how do i improve my hills?

[Cycling Naturalist]

What would you generally consider as a hill?
I have just starting plotting my routes on maps and it gives the gradient. I was quite surprised to learn that what I considered as difficult hills are just 7%

It's the combination of steepness and length that makes hills difficult.

 

[50000tears]

I've always considered myself to be 'rubbish at climbing' but this year I've extended my commute home to include a short 12% hill and I'm now much, much better. As Rob said earlier, it doesn't take ages to improve. I've come on leaps & bounds in 6-7 weeks.

I surprised my riding buddy at the weekend by keeping pace with him on climbs. Last year he'd have to wait for me at the top.

This is very encouraging that such good progress can be made in so short a time.

 

[sheffgirl]

I'm still not very good at hills, my route to work is fairly flat now but there are some long inclines both directions that always defeat me my goal is to be able to ride them without stopping at all. I drop down gears a bit but I never come off the biggest ring, which I guess is an improvement from last year.

 

[50000tears]

One thing that can be tried if you don't do so already is to really concentrate on pedaling circles. Until recently I would have a "spiked" effort up the hills where a lot of force was put through the down-strike with each leg rather than pedaling the full circle. Since changing to a better pedal stroke, and I do have to consciously think about it, my hill climbing has felt a lot easier. Not saying it will make a big difference overnight, as there is still no substitution for overall fitness, but something to think about maybe.

 

[totallyfixed]

I never come off the biggest ring

Same here .

 

[uclown2002]

I'm still not very good at hills, my route to work is fairly flat now but there are some long inclines both directions that always defeat me my goal is to be able to ride them without stopping at all. I drop down gears a bit but I never come off the biggest ring, which I guess is an improvement from last year.

So you don't tackle the hills in the small chainring and you can't get up them?

 

[50000tears]

I'm still not very good at hills, my route to work is fairly flat now but there are some long inclines both directions that always defeat me my goal is to be able to ride them without stopping at all. I drop down gears a bit but I never come off the biggest ring, which I guess is an improvement from last year.

Wow I missed this post too. If you have hills that always beat you then why oh why would you not use your easiest gears?

 

[ColinJ]

Don't, just don't. Orrible

If the gradient doesn't get you, the traffic will!

I think if I ever did it, it would be on a mid-summer, mid-week day, setting off really early to beat the traffic.

 

[double_dd]

I think it's a case of practise on a variety of hills. On my usual route there is a relatively short 19% hill and some drawn out 4% hills over a couple of miles. They require different gears, and on the first hill I'm out of the seat but on the rest I'm pretty much sat down unless I need a bit of a boost to finally get over it.

I have hardly any flat ground where I live so it's pretty much up and down until I'm back home!

 

[HeroesFitness]

Not sure if this is the right place, im not a beginner, been riding nearly 2 years, taking it seriously for a year, i love it and ive done a few charity rides (nightrider in london and 211 miles from wales to stonehenge) but,i am utterly rubbish on hills (Wales almost killed me!). i defeat myself before i start, convinced i cant do it, i plod at the slowest speed ever and i really want to improve (when i am out with the group and my OH i feel im holding them back) so how do i improve, is it just a case of keep plodding and it will come, or is there specific training i can do? i ride a trek lexa slx wsd.

Hi, I found this program to be the best one for me, take a look, I have copied it for you to read.

This climbing regimen, from Carmichael Training Systems coach Andy Applegate, will put so much power into your pedals, your buddies will swear they see wings as you leave them in your wake. Start today and you'll see results by the end of the month.



Meditate Uphill

Strap on your heart rate monitor and sit on your sofa. Check your heart rate. Now clench your fists and grit your teeth. Bet your heart rate jumps a few beats. When you're climbing a long hill, you want to direct all your energy to your legs, not your face. To stay relaxed, Applegate swears by "Qigong climbing"--a kind of moving meditation. As you approach the climb, think light thoughts--clouds, birds, angels. While climbing, progressively relax your body from the top down, starting with your eyes, then your mouth, jaw, shoulders, chest, back, arms and hands. "You want your upper body so still that if someone were to watch you from the waist up, they wouldn't be able to tell if you were climbing or casually riding along," says Applegate. Also, stay light on the pedals and keep your legs moving rhythmically. The goal is to erase every ounce of unnecessary tension. "You'll feel better, ride smoother and have more energy to keep riding strong after you've crested the climb," says Applegate.



Find Your Power Position

To pull maximum air into your lungs, keep your back straight and your chest open. Position your hands on the brake hoods and relax your arms so your elbows sit wider than your hips. If you're short, slide back on the saddle to generate more force through the top of the pedal stroke and to encourage your heel to drop through the bottom of the stroke. If you're tall, slide forward, positioning your hips so they come close to lining up with the bottom bracket to generate maximum muscle force.



When you have to stand, click into the next larger gear and stand when one foot reaches the top of the pedal stroke (2 o'clock) to minimize momentum loss. "Avoid leaning forward as you stand, which tosses the bike backward in reaction," advises Applegate. "Stand with your butt over the saddle and keep your weight centered over the bottom bracket." You should feel like you're running on the pedals, allowing the bike to rock gently, but not excessively, from side to side.



Raise Your LT

"The cornerstone of climbing fitness is being able to generate high speed and power at lactate threshold," says Applegate. To improve yours, slip in LT (or steady state) intervals at least once, and no more than twice, a week. After a good warm-up, ride 10 minutes at a steady effort, keeping your heart rate about three beats below your LT heart rate (just below your average heart rate for a 30-60-minute time trial, or an effort of seven to eight on a scale of one to 10). Recover for 10 minutes. Then repeat two more times. Work up to two 20-minute intervals with 20 minutes recovery, then just one 30-minute interval.



Practice To Perfection

You'll get better just by choosing a hilly route at least once or twice a week. Add these drills (one per climbing-designated day) and you'll improve even faster. Uphill Sprint 20s Find a hill that takes 10 to 15 minutes to climb. Start climbing at your lactate threshold. After two minutes, stand up and attack at just below all-out sprint intensity (nine-plus on a one-to-10 scale) for 20 pedal strokes. Sit and go right back to climbing at your LT. Repeat every one to two minutes (depending on your fitness) all the way up the hill. Perform the drill one to two times. Rock the Rollers To keep going strong through rolling terrain, practice two-minute attacks. Find a short climb or series of climbs that takes about two minutes to crest. Wind up before you hit the climb so you're at LT as soon as the hill starts. Climb at LT for 90 seconds; then go as fast as you can for the final 30 seconds all the way to the top. Repeat four to six times.


Peak Force Intervals

Climbing in big gears strengthens your legs to put more power in every pedal stroke. By improving your peak pedal force, you help your legs stave off fatigue during long climbs, when you're typically using a smaller gear. To build your pedal force, find a long, gradual hill and start climbing as you normally would. After a minute or two, click into a harder gear and slow your cadence to about 50 to 60 rpm. Maintain a smooth pedal stroke and a low heart rate. Climb this way for one to two minutes. Then shift back into an easier gear and recover for five to 10 minutes. Repeat to the top of the climb.

 

[e-rider]

to climb faster, simply lose weight - it will potentially make more difference than a whole load of tough training (assuming 1. you are very overweight, and 2. you are already quite fit)

 

[ColinJ]

to climb faster, simply lose weight - it will potentially make more difference than a whole load of tough training (assuming 1. you are very overweight, and 2. you are already quite fit)

It's working for me!

It almost feels like cheating. I am finding hills easier now when unfit, than I did when I was fittish but overweight.

 

[sazzaa]

Well said . . I'm currently trying to improve my hill climbing ability . . I've found a short course near where I work that allows me to get out in my lunch hour . . and there are a couple of 10% hills along the route (I know this probably isn't very steep for some people here !! ) . . For the first couple of weeks I had to walk the last part of the hills (and heart rate was at 190 BPM). . But now I can at least ride all the way up . . . So improvement is always possible ..

Same here, I have hills inbetween my home and work, and it only took a couple of weeks until I could do them without stopping, it's amazing how quickly you can get used to a route.

 

[alans]

In support of several truths contained in the content of the foregoing replies can I add....

Weight: Definitely a consideration.I was quicker up hills when I smoked 20+ coffin nails a day.
I was then 20kg lighter.

Physcology: I have in the past found it too easy to fail at the foot of a climb 'cause the devil on one
shoulder was shouting louder in my ear than the angel on the other shoulder was speaking positive things into the other ear.Positive thinking & self belief are your friend.

Practice: Riding up hills makes you better at riding up hills.Hereabouts there are 6 climbs of varying & increasingly challenging elevation.At one time I couldn't ride all the way up the easiest of them.I can now conquer all of them on a good day(not the same day).It's taken a hell of a long time & it's not at all easy:the 2 most challenging still require a shovel to force heart & lungs back into chest cavity at the summit.

 

[Slimzoe]

Thanks for all the advice, I've made a conscious effort to not panic and find hills lol. I'm getting there and have a nice, lumpy ride planned this weekend.