Attacking Hill's Advice Required, Please...

[gbb]

Another thing that makes it easier mentally (for me) is to keep your sight only about 10 or 20 feet in front as you ride up...it allows me to concentrate on keeping momentum, without getting distracted by how bl00dy far ive got to climb. Dont look at the top.

Its all relative...there arent many big long hills here, but you can only get as good as local hills allow. They're all hard for all of us at first.

 

[2Loose]

+1 to plodding the first 3/4 and then attacking to the top.

I used to attack from the bottom and nearly always found myself out of momentum\energy\breath before I reached the top, but taking it easy from the bottom with steady breathing and only pushing it near the top if I have any energy left really helps.

Not as satisfying as storming all the way up, but softly softly catchee monkey!

 

[ColinJ]

I used to attack from the bottom and nearly always found myself out of momentum\energy\breath before I reached the top, but taking it easy from the bottom with steady breathing and only pushing it near the top if I have any energy left really helps.  

Not as satisfying as storming all the way up, but softly softly catchee monkey!

I know all the hills round here really well, and am familiar with how fast I can go up what and in what gear. It was very satisfying to be able to attack hills in a 39/21 gear that I'd previously limped up in a 30/26. Unfortunately, I'm back to grovelling and now use a 30/28! 

 

[Russell Allen]

I find a gear I am comfortable with and just keep spinning up the hill, If you go in too hard a gear you will burn out...dont mash. If you feel yourself tiring go up another cog or two and let your legs recover a bit. The more you ride the better you will be in touch with what your legs are telling you. If you have any energy left near the top push like mad over the summit. Dont get out of the saddle unless you are already in your granny gear and are struggling, however this is a real workout. As you get better you will notice you dont need the big cogs as much. I use a single speed bike for a bit of training, this really builds muscle on the climbs. When I climb on a bike with gears it just seems so much easier. However I live in essex and a real hill would probably kill me

Regards

Russell Allen

 

[boydj]

If it's a long steady climb, my friend once told me to imagine you are cycling up a sleeping whale's back, nice and steady because you don't want to wake him. It really works. Stay seated, find a gear you can get into a rythym in, even if it's your granniest gear, keep your upper body relaxed and your hands relaxed and concentrate on pushing through your legs. Nice and steady as you go, don't wake the whale!

I like this reply. Long hills are for surviving, rather than attacking. The important thing is to come off the top of the hill strongly with plenty of energy for the rest of the ride. if you overdo the effort on the hill, the rest of the ride is going to be hard going.

If you are training on a particular hill, then start steady and kick in hard over the top. As you get fitter, then you can kick earlier.

 

[Garz]

I tackle the hills just like colin to be honest, but as mentioned everyone has their own style. The mental factor is the key to steep ones, after a while your physical condition will only carry you so far.

 

[ColinJ]

One trick which helps me psychologically on long, steady climbs is to watch the altitude readings on my GPS as I ascend. I know the altitudes of the summits of all the hills round here and count down what's left to go 5 or 10 metre at a time. I try and guess when another 10 metres have been climbed and I usually find that it is more like 14 or 15 by the time I look back at the GPS screen so I'm actually riding faster than I think I am.

(Obviously, that technique isn't much use when the climbs have descents in the middle - those just do my head in!)

 

[ThePainInSpain]

It's quite hilly where I live (and being in a valley, means I have to climb a hill any direction). But after 3 months of cycling and having covered just over 800kms I find that hills that daunted me and I gave up and walked are no longer a problem. I humbly agree with the comments above, I say humbly coz you lot have far greater knowledge than I.

What I have noticed is the hills or indeed inclines that when I've been up them in the car, I've thought 'that's gonna be a bugger on the bike', had in fact turned out to be far less of a problem than I expected.

 

[Plodder]

Well, back from a 12 mile road ride (not long by most riders standards, I know but getting back into the swong of it!) on country lanes with 1 long progressive hill and a few shorter, sharper ones and....

....never stopped and didn't have to get put the saddle either. Kind of surprised myself really but quietly smug too. Just need to build on more regular runs and a long one at the weekend. Thanks for your help everyone, I've gained alot of confidence just from this evening after walking the same progressive hill the last few rides.

 

[ColinJ]

Well, back from a 12 mile road ride (not long by most riders standards, I know but getting back into the swong of it!) on country lanes with 1 long progressive hill and a few shorter, sharper ones and....

It's long by the standards of what I'm doing at the moment! If the weather carries on like this I can see me not going out on my bike until January or February...

Watch out for ice and keep up the good work!

 

[Nozzer]

Someone said earlier in the thread that the hills become addictive! 2nd that one.

My technique is slowly slowly, wish i could go up faster like my brother does, but i just dont have the fitness and oxygen levels. Working on it though up Birdlip in gloucester. Be atttchhh!!!

 

[jackm]

Someone said earlier in the thread that the hills become addictive! 2nd that one.

My technique is slowly slowly, wish i could go up faster like my brother does, but i just dont have the fitness and oxygen levels. Working on it though up Birdlip in gloucester. Be atttchhh!!!

Hmmm, Birdlip, I've been looking at that b*****r, and telling myself that it's gonna have it!

Maybe next week.............................