Nigelnaturist
Guru
- Location
- Pontefract
It is purely fitness, its got nothing to do with mind over matter.
Hill in the way
- Thread starter Okeydokey
- Start date
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nickyboy
Norven Mankey
- Location
- You want hills? We got hills
It's a combination of the two. You have to be fit enough to get up the hill but mental toughness not to give in and walk is an essential component if you're intent on getting up every hill
Racing roadkill
Guru
Personally speaking, a lot of my favourite routes involve anything up to and including 25 % sections of climbing ( not average gradients, those are exceptions on particular climbs). I find that a 34t - 28t will get me up most, without stalling and falling, on the 10 speed bike with the compact up front, and on the 9 speed bike, with the triple up front, I've personally rarely needed anything lower than 30t - 27t, if I'm load lugging. Gearing is a very personal choice though, trial and error will soon tell you what you require.
Nigelnaturist
Guru
- Location
- Pontefract
I the only thing I would say is lose the fear of hills.
I haven't done much riding this year, but they (the hills that there are round here) seem much less than when I started, even less than when I rode them last, but then they are only short climbs up to 15-20%, and I know even at my reduced fitness levels I can do them, however if your fit enough you will get up if not you won't, no matter how mentally tough you might be.
OP
OP
Okeydokey
Active Member
My findings are consistent with this Nigel, the hills were my little demons which in many respects have now been conquered, but not mastered. Some where here I read 'it doesn't get easier, you just get better at it', that about sums it up for me. Strange thing is, and I never would have expected it, but I started looking for more challenging hills... just to see where my OCD would take me. And my attitiude is very much around using the flat bits to warm up for the hill, and the down hill bits to recover. The whole cycling thing has taken something of a polarised 'hill', thing for me, and tbh! I'm loving it.
Racing roadkill
Guru
You can be as physically fit as you like. If your brain tells you it's not going up that hill, you're going to get off and walk. That's why you need the mental conditioning. It's the same as riding all day, to do a big distance. If your brain tells you that the train is a better option / you've had enough now, you'd be hard pressed to fight it.
Nigelnaturist
Guru
- Location
- Pontefract
@Okeydokey It gets like that, it took me a long time to get anywhere near not hating hills (its part the reason I know so much about gearing), I was at the hospital yesterday (something wrong with my right eye from an eye test on Sunday, bit quick if you ask me) called in to see a friend on the way home and there is a short but steepish climb (peaks about 13-15%), loaded up with locks and luggage I surprised myself I haven't done it often like about three times I think, but I thought lets see how fit I am not these days, well the result was 46's slower than my best of 1:41 in July 2013.
Nigelnaturist
Guru
- Location
- Pontefract
Sorry but that is B.S. distance riding is about endurance and fuelling correctly (to some degree) if you haven't the core fitness no matter how mentally strong you are you won't cover the distance (it is also as much being comfortable as anything and fitness plays a big part in that) likewise with hills if you can't turn the pedals because you can't catch your breath or your heart feels like it will burst you won't get up no matter how much you want to, losing the fear to hills comes with practise and fitness, until then you tend to fear the pain it causes, when you have the fitness the fear somewhat lessens.
Racing roadkill
Guru
I don't know who you think you're talking to like that. I removed the rest of what you typed, because it was hurting my eyes.
This is true. I have ridden miles and thousands of feet of climbing, ironically, to avoid my bete noir - the 500' two mile climb that starts my commute home. And yet in reality I no longer find it hard, I plod up it at around 10mph and then it's over. But it's there solidly burnt onto my synapses as That Nasty Hill, despite there being far worse ones that I do instead to avoid it. Mad.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
That's OK - @Nigelnaturist probably already worked out that it was the usual trolling.
DaveyM
Über Member
- Location
- Northumberland
Are we saying that determination/mental strength plays no part in performance?
Nigelnaturist
Guru
- Location
- Pontefract
What I would say is determination to improve helps push to you to gain better fitness, which is a bit different to getting up the hill if you haven't the fitness in the first place.
nickyboy
Norven Mankey
- Location
- You want hills? We got hills
Yes it does. CV fitness is the bedrock of being able to climb up hills. But it always hurts if the hill is steep enough or you go up it fast enough. That hurt is in the form of lactic acid build up and having to maintain a very elevated heart rate. It is unpleasant
Some people are willing (not able) to accept more hurt than others.
gavroche
Getting old but not past it
- Location
- North Wales
I have those gears and it still is a struggle.
