Hitting a wall at 160bpm

[Firm Button]

im new to cycling but have worked up to do 150km every week in 3 rides a week. But I’m finding that when riding with experienced cyclists I’m left behind very easily on hills (to be expected I suppose) I am finding I can keep up un my heart rate hits 160 bpm or above my lungs just cant get enough air in. And I end up on the lowest gears and slowing to a crawl.
Any advice on how to get up to snuff?
Steve

 

[DCBassman]

So long as no other health issues, I'd say just stick at it, but don't forget to rest sometimes also. Instead of one ride, go for a long walk occasionally, let the other muscle groups catch up a bit.

 

[Milkfloat]

Ride more, lose weight and pace yourself on the early part of the hill.

 

[Bazzer]

Practice.
IME the more hills you do, the easier they become; although some will always be hard work. Also try to relax into the climb and get your rhythm, not that of other riders.

 

[nickAKA]

im new to cycling but have worked up to do 150km every week in 3 rides a week. But I’m finding that when riding with experienced cyclists I’m left behind very easily on hills (to be expected I suppose) I am finding I can keep up un my heart rate hits 160 bpm or above my lungs just cant get enough air in. And I end up on the lowest gears and slowing to a crawl.
Any advice on how to get up to snuff?
Steve

Assuming you're of a "certain age" ie. no spring chicken like my good self, the upper limit of your heart rate won't improve much if my experiences are anything to go by. You will however, with increased fitness & training, become more efficient and be able to put out more power at your current 'comfortable' heart rate and recover much quicker across the board.
I top out and have to recover at ~180bpm; this has always been the case, but I can do a lot more at <180bpm than I could 12 months ago so I rarely venture into that realm because it's deeply unpleasant...
I'm nearly 47 and have lost quite a bit of timber over the last 12 months; in real world terms that weight loss & increased fitness has turned me into a capable climber rather than a gibbering wreck on the hills, so stick at it, hard work will get you there!

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Hidden motor like the pros, shirley?

 

[ColinJ]

Climbing hills more quickly is (mostly) about power-to-weight ratio and it is much easier for most people to lose weight than to gain power.

I used to absolutely grovel up every steep hill that I came to but I lost nearly 4 stone in weight and can now get up them without any problems. I'm not quick, but I don't feel as though they are killing me any more.

I do aim to get quicker but gaining power is taking me a lot longer than losing the weight did!

 

[nickAKA]

Practice.
IME the more hills you do, the easier they become; although some will always be hard work. Also try to relax into the climb and get your rhythm, not that of other riders.

"It never gets easier, you just get faster" as Greg Lemond said.
As you say just get into a comfortable rhythm and spin away, don't worry about what anyone else is doing. I can only go at one cadence when going up hill. Some people I ride away from, others I lag behind. Happy to report it's more the former than the latter nowadays.

 

[Dec66]

Ride more, lose weight and pace yourself on the early part of the hill.

Amen.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Find some slower people to ride with.

Amen.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Try not to death grip the bars when your climbing, and relax your shoulders. This will free up some oxygen demand, and allow your leg muscles to get more of the oxygen they need.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

And I end up on the lowest gears and slowing to a crawl.
Steve

Is this an issue?
There is no magic cure, don't stress it, don't let it get to you, don;t try too hard & practise will pay off, you may still hit the red zone, but then find recovering will take less time, but slowly it will come together, as somebody else has said if the people you are riding with are faster & they are not prepared to wait for you, find somebody else to ride with, because unless they were super fit before they started to ride they've been through it.

 

[MikeG]

im new to cycling but have worked up to do 150km every week in 3 rides a week. But I’m finding that when riding with experienced cyclists I’m left behind very easily on hills (to be expected I suppose) I am finding I can keep up un my heart rate hits 160 bpm or above my lungs just cant get enough air in. And I end up on the lowest gears and slowing to a crawl.
Any advice on how to get up to snuff?
Steve

How much do you weigh?

Climbing hills is about shifting weight upwards. Smaller people have a greater power-to-weight ratio than larger people, assuming equal levels of fitness. If you want to climb hills better, you need to be as fit as you can be, you need strong legs, you need decent technique, but above all, you need to be small.

 

[boydj]

A short, sharp interval session once a week would help your heart/lung fitness. Squats and stair climbing will help the leg strength and can be done anytime. And make the time to rest and recover.

 

[Soltydog]

As some have said, the more you do them the better you'll become Might be worth changing your cassette to a larger one if possible, you can never have enough gears for climbing & don't get bogged down with stats. Depending on your age/weight etc 160bpm might be about right. Mine used to be around 170, but I don't wear a HRM nowadays so don't know what I run at now. I've been tackling a lot more hills this year & can feel that I've improved significantly. Did some tough steep hills in West Yorkshire earlier this week & despite being around 15 stone I'm in the top 50% of times on Strava, inside top 15% on the steepest of the climbs & I doubt all the slower riders are heavier than me
Just keep plugging away mate & you'll reap the benefits one day