Sprinting, hill climbing, giving it some welly when your legs pack up... how?

[Andrew_Culture]

Try this

1. Approach hill from a flat with a decent amount of momentum
2. At foot of hill click UP a gear and get out of the saddle
3. Visualize a nice juicy steak at the top of the hill
4. "Dance" on the pedals - try and imitate Alberto Contador
5. When legs / lungs are ready to give up, sit back down but try to maintain high cadence, changing down as necessary.
6. Gradually get slowed down by gravity / physics, try to rectify by going back to 2. above
7. Fail miserably, sit down, change down gears
8. Resolve to lose more weight

Perfect!

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Depends so much on the size and type of hill (and also fitness)

If you 'ease' into the hill, keep effort at a sustainable level then push hard to get over the top then you'll be faster than going hard along the flat to get momentum, attacking the hill from the bottom and running out of gas before the top.

Interesting what you say about easing into it, there's a hill near where I work that I've been trying to get KOM on for about six months, and yet the day I decide not to push and wanted to take it easy I got my best time!

 

[asterix]

Go to somewhere hillier than Suffolk. You want hills that are moderately steep, say 11% over several kilometres. Suffolk hills are just too short. I used to cycle in Suffolk because I lived in Ipswich and there were a few of us who used to go out including one from Derbyshire whose hill-climbing seemed spectacular. We didn't know how he did it, especially as he was no whippet. In fact he wasn't really that brilliant we were just slow climbers because we never had the 'opportunities' he was used to.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Go to somewhere hillier than Suffolk. You want hills that are moderately steep, say 11% over several kilometres. Suffolk hills are just too short. I used to cycle in Suffolk because I lived in Ipswich and there were a few of us who used to go out including one from Derbyshire whose hill-climbing seemed spectacular. We didn't know how he did it, especially as he was no whippet. In fact he wasn't really that brilliant we were just slow climbers because we never had the 'opportunities' he was used to.

I appreciate what you're saying, but unless I move home that's not going to happen on a regular basis

 

[Sittingduck]

Interesting what you say about easing into it, there's a hill near where I work that I've been trying to get KOM on for about six months, and yet the day I decide not to push and wanted to take it easy I got my best time!

I have had 'nice surprises' a cpl of times but generally my PR's have been achieved when I have gone flat out, from the very start of the climb. Sometimes I record a good time that's better than I had anticipated, from sitting and spinning but I reckon that's more to do with wind conditions on the day. Infact - wind direction has been a key factor to almost all of my better climbs.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I have had 'nice surprises' a cpl of times but generally my PR's have been achieved when I have gone flat out, from the very start of the climb. Sometimes I record a good time that's better than I had anticipated, from sitting and spinning but I reckon that's more to do with wind conditions on the day. Infact - wind direction has been a key factor to almost all of my better climbs.

I'm on the singlespeed today so didn't have the option of changing down gears but made a real effort to relax during my lunchtime ride and am somewhat surprised to record my fastest time yet on the little time trial circuit I do at lunchtimes! I also got a second best time on a short climb that I've been trying to beat for a while, even although I got hit by a headwind that nearly stopped me in my tracks!

 

[Sittingduck]

Are you losing weight at the moment or lighter than at the time of the last attempt?

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Are you losing weight at the moment or lighter than at the time of the last attempt?

The last attempt was Tuesday According to the industrial scales here at work I'm 90kg which would mean I've put on about a stone in the last few weeks, which I very much doubt.

 

[4F]

I'm on the singlespeed today so didn't have the option of changing down gears but made a real effort to relax during my lunchtime ride and am somewhat surprised to record my fastest time yet on the little time trial circuit I do at lunchtimes! I also got a second best time on a short climb that I've been trying to beat for a while, even although I got hit by a headwind that nearly stopped me in my tracks!

I had not noticed that sneaky little TT circuit you had created before, Game on

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I had not noticed that sneaky little TT circuit you had created before, Game on

Great news! It's feckin' windy today though!

 

[4F]

Great news! It's feckin' windy today though!

Been off the bike all this week due to feeling like **** which has been great with the A14 being like it has been Back on it next week so a few lunchtime rides out I feel although I really need to get some running training in for an event on the 4th Nov.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Been off the bike all this week due to feeling like **** which has been great with the A14 being like it has been Back on it next week so a few lunchtime rides out I feel although I really need to get some running training in for an event on the 4th Nov.

Oh no, did you get caught up in all those onions the other day? Get well soon!

 

[4F]

Oh no, did you get caught up in all those onions the other day? Get well soon!

Yep onions (still some in the central reservation), turned off before to take the countryside way in but so was everyone else, journey home was not much better. So looking forward to getting back on the bike next week.

 

[andrew_s]

I'm on the singlespeed today so didn't have the option of changing down gears but ... got a second best time on a short climb that I've been trying to beat for a while,

This is fairly normal. People on fixed or singlespeed always climb faster than on gears, provided they can manage the hill without struggling excessively. It's partly because there's no choice but to go for it, but also because every change of gear costs you momentum, and something like 15 yards.
If you are on gears, change whilst your cadence is still fairly high so as to minimise this loss.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

This is fairly normal. People on fixed or singlespeed always climb faster than on gears, provided they can manage the hill without struggling excessively. It's partly because there's no choice but to go for it, but also because every change of gear costs you momentum, and something like 15 yards.
If you are on gears, change whilst your cadence is still fairly high so as to minimise this loss.

Ah, that would explain why when I tried to thrash a few uphill PBs on the 'nice bike' this morning I was a lot slower than I thought I would be!