Hills

[Backache]

I am sure this question has been asked a hundred times before but is there any way to get better at longer and steeper hills if you don't live near them.
I live in a flattish part of the country and can get up though struggle occasionally with the local inclines. I was away at the weekend with a few friends and they flew up the hills when I had to get off and walk for any longer steeper bits.
I have been cycling sedentarily for about four years and am middle aged and overwieght so I know what part of the answer is.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Damn, I was hoping this thread was going to be a petition to get the damn things abolished.

 

[marinyork]

What sort of hills/inclines do you have around you? If you only have small hills round you then go to the local 150-200ft hill, climb it, ride back down and ride straight back up it. Have a couple of mins rest, do it a 3rd time. Have a few mins rest do it a 4th time. Adjust as appropriate. You could also try and do hill work a bit more regularly just to try and improve your rhythm up hills.

 

[Aperitif]

"The hills are alive with the sound of chainlinks..."

Backache, get as many rides in as you can. A sympathetic group of people (they don't have to be 'better' or 'worse' than you at climbing) is a great motivator. Can you get to any of the CycleChat rides? Look in the 'Informal Rides etc' bit within "Community" - and get yourself involved. No-one bites and they are great days out. Maybe you could get to London for a FNRttC? People from Hull come to London for the spectacle that is the full moon.
Practically, condition yourself to spin upwards if you find it difficult. It may seem that you are not going 'fast enough' or applying enough force - don't worry, you will get to the top!
To spin means chosing a combination of front and rear gear pinions that feel comfortable, even when the slope starts to bite.

Good luck.

 

[rich p]

I would also add that training a bit harder on your own, albeit flat, to make yourself fitter and stronger. There really is no substitute to get up hills than being fit.
It's possible to train in England to do the Alpine climbs without replicating them in training. Obviously losing a bit of weight will help but that may come as a by product. Maybe do some hills/inclines that are within your capability but up the effort over the course of time.
As Aperitif says, spinning is the key for us oldies with dodgy joints and bodies!

 

[Dayvo]

As much as you might poo-poo the idea, indoor spinning is a very effective way of building up your strength and stamina, improving your technique, helping your breathing, and being able to simulate riding the hills.

 

[fossyant]

Definitely look for a lumpy route where you live - i.e. dips for rivers etc, and make a route.

Can't avoid them where I live, fortunately.

 

[Backache]

Thanks for the suggestions, I guess repetitions will help. though I could get bored quickly.

Group rides sound like fun but realistically I have family commitments which mean I am unlikely to get to any. My cycling tends to be commuting in good weather and in the light and other times grabbed when I can. I do occasionally ride with friends but more often on my own or with family (who are even worse than I am) London area is definately out as I live in Scotland.

There do not seem to be any spin classes locally that I can make though there is a council gym with exercise bikes, weights etc.

I guess I will probably partly have to go further afield to find some bigger hills or cycle the local ones more often in a ride.

 

[Cranky]

Thanks for the suggestions, I guess repetitions will help. though I could get bored quickly.

Group rides sound like fun but realistically I have family commitments which mean I am unlikely to get to any. My cycling tends to be commuting in good weather and in the light and other times grabbed when I can. I do occasionally ride with friends but more often on my own or with family (who are even worse than I am) London area is definately out as I live in Scotland.

There do not seem to be any spin classes locally that I can make though there is a council gym with exercise bikes, weights etc.

I guess I will probably partly have to go further afield to find some bigger hills or cycle the local ones more often in a ride.

I found that the exercise bike programmes which present you with repeated, and increasing, hills with breaks in between made a great difference to me (I still do this programme two or three times per week). You can increase the level of difficulty and the duration as you improve.

 

[Randochap]

Intervals.

 

[HLaB]

I live in Scotland.

You live in Scotland but

in a flattish part of the country

I didn't know there was any Flat parts in Scotland apart from the surface of Loch Lomond but that's a bit wet

 

[Paul_L]

I asked a similar question a few weeks back. I live in an area where i can't avoid hills, but to be honest, without the climb you don't get the descent, so hills are good!!!

+1 to the spin. Find a low gear sit back in the saddle and get a cadence you find comfortable and stick with it. If you stick with this hills get easier.

I also find little pyschological tricks like focussing on the next lamp post / bus stop / gate / whatever to break inclines down into smaller chunks. Focus on the first target, get to it then focus on the next.

Might not suit everyone, but it does for me.

 

[Backache]

I didn't know there was any Flat parts in Scotland

Flattish , I guess its all relative there are a few slopes that I struggle a bit on but none locally that I have come accross that I grind to a halt on.

Might try the gym bike on bad weather days.

And will try those psychological tricks.

 

[jimboalee]

We have bashed out the physical principles of cycling up a hill. It's really quite simple – raising mass against gravity requires work.
If you find the hills near you are not so steep; and you can't tilt the hill any more than it already is or increase the gravitational pull acting upon you, you could try increasing the mass that you are trying to lift.
Get a frame fit triangular carry-bag and put 10 kg of barbell weights in it. Then try to ride up the hill.

About Gym bikes. They top-out at about 400 Watts, which is not enough provocation for the legs to grow enough to tackle a 15%.

Paul_L's suggestion about focusing on small segments is good. Counting pedalstrokes between drains works for me.

 

[accountantpete]

As a non-scientist my reckoning was that in order to move a bike you have to put a load into the tyre,wheel and frame.If you ride by simply pushing down on the pedal at some point this loading is undone(at the end of the downstroke and before the commencement of the downstroke of the other pedal).So much of the energy is wasted re-loading the bike.

I use clip-ins and try to concentrate on applying even pressure all around the turn of the crank so as to avoid "un-loading" and wasting energy