Tips for faster/better hill climbing

[Wigbank]

Getting pretty p'eed off with being the "fat kid at the back" when it comes to hills. Any training tips or techniques anyone can pass on?

My speed on the flats is pretty good, and I have grape fruit sized balls when it comes to descending, just climbing is a massive weakness of mine!

 

[Rob3rt]

Lose weight.

Next..........

 

[Wigbank]

Lose weight.

Next..........

Lol, I'm doing my best there. Still a bit to go but it's dropping off

 

[ColinJ]

Climbing speed is 99% down to power-to-weight ratio. Rob3rt has covered weight, but I would suggest also increasing your power!

How to increase power? I would just suggest riding your bike a lot, making some hard efforts now and then, allowing some time off the bike for recovery, and sticking at it for long enough to notice the improvements.

To give you an example timescale - I lost about 4 stone in weight and transformed my climbing in 1 year, in which I cycled 5,000-6,000 hilly miles.

(I messed it all up again later by not sticking at it.)

 

[Born2die]

Are you using clipless? I only ask as when I'm really struggling with a hill the ability to pull up on the upstroke is a godsend

 

[Rob3rt]

Chop your brake blocks in half and drill holes in your saddle!

 

[Wigbank]

Are you using clipless? I only ask as when I'm really struggling with a hill the ability to pull up on the upstroke is a godsend

Yeah, SPD's

 

[Wigbank]

Chop your brake blocks in half and drill holes in your saddle!

I lolled

 

[Born2die]

Yeah, SPD's

I'm always worried one day I will pull up and rip out . All ican advise then is hills hills hills and more hills

 

[ianrauk]

Just keep cycling those hills, that's all you need to do.

 

[Biker Joe]

Ride the hills then ride the hills and when you've done that.................................................ride the hills.

 

[Rob3rt]

Do I dare start the classic CC "do you need to ride hills to be good at riding hills?" debate.................

You can probably guess which side of that debate I am on!

 

[Sittingduck]

Ride the local hill and time yourself at full effort.
Ride all Winter on a heavier bike with mudguards etc. Regular riding and plenty of climbing.
Go back in the Spring and ride the same local hill at full effort.
Go home and celebrate your new PB and improved fitness.

That - and continue to try and drop a little weight, as already mentioned.
Improved fitness and the ability to output more power will also be KEY to this.
I am climbing as fast as I was last Summer, in some cases a bit faster and I am about 1.5 stones heavier than this time last year. I can only put it down to improved fitness, gained by doing the first two points in my list and a bunch of other stuff, like trying hard when you're on rides... don't get caught into the gentle pootle all the time way of thinking or you will simply not improve as much as you could, if at all.

 

[Milzy]

EPO

 

[line71]

Start doing some running,dont just concentrate on improving fitness on your bike,its a long drawn out process losing weight simply cycling unless you are doing miles of hills everyday
You will immedietley gauge your real fitness when you try and run up the road which cycling can never do,i doubt many cyclists could manage even a couple of miles jogging without becoming completely knackered,the strength you gain through a running regime coupled with hill climbing on your bike gives you a holistic fitness and is far better than just solely cycling
Try and do a few miles running a week to complement your cycling,running is way more effective in losing weight than cycling and as the weight drops off your hill climbing will improve