Climbing - oh those hills!

[LoriO]

I hated all hills with a passion. I avoided them if possible, which is mostly impossible to do where I live. Plus, we live at the top of a very steep hill, so that is waiting at the end of EVERY bike ride I do, no matter how tired I am when we get close to home.

Now, after three years of regular riding....i still hate hills. But it's a strange sort of hate now- more like a love/hate relationship. I feel a sense of satisfaction now after a hill that I didn't used to feel. Used to be I hated every hill before, and during, and after I rode it. Now I have a strange masochistic attraction to a hill before, then hate it while I'm climbing it, then love it when I'm done with it. Go figure.

I find myself planning rides that I know have some nasty hills in them, thinking how good a workout my legs will get. I know deep down that doing the dreaded hills is the only thing that will eventually make them less difficult and less dreaded. I know that the more hills I tackle, the sooner will come the day when they are no big deal. I have resigned myself to the fact that I simply cannot avoid the hills...they are lying in wait for me in all directions from my house! What's that they say about 'Keep your friends close but your enemies closer'? I am learning to pull the hills closer in to me and embrace my enemies.

Lisa, that could be my post almost word for word! I still don't like hills but there is no way to avoid them (like you I live on top of a large hill too!). Still that awesome feeling when you get to the top of a hill and know that you conqured it! Whoo Hooo!!!

[TxDoc]

I hated all hills with a passion. I avoided them if possible, which is mostly impossible to do where I live. Plus, we live at the top of a very steep hill, so that is waiting at the end of EVERY bike ride I do, no matter how tired I am when we get close to home.

Hee- hee, you cannot escape that one hill!
I used to love hills - they were everywhere where I grew up and the scenery was fantastic. I remember always racing to the top with my sister - so that we could look at the landscapes and see it all from the summit! She was faster and used to say I was too slow uphill - but we invariably made it to the other side so I always thought that was a good sign anyway
After several years of living in a pretty flat area (except for a few bridges), I think I am a slower/less powerful climber now. Every time I go to L.A. and ride on real hills I'm pretty much in the middle or at the back of the bunch in the long climbs.
Around here people are not used to climbing, so compared to my frequent riding buddies I guess I'm doing ok, I always catch up with everyone on the climbs. That idea of getting up there as fast as I can so that I can see the whole picture is still there, and who knows maybe it really helps me get to the top It's strange sometimes, the things that stick with you from your younger years!
But then here in South TX we have a lot of WIND - which I do not like at all...

[martinler]

I've been riding about 10 months and everything seems to be progressing well except my ability to ride hills. I struggle so much on hills that I dread them and I am just before the panic stage when I start the climb. On long or steep hills - I push myself until it feels like my lungs are going to burst and I stop. The crazy thing is - I can rest about 15-20 seconds and then finish the climb with much less effort. What is up with that?

[OakLeaf]

If you can resume strong after such a short rest, it sure sounds to me like something's going on with your breathing. Do you have any asthma or allergies that might constrict your airways? Are you making sure to inhale and exhale deeply and rhythmically? Have you tried sticking your tongue out like the pros do? (looks stupid, drool on my top tube, but it really opens my airway )

[tctrek]

I've been riding about 10 months and everything seems to be progressing well except my ability to ride hills. I struggle so much on hills that I dread them and I am just before the panic stage when I start the climb. On long or steep hills - I push myself until it feels like my lungs are going to burst and I stop. The crazy thing is - I can rest about 15-20 seconds and then finish the climb with much less effort. What is up with that?

This sounds a little like what sometimes happens to me.. I psych myself out when I see the hill coming. My heart rate is going up before I'm even in the bad part of the hill. Because I just KNOW it's going to be hard. And I am slow on hills. So slow I don't know why I don't just fall over! But, I always make it and then chastise myself for all the drama!

I've been working really hard on letting the hill come to me, controlling my breathing -- also if you blow air out of your mouth and empty your lungs it somehow makes it easier to pull in a really deep oxygenating breath. If you are holding your breathe or only trying to suck in air without exhaling properly, you will quickly become breathless. Then follows increase heart rate, lactic acid.. and all that loverly stuff.

[Zen]

When I let my brain tell me that a hill is steep - it becomes steep.

Last night i rode with Catriona and led her to what I remembered as a killer hill. The last time I climbed that hill was two years ago and I remember cursing my friend who led me there.
So last night I was prepared for a grueling climb. But it did not come.
Either I'm in better shape than I was then or it's because I'm a more experienced rider. But last night I was laughing at myself for building that hill into such a mental mountain

[TxDoc]

Have you tried sticking your tongue out like the pros do? (looks stupid, drool on my top tube,

Hey! I do it all the time!
My ex boyfriend last year took a picture of me riding with my tongue sticking out - and of course he had to show it to everybody

[smilingcat]

I've been riding about 10 months and everything seems to be progressing well except my ability to ride hills. I struggle so much on hills that I dread them and I am just before the panic stage when I start the climb. On long or steep hills - I push myself until it feels like my lungs are going to burst and I stop. The crazy thing is - I can rest about 15-20 seconds and then finish the climb with much less effort. What is up with that?

Sounds like may be you are rushing at the beginning. Then you stop and you settle down for the rest of the climb. Hills shouldn't be viewed with anxiety. Hill climb is mental once you get in shape. Take deep breath and fill the bottom of your lung as well as the rest of the lung and just concentrate on the road immediately in front. Relax your upper body and don't lock your breathing to your pedalling. And don't try to climb at the same speed as you ride on the flat.

[martinler]

Thanks to everyone who responded. If the rain ever stops, I will ride with those things in mind. I hadn't thought much about my exhale - but I do suck air like I'm gasping for every little bit of air that's out there. I'll let you know. Blessings~

[Dogmama]

Sounds like may be you are rushing at the beginning. Then you stop and you settle down for the rest of the climb. Hills shouldn't be viewed with anxiety. Hill climb is mental once you get in shape. Take deep breath and fill the bottom of your lung as well as the rest of the lung and just concentrate on the road immediately in front. Relax your upper body and don't lock your breathing to your pedalling. And don't try to climb at the same speed as you ride on the flat.

++++ what she said!

It sounds like your muscles might need those few seconds to reload. If you do what Smilingcat said, you should be able to pace yourself up the hill.

If nothing else, just regard hills and headwinds as your own personal trainer.

[dervilfal]

I've been riding for 2 months and there are 2 hills on our regular ride that I'm getting better at, but haven't mastered. 1 is a long steady, steep grade and I can usually make it up that hill, barring technical issues, but by the time I get to the top I'm practically at a stop.

The second is a very short but very steep hill and the lead up to it is about 1/2 a mile of medium grade up hill before it. I am an athena so I know I'm at a disadvantage on hills anyways but I have never been able to make it up this baby. I finally made it about 1/2 way up it yesterday which is my best yet, however, once I stop, I have to walk the rest of the way up.

I haven't tried the tongue sticking out thing yet, but I think I do a pretty good job at breathing control and will try this trick next.

Any advice for beginning athena's and hill training out there?

[smilingcat]

see if you can get little farther up the hill every other week. Sometimes the gain maybe as short as 10 feet. But that's okay. And practice on gentler hill too. They do make a difference in your conditioning. And do hill repeats on gentler hill. This helps with stamina and also help with strength training for the hills.

Doing strength training on super steep hills or something beyond your ability is total waste of time, not to mention setting yourself for injury.

Most important thing is to have fun riding. And good luck.

[tctrek]

I have started using some different techniques to climb. First, I am purposely relaxing more as I approach the hill..ie: letting the hill come to me. I'm breathing deeply and since I'm not strong enough to spin up the hill, I get myself into a slow, steady cadence that I know I can sustain up the hill.

Most importantly, I've been putting my hands on the top bar and really relaxing my hands, elbows and shoulders... the great benefit of this is that my heart rate stays down! If you can control your heart rate and your breathing, I believe you can climb just about anything. I am still very slow going up, but I'm comfortable and in control.

[OakLeaf]

I'm really having to focus on keeping my weight back when I stand to climb. I don't know if it's a fit issue or what, but typically I've got too much weight over the front wheel, which means that not only am I climbing inefficiently, but the rear tire will slip easily. I'm trying to start making the correction before it slips.

Fit gurus? Does this mean I'm too stretched out (doesn't seem like it when I'm in the drops), or is it just technique?

[hipmama]

I took a lot of this advice with me on a pretty darn hilly ride last week, along with the advice I got about being scared on the down hills and it really helped! I used to attack the hills with everything I had and never make it up the big ones.
I took the "let the climb come to me" philosophy, and just kicked down to low gear from the start and only looked up to scan every few seconds but kept my eyes closer to right in front of me and it really worked! Even the cue sheets I had for the ride warned about some killer hills and I figured I'd not make it up them but I never got off my bike- it felt awesome!
The downhills were better too! I relaxed and let myself tread on the edge of fear and while I was slower than most on the hills, I was faster than my norm- I had the benefit of some wide well paved rural roads with clear views to the end and that gave me a big safety feeling.