"Invisible" Hill technique?

[Smilie]

Funny, as I didn't even look at the date of the original post. But great tips everyone.

[arielmoon]

My advice is to keep your eyes on the road with your helmet visor tilted down enough that you can trick yourself into thinking you're on the flats. It really does work for me...even when I'm on a monster hill.

I do the same thing on a big hill or I stare at the wheel in front of me. If I watch the top of the hill I get overwhelmed.

[mudmucker]

Everytime that happens, I say to myself, a brake has to be rubbing. Look, even though I know the answer and who do I think I'm foolin'. Laugh at the audacity of my thoughts and say, guess I'll just go slower till it's over.

[lph]

Everytime that happens, I say to myself, a brake has to be rubbing.

Now THAT would just infuriate me and have me throwing my bike to the ground in a fit of petulance before I attempted to find the "rubbing brake".

Ever-fresh topic, this, if you ask me!

[mudmucker]

Yes, yes, exactly! And, imagine the whirling dervish I'm in when I'm dancing wild circles and stomping incredulously around my bike because I'm seeing so much daylight between the brake and the rim.

Snort.

[violette]

My advice is to keep your eyes on the road with your helmet visor tilted down enough that you can trick yourself into thinking you're on the flats. It really does work for me...even when I'm on a monster hill.

That's strange...I do the exact same thing. I keep my eyes on the road with visor down and tell myself I'm going down a hill. It tricks you in thinking your legs are tired from all that riding.

[indigoiis]

Yes, this is an oldie but a goodie.
I still struggle with this sometimes, but it has gotten a lot better.

I learned a few things in the time that I first wrote this:

1. From a mountain biking journal with a tip on "weighting" your front pedals... not exactly getting off of your seat but moving forward enough for gravity on the pedals to count. Well, during a very very hilly 75 miler this weekend (okay, we'll just say that for NE CT and NW RI it was downright mountainous) I thought of this advice and it somehow came out in my head as loading the pedals. When a hill would come, my mind would say, "load those pedals" reminding me to scootch forward, relax, and put some weight on the pedals. I think psychologically that was a huge help and it probably didn't hurt physically, either.

2. Don't be afraid to use my grannies. That's why they're there.

3. Counting, or the alpahabet: I count to a hundred, every other breath or every other pedal stroke. Or, I do the ABC's. Usually, the top is by 100 or the 2nd or third way through the ABC's. I have ploughed up many a hill signing away like a muppet. My DH recently told me that I powered up a hill going 9/10 mph - a very long "double hundred" hill. So this is a nice trick.

I did stop recently on a very steep climb, on my way home from work. I was tired. I'd had a long day. I was cranky.
I am glad that I tried this to see what happens. This is what happens: You get off your bike, try to walk, and it's harder to walk than to bike.

So, that last ride with DH on Sunday, when we came to a particularly snarky hill, I reminded myself, "you know Indi, it's harder to walk up."

[berkeley]

The only good thing about an invisible uphill is it's usually followed by an invisible downhill, which leads me to a marvelous "wow, my legs are flying today!" sentiment.

[malkin]

If you can't find the zen of the moment, you can always resort to cursing.

[cobalt]

Thanks for the tips, new ride, hate hills.

[Kalidurga]

If you can't find the zen of the moment, you can always resort to cursing.

That's how I do it. I may have to try the alphabet instead, though. Less likely to offend other riders.

[OakLeaf]

Wow, I don't know a cuss word for every letter of the alphabet. I obviously need work on my vocabulary

[jesvetmed]

Wow, I don't know a cuss word for every letter of the alphabet. I obviously need work on my vocabulary

Maybe we should start a new thread to see if we can come up with all of them?

[lph]

Wow, I don't know a cuss word for every letter of the alphabet. I obviously need work on my vocabulary

This is the best hill technique tip ever

[Geonz]

On those rare occasions when I deal with hills (mostly in the distant past ) I count out the pedal strokes, *and* focus on technique andmake sure I'm "loading the pedals" and also getting a full, very circular stroke. If nothign else, it is a distraction.

I also remind myself that I just need to be "pretty good, for a prairie girl" and then let the ego drive me onward to show the non-watching world just how good I am