8,500 feet of climbing .... 100 miles

[bluebug32]

Congratulations! What an accomplishment.

The FDH and I are currently training for the Livestrong Century which has 7k of climbing. Any tips? Did you trade off standing and sitting on climbs? I know my lower quads hit a certain point of burning after so much climbing on a ride and then they're toast. Hoping to keep extending the time that takes.

[Jiffer]

Congratulations! What an accomplishment.

The FDH and I are currently training for the Livestrong Century which has 7k of climbing. Any tips? Did you trade off standing and sitting on climbs? I know my lower quads hit a certain point of burning after so much climbing on a ride and then they're toast. Hoping to keep extending the time that takes.

I guess my best tip is to climb a lot in preparation. I had to balance my climbing rides with easier rides because my body took longer to recover from the climbs than most people. My husband's training schedule included more climbing days than I could physically do. My legs were horrendously sore after a 4500 feet training ride for several days. I expected possibly the same after Heartbreak, but was pleasantly surprised to find I recovered much quicker. This means I'm getting stronger. So, listen to your body.

I wasn't even planning on doing Heartbreak until the week before. I had been climbing simply to get stronger, and was training for other events. I had tossed around the idea of Heartbreak, but had decided not to. Then changed my mind after a good ride the weekend before.

On the actual climbs, you have to find what works for you. Most advice I read says to mostly stay seated on extended climbs, which is pretty much what I do. Standing exerts a lot more energy. Yet, many people do stand a lot, like my dh, who is an amazing climber. You have to find what works for you. I typically sit on the long climbs and will stand every now and then just to alleviate the pressure from the saddle and to relieve my aching muscles for a bit, while making use of some others. When you train, practice standing for a bit on a long climb, not for speed, but for a break. Change to a higher gear first, and don't stand too long or push too hard or you'll be completely out of breath. But it's good to train your body for both.

I also stand on shorter climbs, to try to get to the top as fast as possible. On rollers, take advantage of your downhill speed to help you up a smaller hill, start pedaling as soon as you are able to on the climb and then stand to push yourself as far up as possible.

I was lucky with Heartbreak, that dh had done it before. So I was able to study the course and get tips from him. He even taped a piece of paper to my handlebars that told me at what mile the peeks of all the climbs were, so I knew how far I had to go before a downhill break. That was a big help. If I were you, I'd look for as much info about the ride you are doing beforehand. Google ride reports from other riders. Look for a graph that shows what the climbing is like, etc. I personally like to be as mentally prepared as possible.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes. You'll feel so proud of yourself when you accomplish it.

[victoriamq]

hi

do you have any specific tips on heartbreak 100?