Hills will be the death of me!

[Sillysimon10]

Hello all!
Not so new to the forum, but this is my first post!
Just looking for a bit of advice when it come to hill climbs.
Long story short, im pretty new to road cycling, but can manage a half decent length ride...if its flat; But when hills come into the equation it cuts the distance I ride due to my brain thinking my legs are going to fall off!
I LOVE the burn, so just looking for a few tips to enhance my climbing ability, or is it a case of practice makes for closer to perfect.
Shall I do the same route and try and better my time etc...
Thanks in advance!
Happy cycling!
Simon (Warrington,Cheshire)

 

[ianrauk]

You just got to keep riding them hills.
They don't get easier you just get faster climbing them.

 

[MarkF]

I started off avoiding them all together, however, my first tour took me into the Yorks Dales..........was a crash course in climbing, particularly out of Settle, I still think about that one. Nowadays, climbing, sometimes it's a chore, other times, when I'm in the mood, I actively seek them out and love it.

Keep trying, there is no alternative.

 

[SquareDaff]

What Ianrauk says!

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Choose a gear with a decent spin rate.
Sit up and back in the saddle to put the work into the glutes
Prepare to feel pain.
If it gets too steep, try short bouts of standing but you'll need to up a gear or two to maintain your cadence then drop down one or two when you sit again.

 

[Hacienda71]

Always remember for every hill you climb there is a downhill after it.
Tip wise I would say vary from seated to standing on the pedals.

This is quite a good video.

 

[Gixer Rob]

newish cyclist myself mate and at 15 stone and a bit ,hills are not easy!!...
keep plugging away at them,it does get better (not much tho! )
personally I wouldnt ride the same route all the time..
itl get a bit boring....
you'll sub consciously save your energy for the hard bits you know are coming up.....and
you may psychologicaly defeat yourself before you even start the climb ("I know I cant get up this hill")...
just stating what Ive learned so far..............
ride safe...
Rob

 

[Herr-B]

I live on the edge of the Lincolnshire wolds, my commute takes me toward the coast away from them so I'm yet to trek into the land of the rolling hills, but not looking forward to it.

 

[Paulus]

Don't look up at the top of the hill, It is psycological really. Sit on the saddle in a nice easy gear, get into a rythmn with your peddling and your breathing and twiddle away. When the cadence gets too high, drop down a gear and repeat as neccesary. The more hills you climb the easier they become.

 

[alans]

I am poor at hill climbing.Poor technique & slow.I used to actively avoid them.I was advised that the only way to get better at hills is to ride hills.It took me a while to take take this on board but I have done so & improved.Now I'm slow with poor technique but that's an improvement on what went before.
Try a variety of the techniques suggested above & find out what works best for you;then practice,then practice some more.

 

[oldfatfool]

Hills get easier, just find a long one and repeat riding it. Ride it in a higher gear with lower cadence(60 ish) then repeat in a lower gear with higher cadence (85+) Make sure you warm up before starting the repeats and take a breather inbetween.

View: http://youtu.be/zBrWyCVOwOY

 

[numbnuts]

I always smile when I read “I'm slow on hills” as I bet your not as slow as me try 3.5 to 4 mph I have emphysema and I just run out of breath, but I refuse to get off and walk

 

[benstewe]

some weight training will help strengthen your leg,s squat,s good for your leg,s & overall fitness

 

[Saluki]

Both hubby & myself are pants at climbing so we moved to Norfolk.
Seriously though, just keep plugging away and they get easier, having said that I am not about to go and ride up Gas Hill in Norwich anytime soon. Since getting my SPDs, I like hills a whole lot better than I did when I had flat pedals 18 months ago (been riding with rat-traps in the between time).

Get into a good gear for you, find a cadence that works, stick your hands on the tops of the bars and relax. Nobody is timing you up the hill and nobody is watching you either. We have a short sharp hill near to us, a 7.2% (not exactly an Alp) but it half kills us every time and we drag ourselves up it at about 4 - 5mph and gasp like asthmatic dirty phonecallers.

 

[Hacienda71]

You need to increase your wattage output while losing weight. Better CV fitness is the key. That is why the best climbers are like stick insects. Look at Contador or Froome.