Competitive Hill Climbs

[midlandsgrimpeur]

Yes, Paolo runs the MHCL and I find to be a likeable guy, I asked his advice when I considered buying a Hill Climbing bike recently.

I'll post the link on this thread to the MHCL stuff when it comes around next year.

Yeah, I always got on well with him in the virtual world. He could be a little contentious with others though!

 

[oldandslow]

Freewheeling competitions used to be popular among cycling clubs. Those really are downhill races.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

My Road Race this Sunday (tomorrow) has been cancelled due to roadworks, so I can now do a Hill Climb in the Midland Hill Climbing League - Maxstoke Hill.

Does Maxstoke use the official Strava climb, 1.99km at 4%? I just looked at this year's results and was surprised as my best is 5min flat (which would have got me 8th place in the hill climb) but that is only ever casually riding it, I have never done an effort up it. Is the Hill Climb course longer than Strava?

 

[Norry1]

Does Maxstoke use the official Strava climb, 1.99km at 4%? I just looked at this year's results and was surprised as my best is 5min flat (which would have got me 8th place in the hill climb) but that is only ever casually riding it, I have never done an effort up it. Is the Hill Climb course longer than Strava?

Do you mean this one? www.strava.com/segments/15751790

If so, no the event route finishes a bit further up - leaving quite a stretch of low gradient ground to cover. Even so, 5 mins dead at a canter is still a good time on that segment.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

Do you mean this one? www.strava.com/segments/15751790

If so, no the event route finishes a bit further up - leaving quite a stretch of low gradient ground to cover. Even so, 5 mins dead at a canter is still a good time on that segment.

Yes, that's the one! Right, I guess it takes in all that road past the steep section that winds through the farmland.

 

[Norry1]

....... looks like this thread has just about survived Thanks @Legs

I'll cut @midlandsgrimpeur last post in about commiting to do Maxstoke next year.

 

[Norry1]

See you there

 

[mjr]

Used to be a big fan of hill climbs back in the 80’s, no helmets and lights needed in those days !

Yes, as I wrote before the unfortunate incident, I've not been to a hill climb since the rule changes ruined them. I think my most-visited one is no longer held.

 

[Norry1]

Did the Melton Olympic Hill Climb this Saturday - Terrace Hill.

The event was stacked with Loughborough Uni Students - all very young, lean and fit

I came 26th of 38 starters - and best over 55.

Nice to see Simon Warren (100 Climbs) there - except he beat me by 28 seconds.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I am sure you had a good compete against the hill.

 

[SportsTrophy]

It seems like the best hill climbers are build like a house spider but train hard to get strength and power out of them slender muscles.
Get as much time out of the saddle as you can making those arms and hips burn, even on a spin bike, or look for some Alberto Contador training videos youtube.com/watch?v=vya4EgIX4lw

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

My son and I rode Monsal yesterday. I dropped back 7s on my time from last year to finish in 1:43.6, which was a touch disappointing but no better than I deserved because I haven't really been focussing my training on this kind of explosive effort.

Daniel (9) was riding his first ever bike race and put in a fabulous effort to get up the 1-in-6 gradient on his 20"-wheeled MTB. Oli Bridgewood did a feature for GCN on our bikes, which really made my lad up - he's looking forward to it appearing on the YouTube channel. The Monsal crowd were fantastic and, considering that Daniel had an early start, there were still loads of people out cheering him on 🥰.

I might have got something in my eye as he crossed the line.

Bike weighing vid is up on the GCN tech channel now!