Moodyman
Legendary Member
How true.
Earlier this year I read an article from a racing pro. "When your quads are burning, sit up and use your hamstrings and switch back when the hamstrings start hurting."
Made a huge difference to my hill climbing.
Hill training...
- Thread starter PaulSecteur
- Start date
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How true.
Earlier this year I read an article from a racing pro. "When your quads are burning, sit up and use your hamstrings and switch back when the hamstrings start hurting."
Made a huge difference to my hill climbing.
totallyfixed
Veteran
- Location
- The only county without a McDonalds
I'm going to offer a different approach, learn to love hills, go looking for them, smile when you see one, enjoy the feel of climbing them and feel your muscles working. Your mental attitude to hills is critical to how you deal with them. I know this works, not only with myself but with my partner who has gone from being an average rider to being ranked top 20 nationally in hill climbs [and this Sunday will be the cumulation of this attitude to climbing hills].
The only other thing I would add is get into a rhythm when climbing, this is often easier to do if you match it to your breathing and don't be afraid to get out of the saddle, I hear a lot of nonsense talked about how inefficient it is to climb out of the saddle, oft said by those who have never mastered it. I like to call it dancing on the pedals.
The only other thing I would add is get into a rhythm when climbing, this is often easier to do if you match it to your breathing and don't be afraid to get out of the saddle, I hear a lot of nonsense talked about how inefficient it is to climb out of the saddle, oft said by those who have never mastered it. I like to call it dancing on the pedals.
Glover Fan
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Almondsbury, Nr Bristol
Another skill I have learned and mentally it is hard to do, but try to go slow up hill when training by yourself. I usually get in the top cog on the back and try and not let my heart rate go over 160-170 bpm. I'm not afraid of getting out of the saddle, but I have to be careful not to exceed my heart rate limit too quickly.
I'm not sure if it actually makes me any stronger at climbing, but it means I can go further and up more hills without burning my legs out prematurely.
I'm not sure if it actually makes me any stronger at climbing, but it means I can go further and up more hills without burning my legs out prematurely.
Zoiders
New Member
- Location
- Ice Station Zebra
Ride fixed.
It leaves you no choice but to brute force it on hills, if you keep at it then cruising on the flat and rolling terrain becomes effortless.
It leaves you no choice but to brute force it on hills, if you keep at it then cruising on the flat and rolling terrain becomes effortless.
.... if your knees still work!
Zoiders
New Member
- Location
- Ice Station Zebra
You can gear down enough to make fixed a bit more spinny so you can hill climb seated on all but the really tall stuff and still have a respectable cruising speed on the flat.
Fixed is no worse for your knee's than any other form of drive train.
amaferanga
Veteran
- Location
- Bolton
And it's also no better for your fitness and hill climbing ability than riding a geared bike sensibly.
Zoiders
New Member
- Location
- Ice Station Zebra
I am afraid it is as it forces you to work.
amaferanga
Veteran
- Location
- Bolton
No. It forces you to work harder only on steep hills.
I ride fixed through the year for commuting and do some longer rides through the winter on fixed, but the geared bike is just WAY better for fitness than fixed. Part of the reason I think is the fact that if you want a gear for proper hills then flat and slight downhills are just too spinny to put any power down, where as on a geared bike you can stick it in a big gear and keep your power output up.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy riding fixed, but that its somehow better for your fitness is just wrong.
Zoiders
New Member
- Location
- Ice Station Zebra
It's not wrong.
Power down or having to spin up to keep up with a descent it's all effort, if you are treating it like a bike with freewheel then you aren't getting the most from the bike.
Power down or having to spin up to keep up with a descent it's all effort, if you are treating it like a bike with freewheel then you aren't getting the most from the bike.
amaferanga
Veteran
- Location
- Bolton
I think we'll just have to agree to disagree because you'll never convince me that fixed is better for fitness than riding a geared bike. You'll be telling me it's good for pedalling technique next
OP
OP
PaulSecteur
No longer a Specialized fanboy
- Location
- Walsall, West Mids.
So, after doing the Cannock monsters for a while and feeling a bit down about any real lack of progress, I decided to go a longer way home from the gym, forgetting that the old local hill was on route.
I used to do this after going from walsall to brum and back on the canal, the final ordeal before a cuppa T. It used to hurt, it seemed to go on for ever, I would be down to the granny ring on my old kraken.
Today I gritted my teeth and went for it, I averaged 15mph which was a shock, but nowhere near as shocking as getting to the top and feeling like there was still a fair bit in the tank! This was done on the secteur with the rack and a bag full of gym gear.
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/56505730
I used to do this after going from walsall to brum and back on the canal, the final ordeal before a cuppa T. It used to hurt, it seemed to go on for ever, I would be down to the granny ring on my old kraken.
Today I gritted my teeth and went for it, I averaged 15mph which was a shock, but nowhere near as shocking as getting to the top and feeling like there was still a fair bit in the tank! This was done on the secteur with the rack and a bag full of gym gear.
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/56505730
