My nemesis

[RobR]

So glad it's not just me!

 

[ren531]

I have a horid hill also, go up it just going out of our village to work must have been up it tens of thousands of times, worst is cold winter morning's, legs not warmed up and vehicles with cold engines passing by me pumping out choking fumes , its tiny but steep and narrow, high hedges either side and all it does is go up to go straight down again.

 

[13 rider]

Which ever way I come back into my village is climb The route i a use most frequently has a hill like yours .I have named it Death Hill because it goes past the cemetery.

There is a reasonable fast decent leading into the hill No matter how fast I descend I’m reaching for the smallest chain ring and the largest rear cog before I’m quarter of the way up.The only time I got a PB was when I had a strong tail wind

Hunts hill . Me and @Supersuperleeds quite often lead one another out on the climb and more often than not blow up before the top it's about 20mts to long

 

[RobR]

So yesterday I went out on a route that doesn't include my hated hill, but does include some similar ones. I did two things. Firstly I raised my saddle by about 1cm. This definitely seemed to help me get more power down.

Secondly I tried getting out of the saddle. I couldn't do it for long, but again it helped.

Maybe try my nemesis again today (swmbo permitting).

 

[bikingdad90]

Which ever way I come back into my village is climb The route i a use most frequently has a hill like yours .I have named it Death Hill because it goes past the cemetery.

There is a reasonable fast decent leading into the hill No matter how fast I descend I’m reaching for the smallest chain ring and the largest rear cog before I’m quarter of the way up.The only time I got a PB was when I had a strong tail wind

The run into Leeds by any chance down the hill past the cemetery and Asda and then the climb up the hill towards the car garages and Go Outdoors?

 

[CXRAndy]

So basically you're a fatty. Dont worry so am I.

Losing weight by significant margin is the only way to slash time of a climb. You can improve your cardiovascular system so that you dont feel like you're going to die cresting the hill and may cut a few more seconds.

Weight loss is the key.

Before Covid, I regularly went to Tenerife on 'cycle holiday'. The first time I nearly died on thr big climbs, but each year I would go back, a bit stronger but lighter. The mountain climbs became easier but not fast like a lightweight rider. Eventually I arrived one year thin as Ive been, you know thin arms, gaunt face. I sailed up the mountain climbs. The following year I went back a stone heavier and each climb was slower by a significant margin.

 

[pawl]

Hunts hill . Me and @Supersuperleeds quite often lead one another out on the climb and more often than not blow up before the top it's about 20mts to long

Thanks for that .I don’t feel so bad if you two struggle

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I've learned from experience that the quickest and easiest way to get up any gradient more than just a couple of percent in severity is to pick your gear at the bottom, and stay in that gear the whole way up. Under-load gearchanges don't do your transmission any favours and it destroys your momentum and pedalling rhythm. Choose wisely at the bottom and stick with that gear. 7 or 8 mph is a perfectly respectable speed to go up anything more than the mildest of slopes. It isn't slow. You are having to lift a proportion of your own bodyweight, plus a proportion of the weight of the bike, in addition to the normal drag forces you get on a level surface. Your power output requirement can easily be double that of riding on the flat.