HILLS!!!
Thread started by
speedybrian2000 at 04.19.08 - 11:40 am
What are the secrets to conquering these? What gearing is the best? Should I get longer cranks? I suck bigtime with these hills!
(Im running a 52 front chainring with 7 speeds,and 170 mm cranks)
Danny Zuko, how did you become the hill guru?
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its all about pacing yourself. you dont want to run out of steam halfway if you charge it from the bottom. just get in your granny gear and if thats too easy, move up a few until it feels right?
youre not that tall of a guy, so 170mm cranks might be a bit long for you.
ruinedbyidiots04.19.08 - 11:43 am
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Find a comfortable off-saddle cadence that lets you repeatedly put your weight over each pedal with enough speed to not fall over, but not so fast that you're tiring yourself out; let gravity apply as much of the downforce as possible.
You'll eventually pass most of people that tried to charge the hill and when you get to the top you'll still have plenty of energy reserves leftover; unlike the people that tried to brute-force their way up and are probably puking in the ditch.
Eric Hair04.19.08 - 12:16 pm
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Take your time and ease on up it like a freight-train hauling coal through the Tehachapi.
No matter how hard the fast guys seem to be going, you'll always be able to chase them down the other side.
bentstrider04.19.08 - 1:05 pm
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Curse loudly and violently the entire way up. Or avoid them, like I do. Hills be damned!
hatehills04.19.08 - 1:21 pm
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Find a nice grade running a mile or more and cycle up it at least twice a week. Your overall cycling power will improve after only a few weeks of that, and you will climb hills like a billygoat!
Creative Thing04.20.08 - 6:58 pm
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On the Westside, i love Mandeville or Bundy for a shorter training climb. Nice, long gradual climbs without killing you (until the end of Mandeville). Like Creative said, practice those at least once a week and you'll see a huge improvement in no time.
Also, if possible, keep the cadence up (that's how Lance beat everyone in the TDF) Over 90 is ideal but at some point you just can't keep that cadence. In addition, a HRMonitor can assist in keeping your heart rate in the range where you are burning fat stores and not glycogen. By using the carbs coming from the fat cells, they say you can virtually peddle forever. Using the Glycogen /sugars/carbs is for shorter term needs. (I'm generalizing here in broad strokes) Burn through them too quickly and you'll bonk. But if you stay within your aerobic range, then you can peddle for a long time. You may still feel tired, but you can still keep going.
Good luck!
stevo404.20.08 - 7:23 pm
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my legs have been bad
and they need to be punished,
Speedy come to M-ohai 4000 feet elevation, mmm soup for the soul. Theres only one way to get up hills easier, ride more hills, ride MOHAI!
dannyzuko04.20.08 - 7:44 pm
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One workout I do is a 1/4 mile hill at West LA college. Up hard, coast down - ten times. I use low and high cadences both to work on my power and cadence. It might not seem like much riding, because cyclists place priority on distance, but it's plenty to work on my VO2 max, power and lactic buffering. I can feel the difference in a few weeks typically.
Alex Thompson04.20.08 - 8:18 pm
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Eat them for breakfast until you develop a taste for them...
My breakthrough happened when i realized the struggle was all psychological. As soon as I started feeling distressed about a hill, I'd feel exhausted and sick... soooo... now I just take them as they come, at my own pace, and once I'm down to my granny gear, I sit back, relax, and tell myself I'll be keeping that slow pace until I reach the top. The motion becomes automatic, and just enjoy the scenery without thinking about my legs.
Oh, and never let the riders ahead of you distress you... you'll just exhaust yourself. Take it at your own pace always, and you'll eventually become faster.
– newbie & hill addict
canadienne04.21.08 - 10:50 am
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Spoken like a true Danny deciple!
and remember (i always have to keep reminding myself this) its not a race. Just pace yourself.
stevo404.21.08 - 10:52 am
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all i wanted was a hill, just one hill, and she wouldnt give it to me. just one hill.
ruinedbyidiots04.21.08 - 11:08 am
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Only other time a hill could be a real bitch is when you're fighting a headwind as you ascend.
I was once heading Eastbound on Hwy-18, going across the Mojave River from Apple Valley back into Victorville.
The 30mph headwind coming from the West was not making the grade any easier than it should've been.
bentstrider04.21.08 - 11:16 am
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