What qualifies as a hill for hill repeats?

[Veronica]

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.

[kelownagirl]

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.

[northstar]

All good and helpful suggestions...thanks!

[SadieKate]

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

[northstar]

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

[Eden]

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.

[SadieKate]

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.