how do i improve my hills?

[tug benson]

On my nearest hill, the Cairn O'Mount, the ramp has several stages, and I'm not afraid to use the 28x28 second lowest gear on the 16% first slope, and so long as I stay loose and keep pedalling I'm alright as I progress at 6kph. For steeper grades the technique of your pedalling is important, you need to feel steady on the bike and not wobble while you smoothly put the power down and lean forward, particularly once you get past 25% the front wheel can feel very light - but leaning forward will keep it down. The thing is to just keep twiddling away and your practise will pay off when you can progress at a non cardio threatening HR steadily. Of course when I was skinny I'd rocket up it on 42x52 on a 11x19 6sp block...

You`re so lucky having the Cairn O mount near you, i done the Cairn O mount challenge last year and i really liked the climb, the ramp at the start then it gets steep again near the top..it took a good bit of power out my legs... all the roads around that area were great for cycling

 

[uclown2002]

I used to struggle with the hills when I started out nearly 3 years ago. I found that riding my bike a lot helped enormously. No specific training but just lots and lots of miles.
.
I have no problems with any hills now.

 

[ColinJ]

I used to struggle with the hills when I started out nearly 3 years ago. I found that riding my bike a lot helped enormously. No specific training but just lots and lots of miles.
.
I have no problems with any hills now.

Have you had a go at Park Rash yet ...?

I think I used 30 x 26 on that and found it hard work!

 

[uclown2002]

Is that from Kettlewell or into Kettlewell?
I think I've done it one way - into Kettlewell. That was quite a hard climb but to be fair out of Kettlewell looks far tougher.

But you've set me a challenge now, damn you
It'll be on a 34/25 though!

Is that on Cam Gill Road? Trying to find it on google maps.

 

[ColinJ]

Is that from Kettlewell or into Kettlewell?
I think I've done it one way - into Kettlewell. That was quite a hard climb but to be fair out of Kettlewell looks far tougher.

But you've set me a challenge now, damn you
It'll be on a 34/25 though!

That's from Kettlewell heading NNE up Coverdale, which I hadn't heard of until I rode that way, but I thought it was beautiful.

If you want a real challenge, ride over Fleet Moss to Hawes for a cafe stop, then come back over Fleet Moss from the harder side, back down to Kettlewell, and then tackle Park Rash!

 

[Cuchilo]

Looks to me like some blokes carried rocks up there to build walls . Doing it on a bike should be easy

 

[ColinJ]

Looks to me like some blokes carried rocks up there to build walls . Doing it on a bike should be easy

I just got to the top and then the strain of the climb caused awful cramps in my left foot. (I injured it years ago when I ran into a pothole in the dark and it has played up off and on ever since. It's one reason why I prefer to spin lower gears, rather than use brute force on higher gears.)

 

[Cuchilo]

I just got to the top and then the strain of the climb caused awful cramps in my left foot. (I injured it years ago when I ran into a pothole in the dark and it has played up off and on ever since. It's one reason why I prefer to spin lower gears, rather than use brute force on higher gears.)

I was on a London boy wind up to the Northerners I was expecting a come back for some funny friendly banter .

 

[ColinJ]

I was on a London boy wind up to the Northerners I was expecting a come back for some funny friendly banter .

Yeah, I realised that ... Just multi-tasking with T-A cycling on Eurosport!

 

[Cuchilo]

Tits and Ass ?

 

[ColinJ]

Tits and Ass ?

Tsk ... can't take 'em anywhere - Tirreno-Adriatico!

 

[slowmotion]

I'm pretty bad at hills. What I learned early on is that it's really bad for morale if you have to walk them when other people are riding by. My solution was to get really low gearing on my triple. I may have looked like a ludicrous hamster on a wheel but it was a huge boost to my confidence to get up "the impossible one" the first time that I managed it. Getting rid of weight from the bike helps a lot too. Now I do my gentle hill tour at weekends and aim to get to the top of each with one higher gear than the month before. For the first time ever, I have a few gears to spare. That's a great feeling.

As everybody says, it's just down to practice.

 

[Rob3rt]

Blimey, that's a bit harsh. Not everyone has your climbing ability and they see hills as a massive mental barrier as much as they do a physical one. His approach to overcome his mental barriers seem perfectly reasonable to me and who are we to judge what works for one may not work for another?

Maybe my comment was a little curt, for that I apologise however I still think it is a poor approach to improving ones climbing ability, at least from a physical perspective (which is what I am commenting on). From a mental aspect, well, for some it might work, others it will be demoralising.

I am perfectly happy to be enlightened as to why facing up to a challenge until it has been overcome is an idea which lacks any intelligence. Like, for example, improving my fastest time for a given route, (I think they call this 'a Time Trial'), or getting a place or two higher on a leader board of people I don't know? Or getting up a hill that I haven't managed yet?

See above, I am commenting only on the physical training aspect of the approach and I maintain that it is a lacklustre approach but apologise for the "rude" tone in which I asserted this.

 

[IDMark2]

@Rob3rt Thank you for the apology about your tone.

I think maybe my version of 'a scary hill' was not explained fully, I have done work with high intensity intervals etc, on a Turbo during the stormy season and look for the steepest challenging terrain I can find reasonably locally to measure my fitness progress, I'll do 12% fairly competently but it's 20+% ramps that get me. My TT doesn't seem to provide the same experience as actually getting out there, using weight shifts to keep the front wheel planted and measuring or gauging efforts, so I talked about using a small local road climb for a real world test. I think maybe I'm trying to do the whole climb a bit fast at the moment...Maybe I should be more aware of my cadence rate to start off with and not be trying to keep the speed up as much. But my stopping is just to get breath, 30 to 60 sec. only and then carrying on upwards. I never walk.

 

[uclown2002]

That's from Kettlewell heading NNE up Coverdale, which I hadn't heard of until I rode that way, but I thought it was beautiful.

If you want a real challenge, ride over Fleet Moss to Hawes for a cafe stop, then come back over Fleet Moss from the harder side, back down to Kettlewell, and then tackle Park Rash!

@ColinJ I did the Park Rash climb today colin, and it is a tough one although I wasn't in trouble at any stage. Did it in 34/23 as bottom gear sounded like spokes were rubbing against the derailleur.

http://app.strava.com/activities/122326261/segments/2732714790

I found the 'Trapping Hill' climb at Lofthouse quite a bit tougher although I'm a lot fitter now. If you haven't done that one it is well worth a visit.
http://cyclinguphill.com/trapping-hill-park-rash/