Originally Posted by
echappist
hill repeat is just a means to an end, that end being a particular intensity for a particular duration. want to train VO2max? Duration should be 3-7 min. Threshold? at least 10 min plus, etc.
then again i haven't done any of those in more than three years.
Only time i go to a hill is for FTP testing as it allows for uninterrupted riding
this is what I do as well, if I have a workout that is of a certain duration and have a hill repeat option to match, I'll just do the workout on a hill. I have lots of 1' to 2' hills around, so use those when necessary. I like to do these because of specificity for races like Miller School and Page Valley, additionally, even if a watt is a watt, how that watt is produced differs (see quadrant analysis). e.g. doing 350 watts for 2 minutes in a 39x23 at 75 rpm has a different feel than doing 350 watts for 2 minutes in a 53x15 at 95 rpm.
I also sometimes do "hill charges" where I go part way up in at a hard intensity then sprint up the 2nd half of the hill and over the top. This helps because my climbing style is fat guy protocol ... I drift climb a lot and need to catch back onto the group over the top of the climb, so these hill charges help with that simulation.