It's official; I suck at climbing

[ACG]

I suck at hillls too. I am not embarassed at all to shift into the granny gear and just pedal really, really slow. I have had recent breathing issues which I can relate to allergies.

The only way to get better at hills is to ride hills. I'm not sure about spinning class techniques. However when I ride my bike on a trainer I often switch to a harder gear in increments of 5 minutes, which is sort of a simulated hill.

Good luck

[Cassandra_Cain]

Hills can be difficult and really, you do what you have to do to get up there - if walking is it, so be it, absolutely no worries.

Still, a lot of times among riders and in clubs I keep hearing about some people being good climbers as if it were some mysterious or innate ability. Really it just comes down to fitness, persistance, and, simply numbers (p-w ratio).

I hadn't ridden in the mountains in a few weeks, where I'd been doing a lot or work indoors on the trainer and sprint training on the road. Then went out and easily set a PB on the biggest mountain in town. That just reflects an increase in fitness, nothing else.

Pace yourself properly, get (if you don't already have) the right gearing, and stick with it. There's no hill you can't climb with lots of work and determination.

[indysteel]

First off, is that a new picture of your dog Bad Ju Ju? I love it!

Second, thanks for the advice. I do have a triple with a 12-25 cassette so I think my gearing is appropriate for climbing. When some of you talk of "mountains," I feel really guilty because all we have in Indiana are hills. Admittedly, some of them are rather steep, e.g., 17-20% grade, but they're all relatively short. Because they're so steep, it's hard to restart if I stop to catch my breatch because you need so much momentum to get moving again.

I try hard to remember that I am a newbie and that I should keep my expectations in check. What's frustrating for me is that many of my friends who ride have been doing so for a long time and take it for granted that it takes time and training to climb well. One friend in particular has done the Triple Bypass twice and climbed Mt. Mitchell. She talked me into the Hilly Hundred and, in so doing, kept dismissing my climbing fears/issues. (I would note that she herself completed the Hilly w/o using her little ring--using instead her 42-teeth middle ring). I appreciated her encouragment, but I think it helps somtimes when people acknowledge that these skills don't just develop overnight, nor are they just a product of innate ability.

Anyway, I'll report back after my meeting with my trainer. Hopefully, if I do a bit of everything in the coming year--weights, actual climbing, spinning, interval training--I'll get better at climbing (and a lot of other things too). Here's hoping!