Need advice for surviving hills

[light_sabe_r]

LOW GEARS!

lol I was in 2:1 this morning going up a hill, and switched to 1:1 eventually and the difference was amazing! I even switched so I was doing 1:4 because I thought I was "spinning" too much.

Eat a GOOD breakfast before starting. I had 2 weet bix and three strawberries and Soy milk. And I learnt this the hard way. WARM UP!!! I got on my first big hill and nearly keeled over. after riding for 5 more minutes we came to the next big hill and was OKAY.

Kids are kids. Stuff em. Go at your own pace. The great thing about riding in a group is that they WILL wait for you up hills. It's a RIDING code of conduct so to speak. ^_^

Training wise... I've been timing myself up a certain steep hill. Marking where I STOP peddling with some chalk on the pavement and the time it took me to get there. and Then I go and try and BEAT it until I'm absolutley WRECKED. Then try it again the next day.

[makbike]

Leighko, I would say part of is the heat and humidity in our region. I rode in a century today that started in Campbellsville and the heat was a killer. By the end of the ride today everytime I saw a hill approaching I cringed, said a prayer and had a long talk with my legs.

How much riding are you doing each week? I found last year that if I simply increased my milage by 10% each week great things started to materialize about two months into my riding season.

Also, as lightsaber mentions, utilize your gears to the fullest. I found it really helped to calculate my gear inches and to make a chart which I attached to my top tube. Since I'm not a numbers person having the numbers in front of me has made a big difference and has allowed me to utilize my gears to my advantage.

Eating a good meal before, hydrating yourself before you begin and keeping the fluids moving during a ride make a world of difference.

Do you participate in the Louisville Bike Club rides? They offer a variety of rides and club members are great about offering words of encouragment. If you don't participate in the club's rides but would like to let me know.

Finally, it is nice to see someone in this area post a note.

makbike (Marcie)

[Kathi]

Do you have exercise induced asthma? I ask because I struggled more on hills in hot, humid weather when I lived in Cincinnati. I thought I was trying too hard to keep up with the group or was just slow to warm up.

I was diagnosed with EIA and now use my inhaler 20 minutes before I ride, it really helps.

[tsali911]

I don't mean to hijack the thread here, but I'm so excitedt to see some riders from this area! I have been looking for some other women to ride with. I would like to do the LBC ride tomorrow at Tom Sawyer. Are any of you going to be there?

Oh, and by the way, it is partly the humidity and heat to blame. DH came home Sunday and was suffering from a little heat exhaustion. It is tough this time of year, then come the downhills to help you make it to the next hill. Definitely hydrate and don't push to hard in the heat of the day.

[makbike]

tsali911:

I may drive in for the ride. I'll probably only ride the 15 mile route given the tough 90 miles I rode today. Look for a blue Univega (old bike, shifters on the down tube). If you spy this bike you'll know I had the energy to drive in and ride.

Marcie

[leighko]

Thanks for all the responses! The ride today was the LBC 20 miler which was supposed to be a #1, but the hills in the park and through Mockingbird Valley made it more of a #2-3. I don't believe I have exercise induced asthma....KY allergies though. My beautiful Felt f80 is only a couple of months old and I love it! I am still a newbie to the sport so I am still getting used to the gears....BUT I have discovered how freakin' competitive I must be because I try really hard to keep up. I will up the mileage and add a few hills for practice. Thanks again, yall!

[Geonz]

How's your technique? As well as using the gears, are you making sure you're using as much of the full circle of the pedal stroke to move you forward, or are you giving in to the temptation to push dowh, push down? Even if you don't have clipless pedals, you can get a lot more power (and it's smoother, and uses more and different muscles, and just looks better :-)) with rounder strokes. It uses a little more energy for me but it helped me immensely.

However, when I was in KY for the Horsey Hundred, I was loathing the hills sunday and re-thinking taking that bike on my long tour - until I remembered that I loathe most things when it's hot, which it was (90's). I was hydrated, well fed... but this engine was made for cool conditions.

Oh, and on July 1, *all* club rides I've ever heard of kick up a level and a half.