Speed uphill

[Banjo]

I am not a fast rider by any stretch of the imagination but in my little circle of cycling friends I thought I was a good climber until I did a hilly sportive at the weekend ,some of the riders passing me on the hills were incredible powering up on much higher gears as if I was stopped.

It humbled me to realize how low down the chain I really am.

 

[hotmetal]

Yes, I remember doing the London to Brighton and secretly (between breaths) congratulating myself for still pedalling all the way up Ditchling Beacon. My speedo thingy said something like 5mph but as almost everyone else was pushing their bikes I felt fairly smug, until some more hardcore cyclists blasted past at what must have been more like 10-15mph. You only get fast up hills by doing it a lot though.

 

[lulubel]

There are some really hardcore riders here who fly up the hills. I just watch them in admiration.

I want to get better at hills, but I've got a very minor achilles tendon injury (caused by running) at the moment, so I'm sticking to low gears. Once the ankle is better, I'm going to start pushing some bigger gears on the hills and see if I can get some more strength into my legs.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

As most of you know I ride a MTB. I am proud of the hills I can get up but I am amazed at the speed that some of the racing snakes fly past me on Road Bikes Easily three times my speed!

 

[Beebo]

I realise that I will never be quick up hill whilst I continue to weigh 16 stone.

I bet the quick guys were 11 stone whippets. If you put a 5 stone pack on their back I might have chance of beating them!

On really long hills I just sit in the granny ring and spin. Success is making it to the top without stopping.

 

[endoman]

I read a thing yesterday that said you should change into a lower gear as you go up a climb. Start off spinning then push harder as you ascend. I do the opposite. Easier gears as I go up. The article suggested this was slower and more fatigue inducing. I've started standing on some hills to get me over the crest at a reasonable speed but tire quickly due to my lard.

 

[PK99]

I realise that I will never be quick up hill whilst I continue to weigh 16 stone.

I bet the quick guys were 11 stone whippets. If you put a 5 stone pack on their back I might have chance of beating them!

On really long hills I just sit in the granny ring and spin. Success is making it to the top without stopping.

+1

But it is still frustrating!

 

[gaz]

It's all about maning up. Get your head down, get your arse out the saddle, and put some power down!

 

[Rebel Ian]

Interesting that there's another thread about how few black cyclists you see. I recall very slowly crawling up one hill on an organised ride when I was passed by several black guys at a pace I would have been happy with going down, let alone up!! They were properly strong!!

I'm an average to slow rider and I'm happy with the fact that there will always be people quicker but there will also always be a few slower.

 

[Melonfish]

Wiggle ya bum till you reach the top!
then stop and wait for the pink spots to disappear
pete

 

[cyberknight]

Wiggle ya bum till you reach the top!
then stop and wait for the pink spots to disappear
pete

Surely you mean red spots on your jersey?

Or are the pink spots on your rear cheeks from to much wiggling?....

 

[Melonfish]

Surely you mean red spots on your jersey?

Or are the pink spots on your rear cheeks from to much wiggling?....

i did mean in front of your eyes but whatever floats your boat

 

[HLaB]

I class my self as a good climber (it helps I've got weight on my side 9.5st) but you always get somebody better unless you're Contador and even he is beaten sometimes (I blame the butcher) ;-)

 

[Garz]

Maybe you should pick a CC benchmark hill and everyone can post their times to see who's the racing snakes and who's the chunky monkeys!

 

[Nebulous]

I posted here yesterday from my phone, but gremlins must have struck as it never appeared.

You shouldn't think about it like that. Its not how far down the food chain you are - its amazing how far up some of them are! Good club cyclists who have been competing for a long time can be seriously fast.

I did my one and only sportive about 3 weeks ago (Etape Caledonia) . It was a staggered start and I started well back so spent my time overtaking people pretty much all day. However a few people passed me on the straight as though I was standing still and even more passed me on the climbs. I took some satisfaction from the fact that nobody passed me on the way down! I still finished inside the top third timewise, which was pretty good for a first effort I thought.