These Hills are Made for Walkin'

[Bikingmomof3]

You finished, that is what counts. You tried it, you ahd to walk a wee bit, no biggie, everyone starts somewhere. It will get easier with time and practice.

[eclectic]

I met a cross country cyclist this summer that said "I have never met a hill I couldn't walk"

What are the options, walk the hill or sag home?

Walking the hill will win out everytime.

Great job and keep going! ! !

[roguedog]

laugh,


My dear, it's all a matter of terminology. You did not walk up those hills. You simply felt the need for a bit of cross-training.

MomOnBike
(the cross-training queen)

That rocks! LOL I love it.

[Aint Doody]

Here's my motto---if your hands are on the bike, it counts.

[CyclChyk]

MomOnBike & Doody - I like the way you two think!!

[Meaux]

HA! I add five extra miles if there are hills, walking or no! (Just kidding!) Coming from a very flat part of the country, I did my first ride with hills a week or so ago. I am SO out of shape!!

[laughlaugh18]

My dear, it's all a matter of terminology. You did not walk up those hills. You simply felt the need for a bit of cross-training.

Yeah, cross training, that's it!!

Pam, I think I'm gonna first work towards doing the whole 25 miles with my feet on the pedals before I start thinking about metric centuries!

[bcipam]

Laugh by this time next year you look back on all this and think 25 miles, what a piece of cake. Just keep riding!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I said once to my DH when I got off my bike on a steep hill that "I need to stretch out my legs for a bit" as I started walking up. Sounds so much better than something like "I've had it", and it's true, anyway! And really, my legs DO feel rejuvenated after they've been stretched out a bit by walking up a hill!
I used to regularly walk up certain really steep hills. Now I "usually" pedal up those same hills, but sometimes if the ride has been long, I'll "stretch my legs a bit" up one or two if I'm really tired.

[wannaduacentury]

laughlaugh, the one thing that's been driven home to me about cycling time after time is... it's all relative. I tell the folks at work that I go on 20-30 mile rides and they look at me like I'm Hercules (and crazy). I then come here and read about other women riding centuries as a matter of course. I go out and grunt and gasp my way through 9 miles of what I think are pretty tough hills and think I'm getting pretty strong, and then I ride what's considered an "easy" 25 mile loop of hills and get so worn out that I wonder if I'm gonna make it back to my car. Oh, and then, of course, I come here and read about the ladies in the western half of the US who climb 3000-4000 thousand feet on just about every ride...

So I say, darned right it's kosher to say you completed that 25 mile ride! You and your bike both got to the end, and that counts

I second that. You made it to the finish. I walk a few hills too if I need to. Jennifer

[PscyclePath]

I met a cross country cyclist this summer that said "I have never met a hill I couldn't walk"

What are the options, walk the hill or sag home?

Walking the hill will win out everytime.

There's no shame in walking a hill. Even the pros have to do it from time to time, such as on the Koppenberg in this year's Tour of Flanders... only 7 guys out of the peloton made it up this one without walking their bikes!!

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/20...OPPENBERG_6297

And if Alessandro Petacchi has to walk a hill from time to time, I'm certain that you can be excused too...

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/20...-PETACCHI_5397

In fact, there's a whole branch of the sport organized around walking or toting your bike up these sorts of hills and into other places... cyclo-cross!

TE

[cosc]

Congrats on your 25 miles. You made it without much aches. I'm very impressed. Walking hills is just another granny gear for me. Wonderful to have great biking buds to give you company and encouragment.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Walking hills is just another granny gear for me.

I just LOVE that! I'm gonna use that from now on!

[Thorn]

Walking hills is just another granny gear for me

Ah....I've always thought when riding that sometimes the granny gear isn't enough and I want to get a great-granny gear. But, now I know what that means....my feet and walking are my great-granny gear. I had it all along, I just didn't know where to find it!