Hills. Why?

john1967

The only good aspect of going downhill is that you can start going uphill again.Climbing is not just physical its phycological aswell.I catch guys on hillclimbs who blitz me on flat TT probably just because i enjoy it more.

ktuludays

i like the challenge and sense of satisfaction i get at the end.

2 of my favourites are in derbyshire peaks where i live, one is 0.2 mile and 13% and the other is 3.5 miles and 7%. Different beasts really but so satisfying to beat them.

butcher of bakersfield

Never thought of it in that way? I just see pain and gasping.

I have no interest in enduring pain. That's not how I roll. But oddly, I have come to love hills. And we have loads of them up here! They offer variety. But it's also an acquired taste. As you become fitter, you crave that gasping. I can be rolling along at a steady pace and feel the need to stretch my lungs out. They're not working enough. At that point it's no longer a pain, it's an enjoyment! Like a bacon sandwich.

Then again, there are still moments when it gets too much and I think sod this, I'm walking. Like I say, I have no interest in pain, and inevitably, there are moments when it reaches that point.

And of course you get to go down the other side...

DavidJB

butcher of bakersfield wrote:

Like I say, I have no interest .

Thank your lucky stars you don't have my training plan then In the summer months I don't think I'm ever on the bike without it hurting.

AchillesLeftKnee

Bluedoggy wrote:

I do see the physical achievement but do you really enjoy it?

Not every time, no, but on the whole I find dragging my 200lb bulk up the hills to be thoroughly satisfying. Even if the climb itself doesn't turn out as planned (read as "the body's not playing today"), there's always satisfaction at the top.

MTB climbing is something of a different matter as it's so conditions-dependant, ranging from (IMHO) the most fun I can have on a bike when things are tough but just the right side of doable, through to a soul-destroying mud-ruined push and carryfest when it's gone a bit far the wrong way.

iPete

What goes up, must come down.

Fursty Ferret

Basically, unless you're TT'ing or going into a headwind, cycling on the flat isn't necessarily that much of a challenge, esp if you're in a group and able to draft. Thus the sense of accomplishment can be lessened if the route has no real climbs (we all differ our concepts of real climbs, obviously). Mind you, as someone said earlier, long shallow climbs at pace into the wind are more demoralising for me personally that shorter, steeper efforts. They really are my achilles heel.

t4tomo

Bluedoggy wrote:

I see a huge amount of you fellows REALLY get a lot out of tackling steep hills. Why?
Me personally ******* hate them like the ex wife. So I'm curious why you gentlemen get such a kick out of them. I do see the physical achievement but do you really enjoy it?

Your ex wife used to criticise your stamina and endurance, so that's not surprising.

bluedoggy

Ater reading your comments i decided to give Claverton Hill another go. Always got halfway then gave up.
Well this time i did it! I was so bloody pleased with myself! i nearly gave up twice but after what some of you guys said i gave it all.

bompington

Bluedoggy wrote:

wheezee wrote:

Bluedoggy wrote:

Maybe I should look at Brass knocker hill then?

Particularly enjoyable with a queue of revving traffic sitting on your wheel on the bends.

You've been there then:)

Just watch out for descending buses, although I hear that's more of a problem for off-road cyclists.

But seriously, I can't see what the issue is here. As one poster after another has said, it's about the challenge. If you don't fancy that particular challenge, that's fine, just find routes without hills, or get an old man's bike, sorry, I mean triple, and cruise up them at your own speed.
I should point out that I'm not writing this out of smug satisfaction at my own whippet-likeness: I am distinctly unfit and overweight (more than usually at the moment :-() but that only adds to the satisfaction of grunting my way to the top.

Joeblack

Bluedoggy wrote:

I see a huge amount of you fellows REALLY get a lot out of tackling steep hills. Why?
Me personally ******* hate them like the ex wife. So I'm curious why you gentlemen get such a kick out of them. I do see the physical achievement but do you really enjoy it?

Because they are there,

And riding a bike is a lot like life, if you stop because of what's put in front of you you'll never get to where you wanna be

smidsy

AllezGaz wrote:

Pnev wrote:

I live in Lincolnshire /

Hills are there if you look for em, however normally short and steep

I did not see the relevance of the Lincolnshire reference either.

Pnev - try cyling from Grimsby to Caistor or Louth to Horncastle and then come back here and tell us why Lincolnshire hills are easy :P

Neale1978

Hills = Therapy

Guanajuato

Where I am, if I don't do hills I'd be limited to about half a mile in any direction. They're a necessity and become a challenge and a yardstick. One climb I tried when I first started is a mile and a bit and goes up the best part of 600ft, the majority of which seems to be in the first couple of hundred metres. Failed miserably because I was unfit. But the feeling of having acheived something when I made it up & over without stopping made it worth it.

drlodge

Hills are a challenge, no ride for me is complete without some hills, in fact my route is always based around the hills I want to go up. Luckily I have quite a few to choose from close to home

Strava is a great help in this respect, since it clearly shows my performance which is getting better and so gives me enthusiasm to try them again and again. It feels really good to have struggled on a hill only to find out that I achieved another PR so all that hard work is rewarded.

MattC59

Bluedoggy wrote:

I see a huge amount of you fellows REALLY get a lot out of tackling steep hills. Why?
Me personally ******* hate them like the ex wife. So I'm curious why you gentlemen get such a kick out of them. I do see the physical achievement but do you really enjoy it?

I hate them like I hate my ex wife too, but I never plot a route without them. Hate them at the time, but feel good afterwards.

djhermer

Bluedoggy..... You're obviously around the Bath area... A mate of mine is in Batheastern and most of the rides he takes him take him straight onto Bannerdown Hill. 1.7m of sheer climbing bliss. Not torturous, but challenging enough for me as its not particularly lumpy around my way. I reckon its a good one for you to get stuck into. I head to his just to take in some hills - he climbs in 30 miles what I do in 70.

We've got Brassknocker planned for the next Bath ride out. Can't wait...

rickwiggans

southdownswolf wrote:

I can't stand hills that are not steep, but drag on forever. Hills that are steeper, where you know it's a "proper" hill or mountain, I love the challenge. I can't wait for my first cycling trip to the Alps :-)

Don't be too disappointed then - most alpine climbs aren't steep, and most seem to go on forever. However, I'm sure you'll still enjoy!

fcukwit

I love hills, but living in the heart of the Fens, there aint many round here. Riding on the flat teaches you to push hard though, as you have to concentrate to keep your effort going (bit like a turbo) - and riding into the constant and famous "fen blow" which is a wind that appears to always be head on requires mental strength harder, I would say, than climbing. There is no sense of achievement in those conditions and no end, and no scenery, and........

wheezee

djhermer wrote:

Bluedoggy..... You're obviously around the Bath area... A mate of mine is in Batheastern and most of the rides he takes him take him straight onto Bannerdown Hill. 1.7m of sheer climbing bliss. Not torturous, but challenging enough for me as its not particularly lumpy around my way. I reckon its a good one for you to get stuck into. I head to his just to take in some hills - he climbs in 30 miles what I do in 70.

We've got Brassknocker planned for the next Bath ride out. Can't wait...

Bannerdown doesn't seem half as bad to me. It's not as steep, no-one has to queue behind you, and there's a nice big flat bit in the middle.

bluedoggy

djhermer wrote:

Bluedoggy..... You're obviously around the Bath area... A mate of mine is in Batheastern and most of the rides he takes him take him straight onto Bannerdown Hill. 1.7m of sheer climbing bliss. Not torturous, but challenging enough for me as its not particularly lumpy around my way. I reckon its a good one for you to get stuck into. I head to his just to take in some hills - he climbs in 30 miles what I do in 70.

We've got Brassknocker planned for the next Bath ride out. Can't wait...

Yeah, I ride all around Bath. I wil check out Bannerdown hill, thanks:)

djhermer

wheezee wrote:

djhermer wrote:

Bluedoggy..... You're obviously around the Bath area... A mate of mine is in Batheastern and most of the rides he takes him take him straight onto Bannerdown Hill. 1.7m of sheer climbing bliss. Not torturous, but challenging enough for me as its not particularly lumpy around my way. I reckon its a good one for you to get stuck into. I head to his just to take in some hills - he climbs in 30 miles what I do in 70.

We've got Brassknocker planned for the next Bath ride out. Can't wait...

Bannerdown doesn't seem half as bad to me. It's not as steep, no-one has to queue behind you, and there's a nice big flat bit in the middle.

It's very difficult to find a steady 10-12 min climb (depending how I'm feeling!) with a 6.5% average gradient anywhere near me, so for me it's a climb worth driving to Bath for. Can't say I noticed any flat bit! Didn't realise Brassknocker had such traffic issues - takes the gloss of it a bit when you can't relax.

wheezee

No, you're right, I shouldn't have said flat. It's a gentle bit half way up that gives you a chance to get your breath back. It just feels flat compared to the rest of it, and you can climb back up through the gears.

Bustacapp

nolight wrote:

Bluedoggy wrote:

is for recreation, of course climbing hills may not be very enjoyable.
If it is for sport/fitness, then hills is what gives you the exercise. Unlike other sports, I think it is possible to cycle thousands of km without getting much exercise at all, by not putting in effort and letting the bicycle do the work for you. Hills will guarantee you get that exercise.

This. My 10 miler includes a sprint section and a monster climb. I get it all done in 45 minutes and feel a lot more tested from this than any flat 40 miler!!

gloomyandy

To really get the most out of a hill you need to do it on a fully loaded touring bike... The good thing is that if it all gets too much you can stop and make a cup of tea!

Neale1978

Not really.. For what your bike lacks in weight you just make up for it with raw pace up that mother hugger

Mr Will

I think the moment I knew I was a cyclist (rather than just a man with a bike) was when I first went out looking for big hills. I think it's something that comes with time and fitness. As the other challenges fade in practicality or appeal (distance, sprint speed, etc) the appeal of beating a big hill or getting up one faster grows.

I think the other key thing which does the same is TT-like efforts over a distance, 5/10/20 miles for example.

djhermer

Mr Will wrote:

I think the moment I knew I was a cyclist (rather than just a man with a bike) was when I first went out looking for big hills. I think it's something that comes with time and fitness. As the other challenges fade in practicality or appeal (distance, sprint speed, etc) the appeal of beating a big hill or getting up one faster grows.

I think the other key thing which does the same is TT-like efforts over a distance, 5/10/20 miles for example.

You're absolutely right. I don't know when that day came, but i now bemoan the fact i've got no decent climbing near me - some short sharp hills and some rolling rides, but to find anything worth calling a 'climb' (which on my own personal unscientific scale is something over 6% average and >10 mins) means getting in the car. There was definitely a moment some time ago when i subconsciously went from thinking "that's a nice ride, not too many hills" to "right, where can i find some hills".

I ride with a couple of others occasionally who haven't cycled for long. Before heading out and during rides, the question of "any more hills" or "how hilly is this bit" always comes up. I was definitely on their wavelength once upon a time, but it's nice to be 'over that' now.

It's clear Bluedoggy isn't a beginner of course, but i concur with Mr Will's assessment...

schleckster

djhermer wrote:

Mr Will wrote:

I think the moment I knew I was a cyclist (rather than just a man with a bike) was when I first went out looking for big hills. I think it's something that comes with time and fitness. As the other challenges fade in practicality or appeal (distance, sprint speed, etc) the appeal of beating a big hill or getting up one faster grows.

I think the other key thing which does the same is TT-like efforts over a distance, 5/10/20 miles for example.

You're absolutely right. I don't know when that day came, but i now bemoan the fact i've got no decent climbing near me - some short sharp hills and some rolling rides, but to find anything worth calling a 'climb' (which on my own personal unscientific scale is something over 6% average and >10 mins) means getting in the car. There was definitely a moment some time ago when i subconsciously went from thinking "that's a nice ride, not too many hills" to "right, where can i find some hills".

I ride with a couple of others occasionally who haven't cycled for long. Before heading out and during rides, the question of "any more hills" or "how hilly is this bit" always comes up. I was definitely on their wavelength once upon a time, but it's nice to be 'over that' now.

It's clear Bluedoggy isn't a beginner of course, but i concur with Mr Will's assessment...

Can totally relate to this sentiment, mostly if I go for a proper ride and don't include at least one or two good climbs then it doesn't feel like I've really ridden at all, feel like I've cheated myself. If my legs feel v. fatigued then I will just go out looking for flat or undulating though.

Also, and I'm curious since I've never been in real life, how steep are the climbs used on the TdF - Mt Ventoux/Hautacam/Alp d'Huez etc, are they plain nasty gradients or are they just long climbs? I ask as I'm planning a trip next year and want to know what to expect and how to properly train.

To answer the original Q:

For fitness
For endurance
For stress relief
For self-confidence
For the views
For the feeling of having lactic burning legs but knowing you can still step it up
To see if you can make it
To know that you didn't give in
To feel the relief when it's over (for now)
To get a rush coming back down
To look just like the guys in the Rapha promo material

All very positive things to develop, I think.

Reane_Machine

+1 all those reasons.

Geographically speaking it's hard for me to go on a route that isn't hilly, so I just got on with it and have developed as a cyclist being used to pointing the wheels uphill.

It's great fun but I find myself getting bored on the climbs I know sometimes. It's great to tackle a new hill but I'm having to go further and further away to do it.

Means i'm getting fitter though which is a great feeling.