Hitting a wall on hills.

[sundial]

First off, stop looking at your speed for the time being.

Sage advice!

I was climbing the hill of hills and made the mistake of looking down at the computer. One look and I and then blew up. Now I think of a song to match my cadence and I spin up the hill.

[smilingcat]

long gentle climbs can be very brutal. You notice that your speed is down but you're getting winded. HELLO!!!! You're forgetting its an uphill. It doesn't matter that it was two miles. 500 foot climb is a 500 foot climb. Steep and short or long and gentle. It still is a 500 foot climb. the gentle climbs just take it out on you because you think you should be able to continue at your speed on the flats.

Not so.

Pacing is important on gentle climbs and on false flats. Don't beat yourself up over a long gentle climb. Its not easy.

[indigoiis]

long gentle climbs can be very brutal. You notice that your speed is down but you're getting winded. HELLO!!!! You're forgetting its an uphill. It doesn't matter that it was two miles. 500 foot climb is a 500 foot climb. Steep and short or long and gentle. It still is a 500 foot climb. the gentle climbs just take it out on you because you think you should be able to continue at your speed on the flats.

Not so.

Pacing is important on gentle climbs and on false flats. Don't beat yourself up over a long gentle climb. Its not easy.

This is so true.

So, methodology on false flats should be... just take down a gear or two? I feel like sometimes on false flats that I am wimping out by gearing down too soon. I get passed a lot on false flats. Plus my 63 year old riding partner (granted she and her bike combined are also 25 lbs lighter than me and my bike) just flies up the false flats. Meh.

[indysteel]

I don't know that there's a right or wrong approach to any given hill. Some people do better spinning in a smaller gear. Others do better staying in a bigger gear but slowing their cadence down. Sometimes, your best bet is to do a little bit of both.

The nice thing about a long climb or a false flat, is that it's easy enough to play around with your technique. So, that's what I would encourage you to do for now. Next time you hit a false flat, stay in the same gear and let the ride slow your cadence down a bit. If it gets too slow and/or your knees or quads tell you "no thanks," shift to the next easiest cog. Or do just the opposite. Shift to the next easiest cog, but keep your cadence the same as it would be on the flats. Don't worry about getting passed by somebody. You don't really learn how to pace yourself up a climb if you're not riding YOUR pace.

For me, the most important thing is that I feel in control. My bike and breathing are steady. My upper body is relaxed and my chest is open. My cadence is controlled and even. My mind is staying in the present (I'm not impatienct about getting to the top).

[Catrin]

I am still trying to find that balance between spinning easy and taking that hill with a lower cadence in a harder gear. I actually prefer the latter - it just does not feel right to me to climb a hill spinning fast in an easy gear - I feel much more in control - and go faster - with a lower cadence/harder gear. Not that I am doing much hill climbing right now...and when I do I make myself spin easy even though I dislike climbing that way.

In the end, I think that I feel more in control of the bike with the slower cadence/harder gear than I do with a higher cadence/easy gear.