A community message about going uphill

[crazycanuck]

Hills are fun! Weeeeeeeeeeee

I'm having sooo much fun doing hill rides lately, perhaps i'm getting a smidgen bit fitter. I'm not fast uphill but i do enjoy sitting in my saddle and grinding up..(good practice for mtb'ing)

Weeeeeee..



I do have one question though..If i can't find a medium sized hill to do hill repeats on does it make a difference if i use the longest & possibly steepest one and just ride up it a few times during a ride?? Just wondering...

I have fallen in love with Gooseberry Hill (do a google search for the elevation etc as I've no clue about that..I just know it's one of the best hills in Perth..) and it keeps calling my name.

Is this a sign?

[Bike Chick]

You are a woman who loves a challenge!!! When I began riding, I used to have panic attacks when I approached a hill and eventually got to the point where I enjoyed them. Don't know if it is the challenge, the climb or the reward on the other side

[Catrin]

I am starting to see this myself. I am very slow in the hills, I tend to grip the bars for the life of me in an apparent attempt to "help" my bike and am at least in the lowest gear in my middle chain if not my granny gear when the fast men and women zip past me... yet... the downhill side is quite fun

On my long ride last Saturday I had right at 45 miles of flat roads that followed 20 miles of hills and rolling - and that was just too much "flat" at the same time. Apparently hills are beginning to grow on me

Repeating the same hill sounds like a great way to practice!

[OakLeaf]

What I've read about hill repeats is that you control the length of your interval by not going all the way up the hill.

But where I live, even when I was racing, I never found a need for formal hill repeats... just the "fartlek" that comes from normal riding in hilly terrain. And you can do a hill one or two extra times while you wait for the rest of your crew.

[PamNY]

I just Googled "fartlek."

The twelve-year-old in me can't wait to tell people I did fartleks this afternoon.

[Bike Chick]

I just Googled "fartlek."

The twelve-year-old in me can't wait to tell people I did fartleks this afternoon.

I just laughed out loud in the hospital waiting room

[roguedog]

I just Googled "fartlek."

The twelve-year-old in me can't wait to tell people I did fartleks this afternoon.

Dangit.. now I *have* to google it...

Ah.. I see.. love it. Thanks for the morning smile.

[OakLeaf]

Must be a running thing. Runners all had that laugh back in the '80s.

[crazycanuck]

Fartleks you say...hmmm..

I have purposely searched out all the big hills because i know what i'm in for on Sept 18th at the Dwellingup 100(mtn bike event). In the course of getting ready for the event, i've found that hills are..fun!

I did the 40km last year without much training (mom & rellies were down here plus uni had just started) and on my old bike.

I have to say that following the Training Peaks program has made it easier!

[zoom-zoom]

Must be a running thing. Runners all had that laugh back in the '80s.

I used to have a bumper sticker on my car that said "who fartlek'd?" Honoring my Swedish roots and my running.

I never considered riding random hills as fartleks, but that's a really good way to look at them. I don't generally do structured hill workouts, but we have several routes around here with good hills. I like to incorporate them into rides when I want a good, hard workout.

[Crankin]

I also find flat rides boring. Which is good, since there aren't too many of those around here.

[PamNY]

Must be a running thing. Runners all had that laugh back in the '80s.

See, another advantage of becoming active late in life. All the jokes are new.