Climbed a mountain yesterday...by accident!

[luv'nAustin]

What a great feeling you must have had when you reached the top. I'm really happy for you and hope that riding continues to bring joy into your life.

[Starfish]

Aaaaah...a new recruit for TE's Climbing Club...<devilish smile & wringing of hands>.

Way to go! Next thing you know, you'll be reporting your monthly elevation gain here and complaining that you only had time for 3 repeats of your hill. Climbing is REALLY addictive.

Be really proud!!! Awesome!!!!

[mimitabby]

you only had time for 3 repeats of your hill. Climbing is REALLY addictive.

THREE REPEATS?! COME ON!!

[RoadRaven]

Well... from a tortoise on hills... well done all of you who embrace them...

I seek them out, I do reps on them, but I cannot say I love them, enjoy them, or look forward to them.

I like the fact I have completed my reps and that tomorrow will be a rest from hills...

[Starfish]

THREE REPEATS?! COME ON!!

Hey, I know from being intimidated by hills.

All I'm saying, is if I can go from 4 years ago being thrilled to finish 10 pancake flat miles on the Burke Gilman Trail, to planning on 16,000 feet of climbing next August in the Shasta Super Century...I'm just saying climbing can be addictive and you can really surprise yourself if you keep at it.

Actually, this thread really reminded me of my own experience with the 5 mile stretch on Hurricane Ridge road from the visitor's center up to the Heart of the Hills station. The first time, I got maybe 1 mile up. Then, it was a red letter day when I finally made it all the way, but with lots of stops, gasping, red as a beet with legs of jelly. Amazingly, I can now do repeats on that section of road, after going to the top of the Ridge first. If you had told me that even a year ago, I would have died laughing at you.

I mean this as total encouragement. I am overweight and slow, but it is amazing what can happen. If I can do my hill, she can definitely work up to repeats of hers! (If she wants, and if it even matters to her...we're all different).

[Scarlet]

Great reading this and I was with you all the way (from the top to the bottom) I hate the hill on the climb and love it on the way down


Scarlet
x

[sgtiger]

Congratulations CathiCville! That sounds like an awesome ride. Sometimes the best things happen unplanned.

[KathiCville]

Wow, Starfish! 16,000 feet of climbing! I confess that I can't imagine doing that, BUT on the other hand, a year ago, if you'd asked me if I would ever be on a bike on Skyline Drive in early December, I probably would have hooted with laughter!..........

My cycling BF, who is proud as can be of my little accidental "mountain" adventure, keeps telling me that by next summer I'll be right back up to where I was in my late 20s, early 30s---pretty comfortable doing 30-40 mile rides (note, rides, not races!), on rolling roads. (I'm turning 50 in April.) Anything more in terms of length or difficulty will be sweet icing on the (birthday) cake!

As I was looking up at that (to me) daunting stretch on Saturday, I was definitely grateful that I'd pushed myself recently to do a little bit of "hill work" at one of our local parks. Just a stretch that is at most a 1/2 mile long, but steep enough at the mid-point that I really have to hang on to make it from bottom to top. (At which point, I'm always saying to myself: "WHAT was I thinking???" or "Whose bright idea was THIS?")........If I hadn't enjoyed the "success" of that small climb a half dozen times or so, I almost certainly would have wussed out on even trying the climb on Saturday. So, the lesson is that every little bit of positive experience DOES count in fueling the "Hmm, let's give a shot! What have I got to lose?" mindset.

Now, if I can just get my 50-year old buns and my new Terry saddle to make friends!

[Starfish]

If I hadn't enjoyed the "success" of that small climb a half dozen times or so, I almost certainly would have wussed out on even trying the climb on Saturday. So, the lesson is that every little bit of positive experience DOES count in fueling the "Hmm, let's give a shot! What have I got to lose?" mindset.

Now, if I can just get my 50-year old buns and my new Terry saddle to make friends!

You are so right. Take enough baby steps, and keep on taking 'em, and you will surprise yourself. You only have a very small handful of years on me, and before I started riding my bike, I had not ever ridden as an adult. Not since I was a child, under 10yo. I hear you about the saddle, too!!

I love your enthusiasm. It is going to be great fun hearing from you as you keep on having fun and surprising yourself.

[IFjane]

As I was looking up at that (to me) daunting stretch on Saturday

Kathi, CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I know those hills intimately and hate them every time I climb them. What an awesome accomplishment! Not only were you climbing big hills, but you were climbing them on the TOP of the mountains - where it is decidedly colder than down at the bottom in town. Keep it up - we'll plan a ride up there in the spring and I will whine every pedal stroke of the way with you.

[Kristi]

Good for you for sticking it out and not being to scared to take it on.
I must say, I haven't mastered the hill thing yet, but you give me inspiration to try and take one on.

Any pointers with the gears?

I see many more accomplishments like this in your future.
YEY YOU!!!

[KathiCville]

Hi Kristi......Happy Holidays! Thanks for the congrats on my little adventure. I wish I could tell you that I was doing magical things with my gears as I climbed, but the truth is I was just hanging on in my small ring and next to lowest gear, LOL!

If you search around here on TE you'll find some very wise advice about gears from more serious, experienced riders. I know that Starfish is training for a very hilly century next summer, so some of her posts/threads might be really useful reading.

One thing I have started working on since that ride is learning to "spin" at a higher rate (cadence). I swapped out my original Cateye computer for one with a cadence monitor. I'm working on keeping my cadence in the 75-85 pedal strokes per min. range, by switching gears as needed to maintain the rate. (Except on big hills, where dropping down to about 3/4's of normal rate---60---is apparently fine. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.....) At first, it felt strange to be pedaling so much faster than I'm used to (and with less apparent effort), but it's starting to feel "normal" as I get better at matching the @80 cadence with a gear that feels "right." Not too easy, not too hard. So far, in general terms, spinning at the higher cadence *does* seem to make my rides overall less tiring. By spring I hope the higher cadence will feel so natural I won't have to think about it any more.

Good luck! Lots of great stuff to learn here on TE!

[Starfish]

I know that Starfish is training for a very hilly century next summer, so some of her posts/threads might be really useful reading.

There is lots of great info about using gears, shifting, and so forth which you can likely find with a search. (Warning, this got long...but, it was important for me in doing hill training.)

The one thing I could perhaps add to the discussion is to get whatever gearing you need in order to just be out riding hills. The bike I had when I started riding had a triple, and the lowest gear was 30 (teeth on the smallest ring in front) and 27 (teeth on the biggest ring in back). Now, that is a fairly low gear.

But, I am overweight (working on that) and I live in a very hilly area (not rolling hills)... climbs everywhere. I was finding that going out for a ride always became a test of strength, and my muscles were always sore, and I could NEVER spin up a hill. It got discouraging.

Now, I know it is possible that if I had just kept at it, I probably would have gotten that much stronger, faster. But, I am also riding this bike for fun, and I wanted to enjoy it! So, I went out and got a mountain derailleur for the back, and switched out my cassette for one with 32 teeth on the back.

Those lower gears gave me just enough extra help that I could go out and do long rides on hills all day. I was still sore the next day, but I was able to train without being crippled, and I had a LOT more options for ride routes. This kept it all a lot more fun, so I found myself riding hills all the time and enjoying it. I know those gears helped me do my hard ride this past summer. And, I know they will help me do next summer's hard ride, too.

My goal is to complete that hard ride with this setup, and then next Fall get myself a fancy new bike with compact double gearing. I know there will be a big adjustment, and I might be "two steps back" in what I can do. But, I will have done a LOT of climbing in the past two years, and gained a lot of confidence and strength.

I caught some flack from local friends who literally do Ironman Triathlons, and told me I would get stronger if I just kept the normal gearing. But, I listened to what I intuitively knew would give me what I needed to get out there and really train in the hills, and it has worked for me. And, I'm still having FUN!!!

[jobob]

I caught some flack from local friends who literally do Ironman Triathlons, and told me I would get stronger if I just kept the normal gearing. But, I listened to what I intuitively knew would give me what I needed to get out there and really train in the hills, and it has worked for me. And, I'm still having FUN!!!

Well done, Starfish.

It so irks me when people insist that "tougher gears will make you stronger".

Well, from my perspective, tougher gears would just frustrate me, and wear me out. Better to get to the top of the mountain slowly than never get there at all.

And eventually I get stronger and I use the tougher gears. But it's still nice to have the low gears to fall back on.