Hill Climb season approaches :O

zekizeki

Unfortunately the time of year that signals hill climb season is nearly upon us and I for one have forgotten the pain and suffering of last years hill climb races and I am foolishly considering signing up to my local club one again.

Last time i didn't do any specific training for it (not unless you consider strava segments as such) so I think I have a fair chance of improving on my previous best with the right training.

What would be the best preparation ?

I'm thinking hill repeats on the hill in question, but if so what intensity/gearing to do them at for training purposes ?
Or would i be better on the turbo doing appropriate intervals?

The course in question is this one http://www.strava.com/segments/2572453 I'm hoping to finish in around 6 minutes for the climb.

imposter2.0

HCs are about riding up steep hills as hard as you can. Go out and do lots of that.

ric/rstsport

where possible, do your intervals on the hill in question, or any similar one. there's a multitude of ways of doing the intervals (everything from harder than you can potentially manage to easier) depending on what you're trying to achieve with each session. you may need one, or multiple hill sessions per week.

much would depend on your fitness (and the duration of the climb).

Have fun .

zekizeki

Thanks Ric,

I guess I'll head out there and do a race pace effort to get a baseline the first time. (my result last year was 6m59s)

So I guess my options are...

Do several (say 2-3) repeats going as hard as possible with a longish say 10 min rest in between. I expect my times will tail off quickly doing this

or

Do several repeats (5-6) at around 80-90% with a shorter rest (time it takes to get back to the start 4mins ish)

mattclinton

Hill reps are definitely over-rated!

phreak

mattclinton wrote:

Hill reps are definitely over-rated!

Isn't that generally because the hills here aren't comparable to hills in Europe? I would have thought if your event is to get up a UK hill, that going up it a bit beforehand would be sensible, no?

napoleond

I'd like to think Matt knows what he's talking about!

mattclinton

Oh yes, I didn't say that riding up a hill isn't beneficial, but there's too many factors to affect any session where riding up the same hill repeatedly doesn't seem to work. It's far too easy to get distracted for a start, or just give up!

Using a turbo trainer for actually doing intervals seems to be a much more efficient way of repeatedly doing these efforts, though there is a certain amount of training gained by riding the climbs.

napoleond

Heh heh, I'll never forget the speed at which you overtook me at the Little Mountain TT this year Matt. I was having a mare from the off! Got to the bottom of it now though (liver function problem). Next year you won't overtake me *quite* as fast... (If you are riding)

maryka

Definitely think that if you're targetting a specific hill climb or two, it's really worth riding those hills a lot if you can. I find the better I know a hill, the better I am able to pace it and suffer through it for a very hard effort.

However I can see why hill repeats for a specific effort/watts/time would be less beneficial than just doing something similar on the turbo. With the turbo you can control your rest interval better, not get too cold between them, etc. But if you know your hill you can also tailor your turbo workout to the specifics of the hill (e.g., flatter sections, steeper sections, etc.)

Having said that this will be my first year using the turbo for hill training so I hope I'm right!

mattclinton

My main issue is that there's no hills within 20miles or so of me!

mattclinton

The hill in question from the OP looks like it's a fairly shallow drag at the bottom before kicking up to the finish.

For this one, I would start off fairly steady (eg. not sprinting off the line) but try and carry some decent speed into the steeper section where it's an all-out effort to the line.

phreak

How do folks usually approach pacing? The few climbs I've done have been around 2min to 2.30 long and I just can't go all out for that length of time, so have to stay within my limits on the first half.

Suppose that's where specific hill climb training comes in.

imposter2.0

phreak wrote:

How do folks usually approach pacing? The few climbs I've done have been around 2min to 2.30 long and I just can't go all out for that length of time, so have to stay within my limits on the first half.

Suppose that's where specific hill climb training comes in.

I suspect that has more to do with knowing your own effort levels and capabilities. It's impossible to moderate your effort unless you know where your limit is (and what it feels like when you're on it).

zekizeki

Thanks Matt,

I did go off too quick last time and my speed suffered in the last quarter as a result.

Realistically i can only get to the hill to try it at weekends, so i'll chuck in a couple of specific turbo sessions during the week as well to try and mimic the climb, it's reassuring to hear that you count the turbo sessions as worthwhile.

ric/rstsport

Imposter wrote:

I suspect that has more to do with knowing your own effort levels and capabilities. It's impossible to moderate your effort unless you know where your limit is (and what it feels like when you're on it).

plus 1
which is why i suggested doing efforts harder than you can maintain to the finish

mattclinton

Anything will feel easy for the first minute of a TT or hill climb - this is where you're likely to hurt yourself the most too!

PhunkyPhil

I think practising on the hill you will be racing is beneficial as you can get a feel for where to go hard and where to ease off so you get the fastest total time as you won't manage to keep the same constant speed for the whole hill.

bernithebiker

mattclinton wrote:

My main issue is that there's no hills within 20miles or so of me!

Move house?

phreak

What's the best way to stop wheel spin if the road is a little moist? Is it true that deflating the tyre a bit helps?

celbianchi

phreak wrote:

What's the best way to stop wheel spin if the road is a little moist? Is it true that deflating the tyre a bit helps?

Yes and sit down. And use something like a conti competition tub.

phreak

My gears aren't low enough/legs aren't strong enough to sit down all the way up Not at 'race' pace anyway.

celbianchi

I usually run my rear at about 110 psi for hillclimbs. After a bit of debate with Mr Clinton before hand I decided to run the rear at around 85 last season on a very wet and steep Rake for the champs last season. No wheel slippage occurred.
I think Matt rode quite low also (and also around 22 secs quicker than me :-)
All be it on a monstrously large fixed gear.

phreak

The hill I've entered is Yorks Hill, and it often seems to be damp because the trees ensure not a great deal of sunlight hits the road. Shall give a lower pressure rear wheel a go this year and see how it performs.

mattclinton

I seem to recall spinning the whole way up Riber Castle last year too, even with 85psi in! It's too steep to sit, even with 39/25 on - I didn't have my trusty Conti Comp's on that time though, bad mistake!