Hill question ???

[kimz]

Right i have no idea on the gradience of this hill but i am struggling to get up i have to stop at least once use to be twice !

now its not my legs that give in but my breathing i cycle 12 mile round trip to check my horses most days and ive been doing this for a year now but this hill still beats me

so is there anything i can do to help my breathing strengthen my lungs or something

i dont have any fancy bike just a bog standard one a ridgeback mountain bike 601 gs i think its 15 gears and i go right down on my gears to help with the hill

any ideas

 

[Garz]

Some of the battle is mental and not solely physical. Is your problem slowing down so you have to stop or just getting short of breath?

If your on an MTB then I would say gearing isn't the issue, however to improve on your fitness in general just start riding more and upping the mileage to begin with and see if the hill starts becoming easier.

 

[shippers]

Are you out of lungs or out of legs?
Garz is right about the mental side of things. Decide you're going to get up there, and you'll never struggle again!

 

[kimz]

no not mental and the problem is the short of breath i use to walk up after i stopped now i breath deeply and slowly till my breathing is back to normal then carry on

 

[Garz]

Keep at it then and as I said earlier get more active by either riding more or jogging etc. As your fitness improves you shall overcome the hill in no time at all.

 

[Tynan]

how oldish are you and what physical condition?

are the tyres pumped up, is the bike in good nick, is the saddle at about the right height?

how long is the hill?

 

[on the road]

You're making it harder by stopping; you should try to keep going no matter how slow you end up going. When you stop, you have to start all over again and it feels much harder, so the best option is to try to keep some momentum going and you'll eventually make it up without stopping.

 

[longers]

I do hills by trying to get a bit further up them each time before stopping, changing gear later or something that I can put my finger on as being an improvement next time.

Tynan makes a good point about bike set up. You'll get good advice here if you ask.

 

[Paulus]

Are you in a low enough gear? You should be able to twiddle your way to the top without getting out of breath.

 

[Downward]

Pace it - Slow all the way. It'll come in time . How long have you been battling it ?

 

[BrumJim]

+1

Don't be like me - instead approach the hill steadily. Your momentum won't get you very far up the hill at all, so no point in getting up speed before the slope cuts in.

 

[Andy in Sig]

no not mental and the problem is the short of breath i use to walk up after i stopped now i breath deeply and slowly till my breathing is back to normal then carry on

That's the best tactic. All you have to do is note the last place you stopped for a breather and be determined that the next time it will be five bike lengths further on even if it kills you.

 

[2Loose]

Slow and steady in an easy gear, rather than try and rush up it.
Plod away and you can get up anything, rush and you will exhaust yourself before reaching the top.

I find that NOT looking at the top makes me pace myself better, I normally stare at the road infront of my wheel instead.

 

[kimz]

wow lots of advice ok try to answer some more questions my bike is a ridgeback its in goodish nick i cant afford another one yet so i'm stuck with it although its a nice bike to ride i had a jupiter trailblazer last year and it woould not get me any where as near to the top as this one !

ok yes i do go up slowely i dont get up pace to try to get up and i change my gears right down

and someone said dont stop ! i have no option but its not hard once ive taken a few long deep breaths i can carry on to the top which im proud that i can do instead of walking up it thats given in and dont do that no more no idea how lond it carries on for maybe 1/4 or half a mile not sure !

i bike it on a budget dont have heart monitors or mileage counter etc although would like one to see how far i do cycle in a day in total i dont drive so ride it every where apart from the 12 miles round trip i am a home carer and my average biking from person to person is prob about half a mile in between each other so no idea if this helps my fitness levels or not

oh and im 44 and in not bad shape IMO

i think ive answered all Q's just thought if i can improve my lung strenth somehow i might improve better as said my legs can keep going

 

[gazmercer]

I have the same problem kimz, problem is I am a smoker which obviously doesn't do me any favours