Another very tough climb (video & pics)

[luv2climb]

Hi,

Just wanted to say i love seeing the pictures and vids from your rides.
I'm sooooo jealous, cycling in California looks amazing!

The elevation chart on your Garmin scares me

I hope I'll be able to climb like that one day. I've been trying to practice 'hills', I'm getting a little better but I can't imagine myself ever getting up a mountain.

Thank you. I don't know where in the UK you live, but there are some good steep climbs there. Here's the list. There's even a book.

Hardknott Pass is one of the steepest mountains, with grades over 30%. Here's a video by one of my subscribers of him climbing it in this year's Fred Whitton Challenge. It's raw footage like all my videos, so you get the full experience of the effort it takes to climb this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzNfufUHh9Q

Keep at it, and before you know it you'll be climbing those mountains.

[Mako]

Hey thanks for links!

My brother has that book - it sits on his coffee table and mocks me
I'll have to take a closer look at it the next time I'm round and try and pick out a climb to aim for.

That list is really useful, I'm in the midlands so I can check out the ones that are closest to me by car first.

Hardknott Pass looks like a killer You can really get a sense of how tough it is by the blokes upfront struggling out of the saddle, and not to mention all the people pushing their bikes up

I still think California looks prettier than England tho!

[Sardine]

I don't care though. I post them with the knowledge that not every reader of that forum is a lycra-clad superhero with a 20 mph average speed on a hilly ride. Hopefully some of the slower riders will see the videos and not be quite as discouraged after reading some of the other stuff in there.

Depends on your idea of a superhero I recognise their achievement but it doesn't necessarily inspire me. Just reading your post has made me think about the possibilities again. I've done a lot of hiking in the Lake District (where Hardknot Pass mentioned earlier is) and always thought it would be a great place to cycle but beyond me. I'm not saying I'll manage it even someday (and I certainly wouldn't start with Hardknot) but you've planted a seed. I'm thinking I need to start doing hill reps...

By the way, this discussion also made me go and look at some of the other climbing discussions and I came across the one you did on a Speed D7. OMG! They're fine for city hills with 34 inches at the low end but for that ride?!? How strong are you? Not exactly like doing it on one of these: http://www.airnimal.eu/News/Home.php Actually, that's the other thing that impresses me – you're climbing on non-super expensive bikes, though you may well have those was well.

[Sardine]

So awesome. When I mountain bikes I could never climb. I was really fearless on descents though. Used to go to those ski resorts in the summer that allowed you to go up in the lift with the bike and ride down the mountain. i can't picture climbing it though. I am a wuss.

GingerbreadGirl, this is the image I have of you now – Fearless. It's only a matter of time before you build the fitness back.

[luv2climb]

Hey thanks for links!

My brother has that book - it sits on his coffee table and mocks me
I'll have to take a closer look at it the next time I'm round and try and pick out a climb to aim for.

That list is really useful, I'm in the midlands so I can check out the ones that are closest to me by car first.

You're welcome. Have fun with that list. I know I would if I lived there!

Hardknott Pass looks like a killer You can really get a sense of how tough it is by the blokes upfront struggling out of the saddle, and not to mention all the people pushing their bikes up

Also, his gasping for air on the steepest parts. I've taken a bit of heat on male-dominated cycling forums for my "uncontrolled breathing" on steep climbs, and I always have to remind these skinny people that they are blessed with the increased lung capacity, strength, and faster metabolism that men get without additional training. Us women have to work and breathe harder to get up these climbs.

The guy in the video is in much better shape than I am, so if he has to gasp for air, imagine what I would have to do to make it up that climb!

Of course, those doing the criticizing don't have the balls to post a raw sufferfest video, so the more they whine about heavy breathing, the more I seek out hard climbs to post video of. Some people are waaay too uptight!

[luv2climb]

Depends on your idea of a superhero I recognise their achievement but it doesn't necessarily inspire me. Just reading your post has made me think about the possibilities again. I've done a lot of hiking in the Lake District (where Hardknot Pass mentioned earlier is) and always thought it would be a great place to cycle but beyond me. I'm not saying I'll manage it even someday (and I certainly wouldn't start with Hardknot) but you've planted a seed. I'm thinking I need to start doing hill reps...

By the way, this discussion also made me go and look at some of the other climbing discussions and I came across the one you did on a Speed D7. OMG! They're fine for city hills with 34 inches at the low end but for that ride?!? How strong are you? Not exactly like doing it on one of these: http://www.airnimal.eu/News/Home.php Actually, that's the other thing that impresses me – you're climbing on non-super expensive bikes, though you may well have those was well.

I was being a bit sarcastic with the superhero comment. I get a bit turned off by all the inflated egos. A little humility would go a long way towards attracting more people to our sport.

Those climbing rides on the D7 were definitely harder than they would have been on my road bike. All my bikes are lower-end models. The most expensive bike I have is my road bike, a 2011 Specialized Dolce Triple that I paid $849 for before tax, accessories, and the mtb gearing. That was brand-new at the LBS too.

As soon as my recumbent is sold I'm getting a Bike Friday Pocket Companion, which has a triple. I'll change the 30t small chainring to a 24, which will give me a 16-inch low gear. That will be the lowest gearing of all my bikes. Perfect for the steepest hills I can find.

[Sardine]

[QUOTE=luv2climb;592356]I was being a bit sarcastic with the superhero comment.

Got that. Ditto.

[Mako]

Also, his gasping for air on the steepest parts. I've taken a bit of heat on male-dominated cycling forums for my "uncontrolled breathing" on steep climbs,

That seems a bit petty really At least there are people here that appreciate your pictures and videos

I've read a few other forums and I've noticed the tone on some of them to be a little 'nitpicky'

[luv2climb]

That seems a bit petty really At least there are people here that appreciate your pictures and videos

I've read a few other forums and I've noticed the tone on some of them to be a little 'nitpicky'

I agree. I have the feeling many of these people on other forums have never struggled with weight loss either. Hauling 20 extra pounds of useless blubber up every hill just makes the climb harder than it should be.

The nitpickiness of some boards is why I mostly lurk on them. If I do post anything I have to walk on eggshells and watch what I say to avoid problems. That's why I like posting here, where the level of intelligence seems quite a bit higher and people aren't all holier-than-thou.

[TxDoc]

Great pictures and ride report.
The video is cool, but the constant labored breathing is awfully annoying - it would not take much effort to edit the video and replace all that huffing and puffing with some good music...
There was some people on BF a while back that posted non-dubbed videos with a lot of panting, seriously it was ridiculous, those sounded more like adult movies than cycling reports. Thankfully, most of the posters learned the lesson and now use nice songs as a soundtrack to their ride/race reports...

[luv2climb]

Great pictures and ride report.
The video is cool, but the constant labored breathing is awfully annoying - it would not take much effort to edit the video and replace all that huffing and puffing with some good music...
There was some people on BF a while back that posted non-dubbed videos with a lot of panting, seriously it was ridiculous, those sounded more like adult movies than cycling reports. Thankfully, most of the posters learned the lesson and now use nice songs as a soundtrack to their ride/race reports...

Thank you for proving my point about the other forums on this one too. Are you one of the posters from those other forums who happened to read my posts in this thread?

I can't stand videos that have all the ride audio replaced with music (that is usually not even what I would listen to in the first place). I like to show what it was really like to climb these hills and how much work it was. If people would quit associating breathing with sex all the time, maybe they wouldn't be so damn uptight. Society needs to stop obsessing over sex. It gets old.

I really wish the pettiness hadn't driven these other posters you speak of to neuter their videos with annoying music. I'l much rather hear the effort of climbing than music. I want to hear the intensity of the race and the climb, not a stupid soundtrack.

[TxDoc]

Are you one of the posters from those other forums who happened to read my posts in this thread?

Don't think so. I am definitely well know for being an a** both on here and on BF but all I can remember was trying some videos and getting bored out of my mind after 30 seconds, thus moving on to another thread. It was a while back, can't say if those were yours or someone else's.

I really wish the pettiness hadn't driven these other posters you speak of to neuter their videos with annoying music.

I doubt they changed it due to pettiness, most likely they did because it was just ridiculously boring. Maybe even the Tour could get boring if all we heard was the racers panting for 6-7 hours in a row

I want to hear the intensity of the race and the climb, not a stupid soundtrack.

The only thing that would give the viewer any info on intensity would be a power reading. Uncontrolled breathing just tells that it was a big effort for that particular rider on that particular day on that particular climb. Doesn't say much about the climb per se. Which is exactly why most people (myself included) find it boring or just say HTFU - there's not much else to say.
If you notice, a lot more constructive comments get posted when the videos show usable data or the rider also shares graphs and tables from the ride. When there's something to work on, we all do try to help - that's what the online community is for.

But hey, it's your video: if you like to hear the panting keep posting it - I will keep liking the pictures and finding the video annoying and move on. The beauty of the internet is that we can all agree to disagree.
Cheers

[luv2climb]

Don't think so. I am definitely well know for being an a** both on here and on BF but all I can remember was trying some videos and getting bored out of my mind after 30 seconds, thus moving on to another thread. It was a while back, can't say if those were yours or someone else's.

I have a feeling they were mine. I have never seen a sufferfest video from a female rider posted on BF. If you have a link to share, I would love to see it. I would also like to see the videos from other posters who you claim posted "huffing and puffing", and later put music over their videos.

I doubt they changed it due to pettiness, most likely they did because it was just ridiculously boring. Maybe even the Tour could get boring if all we heard was the racers panting for 6-7 hours in a row

Well, I've never seen a Tour video that was 6 or 7 hours long, with or without panting.

Not everyone feels the way you do. I have had conversations with other BF members who also appreciate raw footage. Raw footage gives the viewer the full experience of the pain of a hill climb.

The only thing that would give the viewer any info on intensity would be a power reading. Uncontrolled breathing just tells that it was a big effort for that particular rider on that particular day on that particular climb. Doesn't say much about the climb per se. Which is exactly why most people (myself included) find it boring or just say HTFU - there's not much else to say.

That elitist attitude is exactly what I was talking about when I mentioned taking heat on other forums about my "uncontrolled breathing". Climbs are hard for everyone, not just overweight females like me. The climbs I've posted videos of are all known for being very difficult for EVERYONE, not just me.

I am so sick of hearing that stupid "HTFU" crap that I can't wait until the day I'm strong enough to pass one of these lycra-clad superheroes on my hybrid. On a climb, no less.

If you notice, a lot more constructive comments get posted when the videos show usable data or the rider also shares graphs and tables from the ride. When there's something to work on, we all do try to help - that's what the online community is for.

But hey, it's your video: if you like to hear the panting keep posting it - I will keep liking the pictures and finding the video annoying and move on. The beauty of the internet is that we can all agree to disagree.
Cheers

If you notice, I did post "usable data" on the video in my OP, in the form of data overlay using DashWare. I also posted a link to the Garmin Connect page. But, like so many roadies out there, you immediately focused on the negative and ignored the positive.

Like I said earlier in this thread, people need to lighten the fk up and not be so arrogant. Beginning cyclists are turned off by this behavior. I'm not a beginner and I'm turned off by it too.

[Veronica]

Like I said earlier in this thread, people need to lighten the fk up and not be so arrogant. Beginning cyclists are turned off by this behavior. I'm not a beginner and I'm turned off by it too.

Maybe you need to follow you own advice. All TxDoc did was offer an opinion on how she thought your video could be better. You're free to disagree. I didn't find her opinion particularly arrogant or elitist.

Huffing and puffing really doesn't give a true measure of how hard a particular climb is. Heck, I huff and puff on the flat when my allergies are acting up! It says how hard you, the person in the video, are working.

And why exactly are you so angry at the "lycra clad superheroes?" Do you think that just because they are gifted athletically they don't have to work at it? And how do you know they didn't lost 100 pounds three years ago and they are just as thrilled with their progress as you are with yours?

Veronica

[luv2climb]

By the way, you can always do what I do on those videos with music. Mute the audio. The mute button is a powerful tool that keeps me from going nuts listening to godawful music that isn't my taste.

I've been posting my videos here for months and you're the first one to complain, so I have a feeling the other people who don't care for the heavy breathing just kept their fingers off the keyboard except to hit mute.