Nemisis hill

[delphi]

Morning all, posted this to the welcome mat by mistake but could do with some wise words about how long it will take me to get fit!

I've been cycling since May doing between 8 - 20 miles a day in the week and sometimes more or less at the weekend. I did the London to Oxford ride in July and then the Oxford to Cambridge 90 miler a few weeks ago. I'm building up to London to Paris next year and despite an argument with a car that earnt me an ambulance trip and some thieving git stealing my replacement bike after the crash I am still keen.....that said I have a hill that is my nemisis. It's not on my normal commute, but I go off before work for a circuit around the park so that I have to do it most days. At first, before I got a road bike, I just couldn't get up it. Now I can get up it and even overtook some poor person that looked like me on my first trip there (weaving all over the shop) and beetroot red. What I want to know is, how long before I can get up it without sounding like a 90 year old chronic asthmatic? Or feeling like my lungs will burst and my legs won't stop shaking?

 

[ianrauk]

Hi Delphi,
how are you riding up the hill? What gears are you using? Are you grinding or spinning? Standing on the pedals or sitting? There are a lot of factors at play and what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for the other. You could say old adage 'practice makes perfect' however this is not always the case. I have a 25% hill near me, short but nasty. Some days I can get up it no problem, others I can't. My method is to spin up whilst sitting, change through the gears before you start to feel it in your thighs and wind your way up. You also answered your own question, you overtook someone who looked like you the first time you went up.. so there you go, you are actually getting better at it.

 

[delphi]

I know I'm getting better it just feels so nasty while I'm doing it and this morning was particularly hard, maybe the cold air makes it harder on the lungs (grasping for excuses here!).

In terms of gears I'm changing down as it gets harder and am right on the granny ring by the top at pretty much the lowest gear depending on the day. I'd like to say I'm spinning but even at the lowest gear it feels like a grind!

Funny, when I look at the hill from a distance it doesn't look so evil. I swear I've done worse elsewhere without feeling like I'm going through a near death experience! That said I walked up that hill a few years ago when I was crushingly unfit and it had me very out of breath.

I'll say this for cycling clipless. Once I've started that hill I have to finish it because I'm not experienced enough to get my feet out of the pedals going at that slowly but with that amount of effort!

 

[Banjo]

Hi Delphi Im in a similar part of the learning curve having started in March.

My commute home from work is only about 3 miles but mostly uphills ,steep in places. I have noticed that out cycling with other people I struggle to keep up on flat/downhill but find i catch them on the next hill. I put this down to getting lots of uphill practice commuting.

I rode up the steepest hill in our town the otherday,its about a quarter mile of very steep.Was breathing a bit at the top but I would never have got to the top a few months ago.

I guess everyone is different but to improve on hills I would say that the only way is to do lots of them.

PS I have found I breath more heavilly in the cold as well.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Sorry, cut and paste from an earlier thread...

There have been a lot of threads about hills and gearing, a quick search will bring zillions of words of wisdom, but not many better than these!

Hi, agree with all said about practicing hills, the more you do, the easier they get. Technique plays a big part... many try to wrestle their bikes up the hill to poor effect, whereas a nice relaxed approach will pay dividends. My big tip here is prior to the climb, get comfy, sit back on the saddle, AND RELAX - especially the upper body, arms, hands, neck, every part of your body you don't need to propel you forward... then find the right gear and then gently wind yourself up, find a nice rhythmn... oh, and RELAX... did I mention that?
It's also good to learn to climb 'out of the saddle' or 'Honking' as it allows other muscles to share some work and gives extra short-term power, again, relax...
I also as mentioned tend to look at the road just in front of me and try to think of something that's not cycling and before you know it, you'll be at the top (or in a ditch). Much about climbing is all in the mind!
Box Hill is a good hill to practice, nice long even gradients with bends to mark progress. I used to haul up it on a 42 x 15 fixed so your 34 x 25 should be a peach after some practice

There's also good advice in the bike radar link in this thread here...

http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=40545&highlight=Hill+Climbing

Good luck with your Nemesis!

 

[montage]

Hills are all about a power to weight ratio.
Increase your power, or decrease your weight.. or both....

To increase your power...do intervals (preferably on the hill) and polymetric exercises such as jump squats - hold a pair a dumbells, do a squat, instead of slowly standing up from the squat position, jump as high as you can.

Sitting and spinning is the most energy conserving method, but if you prefer to stand to maintain speed then fine...just e careful not to blow before the top.


Hills will always hurt, you will just go up them faster

 

[jimboalee]

Hills are all about a power to weight ratio.
Increase your power, or decrease your weight.. or both....

To increase your power...do intervals (preferably on the hill) and polymetric exercises such as jump squats - hold a pair a dumbells, do a squat, instead of slowly standing up from the squat position, jump as high as you can.

Sitting and spinning is the most energy conserving method, but if you prefer to stand to maintain speed then fine...just e careful not to blow before the top.


Hills will always hurt, you will just go up them faster

Here's the correct way of going about it.

Find something in your home which has some weight on it, like the vacuum cleaner. Throw it over your shoulders and hold it in a horizontal position on your trapezius.
Now, from a squat position, rise as SLOWLY as you can to a standing position.
Now return to the squat position as SLOWLY as you can.

As the vacuum cleaner fills up through your housecleaning, it will increase in weight providing an 'increased resistance' programme.

For the beginner in muscular strength training, 'explosive' exercises can be dangerous to tendons and ligaments.

 

[Banjo]

Here's the correct way of going about it.

Find something in your home which has some weight on it, like the vacuum cleaner. Throw it over your shoulders and hold it in a horizontal position on your trapezius.
Now, from a squat position, rise as SLOWLY as you can to a standing position.
Now return to the squat position as SLOWLY as you can.

As the vacuum cleaner fills up through your housecleaning, it will increase in weight providing an 'increased resistance' programme.

For the beginner in muscular strength training, 'explosive' exercises can be dangerous to tendons and ligaments.

With a bit of practice you could progress onto the fridge and for the extreme athletes washing machine squats :-)

 

[montage]

Here's the correct way of going about it.

Find something in your home which has some weight on it, like the vacuum cleaner. Throw it over your shoulders and hold it in a horizontal position on your trapezius.
Now, from a squat position, rise as SLOWLY as you can to a standing position.
Now return to the squat position as SLOWLY as you can.

As the vacuum cleaner fills up through your housecleaning, it will increase in weight providing an 'increased resistance' programme.

For the beginner in muscular strength training, 'explosive' exercises can be dangerous to tendons and ligaments.

Tbh....I do both (well due to having ITBS ((read as screwed up knees)) at the moment I do neither)...but I would say explosive squats are more beneficial towards cycling, as it mimics what you are demanding of the musics. Another exersize is to assume the pressup position, then bring both knees to your chest, before exploding back into the full press up position.

Doing normal squats will help your cycling to an extent...but having thighs like Chris Hoy will not make you much faster up the hills.

 

[PK99]

..that said I have a hill that is my nemisis. It's not on my normal commute, but I go off before work for a circuit around the park so that I have to do it most days.

Which park & which hill are we talking about?

 

[jimboalee]

Everyone on this chatboard already knows that Lance Armstrong only has two gym machines.

1/ Hyperextension bench.
2/ Smith machine.


Squat thrusts are no good for cycling training, unless you want to do 10,000 of them. Why not go riding your bike instead.

 

[jimboalee]

With a bit of practice you could progress onto the fridge and for the extreme athletes washing machine squats :-)

I remember the days before washing machines. I had to use the scullery maid.

 

[delphi]

If I tell you that you'll know how cr*p I am....
Richmond hill, the one that has a sharp bend in it

 

[PK99]

If I tell you that you'll know how cr*p I am....
Richmond hill, the one that has a sharp bend in it

Sorry, I'm still being dumb....

if you mean the big lump between Robin hood gate and Kingston Gate, worry not the off road hill we affectionately refer to as Cardiac Hill (going from Robin hood gate) Either way round that hill is a swine as it starts gradual and steepens dramatically part way up.

That lump is actually great for hill training - 5 times between the roundabouts and then once round the park!

 

[delphi]

That is the one. I actually feel nervous approaching it! I tried going round the park in the opposite direction and it was too easy.

I'm not sure 5 time between the roundabouts sounds that doable at the moment but I guess it will come!