So I'm not a climber

[bellissima]

I love to climb too. Is that feeling I get after conquering that long scary hill that motivates to keep on climbing more

[amb]

I'm not a climber either and I don't really like it. I have a double so I often wish for a triple when climbing.

This week my co-worker took me up Lookout Mtn in Golden, CO.....~4.5 miles uphill, 1,500' of gain. I didn't love every moment but it wasn't so bad and you know what....I felt pretty damn good about doing it when I was done! Sure, 3 ppl passed me but who cares?! Maybe I'll have to start climbing more. I guess it doesn't matter if it's "natural", it's whether you get the job done. Slow, ugly, whatever....

[zoom-zoom]

I kind of suck on hills, too. Some shorter, steeper ones are OK...but once my asthmatic lungs figure-out what's going on, the jig's up. I do great on the flats and downhills, though, 'cause I sink like a rock! One reason I really want to drop 20#s is so that hills won't kick my @ss so badly.

[Crankin]

I don't climb fast, but I can climb.
Does that make sense? I have climbed some horrendous hills, but sometimes I am going 4 mph. I just won't quit. If someone is faster than me, so what?
Haven't done any group rides this year, but, in the group I rode with, I could climb with the faster guys (relative here; we are all old). I find it harder to maintain a consistent fast speed on flatter rides. Ten miles of 17-20+ mph on easy terrain will do me in, or at least I need to tone it down for awhile. Since almost everywhere I ride is rolling to hilly, there's usually some chance to rest a bit, and there's a lot of changes in speed. And I hate descending. I think I may be the only rider who looks forward to the climbs and dreads the downhills.

[luv2climb]

I have climbed some horrendous hills, but sometimes I am going 4 mph. I just won't quit. If someone is faster than me, so what?

I think I have you beat. I've been as low as 2 mph on the steepest climbs. Check out some of my past threads with ride videos of tough climbs with GPS data overlay for proof. But, like you, I refuse to quit. I won't stop in the middle of a climb unless I absolutely have to or there's a photo opportunity that may not be there on the descent.

I really don't care if people are faster than me either. There's always someone faster than you no matter how hard you train.

[bluebug32]

I love to climb too, but I usually get shot off the back. The worst is when I'm off the back and panting and huffing and puffing, trying to keep my Gu down, and no one else is even breathing hard!

I just started using Strava and that's humbling too, as it compares your hill climbing times to everyone else's.

[ivorygorgon]

I love this thread!!! It is very encouraging.

I struggle with climbs, and we climb a lot. I ride with a group and I am almost always the last in the group. Sometimes there are some 70 year olds who are slower.

Sometimes climbing makes me want to throw my bike in the ditch! DH and I did a climbing ride this weekend. The first half was 30 miles mostly uphill- about 5500 feet of climbing. Of course the pay off was the way home

To top it off DH found out yesterday my rear brake was dragging. Like I needed that little bit of help.

But, like a lot of you have said, I refuse to let the hills beat me. I am getting better. I can hang with the group on flats and some rollers (depending on how fast they are going on the rollers). I have improved a lot. But hills are still a bugger. I don't think I will ever love to climb, and I will certainly never climb like a "natural climber" but I think someday climbing won't make me want to give up biking.

Here is the real key and it is so simple, but so hard. When I compare myself to myself, I am really proud of how far I have come, and much I have improved. When I compare myself to others, I become really unhappy. They key is not to worry about others and concentrate on your own stats and improvements.

[bellissima]

I just started using Strava and that's humbling too, as it compares your hill climbing times to everyone else's.

I like Strava, is fun and motivational

Climbing is all about Weight to Power ratio, in others words the lighter and more power you have the better of a climber you are. But just being light and strong does not mean you’ll be a great climber unless you work at it. Climbing is an acquired skill; there is definitely some technique involved. In order to climb better and faster you must climb often, at a slow or moderate pace but you must also push your self on those hills in order to really improve your climbing skills. Gearing is also important, finding the best gear for the grade or the climb is key, as having the best cadence is very important in order to climbing better and efficiently. It takes time and a lot of climbing to figure out what gears to use. Keep on climbing

[Owlie]

I suck at hills--I'm okay on relatively steep climbs, but the long shallow ones suck it out of me. I know I need practice, as I spend most of my riding time on flat trails, but I'm pretty sure I'd need to lose about 20 pounds to be "effective" and there's no way that's happening!

[redrhodie]

I did my hilly ride today alone, and once again, it appears I'm an awesome climber. My brake must rub on the group rides.

I sound great in the shower, too.

[nscrbug]

I suck at hills--I'm okay on relatively steep climbs, but the long shallow ones suck it out of me. I know I need practice, as I spend most of my riding time on flat trails, but I'm pretty sure I'd need to lose about 20 pounds to be "effective" and there's no way that's happening!

X2!!! Except that I'm not even "relatively okay" on steep climbs either...ANY and EVERY climb sucks it out of me...which sometimes depresses me...especially when I see others doing the same climbs with ease. And even more so, when I see fairly unfit riders that are way heavier than me, climbing hills better and faster than I can. I too, know that I could stand to drop about 15 or 20 lbs, and that would help greatly with my climbing...but if these other heavier riders are climbing pretty decently at the weight they are at now, I have to wonder why can't I?