Can't Breathe up Hills!!

[redrhodie]

They promise me that there will be slower riders as the weather warms up; apparently they suspect I'll be able to keep up with the mechanic's pregnant wife who will be joining us soon (I'm not sure if I should consider that a good thing or a very very bad thing ).

You're going to be surprised come Spring. A bunch of people will suddenly come out of hibernation, and you'll be passing them (at first). Unfortunately, the guys tend to whip right back into shape after getting passed by a chick, but those first couple of nice day rides are fantastic for the ego.

I've gotten much better on hills over the last year. I read the phrase "ride like a slacker" in some article, and that phrase became my mantra on hills. My goal wasn't to climb fast, but to climb without getting out of breath, and without working up a sweat. I slowed both my cadence and breathing down. I found it really helpful to exhale ALL of the breath. It's so counter-intuitive to exhale when you want to gasp in air, but somehow it seems to help.

Another part of my slacker technique is to relax my hands and face, and slightly smile. I look just a little ahead of my wheel, not all the way up to the top. If I start to huff and puff, I ease up even more.

I don't keep track of how fast I ride, so I can't say for sure if this has helped make me faster, but I know I feel better on hills than I used to.