T4tomo
Legendary Member
i'm struggling to computeAccording to Strava my elevation gain is about 190m. I have a couple of stops for a couple of minutes to take on water before the big climbs.
i'm struggling to computeAccording to Strava my elevation gain is about 190m. I have a couple of stops for a couple of minutes to take on water before the big climbs.
we dont know the Ops current fitness, how long they have been riding etc etc to some thats a lot of climbing and to others nothingi'm struggling to compute
Just more practise and your legs will get stronger, defo take water with you.I basically just wondered if I was needing some more fuel to get me up those hills or whether it's just practice?
100% agree. Frankly, trying to big up the idea of not keeping properly hydrated is ridiculous. You only need about 2% loss of body mass (so maybe 1.5kg) due to sweating for it to have a large effect on physical performance. On a warm day with a hilly ride, I'll drink 1 litre per hourJust one point on water... Don't allow yourself to be shamed or made to feel unusual at taking lots of water, there's a bit of a trend sometimes on cycling fora to compete to see who can be most camel-like with their miserly water intake. Ignore it, if you feel like drinking two or three big bidons in an hour, then drink them. I'll do two in an hour easily on hilly warm days.
Thanks all!
So just to give some more context, this is a new route that I've only been doing a couple of times but have definitely struggled on the "big" climbs - having to stop at least once on the steepest. My bike setup probably isn't the best for climbs (2x8 gears) or maybe I'm just unfit 😂. I basically just wondered if I was needing some more fuel to get me up those hills or whether it's just practice?
My routine is usually to have a decent salad with chicken or ham for lunch with maybe a granola bar or some biscuits in the afternoon. Like I say I then have a bottle of water before going out and a banana. I regularly drink water throughout the day.
Here are some stats from Strava if it helps too...
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the number of gears is not an issue its the spread , i have bikes that all have 11-28 ratio, 3 are 2x10 and one is 2x8 , the latter has less gears so bigger jumps between gears but still has the same upper and lower ratios for climbing.As @vickster says if you have a relatively heavy bike then hills are harder work, the commuter bike fully loaded rolls well enough but as soon as yo go uphill you know your doing it .What bike do you have? If it’s a heavy beast on chunky tyres, hills are always going to be harder. Lighter slick tyres might help a little and also making sure you’re in the right gear (the number of gears doesn’t have an impact as long as you have low enough ones). Your own weight will make a big difference too!
Unless it was very hot I wouldn't even take any fluids.
Agreed on the fuelling. For fluids I always take some, but sometimes don't use it. However I feel it is worth the weight penalty 'just in case', whether for drinking or for rinsing a wound.I'd be very surprised if you really need any solid fuel for that length of ride.
Unless it was very hot I wouldn't even take any fluids.