Getting up that b****y hill!

[Deleted member 18052]

Alright guys.

I've been challenged by someone who shall remain nameless to get up this hill, in one go, without stopping.

http://www.strava.com/segments/766070

I know it's not probably a big deal for most of you but I've not been cycling long and have not got many miles on the bike.

So, me.

26, overweight (currently 97kg), 300 miles on the bike.

I have attempted this hill 3 times already now. First time I made it to the top but I had to stop3 times and walk for a bit of it, and the other two times got up the first bit to where it levels off a little and thought bugger this and turned around lol.

Do I just need more miles on the bike, do I need to attempt this hill more (and others?) to try and conquer this challenge?

Hints, tips and encouragement all greatly received.

Oh my current bike setup. PX pro carbon running 34-50 up front and 11-28 out back.

Cheers

Daz

 

[MikeW-71]

You just need miles. Keep riding, keep going up hills and you will crack it. Your gearing will get you up it when you get your fitness up.

Also, plan it out. Don't try to ride it flat out, try and keep it easy on the shallower parts and save effort for when it steepens.

 

[Cuchilo]

Youll get there , just keep at it . I hated hills at the start but ended up looking for harder ones . Now I hate them again
I try not to think about the hill and just look at the road ahead . Most of the hills in my area you cant see the top anyway so that helps . ( trees in the way not clouds )
I also try not to drop onto my last gear until I am about to fall over . Its my back up gear .
I try to stay seated but if I need to stand up to maintain pace then so be it .

 

[slowmotion]

I also try not to drop onto my last gear until I am about to fall over . Its my back up gear .
I try to stay seated but if I need to stand up to maintain pace then so be it .

If I know I'm going to struugle, I take another approach, as advised by delzeqq at the bottom of Ditchling Beacon. Start in the lowest gear, and just spin away. That way you don't have to worry about gear changing at all.

 

[Kies]

I recenttly changed my 12-28 for a 12-30 and it's made a difference to my climbing ability

 

[Cuchilo]

If I know I'm going to struugle, I take another approach, as advised by Delzeqq at the bottom of Ditchling Beacon. Start in the lowest gear, and just spin away. That way you don't have to worry about gear changing at all.

I'll give it a go .

 

[slowmotion]

I'll give it a go .

By some miracle it worked for me but I was on a triple with some wickedly low gearing. I wasn't elegant or fast but it did wonders for my self-confidence when I managed to get to the top without stopping.

 

[Donger]

Good to see that you intend to keep trying. If at first you don't succeed ..... etc.
I can't offer you any technical assistance, but plenty of personal experience in sticking at it and being determined not to be beaten on the hills.

I have been cycling for about 6 years, and at first I used to be rubbish at hills and absolutely hated them. I'm 53 years old now and weigh 127.5kg (20st), but this did not stop me from eventually realising one of my biggest ambitions in climbing my first Alp last year - without stopping on the way up. The best tips I can offer are:
(1) Breathing is paramount. As soon as you even think you are losing control of your breathing, drop down through the gears ........ all the way to the granny gear if necessary. Once you lose your breathing, it is very difficult to get it back, so get control of it ASAP. You can always change back up a gear or two once you are breathing steadily. Personally, I don't go for the standing on the pedals method, and I stay seated almost all the time, keeping my back straight so as not to cramp up my rib cage. I deliberately breathe in as deeply as possible, shovelling in as much air as I can in each breath. This makes me sound a bit like an approaching steam locomotive, but it does the trick.
(2) Don't even think of looking at the horizon ahead of you. A distant view of the crest can be desperately de-motivating. When I'm climbing tough one, I always fix my stare at the tarmac just in front of my front wheel, and find some little mind game to keep myself going. Counting to a hundred; breathing in rythm to a tune in your head; targetting one roadside landmark at a time - any number of little tricks that might just work for you. Suffering is a very personal thing, and you will just have to find your own way through it, but all of those have worked for me on occasions.
(3) Somehow, when all seems lost, just grabbing the bars more firmly and making your torso rigid seems to do the trick. While I can make no sense of it, it seems to bring your whole body in to play, rather than just your legs.

Hope you win your bet. Good luck and hope this helps. Donger. (p.s. hope the above message does not corrupt. system seems to be playing up a bit).

 

[slowmotion]

^^^^Excellent advice Donger.

 

[MikeW-71]

There was a climb that I was very nervous at going back to on a CC group ride, and the bike I was going to take is equivalent to the OP's with the same gearing. The first time I had attempted it I had to stop once when I totally lost my breathing, but this time I had Look cleats on and if I stopped on the steepest bit, I would have to walk a bit before I could get back on.

It's a climb over towards Loch Striven and comes in two parts. The first is a good 13% just to get the heart started, then it goes flat for a little (we used that for a photo op and to regroup) the second part ramps up to 20%, then it eases off to 12%ish and then carries on less steeply until the top.

I might be only 70kg, but I struggle when the gradient gets high. I'm mildly asthmatic (not bad enough to need inhalers though) and if I lose control of breathing, it's all over and I will grind to a halt. To do that I have to slow the cadence down, force my upper body and grip to stay relaxed, and breathe as deep and regular as possible. At 20% gradient I need to stand up to keep the bike moving, so the cadence and speed drops again. It's not fast, not pretty and I sound like @Donger s steam train, but I got up there non-stop. That felt brilliant and I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere after nearly 2 years.

I remembered to start the camera again before the steeper half. Where the first rider is stopped is where I had to stop the first time, just as it eases back from 20%

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ACGu6OqfmU


http://app.strava.com/activities/134894488/segments/3060556686

Good news for you is that the hill you have been challenged on is easier than this. Good luck!

 

[Donger]

That felt brilliant and I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere after nearly 2 years.!

Good for you! Mind, you've got plenty of hills around where you live, so it's just as well you've cracked it.

 

[MikeW-71]

Good for you! Mind, you've got plenty of hills around where you live, so it's just as well you've cracked it.

Heh, true enough, there's some toughies not far from me that I won't say I can do easily, but I'm not scared of them any more.

 

[mcshroom]

Another method is to mark how far you manage to get up the hill without stopping, then push to get a bit further each time. Something like the next lamp post or drain. Then you can achieve each time instead of being put off by not making it up the hill.

 

[Joshua Plumtree]

I live in Norfolk. Anyone failing to climb the hills around here is immediately expelled from the local CC!

 

[CJ Titanium]

I was given some good hill climbing technique advice whilst on a cycling "holiday" riding C2C through the Pyrenees. Sit upright with hands resting on top of bars. Get in a low gear early in the climb so that legs are spinning freely. Try to maintain that posture and change down early rather than wait until you can hardly push on the pedals! Keep your head up and breathe evenly. It really does help.
Losing a bit of weight is fine but you need to maintain leg and core muscle strength so it's down the gym time!!!