Climbing out of the saddle

[Jiffer]

Climbing out of the saddle isn't for everyone. Your body type has a lot to do with it. I'm 5'9" and, while I'm relatively thin, my height makes me weigh more than many women. I am not a great climber at all and have, therefore, done a LOT of reading on the subject.

I have learned that for the "heavier" rider, it's best to usually sit on a climb, particularly a long one. Once you are getting close to the top, you might stand to get the rest of the way up and over the hill quicker (if you are going for speed).

The more I have ridden, the more I have worked on standing and building those muscles. I do often stand to power up short climbs. Or when on a really long climb, I'll stand for a short period to use different muscles and rest the overworked ones. (And my butt!)

When I stand, it's not my legs that give me the most grief. It's my breathing. Standing works my cardio more than sitting, so this is another thing that gets worked and strengthened a little at a time as I do stand.

I haven't been able to do real training or big rides in a long time due to health, but I recall a time a year or two ago when I was coming back from a long ride and there was about a 2% incline and I decided to stand between one signal to the next, but then I kept going . . . and going . . . and LOVED it! After all my training and making myself stand on occasion, I was seeing the payoff.

When you train yourself to be able to do both, it can come in handy for various reasons. However, strictly speaking to climbing, you have to figure out what works for you. If you want to train to stand, do it in baby steps. Find short spurts (usually a climb for me) to do it. And don't try to spin too hard. Use a big gear and try to keep a nice easy rhythm, not worrying about speed (at least in the beginning).

[Munch]

I encountered my very first hill today. It was massive and I wasn't expecting it! I went to the lowest gear and climbed maybe half of it sitting, then I had to climb out of the saddle for the remainder of it. The top of a hill has never been so sweet! It was a hard climb seeing as it was my first, and I don't think I'll be attempting it again until I've trained on smaller hills first. My left knee is really hurting and I think it's due to the massive climb. I've been riding for over a week with a two day rest and haven't had any knee pain other than this. I definitely pushed it too hard and probably should have just turned around and rode down the hill, but I didn't want to give up!

[Jiffer]

YAY!!!! You conquered that hill!!! You must be proud of yourself. Even though you felt maybe you should have turned around.

But you don't know until you try. Now you know you should do shorter hills and build up to it and, when you try it again, you'll hopefully see improvement.

Your knee pain could be associated with your bike fit. If your seat is too low or high, it can cause pain in the knee. One gives you a pain behind the knee and one gives pain in front of the knee and I can't remember which is which. And it doesn't take much. A quarter inch makes a big difference.

Also, a friend of mine who used to grind up hills in her big gear started to develop knee pain. You went to your smallest gear, though, and stood for part of it, so it may not be that. It may simply be a matter of getting used to climbing. And it may also be a matter of efficient pedaling. Assuming you are clipped in and can, therefore, get the benefit of a full rotation. If you are only pushing down on the pedal, that's going to put more pressure on your knees than if you also pulled up, and also pushed forward across the front of the pedal and also swiped back across the bottom. It takes time and work to develop good pedaling technique. I still have to remind myself consciously.

Some day you might look back at that hill and laugh at how hard it was the first time. Maybe not! But maybe! It kind of depends on just how long and steep it is. I know there's a hill in our club ride that isn't super long or steep, but kind of a lot for a beginner, particularly if you want to stay with the group, who for the most part, sails up and over it. I knew I had made big progress when I was not falling to the back of the group, and even staying with the front of the group on that climb.

My husband recounted a story from when he was a new rider. He rode with a friend and he remembers the day he got up and over a "hill" and realized he had stayed in his big ring. What makes the story so comical is that hill is one of the easiest and shortest hills around here. I pretty much hate hills, but not that one. There's even a slight downgrade right before it to help you build speed before it. The other thing that makes it comical is that he eventually turned into a hill climbing FREAK OF NATURE! He's extremely strong and fast at climbing and has done tons of endurance rides with stupid amounts of climbing . . . and is always in the top percentage of riders.

His love of climbing kind of pushed me to climb more than I ever thought I would. I mean, who WANTS to climb 4,000 feet in 20 miles? (If you don't know how much that is . . . it's a LOT.) And that's just a training ride I've done several times. He convinced me to do a century with 8500 feet of climbing. And then the next year? I did it AGAIN!!!!!

Why do we do these things to ourselves? Partially to see what we can really achieve. And then to try to do it better than before. It's part of what drives me to get out and ride my bike.

Okay, this has turned into a lot of rambling words. I guess I'm just trying to inspire you. Keep going and you may be surprised how that hill becomes easier with time.

Okay one more story to inspire you. I can't resist. I remember doing a club ride one time, which involves a lot of climbing (not 4,000 feet. More like 1000 in about 10 miles, before turning around). I was by far the slowest. Everyone was passing me and I was alone. Then I hear voices coming up behind me and two riders, a guy and a girl, pass me like I'm nothing . . . and they're carrying on a conversation while I'm huffing and puffing.

Most of the riders were guys, and I kind of expected them to all be stronger. But when this woman passed me so easily, my first thought was, "I hate her." But then I thought, "No! I don't hate her. I want to BE her! And I'm GOING to be her!" So I decided to use her as my inspiration to someday do that ride as fast as she did that day.

Over the next couple of years my speed improved a lot. I don't really know what her speed was that day, but I'm pretty sure I achieved that goal. I BECAME HER!!!

Okay, I'm done now.

[smittykitty]

I'm inspired! Thanks.

[Munch]

Thanks Jiffer, that's definitely inspiring. I have raised my seat since I first started riding, but perhaps it could go up a bit higher. I have been battling a knee injury so I think I just over did it that day. I felt good the next day, so I'm not worried. Haven't gotten to be on my bike since. Was busy yesterday and today and today it's a little chilly. Might try to get out there though.

Update* Did get out for a quick ride, but boy was it chilly and windy. I'll remember to wear something to warm my ears next time it's this chilly.