Do hills get easier?!

[Globalti]

Hills DO get easier, or at least your perception of them changes. What used to worry you becomes less and less significant. When you drive your car along a route you often ride, the movement of the car seems to exaggerate the hills and you find yourself wondering how on Earth you get up them all.

The best training for hills is to attack the short ones; start your attack before the hill so you are carrying some speed and momentum and try to keep it going. Only change gear and plod up the long hills.

 

[snorri]

Yeah, but you're a lot older than most of us!

Anyone know where the Hate button is on this forum?

 

[gavroche]

I used to attack hills on a bigger gear and go up it as far as possible and then drop the gears. Now, I found it easier to just go to my lowest gear at the bottom and gently ride my way up. It works for me and I don't get so breathless when I get to the top....eventually.

 

[steveindenmark]

No they dont but you do learn to read maps better.

 

[AyJay]

Some encouragement for an oldie would be welcome

From one oldie to another..................................
I have just returned to cycling after many years layoff. We have a slope out of the Village which is somewhat deceptive. Lovely to start your ride but on the return
After two and a half months I can return home up this hill a lot easier at the same speed. The problem is that human nature demands that you get up the hill faster using the same effort as before. So the effort may be the same but it lasts for a shorter time so I guess you can say it does get easier.
As long as you are enjoying the whole experience of cycling all as well.

 

[Riverman]

Get in the gym and do some interval training. I find hills get a lot easier after that.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Do a tour of some really big hills on the continent. Take your time, sort your bikes out with some hill ratios. Then come back to Blighty. You will fly up anything the UK has to offer.

 

[xxDarkRiderxx]

I don't think hills get easier, you just recover faster the more you do them.

 

[steveindenmark]

Im an oldie...57

In the last 2 years I have ridden Cap de Formentor twice and Sa Collabra on Mallorca twice. I was riding my Koga World Traveller which is the weight of a moped. The trick is dont think you are 20, your not in a race and I ride with a triple...30 gears.

I was quite pleased with myself on Sa Colabra. Lots of cudos with the guys on roadbikes. That was until a guy turned up on a skateboard. Someone can always do it better.

 

[ColinJ]

No they dont but you do learn to read maps better.

Yes they do, but you can use maps to find harder hills to restore the challenge!

As you get fitter and learn to pace yourself, you will find hills easier.

As people have pointed out above, that improved fitness is often used to ride up the hills faster so they could feel just as hard as before. The difference is, you could slow down to your old speed and that would definitely feel much easier.

I am going up climbs better now aged nearly 60 than I did when I started cycling again over 25 years ago.

 

[Dayvo]

e-bikes are all the rage for the 'older' generation.

 

[ColinJ]

e-bikes are all the rage for the 'older' generation.

How old?

Certainly not for this old(-ish) rider!

 

[PK99]

My rides over the last few weeks since getting back into cycling have been mainly on the level. There is one ride I like that involves some moderate hills though. I have now done this ride a few times but the hills still seem hard. I am using my gears but still seem to struggle but not to the extent I'm walking up! Do they get easier in time? Some encouragement for an oldie would be welcome

Simple answer is yes!

When I first started on a road bike in 2008 (I'm now 60) after maybe 10 years pootling on towpaths etc on an mtb Box Hill was torment: crawling up at 5/6mph heart rate 165/170bpm in bottom bottom.
I got back a couple of hours ago from a 70 mile ride, Garmin tells me I did Box Hill at 55 miles in @ around 140bpm and 8ish mph in middle ring

Get yourself a HRM and note how your heart rate at the same speed on the climb reduces - the temptation is always to work to the same pain level so it feels you are not improving

 

[I like Skol]

What hills

 

[kiriyama]

Try riding up some absolute monster hills, huge buggers... then your normal hills will at least seem relatively easier!

There are hills I used to dread as a commuter, that absolutely pale in comparison to the self enduced suffering of the hills iv ridden 'recreationaly'

any time I'm struggling on the way to/from work I can just think back to several awful "why the he'll am I doing this" moments and I feel a lot better.