Uphill performance lacking?

[GoatBeard]

Just wondering what I can do to boost my uphill performance. I'm about 11 stone, running a carbon boardman air 9.0 with 26t ring and Hunt Aero rims. Just got overtaken on a 23% gradient which goes on for about a mile by a lanky bloke flat out who must've put in 150 yards lead before the top. I was practically doing a wheelie.

I'm no wheeze and have been doing similar gradients on a much heavier alu for over a year. I also run several miles daily!

Only thing I caught a glipse of was the tyres, possible 23 vs my 25's but even still.

 

[ColinJ]

If you are (say) 5' 2" tall then 11 stone is way too heavy and losing weight would be a good way of improving your climbing.

If you are (say) 6' 5" tall then 11 stone is very light and you wouldn't want to be losing more weight!

Are you in the UK? There can't be many places that average 23% for a mile! Where is this monster hill? (We have some pretty tough ones round here. Lots of short stretches of 20+% but if you took the average it would be more like 10-13% over a mile.)

 

[Shut Up Legs]

@GoatBeard : I find that riding standing up is a good way to improve climbing performance. It's pretty tough on the legs if you do it for too long, but it also improves your climbing fitness over time, or least least that's what I found for myself.

By the way, I agree with @ColinJ : 23% for a mile is brutal!

 

[PaulSB]

I'm 65 height 5'4" and 69.5kg (11st on the nail) and far from overweight. This may help you gauge your efforts relative to mine.

The best way to improve performance on hills, you will hear this everywhere, is to ride them. I've found short hilly rides very useful and have a number of circular routes I use. I try to design these to include at least one long relatively flat section for recovery. As examples I have 47 miles and 3400 feet, 36/2500, 12/991**

I've always been able to climb but usually found it tiring. My climbing improved significantly with this regime.

There are some techniques which help - spinning comfortably, hitting the start of the climb with impetus and correct gear, knowing when to attack the hill, foot position.

Good luck!

** For locals this is a circuit of Jeffrey Hill starting in Ribchester and returning via Longridge. I usually do 3 or 4 circuits with 6 being the maximum.

 

[Globalti]

I'm local to that. So up Stonygate Lane then turn left at the top of JH and down the long descent past the golf club? Then back to Ribchester or turn left earlier on the Hurst Green road?

Agree with others, 23% is almost 1:4 in old money and I can't think of a hill that steep or long in Britain. I doubt you'd find one in Europe either as Alpine cols were generally built for military purposes and much longer but gentler - 6% to 8%.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I'm 65 height 5'4" and 69.5kg (11st on the nail) and far from overweight. This may help you gauge your efforts relative to mine.

The best way to improve performance on hills, you will hear this everywhere, is to ride them. I've found short hilly rides very useful and have a number of circular routes I use. I try to design these to include at least one long relatively flat section for recovery. As examples I have 47 miles and 3400 feet, 36/2500, 12/991**

I've always been able to climb but usually found it tiring. My climbing improved significantly with this regime.

There are some techniques which help - spinning comfortably, hitting the start of the climb with impetus and correct gear, knowing when to attack the hill, foot position.

Good luck!

** For locals this is a circuit of Jeffrey Hill starting in Ribchester and returning via Longridge. I usually do 3 or 4 circuits with 6 being the maximum.

I'm slightly taller than you, 5ft 6, and slightly older than you, 68, I'm also 11 stone, and I'm not over weight either, like the op I'm slow on the hills, I must admit I'm not bothered, some riders are faster than me and some are slower.

 

[Drago]

Assuming your weight is about right for your height (and you're not a 6 inch tall 11 stone blob) then you need exercises to improve your leg strength, and to a lesser extent core and upper body strength. You'll then need to google exercises to increase your endurance, and to improve cardiovascular capacity.

None of it is relevatory. It's all out there on Google, and you'll probably need a degree of experience and experimentation to see what, if anything, may help you out.

For my own part Im now an an indefatigable climber, I'm just not especially quick, but with my mass to lug about I don't realistically expect I ever will be. 8 years ago I was hopeless, but after reading around the problem and experimenting a bit with different combinations of exercises I'm much improved.

Good luck.

 

[Ajax Bay]

I'm with Paul and Drago. Ride hills. If you have an HR meter, set a level eg 150bpm, hit it and hold it all the way up. If that's too easy, set a level 5 beats more, and vice versa.
"a 23% gradient which goes on for about a mile" Even if it's only 3/4 mile that's still 250m of climb: where is this?
Hardknott Pass, east-bound, from the cattle grid to the top of the final crux is a mile and gains only 250m.
https://cyclinguphill.com/hardknott-pass/
Tyre width:
1) Wider will be more comfortable on the descents unless road surface is perfect (not UK!)
2) Wider at the lower pressure you can run them will offer slightly more chance of a better grip on steep, wet, slimy climbs.
@GoatBeard 's lanky overtaker is just putting out more powwwer per kg. Same as @DCLane 's young son
Two options: drop/control weight and/or do the training (see above).

 

[GoatBeard]

Look up Ermin Way / Birdlip hill. Just to clarify I'm about 5'8 so 11 stone puts me into the chubbier side of normal I suppose! Question is then I guess would a different bike setup make a difference? Besides obviously having a 30t or 34t cog. In terms of frame I don't think there's any other bike that would've made a huge difference. It's about 8 kg as is.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Look up Ermin Way / Birdlip hill. Just to clarify I'm about 5'8 so 11 stone puts me into the chubbier side of normal I suppose! Question is then I guess would a different bike setup make a difference? Besides obviously having a 30t or 34t cog. In terms of frame I don't think there's any other bike that would've made a huge difference. It's about 8 kg as is.

How do you define a normal weight? we're all different.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Your new bike is perfectly light enough. Bit surprised you have a 26t ring (suspect this is either a 36t chainring or a 26t largest sprocket). But a lower gear will not help you get up a steep hill: they may help you ride up it without putting a foot down.

 

[Drago]

How do you define a normal weight? we're all different.

About 18st 10lbs. Anything less is puny, anything more is lardy

 

[Ajax Bay]

How do you define a normal weight?

Verging off topic (because the 70kg OP's realistic approach is to ride hills, not lose weight).
Dave (70kg and 1.67m = 25.0 BMI) - the OP gave you their point definition: 5'8 and 11 stone is on the chubbier side of normal".
How do you define it? "Normal (BMI 18.5 to less than 25) " (I acknowledge that BMI is a discredited measure (eg for muscle bosuns like @Drago) but widely used.)
http://healthsurvey.hscic.gov.uk/da...-visualisation/explore-the-trends/weight.aspx
"In 2018, 63% of adults in England were overweight or obese."
So the 'normal' in UK is 'overweight'.

 

[Dave 123]

Just accept that others are faster than you, nowt wrong with that, or you.

I moved back to south Devon at the end of September. It’s hilly round here. There are plenty of long hills with parts reaching the 20%+ mark. It’s tough, but after 7 months of being back in the hills instead of Cambridgeshire I can feel that I’m a lot stronger, more resilient, but not necessarily faster!

Just be glad you can get up that hill!

 

[Drago]

Thanks for the morning flattery @Ajax Bay