Hills!

[Globalti]

Quite possibly cyclists who came to road cycling from a mountain biking background have a different attitude to hills. I spent 21 years plodding up hills in a tiny granny gear so I don't mind them at all, in fact I even go looking for hills as a challenge.

 

[Bill Gates]

To put this into context what we are talking about here is a club run or out for a couple of hours or so enjoying the countryside. If you attack a hill and get knackered at the top then you won't enjoy the rest of your ride, so its all about pacing for the climb and how much further you have to go. Steep climbs require a different mind set compared to not so steep climbs.

Get in that lower gear that you will eventually require before you need it. Changing gear too late will slow your momentum. If you are sitting in the saddle then create a rhythm by pushing down hard on leg and allow one rev and then push down hard on the other leg and count 1-2-3. Push down hard on the one 2 and 3 are turning the pedals. I used to do this to playing rock music in my head in particular Rocky Mountain Hop Led Zeppelin.
Steeper Hills involve getting out of the saddle and improving core strength will give you a firmer base to exert the leverage required

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwG9iRFmY1I

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

In my case I also found that fighting the urge to try to get up the hill quickly was very helpful. It's easier to get further up by keeping your legs going at the same pace and slowly dropping through the gears, if you haven't already exhausted your legs by the end of the first 20 metres.

Your brain will try to tell you that the faster you hit the start of the hill the further up it you might get. Ignore it. Your stamina will run out more quickly if you exhaust yourself at the start of the hill. As you learn the hill, you will find out where the hardest places are and save your biggest push for those places.

I divide gradients into two types; short ones, like bridges over railways and canals, that can be attacked with a burst of momentum and bloody mindedness - and longer, grinding gradients that just require a gear down and accept that you are not going to be climbing it very quickly mentality. Trying to power up the second variety, and inevitably running out of steam, is not an enjoyable experience. Far better to just drop a couple of gears, keep the cadence about the same, and let the road speed fall to a level at which you are not burning out your legs or lungs trying to get up it.

 

[Slick]

Is there an easy way to tackle hills? I sometimes find that I struggle on hills – when I see a hill coming up, I sort of dread it, so I don’t know if its psychological. Because I have noticed that some hills seem easier than others – what I mean by this is: I’ve cycled up some hills before that were more difficult than the ones that I struggled on – I think this might depend on the route or that particular given day. One of my cycling friends felt the same and bought an e-bike and loves it. I tried out his e-bike yesterday and was really impressed. The thought of buying an e-bike has never crossed my mind before. I don’t know if I should just persevere with a regular bike or take the plunge and buy an e-bike. I’m torn between keeping at it on a regular bike and building up my fitness or getting an e-bike.

Thanks in advance for your help.

J

Lots of good advice on how to tackle climbs, my own favourites are just do more, don't rush it, you can spin your way up in the granny gear at your leisure and be fresh at the top to attack the descent.

As for the ebike question, only you can really answer that but for me, they are the best thing since sliced bread but there is too much work to be done for me before I can afford that little luxury.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

There's nothing better than getting to a hill you dread and finding out that it's not as bad as you remember. The way to this is to keep doing hills till you get good at them. Accept it'll feel tough but once you've gained sufficient fitness that you will begin to enjoy them again. That doesn't mean it won't feel hard if you go for it, but you'll feel you can sustain that effort indefinitely.

There's working your lungs and heart and muscles hard where it feels good and working them where you feel dreadful. The former occurs when you've got reasonable fitness.

 

[ColinJ]

Hills of 10%,15% or even 20% are not a problem; it is 2-3% slopes that can be! I am actually being serious...

There are lots of steep climbs round here and it doesn't take long to work out that attacking them too hard is not going to get you to the summit without a lot of suffering. You have to use gears that are low enough to turn over at a comfortable cadence, pace yourself according to your fitness, and accept that it is going to feel difficult and will take some time.

The thing is - steep hills are very obvious when you look up them so you immediately know what you are letting yourself in for and can plan for them. There is also a sense of achievement in tackling them. Little 2-3% uphill drags though are so subtle that it is easy not to even see that they are there and there is no pride in tackling a non-climb!

There is one such drag on the A646 from Burnley towards Todmorden, averaging 2.5% for 3.5 km. I have ridden it hundreds of times and it looks nothing, but it just kills your speed. When you ride in the opposite direction it is very obviously slightly downhill because it is easy to hit 50 km/hr as long as there isn't a headwind coming along the valley.

I have put some numbers in an online cycling calculator and it tells me that my steady pace*** power is around 150 W. On a flat road that gives me a speed of about 28 km/hr. The length of road in question is about 3.5 km long so it would take me just over 7.5 minutes if it were flat. In reality, the drag slows me down to about 15 km/hr so it takes me over 13.5 minutes. That is a huge difference for something which looks so innocent and undemanding. It does my head in way more than steep hills do!



*** Steady pace = reasonable level of effort but not busting a gut

 

[Slick]

Hills of 10%,15% or even 20% are not a problem; it is 2-3% slopes that can be! I am actually being serious...

There are lots of steep climbs round here and it doesn't take long to work out that attacking them too hard is not going to get you to the summit without a lot of suffering. You have to use gears that are low enough to turn over at a comfortable cadence, pace yourself according to your fitness, and accept that it is going to feel difficult and will take some time.

The thing is - steep hills are very obvious when you look up them so you immediately know what you are letting yourself in for and can plan for them. There is also a sense of achievement in tackling them. Little 2-3% uphill drags though are so subtle that it is easy not to even see that they are there and there is no pride in tackling a non-climb!

There is one such drag on the A646 from Burnley towards Todmorden, averaging 2.5% for 3.5 km. I have ridden it hundreds of times and it looks nothing, but it just kills your speed. When you ride in the opposite direction it is very obviously slightly downhill because it is easy to hit 50 km/hr as long as there isn't a headwind coming along the valley.

View attachment 493389

I have put some numbers in an online cycling calculator and it tells me that my steady pace*** power is around 150 W. On a flat road that gives me a speed of about 28 km/hr. The length of road in question is about 3.5 km long so it would take me just over 7.5 minutes if it were flat. In reality, the drag slows me down to about 15 km/hr so it takes me over 13.5 minutes. That is a huge difference for something which looks so innocent and undemanding. It does my head in way more than steep hills do!



*** Steady pace = reasonable level of effort but not busting a gut

I can't quantify it with the illustrations like you have but I know exactly what you mean. I've done a couple of workout rides with my brother who loves to challenge himself and it includes a climb over the Dukes Pass which isn't huge by any calculation but it does give us something to measure progress against. I've also done a few 50k pootles with Mrs Slick which did have a couple of tough wee pulls to get the heart going but nothing major. Despite Mrs Slick having the ebike, I spend most of the ride looking back to check I haven't gone too fast but there is a short stretch of around a mile or so that has only the slightest incline that has me blowing out my ass, and Mrs Slick isn't even aware we are going up and is wondering what's wrong with me.

 

[colly]

Some very good advice here about methods of improving hill climbing and tackling hills your aren't keen on. Don't underestimate the psychology of it all.
A hill about 5 miles from me is a bit of a grind, about a mile long it starts gradually and gets steeper towards the top, then eases a bit and tails off. It isn't a beast but it looks bad, in reality you just have to stick with it. Now just after this hill for about a mile there is a dip and the road then climbs up through some trees. I always struggled on this section. It looks lke nothing but It always took it out of me, it seemed endless and in fact I made a point of avoiding the road.
After a riding this route I checked the gradients and profile of the hill and the section after and to my surprise the profiles were very similar.
The point is I had never thought of the mile after the main climb as an actual hill. The local landscape gave the impression it was just a bit of a gentle uphill. It wasn't it was a proper climb.
Now, if I travel that way I treat this bit of road as a proper climb and I apply myself to it accordingly, suddenly it isn't such a grind. It's still hard work but now I know why and it actually becomes easier.

 

[Gunk]

I’ve just come back from a weeks cycling in the Dordogne, the area we stayed in was very hilly and made the cycling quite an interesting challenge especially for a slightly overweight 54 year old. But I managed and as the week went on I actually quite enjoyed the climbs, it is just a question of practice, stamina and adopting a climbing strategy that works.

For me a bit of out of the saddle then in the saddle seems to work, don’t use too higher a gear as that wastes energy and as others have said focus on the road ahead and not the actual hill, also I find once I reach the plateau it’s a good idea to keep going for a bit before having a break so you sort of wind down slightly. Also take on plenty of fluids and of course enjoy the scenery, best thing about a climb is the view from the top!

 

[Zipp2001]

I'm 59 and a little over weight but that doesn't stop me from playing on some thigh burner. I believe in being positive and I haven't found a hill I didn't like, but then again I enjoy the pain. I have yet to have a hill beat me, and won't let that enter my mind.
Practice, practice, and practice some more and you'll get better at it.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zVJRGwe74c&list=PLx5zbpDfR42--Sj3jpjFsruJLsyY6IsR7

 

[classic33]

The easiest way to get better at riding hills is to just stick at it and keep riding them. If you can find a way to incorporate one of these daunting hills on a daily/regular ride, it will soon feel normal to you. Source: I cycle in very hilly Bradford.

It's not that bad!

Unless you're Queensbury bound from the city centre. Most are just a long drag, with a few false horizons thrown in.

 

[confusedcyclist]

It's not that bad!

Unless you're Queensbury bound from the city centre. Most are just a long drag, with a few false horizons thrown in.

You kind of proved my point, it's all relative! Oft quoted excuses for not cycling in Bradford are the climbs, but as I say, if you ride them daily, they soon become nothing much worth shouting about.

I ride out to Queensbury just for extend my ride sometimes, despite being able to take much flatter route out via spen valley cycleway, or the initially lumpy CS1.

 

[CXRAndy]

I used to fear hills that took several minutes to climb, until I went to Tenerife. The first time was a baptism of fire, turned myself inside out trying to stay with others.

What I learnt quickly, being a big heavy rider is, I cant match lighter riders. That doesn't mean Im rubbish at cycling up hills, its just I dont do it as fast- I'll get there a few minutes later.

Ride within yourself and dont go too hard, too early. If I want to power up a long climb I use a lower cadence to keep my heart rate from peaking early, I then either pick a harder gear to bring my heart rate up to threshold or increase cadence a couple of rpm- this all depends on my cadence range for powering up said hill. Riding up mountain climbs changes your perspective of UK hills.

Gear your bike so you can spin up steep hills, then hills just become slopes.

 

[pjd57]

Some days hills seem easy, other days the same hill can be brutal.
Too soon in a ride I might not be up to speed.
Late in a ride , getting tired, or needing food.
I wouldn't give up and go down the E road yet.

I've tackled all the tough ones in Glasgow.
Gardiner Street in Partick is definitely the biggest challenge.

 

[Davos87]

There's a 17% bank I often tackle back into the village I live in. I can and do avoid it at times depending how I'm feeling. I have been up it on many occasions but whenever I hit the bottom I always experience a slight anxiety about making it. I KNOW I can conquer it, yes its quite steep but relatively short but without fail I always have this apprehension before taking it on. Whats that about?