Distance Climbing Help

[Veronica]

You are NOT giving up girl! You are making good progress. Stick with it. Besides there is no point in having a goal that you know you can achieve. Where's the challenge?

I too have a power to weight ratio issue. I will never be a little person. It kills me all these chicks who talk about weighing 120. That's how much my non fat bits weigh!

When I show up to a double century or a brevet, and look around at the other women riders, I often get this little voice in my head telling me I don't belong. I don't look like the other women. I'm 3 - 5 inches taller than the top double century riders and 30 - 50 pounds heavier. What am I doing there?

I kick the little voice's a$$ and go ride the ride.

V.

[maillotpois]

Starfish - the only thing I would change is truly to give yourself a periodization week - keeping even the long ride (in addition to the weekday stuff) easier every month or so.

[smilingcat]

Lets see I've done Death ride (fun ride)
Climb the Kaiser (those who do this poo poos the death ride)
race around the bear (timed 100 miler going up to a ski resort... over 7,000 ft of climb ??)
breathless in agony ride (another 100 miler with lots of hill climb)
and others.

Unless your ride has 10-15% grade, I wouldn't spend too much time on such a grade. Training on such hill doesn't seem to do much except to just grind you down. Instead concentrate on doing 5-8% grade over longer stretches. the 10-15% grade do appear on Death ride and on Kaiser pass but they are really short. On Ebetts (death ride), you find them on the switch backs. On Kaiser, its after the big creek and it lasts only 1/2 mile. And if you are used to riding 15 miles sections with 5% grade, you wil handle the 15% grade without too much difficulty. I wouldn't say its easy. Its doable. To a runup to you big event I think it would be prudent to ride a 75-95 miler rides with 7000ft climbs and repeat it maybe five times. During the week, you do need to add a rest day. You also need work on strength and endourance. Your speed on flat may decrease somewhat so don't be alarmed.

Also if possible train at altitude. You can lose more than 10% of your strength and stamina at altitude. Otherwise don't psyche yourself out of it.

Lots of luck and don't give up.

The secret of great hill climbers are they are all really tough mentally. Psyche first then physical.

now do take my comments with grain of salt cause I'm not a coach nor claim to be trainer. just my personal experience.

[maillotpois]

I actually think the higher grades do serve a purpose - it goes to what you say later, smilingcat, the mental aspect of it.

One of our Death Ride training rides is the second half of the Terrible Two course - Skaggs and Ft. Ross. Both of which have extended sections (up to 1/2 a mile) of 15+% grade. Getting up these, however they do it, gives our folks a real mental edge - especially when I tell them there is nothing on the Death Ride that's as hard as those sections.

It's the mental thing: "Well, I've done "X" ride, and this ride isn't as hard as that!"

[Fredwina]

My two bits:
I'll agree with MP, sometime doing harder grade will give you the confidence to do things- The start of Glendora Mountian Road has a nice steep pitch (about 8%) before leveling off to 5-6% for the next 12 miles. It always helps me to know that If I can make it to the gate, I can do the rest of it.
Alitude, I noticed this on my 300K in Arizona that I DNF'ed - From Flagstaff to Happy Jack it rolling, but I found myslef in easier gears - elevation was from 7000 to 7600. I've got another Brevet in month in Utah - 200K w/6000 feet and the starting point is at 6800. I've been debating going up and doing a loop around Big Bear lake and up to Onyx Summit. if only gas wasn't so dear.
Smiling Cat - I thought ride around the bear was closer to 9000 - you start about 1200, onyx is 8400 something, plus you've that descent into Big Bear on 18 and that "little" climb on the descent at Barton Flats

[smilingcat]

I didn't want to exagerate the bear ride's climb.

Yup start at Sylvan park then ride over to town of Highland then hop onto hwy 330? And you soon see a sign "elevation 2,000 ft". And you go &*^% Onyx summit is 84something... and you struggle and keep on. When you think you are half way up, you see a next sign "elevation 3,000 ft"...

Train from Big bear lake to Onyx summit is a good work out. Some local clubs make a habit of making an extended weekend trip up to Big bear and train.

Go up to onyx, come down turn around and go back up. Good training. (except one year one of the girls crashed into a tree and had 5 metal pins in her wrist. That was a bad year for the club.)

Another place to train is over in Eastern Sierra. I used to go to mamouth mtn. and ride over dead man's pass into June lake area then onto Lee Vining then up conway pass. Also some people stay at Lee Vining and climb Tioga pass around 10,000ft elevation. Actually number of people do this like 3 to 4 weeks before Death ride as a warm up ride. If you can do the Tioga pass, you can do the death ride.

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hey you are in Rancho Cucamanga. You are lot closer to Big bear than me (Hermosa Beach) What are you talking about gas price!!! Its 90 miles to the base and another 20 miles to big bear.
meowmeow
Smilingcat

[Starfish]

Thanks, everyone. No, V, I'm NOT giving up! And, MP, I am sure you are right about the periodization. I got worried about getting up to enough climbing if I used a few weeks for just recovery rides here and there, but I'm sure it is time well spent.

Part of riding the harder grades is that there are only so many roads where I live. We don't have many long climbs. We have one mountain road. And we have a gazillion foothills with roads that create a few loops. And, I don't have an elevation profile for the event ride, so I can't be sure there aren't some steep pitches.

I will get some training in at elevation. Our highest road only goes up to 5000 feet (in 19 miles!), but the snow is finally melting up there, so soon I can get up there and do repeats of the last few miles for elevation.

Thank you all so very much. It has been a hard year, and I really, really want to have fun and success on my goal ride this year. I need a lot of encouragement, and I am so grateful that when I unabashedly ask for it, you come through! What wonderful people!