What qualifies as a hill for hill repeats?

Hi. I'm a Minnesota flatlander and have decided that I need to get stronger by working on some hills. Trouble is...there aren't really many around here, aside from some of the hilly streets in our neighborhood. I did find a two-block stretch that has about a 9% grade and about killed myself on it yesterday. But geez...two blocks? And so many of you ladies are out climbing mountains? :eek:

Why do I care at this point? My brother in law has asked me to do the bike leg of a co-ed duathlon with him the end of this summer...and I want to do well, and I feel like I need to do this so that I can be stronger all-around. ;) We rode over the weekend, and I was able to keep pace with him, but know if we would have hit a hill, I would have been left in the dust!

What makes a hill a hill?

Anything you have to work to climb sounds like a hill to me!

and your 9% grade for two blocks that you say nearly killed you sounds pretty perfect!

That sounds like a good hill to do repeats on.

You might try doing different things each time you climb it - staying in the saddle, getting out of the saddle, maintaining a certain cadence, staying in a certain gear, keeping a particular HR.

Those are my tricks for keeping hill repeats from getting boring.

V.

I do hill repeats on anything from 3-12% - depends on what I'm trying to work on. I have a few 3% grades that I try to go up as fast as I can and keep my speed up pretty high. Then I have a hill that is so steep that I can only do it once and my gola is just to get up it without stopping. The main one I do is just around the corner from home. It's about .5km long and about 6-9%. I time myself and do it about 6 times.

All good and helpful suggestions...thanks!

Sheesh, I've been known to do repeats on freeway overpasses when I'm desperate. Use what ya got.

Hmmm...we have lots of these. Good idea.

My workouts include a variety of different types of hill repeats. My workouts are all based on time, so I'm not sure how they translate to distance, but they run the gamut from hill sprints that last 20 to 30 seconds, to cruise intervals on a 6 to 8 minute hill.

RoadBikeRider.com Newsletter
Issue No. 267 - 10/26/06: Iron Sides
ISSN 1536-4143

7. Try This on Your Next Ride o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o

"Climb" into a headwind.

A funny thing happens along the rural roads surrounding RBR's Pennsylvania headquarters. During the heat of summer when breezes are a good thing and you'd love to see the views, the corn grows eight feet tall. Lots of miles are ridden through still air in a green tunnel.

Then in autumn, when the temperature drops and a brisk wind begins blowing almost constantly, those doggone farmers cut down the corn. Gimme shelter! Sorry, from then on rides are in open, windswept terrain.

If you can identify with that -- and particularly if your terrain is relatively flat -- you can benefit by making headwinds into hills. After all, the resistance is effectively the same.

Long grinds into the wind are a lot like ascending a long climb. Out-of-saddle climbing can be simulated by shifting to a gear high enough that you need to stand against the wind to keep your speed. Both approaches build overall strength and power.

Given the twists and turns of a loop course, you'll get chances to escape the brunt of a headwind. Relax, recover and "climb" again when the next turn points you into the gale. It's one way to think positive about the wind and even turn it into a training partner.

If that sounds, uh, corny, remember that it's worked for many riders who lived in mountainless but windy areas and became strong climbers -- Eddy Merckx (Belgium) and Lance Armstrong (Texas) to name two.

Wow...guess I'll stop cussing out the headwinds and start looking at them as opportunities. Ok, sometimes...

We havea loooong gradual hill. I got purty good at hills by following Ed's "accelerate the whole way" rule (it's about three miles)... you don't accelerate a lot, but you *never* slow down. You are toast at the top.
Short 9%ers would also be good... we sure ain't got those around here. We have the wind, though, and it works. I've gone back east to the hills and conquered them.

If I move into the small ring, it's a HILL. If I move to the big one on the back end, (what the heck do we call those?) it's a MOUNTAIN. Never mind if it's really a mountain or not, it's a MOUNTAIN.

Some days, magic happens and what was a HILL last time I rode it is suddenly a MOUNTAIN. Sometimes other magic happens and the HILLs become hills.

If I'm climbing a MOUNTAIN and have to keep telling myself "I think I can I think I can," then there's a BIG party at the top, even if it's just going on inside my head!

Some of the hills I ride are invisible. My legs feel them, but my eyes can't see them. Those aren't for repeats, but anything else qualifies -- if I'm in the mood to punish myself! (though the last time I did that, it was a biggun that I'd never gotten all the way to the top of before, and I did it!)

Karen in Boise

Oops, I forgot: if ANY hill has lotsa traffic, I definitely don't repeat it. I get up it as quickly as I possibly can -- not very! -- and get the heck away from it before any of the cars get me!

Karen in Boise

Hi, I'm originally from Minneapolis... Theres lots of hills in stillwater, and it's a beautiful city.

Bike on over to SP and ride up and down the Grand hill! (That is if you don't pass out on the upwards part or die because your brakes weren't crisp enough for the stoplight at the bottom).

My goal is to be able to go up the hill with poise by the end of the summer.

Thank you for this post...I was just wondering about hill repeats. I live near Boulder, CO and there are lots of mountains. I want to ride up Flagstaff Rd and Lookout Mtn road this year. I know I can do it, but the whole double chainring gets me! Thanks for all the advice!

Northstar,

For something quick and close by, I like the hill on West River Road just under the Franklin Av. Bridge. It's a decent enough grade and takes me over 2 min. to go up.

Further away, there's the Smith Av. (High Bridge) hill in St. Paul that is a good challenge, esp. if you take the road all the way up to the crest of the hill. This one is super fun to ride down!

And if you're in that area, there's the Ohio st. hill, which is shorter and steep.

Another close one is the one that goes down to the Ford dam on West River Road. This one is great to just go up and down, since there's rarely any traffic. I've seen people doing walking repeats there, too.

If you want a long hill, try Upper Afton Road in St. Paul (Woodbury?) which I just did today and boy do my legs know it!

Have fun! And if you don't already have a riding group, think about going on one of the group rides out of NOW Bikes on Snelling in St. Paul, Tuesdays at 6 pm and Saturdays at 8 am. They're very welcoming and it's a good way to learn new routes.

Kate:)

pyxichick,
Are you in the NOW bike and fitness riding group? I have been looking for a bunch to ride with and I was wondering how fast they rode and distance. I am a bit pokey but I think riding with others would be good for me.

Madscot,

I'm not technically a member of the NOW club, but our VB rides are combined with theirs. You should try one of the Tuesday or Saturday rides. They're usually around an average of 14-16 mph (depending on how hilly it is) and last around 2 hours. They are no-drop rides, and they sometimes split into two groups if some people want to go faster.

Kate

I think I will try and drop by tomorrow night's ride. Hopefully it is not too hot out. Maybe a TE member will be there? shout out to Northstar and Pyxichick!