help you build power. But obviously keep cycling as well

You might like to do a little search (if you haven't already) round these forums on this subject. One or two people will swear blind that weight training helps cycling performance, but the overwhelming consensus is that riding a bike will make the biggest improvement in riding a bike. Any post by Alex Simmons will be informative on the subject. The common mistake is to confuse power with strength - the former is what we need for riding a bike, and weight training is good at increasing strength.

Grill

white91 wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Ec0 wrote:

Ah well with power to weight I'd guess its the power part dragging me down as at 6'1'' I'm just under 73kg so more hill work or high gear work (maybe squats in the gym) would be the way to improve?

Cheers for the replies

NO

YES squats are a brilliant exercise, very useful for cyclists, will help you build power. But obviously keep cycling as well

Only if you want to cycle like Chris Hoy. I for one like to do more than a few hundred metres a ride...

white91

Have you ever done squats before? My opinion is that squats are mega and have certainly helped me improve as a cyclist.

Grill I am pretty sure Chris Hoy would beat you at any cycling discipline.

Try them, but I was clear they are not a cycling substitute.

Grill

white91 wrote:

Have you ever done squats before? My opinion is that squats are mega and have certainly helped me improve as a cyclist.

Grill I am pretty sure Chris Hoy would beat you at any cycling discipline.

Try them, but I was clear they are not a cycling substitute.

You know what helped me? More riding, hill repeats, and weight loss. In 6 weeks I was climbing Bwlch almost twice as quickly and I did a very respectable 12hr TT after only 9 weeks on a bike. The gym is good for yoga, pilates and spin. Weights are wasted (although core-work is useful). This is coming from a guy who used to spend 2 hours a day 6 days a week lifting. Haven't been to the gym in months.

Again, fast-twitch is not the way you want to go unless you're all about the track.

ellerslierd

My experience is that doing squats to compliment hill work has had great results. The initial neurological adaptations during the first few weeks really helped my "snap" on climbs. As I'm mainly skin & bones (6'4" and 72kg), a bit more force doesn't go amiss. Careful application means that you can increase the power you can put out with only minimal weight increase.

Grill

Different strokes for different folks, I just wanted to highlight that's it's not necessary as well as what worked for me. I find gym memberships wasteful when you can just go ride.

StillGoing

Another for squats. I do 4x20 with a 10 sec break between each set but I started doing them to help with issues with the hip abductors etc along with other exercises.

t.m.h.n.e.t

white91 wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Ec0 wrote:

Ah well with power to weight I'd guess its the power part dragging me down as at 6'1'' I'm just under 73kg so more hill work or high gear work (maybe squats in the gym) would be the way to improve?

Cheers for the replies

NO

YES squats are a brilliant exercise, very useful for cyclists, will help you build power. But obviously keep cycling as well

No they don't. Cycling is an aerobic exercise. Power = better cv system not squats.

t.m.h.n.e.t

white91 wrote:

Have you ever done squats before? My opinion is that squats are mega and have certainly helped me improve as a cyclist.

Grill I am pretty sure Chris Hoy would beat you at any cycling discipline.

Try them, but I was clear they are not a cycling substitute.

They have not helped you improve as a cyclist. Riding your bike will

t.m.h.n.e.t

ellerslierd wrote:

My experience is that doing squats to compliment hill work has had great results. The initial neurological adaptations during the first few weeks really helped my "snap" on climbs. As I'm mainly skin & bones (6'4" and 72kg), a bit more force doesn't go amiss. Careful application means that you can increase the power you can put out with only minimal weight increase.

Utter bolleaux.

Power increases are controlled by cv system, not by squatting in a gym.

white91

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

white91 wrote:

Have you ever done squats before? My opinion is that squats are mega and have certainly helped me improve as a cyclist.

Grill I am pretty sure Chris Hoy would beat you at any cycling discipline.

Try them, but I was clear they are not a cycling substitute.

They have not helped you improve as a cyclist. Riding your bike will

Can you actually squat? Are you aware of the benefits? It's a compound movement which also works the core. Do you understand cycling can be aerobic and anaerobic? Ever had a leg injury? Do you even cycle?

t.m.h.n.e.t

white91 wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

white91 wrote:

Have you ever done squats before? My opinion is that squats are mega and have certainly helped me improve as a cyclist.

Grill I am pretty sure Chris Hoy would beat you at any cycling discipline.

Try them, but I was clear they are not a cycling substitute.

They have not helped you improve as a cyclist. Riding your bike will

Can you actually squat? Are you aware of the benefits? It's a compound movement which also works the core. Do you understand cycling can be aerobic and anaerobic? Ever had a leg injury? Do you even cycle?

Yes - Yes - Yes - Yes - Yes

Did you have a point in there somewhere?

white91

What do you squat? Why was your earlier point highlighting cycling is aerobic, if you understand that it is both aerobic and anaerobic? What was your leg injury? Are you aware how a strong core helps you cycle? Can you bring anything more to the forum other than sweeping statements with no real substance?

RandG

I'm finding this "debate" quite amusing....carry on, both of you


One little thing I would add is you need initial leg strength to be able to cycle well and good core strength is always a benefit. I haven't been cycling long and will be going to the gym once the dark nights are here to work on my leg strength, as I feel mine are weak as pish at the moment....anyway, ignore me, carry on you two