Defeated by a hill

[Candaules]

Yesterday I was cycling up a hill and couldn't take it any more. I had to get off and push. It wasn't that steep, either. I think my problem may have been that I changed down too quickly, and ended up in my lowest (highest? I can never remember which) gear, out of 27. The feeling of pedaling hard and only moving at walking speed was discouraging.
On the next hill I tried not to change so quickly, and stayed in my middle range. I kept going for longer, but eventually got off and pushed.

I am a bit out of condition, having only cycled about once a week over the winter.

Is it possible to be in too low a gear for a hill? Should I avoid the small chain ring? Or do I need to improve my fitness / technique?

 

[ian turner]

How long have you been cycling and how long was the hill as sometimes a sustained gradual climb
can be worse than a short steep one. Your legs should tell you when to change down once climbing
a hill.

 

[Candaules]

How long have you been cycling and how long was the hill as sometimes a sustained gradual climb
can be worse than a short steep one. Your legs should tell you when to change down once climbing
a hill.

I've been cycling for about 10 years, and am a late convert (I'm nearly 60). In the warmer months I cycle often, and get quite fit, but am still defeated by some hills. It's the long climbs that are too much.
Yesterday my legs seemed to be telling me the wrong thing, making me change down to a gear that wasn't very efficient.

 

[Davidc]

Some hills will defeat you. If you're in your late 50s (like me) that's certainly going to be quite a lot of them.

There are good biological reasons why you can't do what you could at 30, but lots of practice will get the most out of what's left of your body!

I'm doing lots of hill climbs in preparation for a ride in August and am getting better, but I know I'm never going to do what I could do in my 20s and climb Porlock and several other of the beasts of the south west ever again. Even back then I had to give up a couple of times and push when I took cycle touring holidays in the Alps and Pyrenees.

Some hills are just too steep &/or long to ride up.

 

[Paulus]

To start any steepish hill, change down to a low gear before tackling the climb, largish sprocket at the back, middle or granny ring at the front if you have a triple, or the smaller,inner chainging if you have a double, and spin the pedals at a rate of around 60-70 rpm. If you find this too easy, change up a gear, the pedaling will get harder and you will either increase speed or find it too hard in which case change down, back to the gear you started in. Do this hill in a low gear until you find it a bit easier, then tackle the hill in a slightly higher gear, your fitness and stamina will improove.

 

[mark barker]

Maybe you were just having an off day. I wouldn't get hung up on it, just relax and enjoy the rest of the ride. FWIW I find long, gentle hills a killer, and I'm 36!

 

[aberal]

If you were pedalling hard and only going at walking pace, it does sound to me like you were in too low a gear too early. This is hard to explain in writing - but a hill should defeat you when you find to too much effort to physically turn the cranks round. When the cadence drops too low in other words. Sounds like your cadence was too high on the first hill. To me, it sounds like you were doing the right thing on the second hill but by staying in the middle range, instead of changing down you got stuck in too high a gear. The ideal cadence is apparently around 80-90 revs per minute and you should try and maintain that (or your own ideal cadence) as best you can even on hills - by changing down gradually but trying to maintain your cadence at the level you use on the flat.

Like I said - hard to explain in writing.

 

[gbb]

If you were pedalling hard and only going at walking pace, it does sound to me like you were in too low a gear too early. This is hard to explain in writing - but a hill should defeat you when you find to too much effort to physically turn the cranks round. When the cadence drops too low in other words. Sounds like your cadence was too high on the first hill. To me, it sounds like you were doing the right thing on the second hill but by staying in the middle range, instead of changing down you got stuck in too high a gear. The ideal cadence is apparently around 80-90 revs per minute and you should try and maintain that (or your own ideal cadence) as best you can even on hills - by changing down gradually but trying to maintain your cadence at the level you use on the flat.

Like I said - hard to explain in writing.

To me, that's the ideal way to do it...try to maintain your normal cadence and only change down as you feel the pressure building up i your legs. Dont leave it too long, just try to find a point where you feel that increase and change gear...and try to maintain that cadence. Change gear as soon as needed...but not too soon.
In simple terms, your pedalling speed should remain the same, but your bike speed with of course slow down.
I find concentrating on my breathing is important too. I'll often start 'stocking up' with oxygen before the hill. Deep breaths in preparation and maintain a deep but steady breathing pattern as you make your way up the hill.

It does come...if i rode very little through the winter then tried to do my normal 'hills'..i'd struggle for a while.

 

[Candaules]

Thanks for those replies.
I think I need to:
1 cycle more often (despite the winter weather) and stay fit
2 try and get my cadence right
3 not worry if I have to get off and push sometimes

It's not worth having a heart attack to prove a point.

 

[asterix]

Arriving from N. Yorks I thought the long French hills would be easy enough as they aren't as steep. However I was wrong and found that on the long Massif Central drags I just had to stop for a break as my muscles were simply giving up.

With a bit of practice I have become quite happy with long hills and can pedal up 'em as long as I like. I am not very light (85kg) nor very young being late 50's.

Last year I did the Raid Pyrenean (you get 100 hours to do 720km with 11,000metres of climbing) and the youngest was c.20 and the oldest was 70. The older guy had had 2 knee ops having been a keen road-runner but he accomplished the challenge very cheerfully, finishing each day around the middle of the group of 18 riders.

So I'd say it's not necessarily an age thing!

 

[chillyuk]

I'm in my 60's and I would suggest that consistancy is very important, as is recovery between rides. I have had a pretty lean year last year due to health problems and am struggling now on the bike, although things are getting back for me. I tend to ride alternate days to allow recovery between rides. As you age this recovery time is important, although as you develop condition you can probably ride more and rest less!

During the week I went out for a 20 miler. Like you I had to get off and push up a hill I normally ride up without too much effort, yet 10 miles further on I climbed a much steeper hill quite easily.

 

[HLaB]

Candaules; play with your gears on the flat: when you are in the big ring on the front smallest on the the back that takes the least revolution of the cranks to a revolution of the wheel but is murder for hills; its easy if you are in a small ring at the front larger at the front on the flat you will feel the cranks turning round freely (perhaps too freely for less forward momentum but on the plat in practice that doesn't really matter). Perhaps you changed down the cassette (selected smaller sprockets on the back) which are actually higher gears. I wouldn't worry however about a hill beating you however, the next time you meet it you will get a bit further, and so on and so on; and one time you'll get to the top in one go; it'll give you a big sense of achievement :-)

 

[the snail]

I find the thing that defeats me is pedaling too fast, so I try not to end up spinning too fast. How fast you go up the hill doesn't matter. I'd suggest not pushing the bike up the hill if you have to stop. If I run out of puff I stop, get my breath back, then get back on and ride. Another thing I find is that it's better not to look too far ahead, just focus on getting up the next few feet at a time.

 

[ian turner]

Your original post suggests this isn't a case of "I used to be able to do it and now I can't" so have you moved recently from a relatively flat area given you've been cycling for ten years?
Also what bike are you riding ?
Suffer from asthma or hay fever ?

 

[Candaules]

Candaules; play with your gears on the flat: when you are in the big ring on the front smallest on the the back that takes the least revolution of the cranks to a revolution of the wheel but is murder for hills; its easy if you are in a small ring at the front larger at the front on the flat you will feel the cranks turning round freely (perhaps too freely for less forward momentum but on the plat in practice that doesn't really matter). Perhaps you changed down the cassette (selected smaller sprockets on the back) which are actually higher gears. I wouldn't worry however about a hill beating you however, the next time you meet it you will get a bit further, and so on and so on; and one time you'll get to the top in one go; it'll give you a big sense of achievement :-)

Thanks. I'll give it a try.