Hill Training
- Thread starter nickg
- Start date
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mattobrien
Guru
- Location
- Sunny Suffolk
Find a good hill. Ride up. Repeat.
That said I appreciate finding a good hill in East Anglian is a bit of a challenge.
I like to spin, so try to do this up hills. Sometimes I get out of the saddle. Kind of down to the hill and how tired I am.
I found general fitness helps for hills, so pushing yourself really hard on the flat will help on the hills.
Did a ride in Hampshire last weekend and I coped well on the hills, overtook quite a few people on the way up. Quite a pleasant surprise, as hills and suffolk are not familiar with each other.
That said I appreciate finding a good hill in East Anglian is a bit of a challenge.
I like to spin, so try to do this up hills. Sometimes I get out of the saddle. Kind of down to the hill and how tired I am.
I found general fitness helps for hills, so pushing yourself really hard on the flat will help on the hills.
Did a ride in Hampshire last weekend and I coped well on the hills, overtook quite a few people on the way up. Quite a pleasant surprise, as hills and suffolk are not familiar with each other.
U
User6179
Guest
Cycling is mostly cardio so once you get your legs used to cycling I wouldn't bother with squats or weight training , the muscle you want to work is the big heart shaped one.
Dusty Bin
Guest
Eddy is right though. Lose weight, improve your threshold. You can train your threshold by riding hard on the flat ('hard' to the point where you can just about sustain a certain effort level for 5/10/20 mins) - but if you have hills locally, then even better.
ianwoodi
Well-Known Member
- Location
- buxton derbyshire
I try to do 1000ft for every 10 miles keep that up and will get better
Dusty Bin
Guest
tricky in Essex though...
Rob3rt
Man or Moose!
- Location
- Manchester
Regardless of the "talkers" you find all over the internet, jabbering on about technique etc, climbing fast is, just like any other type of riding fast, mostly about the engine and how much pain you can endure. You can do all the talking about technique, gearing, spinning, staying seated, breathing deeply etc all you want, but the cold hard fact is, if you want to go faster uphill, you need to generate more power and/or reduce weight and learn to suffer.
So... ride your bike more!
Louch
105% knowledge on 105
- Location
- Kingdom of Kinnard
There's a few comments on here that may come across to you as a bit arsey, but there isn't really any other exercise that will have the efffect of just riding hills more often to improve your climbing mate.
I am new to cycling this year, 15 stone at 6ft, so find hills a struggle, so have avoided them where possible. When I join group rides with guys off this forum I struggle, and I am usually last up a hill. Luckily they know this and wait for me. And when I depart off on a bit of tt racing I will wait up for them. my aim for next year is to get my hill climbing improved, by dropping weight and adding more climbs to my routes when I am out over winter.
I am new to cycling this year, 15 stone at 6ft, so find hills a struggle, so have avoided them where possible. When I join group rides with guys off this forum I struggle, and I am usually last up a hill. Luckily they know this and wait for me. And when I depart off on a bit of tt racing I will wait up for them.
my aim for next year is to get my hill climbing improved, by dropping weight and adding more climbs to my routes when I am out over winter.
Doyleyburger
Veteran
- Location
- NCE West Wales
It is so frustrating when you are fairly new to cycling and are struggling in certain areas. I had the opposite problem to you. I am relatively ok at climbing but found it hard to keep up with others on flats and decents. I am light which makes it easier to climb but because I am light, the heavier guys are well out in front on the flats. It does get easier and with practise, like everything you will improve. So the guys are spot on with what they're telling you..... Keep doing what your doing and you'll get lighter, fitter and stronger and before you know it you'll be well in there going up hills with your cycling pack. I almost always pick a route with lots of hills being a newbie, as its the only way ill get these stick legs of mine stronger lol.
Michael Orvis
Active Member
- Location
- Ipswich
Let me say first, that I am a very new rider but I have seen massive gains in doing similar to the following.
@nickg I see your in Colchester. I'm in Ipswich and know that finding a good training hill will be nearly impossible. But try this; warm up by riding a steady pace for about 20 minutes. Then head to St Andrew's Ave - hit it quite fast and climb it for 1.5km - http://www.strava.com/segments/2300514
Turn around and now head down Cowdray Ave, you'll get a good amount of time to recover. Now around the roundabout, past the Institute and smash Balkerne Hill as hard as you can but go in slow and increase speed as long as you can, turn around, recover down the hill and do it again. Continue with some distance or go home. Rest the next day then do it again. This time reversing the method of attack; go into St Andrew's slow and increase speed / power. Then head to Balerne Hill and go into it as fast as you can and try and hold as much speed as possible - head back down the hill and repeat. As before, continue with ride or go home.
If you do this twice a week and once a month seek out something longer, Gun Hill near Dedham isn't far from you, and you'll start to see some big changes to the way you can handle climbs within a month.
@nickg I see your in Colchester. I'm in Ipswich and know that finding a good training hill will be nearly impossible. But try this; warm up by riding a steady pace for about 20 minutes. Then head to St Andrew's Ave - hit it quite fast and climb it for 1.5km - http://www.strava.com/segments/2300514
Turn around and now head down Cowdray Ave, you'll get a good amount of time to recover. Now around the roundabout, past the Institute and smash Balkerne Hill as hard as you can but go in slow and increase speed as long as you can, turn around, recover down the hill and do it again. Continue with some distance or go home. Rest the next day then do it again. This time reversing the method of attack; go into St Andrew's slow and increase speed / power. Then head to Balerne Hill and go into it as fast as you can and try and hold as much speed as possible - head back down the hill and repeat. As before, continue with ride or go home.
If you do this twice a week and once a month seek out something longer, Gun Hill near Dedham isn't far from you, and you'll start to see some big changes to the way you can handle climbs within a month.
OP
OP
nickg
Veteran
- Location
- Colchester, Essex
Cheers for all your help people. Was gonna go out this evening but noticed I had a puncture. I had other things I needed to do so will sort it tomorrow after work then go and hit some hills.
one way to stop people leaving you at the hill is to get their first then weave all over the road and get in their way. - well thats my technique.
I have been trying out spinning, I do find low gear and spin does work for keeping up your speed as opposed to keeping the gear up and standing on the peddles.
all I need is a lower gear than granny ring 1 gear.
The other way of tackeling hills is to make sure your going down them all the time.
I have been trying out spinning, I do find low gear and spin does work for keeping up your speed as opposed to keeping the gear up and standing on the peddles.
all I need is a lower gear than granny ring 1 gear.
The other way of tackeling hills is to make sure your going down them all the time.
