# Climbing up hills



## FlyingCyclist (13 Aug 2018)

I've always complained about the hills where I live (Keighley), but in reality would it be possible for me to increase my fitness and climbing ability if I keep cycling up them?


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## Milkfloat (13 Aug 2018)

DavidS said:


> I've always complained about the hills where I live (Keighley), but in reality would it be possible for me to increase my fitness and climbing ability if I keep cycling up them?


Absolutely - the only way you will get better is to keep practicing. Well I guess you could lose a lot of weight too.


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## ianrauk (13 Aug 2018)

They don't get easier, you just get faster - as the old Cycling cliche goes. 
Just keep doing those hills....


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## Sharky (13 Aug 2018)

or in my case ….

They don't get harder, you just go slower

Seek out the steepest/longest of hills and master them, then all other hills become easier.


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## ColinJ (14 Aug 2018)

DavidS said:


> I've always complained about the hills where I live (Keighley), but in reality would it be possible for me to increase my fitness and climbing ability if I keep cycling up them?


Yes - I did, and I did! 

In August, 2012 I was so ill that I could only manage to walk 25 metres and then I'd need to rest for hours to get over it.

After gradually doing more walking, then gentle cycling, then moderate cycling, and then hilly cycling, I was able to do a ride with this elevation profile in March, 2014 ...







Push yourself a bit, take a day or two off to recover, and then repeat. Once whatever it is that you are doing starts to feel much easier, push yourself a bit harder. You'll get there in the end if you keep it up!


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## rugby bloke (14 Aug 2018)

You will definitely get better over time. It will be hard work and you may not notice the progress but progress there will be. You need to embrace the hills as part of your cycling life. Good luck and happy peddling.


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## mgs315 (14 Aug 2018)

Whilst running the risk of sounding like a broken record yes, the more hills you do the better you get at them.

Hill intervals are blinding for getting better (albeit one must question the sanity of those who willingly repeat hills!)


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## Soltydog (14 Aug 2018)

DavidS said:


> I've always complained about the hills where I live (Keighley), but in reality would it be possible for me to increase my fitness and climbing ability if I keep cycling up them?



It's very flat over this side of Yorkshire, so I'm no expert, but I've been doing a few hills this year & yes, the more you do them, the fitter & faster you become, but they never seem easy, especially if you are 'big' like me  I've a few tough hills in Keighley planned myself this year  Some I know as I used to have family living that way, but Game Scare lane near Oakworth has me worried, let me know if you tackle it & how you get on


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## ColinJ (15 Aug 2018)

Soltydog said:


> I've a few tough hills in Keighley planned myself this year  Some I know as I used to have family living that way, but Game Scare lane near Oakworth has me worried, let me know if you tackle it & how you get on


I knew before I looked it up that you would be talking about the nasty climb out of Goose Eye. It nearly killed me. No, seriously, it _DID _nearly kill me ... I'd organised a forum ride to Otley which took in that climb and I suffered like a dog all day, especially going up steep hills like that one. It turned out that I already had a DVT and Pulmonary Embolism and I ended up in hospital less than a month later. I just went back and reread the ride thread and found a photo in which you can already see my left calf swelling up from the DVT!






But you'll be okay - it's too steep to mess about on so you will just have to grovel up at a sensible pace!


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## gasinayr (16 Aug 2018)

Old mate of mine said two things about hill
To do hills, you have to do hills.
and
They have not made a road yet that you can't push a bike up


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## fossyant (16 Aug 2018)

gasinayr said:


> Old mate of mine said two things about hill
> To do hills, you have to do hills.
> and
> They have not made a road yet that you can't push a bike up



Or any bridleway. Plenty of push and carry on an MTB. Good for all round fitness despite what your body and a heart rate of over 170 just walking a bike.


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## Tin Pot (16 Aug 2018)

DavidS said:


> I've always complained about the hills where I live (Keighley), but in reality would it be possible for me to increase my fitness and climbing ability if I keep cycling up them?



There are two approaches to hills;

1. Go as hard as you can, feel like a champ at the top

2. Go as easy as you can, reap the fitness and efficiency benefits

I am firmly a believer in #2 and think people following #1 are mostly macho idiots...imho of course!


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## Tin Pot (16 Aug 2018)

gasinayr said:


> Old mate of mine said two things about hill
> To do hills, you have to do hills.
> and
> They have not made a road yet that you can't push a bike up



My rpm dropped under 30 last week going up Braested. The power meter stopped counting as it regarded me as stationary! As long as you stay seated, have patience (and can keep your balance)...you’ll get there!


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## CXRAndy (18 Aug 2018)

Climbing hills is all about gearing, technique, determination. I have a triple crankset now and can climb any gradient whilst remaining seated, keeping a cadence above 70rpm. I generally stay seated being a bigger rider, 95kg. I'm not slow at climbing, just not as fast as the lightweight riders. To be a complete rider for hills, being able to stand for short periods to power over steeper sections and ease aching muscles is essential. Practice standing for 10-20 pedal turns whilst maintaining momentum and then return to seated holding previous cadence. The first few weeks of this will make your thighs burn but eventually you'll adapt and hone your climbing technique, so be smooth and fast Heart rate whilst climbing hills will always be near or at threshold, unless you're consciously taking it easy


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## nickyboy (22 Aug 2018)

Hill reps are the best way

But if you can't bring yourself to do them, consider doing shorter, higher intensity rides

I found really good fitness improvements by doing more rides less than two hours (where I can concentrate on trying hard all the time) and fewer long four hour rides (where I know I have to knock back the effort just to survive)


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## Sjw (27 Aug 2018)

Hills i used to stop on, I'm now getting over them in one go. Not fast mind and not steep but getting there with practise


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## Crankarm (28 Aug 2018)

DavidS said:


> I've always complained about the hills where I live (Keighley), but in reality would it be possible for me to increase my fitness and climbing ability if I keep cycling up them?



Yes and cut out the pies and ale.


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## NorthernSky (10 Sep 2018)

hills just never get any easier but they are what get you fit
just drop to the lowest comfortable gear and steadily climb
the good thing about hills, what goes up must come down.


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## Accy cyclist (24 Sep 2018)

ColinJ said:


> and I *suffered like a dog *all day,



That's got to be Paul Sherwen's favourite comment!  I watch old you tube TdF videos and you can almost guarantee a 'suffering like a' or 'suffered like a dog' from him at least once. Why suffering dogs are relevant to cycling i don't know.


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## pjd57 (24 Sep 2018)

Going up is fine.

Coming down worries me more now.



Getting old !


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## Sharky (24 Sep 2018)

pjd57 said:


> Going up is fine.
> 
> Coming down worries me more now.
> 
> ...


Very true


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## pjd57 (24 Sep 2018)

Montrose Street in Glasgow city centre.Like to go up it now and again


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## Pat "5mph" (24 Sep 2018)

pjd57 said:


> Montrose Street in Glasgow city centre.Like to go up it now and again
> View attachment 431469


I'm scared to go down that one!


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## pjd57 (25 Sep 2018)

Pat "5mph" said:


> I'm scared to go down that one!


Try Gardiner street in Partick.....

been up it a few times, but strangely enough I never go down


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## Rowano (13 Oct 2018)

pjd57 said:


> Montrose Street in Glasgow city centre.Like to go up it now and again
> View attachment 431469



That hill is a brute to walk up!! I'd much rather be doing that one downhill than uphill


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## ColinJ (13 Oct 2018)

Rowano said:


> That hill is a brute to walk up!! I'd much rather be doing that one downhill than uphill


It is only 14% for 100 metres or 10.5% for 160 metres! I wouldn't mind riding up it, but I am not so keen on descending steepish hills in traffic.

OP, @DavidS has plenty of much steeper hills within a short distance of him. Thwaites Brow, for example has some very steep ramps on it and _averages _13.1% for 850 metres.


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## Soltydog (13 Oct 2018)

ColinJ said:


> It is only 14% for 100 metres or 10.5% for 160 metres! I wouldn't mind riding up it, but I am not so keen on descending steepish hills in traffic.
> 
> OP, @DavidS has plenty of much steeper hills within a short distance of him. Thwaites Brow, for example has some very steep ramps on it and _averages _13.1% for 850 metres.
> 
> View attachment 433867



I cycled up that one a few weeks ago, pretty tough, but it is cobbled  I've done a few cobbled climbs this year, but wouldn't fancy going down any cobbled descent  Hainworth Lane climb was a little bit tougher,not far away, the 1st part of the climb was covered by trees & a little damp & greasy


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## ColinJ (13 Oct 2018)

Soltydog said:


> I cycled up that one a few weeks ago, pretty tough, but it is cobbled  I've done a few cobbled climbs this year, but wouldn't fancy going down any cobbled descent  Hainworth Lane climb was a little bit tougher,not far away, the 1st part of the climb was covered by trees & a little damp & greasy


It is one that I haven't actually ridden up yet but I intend to one day!


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## MikeG (13 Oct 2018)

DavidS said:


> I've always complained about the hills where I live (Keighley), but in reality would it be possible for me to increase my fitness and climbing ability if I keep cycling up them?



Have you got an alternative in mind?

Actually, the biggest thing you can do to improve your climbing ability is to be smaller. It's up to you to decide if climbing performance is as important enough to justify that.


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## MikeG (13 Oct 2018)

mgs315 said:


> .........Hill intervals are blinding for getting better (albeit one must question the sanity of those who willingly repeat hills!)



I've basically been off the bike for 4 years, re-building my house. I started riding again 5 or 6 weeks ago. It took 3 of those weeks for the saddle to stop feeling like it was made of granite. I'm already doing hill reps. There is no better way to get your fitness back.


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## TonySJ (13 Oct 2018)

I rode the Ay Up Yorkshire sportive last Sunday and tackled a few of the Yorkshire hills including Kilburn White Horse Bank, Rievaulx Abbey, Cod Beck, Murton Bank Hawnby. Loved it but like whats been said keep doing the hills and they do get a little less Dramatic.


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## ColinJ (13 Oct 2018)

MikeG said:


> I've basically been off the bike for 4 years, re-building my house. I started riding again 5 or 6 weeks ago. It took 3 of those weeks for the saddle to stop feeling like it was made of granite. *I'm already doing hill reps. There is no better way to get your fitness back.*


It is almost impossible to _AVOID _doing some form of hill reps round here unless you ride up and down busy valley roads all day!

A typical example, not chosen for hilliness:


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