Training & Nutrition - Hills

Ok, here is the deal.

I live in Southern Indiana and there are nothing but hills here.

I've been riding and riding and its getting discouraging when after 3 or so large hills (well over 50-100ft elevation) I am dead and have to turn around.

On the straight aways I am able to do fine...it is just the hills that are killing me (to prove this point I take a flatter route that is about 4 times longer and I feel like I can do it again when I'm done.

My question is how can I train off hills to prepare me for them.

I have access to a pretty state of the art fitness center (Indiana University) for free and they have cycling bikes.

I was wondering if you guys could suggest any sort of training plan that could get me feeling better about these hills (I can't ignore the hills...other than the one flat route I found I'm basically stuck with hills.).

Ok, here is the deal.

I live in Southern Indiana and there are nothing but hills here.

I've been riding and riding and its getting discouraging when after 3 or so large hills (well over 50-100ft elevation) I am dead and have to turn around.

On the straight aways I am able to do fine...it is just the hills that are killing me (to prove this point I take a flatter route that is about 4 times longer and I feel like I can do it again when I'm done.

My question is how can I train off hills to prepare me for them.

I have access to a pretty state of the art fitness center (Indiana University) for free and they have cycling bikes.

I was wondering if you guys could suggest any sort of training plan that could get me feeling better about these hills (I can't ignore the hills...other than the one flat route I found I'm basically stuck with hills.).

The way I takle a hill is to not look at the top of the hill. I find a point about six to ten feet in front of my tire and fixate on that. I find that if I look at the top of the hill, I'll get discouraged easier.

Pick a lighter gear, get in the drops and show that hill whos the boss! Kick it's arse.

My question is how can I train off hills to prepare me for them.

I have access to a pretty state of the art fitness center (Indiana University) for free and they have cycling bikes.

I was wondering if you guys could suggest any sort of training plan that could get me feeling better about these hills (I can't ignore the hills...other than the one flat route I found I'm basically stuck with hills.).

If you want to use a trainer to get better at hill climbing, you need to raise up the front end and set a fairly high resistance. That will simulate hill climbing as best as you can on a trainer.

You don't get better by avoiding a hill. I'd drop it into the lowest gear and spin, don't have to race every hill you know.

Or if your gearing isn't low enough, consider a triple.

I'm a big guy, and I've had troubles with hills too. Part of the problem is that I MTB'd for the first year that I knew how to ride a bike (i've known how to ride for 1 year and 1 month now :rolleyes: ) so I was used to being able to drop into ridiculous gears.

What I've been doing is dropping it into a nice low gear, and spinning up to about 90RPM. Do that on that hill until it's more comfortable. Next time, put it one cog higher, but make sure to keep it at 90. That's helped me a lot, and I've moved up 3 cogs so far, and climbing is getting a lot easier.

Try the old method. Approach hills in a middle gear initially,then if your legs start to burn find a lower gear,if your lungs start to burn find a higher gear, if they are both burning - slow down.

I can't imagine there's any better for training for hills than to, well, just ride the hills!

Although maybe you could take a riding day and just plan to focus riding up the same hill a couple of different ways, rather than planning to go any distance. You know, try a couple different times, each time varying your gear and cadance and how often you stand and at what point you stand.

Then maybe you won't feel frustrate by the hill since it won't be an obstacle, but rather the objective.