Hills

[ekcjwc]

I have been riding for about a year now and the hills still make me nervous! How do you make it up the hills? Do you stay seated until you feel as if you won't make it and then you stand up? I'm not horrible at them but I rode in an organized ride last year that had a few that I could not get all the way up without walking. Same ride is coming up soon so just looking for tips/encouragement!

[annielynn]

I hate hills. I find that I don't have the cardio yet to take a hill seriously. The little bit of advice that I have recieved so far is
- stay in your saddle if you can, when you stand up you cause your heart rate to increase rapidly. Which isn't good on a long pull.
- gear down. As soon as you start to feel it getting hard drop a gear.
- practice. Lots of practice will make the hills a little easier to tackle.

I am not an experienced rider. I have only been riding since August of last year but these are pointers that my husband and several of the climbers in my club have been telling me. Good luck to you!

[maillotpois]

What sort of gears do you have? Shift early into your easiest gear and then try to get into a rhythm and spin up the hill. If you do not have easy enough gears, consider a bigger cassette on back or a smaller chainring in front.

If you need to stop and take a break, try to do so in a place where the road is a little flatter so you can get started again.

Practice good use of your gears and climbing with a comfortable, high cadence. Be patient and don't try to "beat the climb". Slow, steady practice and good technique are important for climbing.

[ekcjwc]

I have a Cannondale Synapse Feminine 7 Bike (2009) Tiagra gears. I have a triple and usually stay in the 2nd position but shift down to my granny gear.

[maillotpois]

since you are having so much difficulty, I would suggest starting the climb in your granny gear in front, and a middle-ish to large cog in back, and then shifting in the back as needed during the climb. Try not to shift under load - give yourself a good push with the pedals and back off on the pedal resistance as you shift to the easier gear in back.

[Gowest]

good advice here. Are you riding with cycling specific shoes? (ie do you clip in?) If not - get cleats and pedals - you generate more power that way. Yes - sit down as much as you can and breathe deep and relax. Pull up on your handlebars (you should be on your tops) Stand up only when you have to. You can also "paperboy" to reduce the perceived steepness of the incline. Rather than ride straight up a hill - loop from side to side. (don't do this in traffic!!) Don't worry - you will get better!

[ny biker]

I have asthma and riding up hills is a big trigger for me, so I always take it slow and steady.

- Stay seated (I only stand sometimes on short steep hills).

- Shift down. The granny gear (small chain ring) is your friend.

- Go as slow as you have to. Sometimes I'm only going 3 mph with a cadence of about 50. But I can't remember the last time I had to get off and walk up a hill.

- If you have a road bike (curved handlebars), put your hands on the top of the bars rather than on the hoods or in the drops. You'll be more upright which opens up your lungs and makes it easier to breathe.

- Keep your upper body still.

- If it's a long hill, focus on shorter segments to make it mentally easier -- get to that tree or that telephone poll or that sign, then make it to the next one, etc. until you reach the top.

- Smile.

I actually recommend against zig-zagging. If you're doing an organized ride there will always be someone who is climbing faster than you and will need to pass you on the hill. Zig-zagging makes this harder and can ruin their momentum.

Good luck!

[mrjoe]

Sorry if I don't have good advice. My advice is kinda stupid: "Try your best."

[ny biker]

Sorry if I don't have good advice. My advice is kinda stupid: "Try your best."

That's always good advice!

[crazycanuck]

Make hills your friends They're very friendly, you just need to be nice to them

You can dooo it.

[XMcShiftersonX]

In addition to the great advice people have given you...I would Just keep doing hills over and over. Make them a part of every ride. Start with hills you're capable of, then add steeper and/or longer ones. I used to hate hills, but my husband loves them. So he takes me on rides that he likes, which usually have anywhere from 1800-2200 feet of climbing in about 40 miles or so. Some of you may be familiar with the Chilly Hilly ride we have here in the northwest, well my husband likes to do that ride and add on a few other streets so that it is hillier!! Now I often don't think a ride is that hilly unless it's rolling hills with a few good 8-12% inclines over a couple miles. Every time I do hills I initially thought were hard, they feel easier and easier. It's really just a matter of building up your muscles and your lung capacity. Good luck. It will get easier.

-Jessica