How long (really) before hills get easier!

tozi1

I suppose I just want to know they will get easier-I'm an older (61) returner the fold,having enjoyed cycling at various times over the years,- youth hosteling at fifteen,commuting at forty,t.t'ing at fifty,and now,just trying to cling on to a bit of fitness and loose weight.

I go out,usually three times a week,one session being in our beautiful lincolnshire wolds, -after a few weeks the surprisingly steep (1 in 7 some of 'em) hills are getting a tiny bit easier-I suppose I just want someone to tell me it is going to be more pleasurable!-and how long,realistically does it take! it's weird,things get much easier and faster on the flat,but hills.....!! I also wonder if it only really happens after the weight drops significantly-ie.-you can ride all the miles you want,but without loosing loads of flab hills will always be purgatory!
Any thoughts please!

JackPozzi

Never. You just go faster, as a famous cyclist almost said once!

kajjal

It's just fitness, technique and confidence. Learn to use the right gears and if you need to stand up on some parts of the climb. A hill near me that is over a mile and a half long used to wipe me out but now unless I push it I just cruise up it.

Anonymous

Of course it gets easier :roll:
Turning the ease into speed is optional and its still easier even if you go faster.
Does not take long, you will start to enjoy them soon

tozi1

Thanks for all the encouragement-can't work out at the moment if it's better to twiddle in a tiny gear or push a bit harder in a bigger gear-and seeing as my dream is to ride-on the flat anyway- a retro fixie-like i used to in the olden days-maybe i should be in a bigger gear!

diamonddog

Spin up in an easier gear, far better option IME. You can push the harder gears when you are on the flat.

Monty Dog

Easy gears if you're working on your fitness - you tire out quicker if you use bigger gears, and it can put pressure on joints and ligaments not used to the effort. Once you've developed some fitness and strength, then by all means give it some beans..

tozi1

Cheers -just need to keep on doing it!

Initialised

You want to make hills easier?

Find a short, steep hill and do a session like this once or twice a week:

http://www.strava.com/activities/82818963/overview

Alternate each climb between spinning (80-90 RPM) and grinding (40-70 RPM)

markhewitt1978

I've found that properly step hills don't get massively easier. But instead stuff starts to flatten out so the gentle inclines which used to floor me I now hardly notice.

tozi1

Thanks Mark and Initialised-there's a short sharp hill on my regular ride which I could do repeats on.

fatdaz

It got so much better for me when I stopped being scared of them. I'm still not a good climber but I will now actively look for hills, confident that I'll get up them. I don't like them any better than I did but I get up them and that that mental confidence makes a big difference. Regarding spinning vs. attacking I would suggest always spinning to start with. If you get half way or 3 quarters of the way up and you think you've got enough oomph to go to the top, hit it then

rick_chasey

Change of mental attitude helps.

Accept that one goes significantly slower when you go uphill, and just be pleased you're moving at all.

Then it never feels quite as bad .

Elfed

They never get easier, you just sort of ride up them quicker.

Bordersroadie

If you live in hilly country then you're lucky, because the more you ride up hills, the better you'll get at riding up hills. I'm 50 and was a returner to the fold about 4 years ago after about 25 years away from road cycling (admittedly I did other sports so was pretty fit).

I live in a hilly place too and found them really tough to begin with, but soon grew stronger and now love hill climbing. The views and the downhills make all the pain worth it! I'm up early this morning to do a 90 mile hilly ride today.

Happy climbing!

tozi1

Crikey Borders-04.18!!!-now there goes a keen cyclist-I doff my cap-" chapeau"!

Ringpeace

They never get easier for me - but in the cycling / boxing world I would be considered a super heavyweight!

Like others I don't dread (that much) hills and also seek them out. IMO you have to ensure you have a wide enough gear ratio to be able to spin up any hill - and not physically need to stand up.

My other bit of advice is to know how long the actual climb is. I have been out with much fitter and lighter riders, gone up it like a mountain goat - cos I want it over, then it seems never ending and I just can't be ***ked anymore thinking it's never ending, so get off, wait for them, ask them how much longer this bitch is - and they say "just round the corner" - about 200m left.

Well, if I'd known that in the 1st place I wouldn't have got off! Knowing how long it is helps you reserve your energy.

When you're either enjoying the views from the summit or haring down the other side at 40 MPH+ it makes it all worthwhile! Gain from the pain.

I'd also recommend a turbo trainer and doing 30 - 1 minute intervals on that. Never had any developed calf muscles before that - which really do help.

The last thing is to sort out a short local training circuit with lots of climbs in it. I have a route where the roads are smooth - I guess the council sort out the roads where the houses are £1,000 000+ a lot more than us other plebs. It's only about a 6 mile loop but that, 2 or 3 times a session - a couple of times a week, really helps.

Time it on your phone, Garmin, Strava etc - and feel like you have achieved something - especially if you beat the 2nd or 3rd loop.

TBH that ain't often with me on the 3rd lap!

Agent57

tozi1 wrote:

Crikey Borders-04.18!!!-now there goes a keen cyclist-I doff my cap-" chapeau"!

Go to your control panel - ucp.php?i=174 - and set the "Summer Time/DST is in effect:" radio button to "Yes".

Of course, 0518 is still bloody impressive to be getting up for a ride. I wish I had that ability!

Initialised

Agent57 wrote:

tozi1 wrote:

Crikey Borders-04.18!!!-now there goes a keen cyclist-I doff my cap-" chapeau"!

Go to your control panel - ucp.php?i=174 - and set the "Summer Time/DST is in effect:" radio button to "Yes".

Of course, 0518 is still bloody impressive to be getting up for a ride. I wish I had that ability!

Yeah me too, I was meant to be heading out this morning around 7, one minor crisis to deal with before bed and it'll have to wait until 4 ish now, the hills wont be going anywhere

jeannot18

+1 for using the right gear, and if attack the hill with some momentum, they feel a bit easier. But like the first reply said, it does not get easier, you just get faster
j

CXrider

I used to be afraid of hills.

Now, I plan my rides to include at least one 'proper' climb.

Hills are soooo much more interesting. You do not really get any reward from traversing a flat road but find a hill, struggle up, and the world is yours.

tozi1

just to be clear Ringpeace- does that mean 30 number flat out one minute sessions with full recovery in between?,Thanks.

sparklehedgehog

tozi1 wrote:

I suppose I just want to know they will get easier-I'm an older (61) returner the fold,having enjoyed cycling at various times over the years,- youth hosteling at fifteen,commuting at forty,t.t'ing at fifty,and now,just trying to cling on to a bit of fitness and loose weight.

I go out,usually three times a week,one session being in our beautiful lincolnshire wolds, -after a few weeks the surprisingly steep (1 in 7 some of 'em) hills are getting a tiny bit easier-I suppose I just want someone to tell me it is going to be more pleasurable!-and how long,realistically does it take! it's weird,things get much easier and faster on the flat,but hills.....!! I also wonder if it only really happens after the weight drops significantly-ie.-you can ride all the miles you want,but without loosing loads of flab hills will always be purgatory!
Any thoughts please!

Go try Tetford hill

tozi1

Ah yes Sparkle,the answer to the usual -"but lincolnshire's flat and boring"-not to mention belchford and ruckland!
We do a loop a bit further north-not as vicious as tetford,but testing enough for now!

ultimedia

I think most of it comes down to age, weight and muscle.
Remember that you have to carry every extra pound of body mass up the hill so it's crucial not be overweight.

Being a little older I wouldn't expect any groundbreaking improvements on steep hill climbs as you loose some punch over the years. However less steep and a proper mountain col is still really doable and something you can train for, I've seen people well in their 60's ride the Mont Ventoux. It's a matter of doing things at the right pace, training with a heart rate monitor (crucial!) and taking it slowly.

philwint

I think it depends what you mean by easier. While the "it doesn't get easier, you just go faster" line is true to an extent it does assume a certain level of fitness.

When I first started doing a lot of road stuff I found hills hell. The reason was that I was insufficiently fit to have a 'back out' option. In my easiest gear on some of the hills round here I was red lining just to keep moving.

Nowadays I'm much fitter, and yes i can still red line (much faster) up those same hills. I can also sit up and spin an easy gear and cruise up them without breaking sweat (should i want to). That option just wasn't there when i started.

So to the OPs question - it took me about a year to get to that point.

markhewitt1978

Rick Chasey wrote:

Change of mental attitude helps.

Accept that one goes significantly slower when you go uphill, and just be pleased you're moving at all.

Then it never feels quite as bad .

Mental attitude is a big part of it, I was thinking of that when riding some undulating hills yesterday; I was climbing up (in the big ring so not massively steep) and my thoughts went to "slow down, you're overreaching" but then I flipped it and thought nah, I'll go faster instead, and I did and it was fine!

I would add that I personally wouldn't recommend doing hill repeats or any sort of 'training' where you are going out for trainings sake. Just plan a hilly route and ride it, I find it so much more satisfying to complete a course rather than do laps.

tozi1

Lots of practical and reassuring help there-so about a twelve month then-sounds fair enough to me!....-now I'm sure that uber expensive pair of prescription cycling shades would help ....and then maybe ALL the roadies would shout hi!
Thanks.

Schleck's Chain

I'd set yourself mini-goals to make it enjoyable. First time I tried my local Cat 3, I had to stop several times for a breather. I set my first goal to make it to the top without stopping. When I did, it felt amazing. My next challenge was to go quicker. After a while, I remember climbing in my usual gear and still feeling like I had something in the tank. That also felt amazing. Now I aim to climb in higher gears and beat my times. It's really motivating to see yourself take a bit off your time as you improve.

I'd also agree with philwint. You will get to a stage where you can avoid red-lining in your lower gears. The gear in which you red-line and the grade at which you red-line will also improve. Obviously, at that point, you'll be addicted to climbing and want to push your speed and not be satisfied with spinning up!

Good luck.