Athletes, what's harder riding up that hill or running up that hill?

[Biciclista]

I'm not a runner, so I am curious to hear from those of you who run AND ride.
There's a 6% grade ahead, is it going to be worse running up it or riding up it.
A 12% grade?

[limewave]

I don't know why, but riding up seems harder to me.

However:
I try to never ever get off my mntn bike on a hill if I absolutely don't have to (i.e. I fall or my bike starts rolling down the hill backwards).

I walk up hills a lot more often when I run.

My mental state is much different when I'm riding in a race as opposed to running. I actually have a chance to place mntn biking and I know that any time I get off my bike I'm going to lose precious time.

When I'm running, there's times I can walk up the hills faster than I'm running--so why waste the energy?

[Possegal]

My own take has been finding it harder to ride. I started running at about 10 and ran on track teams for many years. I always passed lots of people when it came to the uphill. So much so that it drove my coaches nuts. If I had that much energy up the hill, why didn't I use it over the whole course. (cause I didn't know I had that energy )

I have yet to be yelled at for having too much energy riding up a hill.

[OakLeaf]

Running.

I have pretty limited flexibility in my ankles, so I wind up having to sidestep anything over about a 10% grade, especially when it's steeply crowned as most rural roads are here.

On that 6% grade, it's shallow enough to stay in the saddle and, well, not exactly spin, but maintain a cadence of at least 80-85 rpm. But I think if I were trying to get up it fast, it'd still be easier riding than running.

Either way, on the bici I can shift gears and increase my cadence in anticipation of the hill. I know Chi Running talks about having "gears," but although I get the concept, I don't have clearly defined gears, it's more like a CVT. If there's a way to "lighten up" at the bottom of the hill in anticipation, while running, I don't know what it is (and hopefully someone in this thread will tell me! ).

Maybe part of it's just mental - on the bike I'm used to my speed varying a lot with the terrain; on foot if I'm not maintaining at least a 10 minute pace I feel like something's wrong.

[Eden]

I think it really does depend on the gradient.

On a less steep to moderately steep hill I think it is easy to ride quicker, but when the gradient really turns up, I think the added weight of the bicycle becomes more of a liability.

[sfa]

Running is much harder for me. In either case, I turn into a big slug when I hit a hill, but on my bike I'm a big slug who maintains a relatively decent heartrate, and I know I could push myself harder if I wanted to get up faster. Running, I'm a big slug whose heartrate hits the "aren't you dead yet?" stage pretty quickly and I have to slow down to a walk to make it up the hill.

Sarah

[TrekTheKaty]

I was never a fast runner, but I'd say running up a hill is easier. There's something about gravity and wheels. I've had the problem of going so slow up a hill on my bike, that I didn't know if I could clip out and get my foot down before drawing blood!

[kaybee]

I'd rather run a hill than ride it any day.

KB

[alpinerabbit]

To me, it's the same - on a different scale. Don't look up, pace yourself, and after a couple times doing the same hill, you will eventually make it.

[Grog]

Depends on the gradient and length.

The steeper the hill, the more likely I'd prefer to run up it.

However, anything longer than 2 km I prefer spinning my way up in a low gear.

[Possegal]

I was never a fast runner, but I'd say running up a hill is easier. There's something about gravity and wheels. I've had the problem of going so slow up a hill on my bike, that I didn't know if I could clip out and get my foot down before drawing blood!

If there are tricks to the getting out rather than falling or going backwards, I'd love to hear them. My first year clipped in, I did a "controlled fall" on a hill. Got to the edge, found some soft leaves, TIMBER. Figured it was the lesser of all evils. That may be one issue with riding vs running. I feel like I have to commit to the hill on my bike, where running I can just stop and walk. THough I can say, even growing up in Pittsburgh with some wicked hills, I've never not kept running up a hill. Same can NOT be said for biking.

[andtckrtoo]

I bike much steeper and longer hills than I run. I love the challenge of hills on a bike, but give me flat on a run any day.

Funny how we're all different.

[Andrea]

It depends on the riding situation as to whether or not it'd be harder than running. If I'm in a race and wanting to drop people (or chase someone trying to drop me), then I'll be going up as fast and I can physiologically tolerate. If I'm just riding along and relaxing, then I'll shift and slow down to where it'd probably be easier than running up the hill.

[Veronica]

Gears baby! On my road bike I've never met a hill I couldn't climb and I've climbed some steep, sustained puppies.

On my mountain bike... trail conditions can really make a big difference.

A local tradition is to ride up Mt Diablo on New Year's Day. I guess it's also a tradition for runners to run it. I'd rather ride. The runners get picked up at the top and I want that descent I just earned.

Veronica

[Crankin]

I voted "other," but I think riding may be harder for all the reasons stated, plus a couple of personal ones. I am a new runner and I've been riding for 9 years. Because I'm in pretty good aerobic shape, running is more of an issue of leg strength and avoiding injury for me. I am not fast and don't want to be. Well, I've improved my speed, but every little injury/illness sets me back, as opposed to cycling. I have to run/ride *up* a 6-15% grade on my street every time I come home. Usually, on a run, that's where my cool down begins, so I walk. However, I have run up it and actually felt better than I thought I would. It's slow, but I am running. And I think cycling is what helps me here. I live in a hilly area and routinely climb grades that are tough. I spin on all climbs, sometimes very slowly, but I get up. The only time I have walked was last summer on a hill that was a mile or more of 18-22% grades. In retrospect, I could have done it, but my friend walked and once i saw that, it did me in.
As others have stated, it's easy to slow down and walk up a hill when you are running. Even though I am only an average rider, I have confidence on hills, since that is all I've ever known. I haven't run up anything steeper than my street, so no 20% grades to speak about for running. There's some mechanical advantage to the bike, but as I said, you can always walk on a run.