Training for hills when you don't have them.

[rubysoho]

I do have some hills, but they take considerably more time for me to get to. Which means needing more travel time and I'm not sure I will have time to spare this Winter and Spring.

Here is the "why":
I have a 150 mile ride in early June that I am beginning to prep for now (it is my first, so far my max ride has been around 50 miles) and I know there are larger/more rolling hills on the planned ride route than I can usually access in my immediate area.

Does anyone have suggestions for how I can better train for hills without actually getting on them consistently? Once the time changes again I can probably squeak in more rides (traveling to hilly routes) but until then I want to do something other than worry.

Seriously, I had my butt handed to me on a 25 mile training ride and thought I was going to die - okay, it wasn't THAT bad - multiple times all because of the darn hills coupled with some serious speed riding. I really need to improve! It didn't help that I put myself in the 14 - 16 mph group and we consistently were at 18, 19 and 20 mph. 27 - 31 going downhill. I know for the "real" ride I'll be setting my own speed and not worrying about anyone else.

[ny biker]

If you have time to get to Arlington, there are hills a-plenty. They are not very long, but some are very steep and they are frequent enough to give you a very good workout. The Babes on Bikes website has some cue sheets for hilly rides in north Arlington and McLean.

Closer to you, Stuart Mill Rd has some rollers, not huge but better than nothing, and Birdfoot Lane is a good hill. Also Hunter Station Rd -- head east on the WOD from Reston. At the intersection with Hunter Mill, make a sharp right onto Hunter Station Rd and it will take you up a good hill.

[grey]

I have lots of hills in my area. The only suggestion I have is to work hard in a low, low gear on the trainer. My trainer has a band system on it which increases resistance (the Kreitler Wind Machine) so choosing the hardest gear, and using the lowest (harder) resistance on that band is as close to it as I can get in winter.

Unfortunately it's a different kind of riding than flats or gradual slopes. I can ride 100 miles of hills, but I will have MY *** handed to me if I try to ride 100 miles on the flats of Florida.

You push hard, til you think your legs will burn and there's nothing left, and then you rest. With some of my mountains here... that rest is sometimes a few miles of gliding along!

[OakLeaf]

Wind. I ride in the flatlands all winter and I don't lose a bit of strength for hills. What I lose is endurance, because it's so freakin' boring no one can stand to go farther than about 50 miles...

[rubysoho]

If you have time to get to Arlington, there are hills a-plenty. They are not very long, but some are very steep and they are frequent enough to give you a very good workout. The Babes on Bikes website has some cue sheets for hilly rides in north Arlington and McLean.

Closer to you, Stuart Mill Rd has some rollers, not huge but better than nothing, and Birdfoot Lane is a good hill. Also Hunter Station Rd -- head east on the WOD from Reston. At the intersection with Hunter Mill, make a sharp right onto Hunter Station Rd and it will take you up a good hill.

Time is my biggest issue. Arlington is just so far away that I can only make it out there on a weekend. Heading east instead of west on the W&OD will be my "go-to" when I can.

Someone suggested getting on a stair climber at the gym. Has anyone found this to help them?

[ny biker]

I did hill training once a week when I was training for the Livestrong challenge. On Wednesday nights I did hills, anywhere from 16-25 miles depending on how much time I had before dark. On weekends I did distance rides.

[Tri Girl]

We have no hills around here, but LOTS of crazy wind. Everyone says wind is good training for hills. I'm gonna call BS on that. I ride in crazy wind all the time, but when I went riding in the Rockies a couple summers ago- 1000 miles of riding in 30 mph wind did not prepare me for hills/mountains. Rubbish!!
For me, the only way to get better on hills is to train on hills. We have one significant hill about an hour drive away. Next time I attempt a hilly ride- I will drive out there and ride that thing a million times. But in all honestly- some people are just better climbers. I can descend like a rocket, but climb as nimbly as an elephant.

Until you can ride hills, what about just riding in a harder gear- simulating the toughness of a climb?

[marni]

got any high bridges or highway overpasses that you can ride over and over and over again each time in a more difficult gear while maintaining speed and or cadence?

just a thought.

marni

[ny biker]

Be careful with riding in a harder gear -- I tried it with a Carmichael Training Systems climbing video and it bothered my knees. Try harder gears gradually.

I am the kind of person who will ride up and down the same hill over and over if it's the only hill I can ride. When I'm pressed for time I will ride in a circle in my 'hood, up a hill on one street and then down on the next street over, 5 times in a row, then take a break and ride on flat roads for a few minutes, then go back and do it again 5-6 times in the opposite direction.

[luv2climb]

I ride a heavy adult trike up bridges, overpasses, and the few extremely short hills there are around here. Last winter that kept me from losing strength. I do my real climbing on longer hills once a week all year round (weather permitting).