Hill Repeats
jame58rown
Posts: 263
I'm looking for some advice on incorporating a hill repeats day into my riding week. I live on a hill that must be 20%, probably more. It's EVIL! lol. However, it's only a few hundred metres in length:
When I really attack it, it only takes about 2mins. After that 2mins though, I am totally f*cked; my heart feels like it's going to explode, I feel like I'm suffocating because I cant get enough air in and if I try to walk I stumble around like I've just been smacked in the face. :roll: Seriously, my legs just burn. Of course If I take it easier it's OK but it's impossible to actually sit and pedal it's just too steep for that; I have to stand up. I've been doing the same hill for a few months now but it never gets any easier because I always try to go faster. lol
Anyway, if I did hill repeats on this: how long should I have between repeats and how many times should I do it?
To help my climbing would I be better off just doing a normal 20 odd mile ride with hills of varying lengths and gradients?
Thanks in advance.
When I really attack it, it only takes about 2mins. After that 2mins though, I am totally f*cked; my heart feels like it's going to explode, I feel like I'm suffocating because I cant get enough air in and if I try to walk I stumble around like I've just been smacked in the face. :roll: Seriously, my legs just burn. Of course If I take it easier it's OK but it's impossible to actually sit and pedal it's just too steep for that; I have to stand up. I've been doing the same hill for a few months now but it never gets any easier because I always try to go faster. lol
Anyway, if I did hill repeats on this: how long should I have between repeats and how many times should I do it?
To help my climbing would I be better off just doing a normal 20 odd mile ride with hills of varying lengths and gradients?
Thanks in advance.
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Comments
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Depends what kind of hill you want to get good at. Hill repeats on a short 200m climb won't help you much on European style climbs.0
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Find a long long steady gradient to help the fitness repeating on that, then do your shorter hill in a training loop to mix up the types. Most people can grunt over a short hill but on a long steady climb you can certainly drop your mates if you put the effort in.0
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There is a hill thats more like 10% - 12% but takes me about 15 minutes to scale.
So would it be more beneficial to do repeats on that? Or do I need longer still?
And how much time should I have to recover between repeats?
Thanks again.0 -
15 min hill is pretty good. I have one that is about 2.4km long and I do 3 climbs on the way home from work - seems to have helped this year as my hill climbing was better.0
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Which hills are you using? Penglais is a local favourite for hill intervals. Not sure where in the county you are though.0
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Oh sorry, I see you are further south in the county. Bit of a trip to do intervals!
I'd say a hill between 10 and 15% is probably great. Just pick your timings and turn around when you've done your interval, roll back down and start back up again after the alotted rest period. Helps if it's a quiet road. Penglais is NOT a quiet road but the popular time for hitting intervals on it is Sunday evening which is as quiet as it gets.0 -
Is penglais hill the one that goes past the uni? Or past the college? Because the one going past the college is flipping steep!! I saw someone on a road bike with a rucksack and jeans really going for it past the college in Llanbadarn. Must have been pretty fit! I couldn't have done that hill at those speeds.
Anyway, yeh Aber is a bit far to do intervals. Thanks for the advice though.0 -
Penglais is the one past the Uni in Town. The main hill. The one you are talking about is called Primrose hill. We did a hillclimb up both this season and another up Pen y Bont in Penparcau.0
