Hills

[XMcShiftersonX]

In addition to the great advice people have given you...I would Just keep doing hills over and over. Make them a part of every ride. Start with hills you're capable of, then add steeper and/or longer ones. I used to hate hills, but my husband loves them. So he takes me on rides that he likes, which usually have anywhere from 1800-2200 feet of climbing in about 40 miles or so. Some of you may be familiar with the Chilly Hilly ride we have here in the northwest, well my husband likes to do that ride and add on a few other streets so that it is hillier!! Now I often don't think a ride is that hilly unless it's rolling hills with a few good 8-12% inclines over a couple miles. Every time I do hills I initially thought were hard, they feel easier and easier. It's really just a matter of building up your muscles and your lung capacity. Good luck. It will get easier.

-Jessica

[malaholic]

The way I see it the two factors that can break you on a climb are the "leg strength barrier" - when you reach a point where your legs can't produce the larger force required to keep turning the pedals, or the "heart rate barrier" where you redline your heartrate and the muscles start to burn. There are tradeoffs to make either way, and different techniques work for different people - you'll have to try a little of everything and find out what feels most comfortable for you.

As previous posters have stated, seated climbing is more energy efficient overall. Assuming the same grade, gearing, and cadence, if you stand to climb your heartrate will jump higher than if you remain seated. However when you stand, all of your weight going onto the pedals makes it much easier to produce the force needed to push on the downstroke.

Personally I often take lesser-grade climbs seated (to conserve energy) but will stand up on something really steep (when I run out of gears). But that's just a generalization. If I hit a low-grade but fairly short roller, I might just stand up instead of gearing down, because I'll judge that I can crest the hill before my HR jumps too high and it's faster to push the bigger gear. Or, if the hill is mild enough to stay seated but is really long, I might prefer to alternate between standing & seating - I'll stand to give my legs a rest for a bit, then sit to let my HR drop again, and repeat. Or, if I really want to give my legs a hard workout, I might stay seated through a steep climb and just force myself to spin it out.

When I stand to climb because I want to (as opposed to when I stand because I've run out of gears) I typically shift up between 2-3 gears to get enough resistance so that the pedals drop more slowly and I can have a smoother motion. Reducing cadence when I stand also helps slow the rate at which my HR jumps.

If you ride the hill until you feel as if you won't make it, and then try to stand up, you won't be able to sustain it. When you already feel as if you won't make it, your heartrate is already in the redzone and you're too taxed to meet the added energy demands of standing up. If you want to try standing you have to do it before you burn out.

Standing also requires some timing & balance, so if you haven't tried it before, try it out on a flat or low grade hill until you feel comfortable with it. As you're pedaling in a comfortable gear, shift up 2-3 gears and stand. I prefer to keep my hands on the hoods for this; I feel like I have better balance with the wider grip, but YMMV.

Regardless of whether you are sitting or standing, try keeping your HR down by pedaling a little slower and dropping to a lower gear if there's too much resistance, until you run out of gears. And if you push til you've got nothing left and still can't make it, remember to unclip before all forward motion stops and you fall over (yes, I'm speaking from experience here.)

The nicest thing about riding the hills is that they make you strong, and fast. Don't let them make you nervous - they're good for you! Let us know how this upcoming ride goes, and good luck!

[Thorn]

All great advice. One thing I noticed more in my DH was the problem of deciding you can't do it before you start. That is, when we first started riding he would see a hill and pre-decide he'd have to walk. The hill had him beat before his front wheel even detected the incline. If you don't conquer the panic feeling you get when you see that wall...err..I mean hill in front of you, the panic will win and you'll suffer because of it. The panic zaps your energy.

So...when you see the hill, sigh deeply (really, it is good for you), gear down as low as you need to (don't be one of those people who saves a gear "just in case"--use it!), relax and just focus on spinning the cranks. If/When you get the point where you're in your lowest gear and the spin is gone, then just focus on keeping a rhythm through the grinding. Stay relaxed, breathe, and as someone said, smile--each pedal stroke is one more step to conquering that hill.

Oh, and try to keep going. When you get tired and think about walking, instead, think about relaxing. Ungrit those teeth, relax the upper body and let the legs just do the work. You might be surprised that you have more there then you think.

[XMcShiftersonX]

All great advice. One thing I noticed more in my DH was the problem of deciding you can't do it before you start. That is, when we first started riding he would see a hill and pre-decide he'd have to walk. The hill had him beat before his front wheel even detected the incline. If you don't conquer the panic feeling you get when you see that wall...err..I mean hill in front of you, the panic will win and you'll suffer because of it. The panic zaps your energy.

Very true! And the more hills I've done I've realized that hills often look scarier/harder than they actually are when you're on them.

[sundial]

5 Ways to Become a Better Climber

[hoffsquared]

It took me nine months to conquer a hill with an 100 ft elevation increase over .1 mile (17% grade - 20% at it's steepest) on my commute home. I would have to get off the bike at the steepest point. I actually thought I would never ever be able to ride up this hill.

Did it just two weeks ago several times in one week. And twice last week. Not something I can do every day and don't try every day.

I stay in the saddle as long as possible at the lowest gear and switch into lowest early. Then try to get at least 20 rotations in. If feeling good, a few more. If it even feels a bit easier on a rotation --- then success.

So keep plugging away.

[ekcjwc]

I think each of you have hit on part of my problem in climbing. Just a little more background on me. I do clip in. I exercise at least five days a week with one/two days of strength training. As part of my exercise program, I try to run at least one day a week. I think part of my problem is that I dread the hill when I see it coming. Another problem is that I try to hit the hill too hard and too fast. I should slow done and keep my heart heart down. Maybe I should learn to just slow done and push through it and REMAIN CALM!