Training & Nutrition - Am I doomed to be slow up hill forever?

I was talking with a fellow cyclist the other day with the problems I have climbing hills at a decent speed. It turned to me weighing 240lbs and how much faster my friend is at 160 lbs. If I reach my goals of losing 20-30 lbs by the end of the Summer could I keep up with my riding partner?

The person I was talking with said because of my size, even with weight loss, I could not compete in hill climbing with a person much smaller...

Is this right? Am I doomed to be last up the hill forever? :(

Of course, on the bright side, I gain much more momentum going down the otherside...:D

You just have to put out more power and try to be more efficient. I ride with a guy that is 30lbs lighter than me and I we pretty equal when it comes to climbing.

Lose the weight you want to and training is what you will need to do. Plus if you cannot beat him up the hill, stay with him as much as you can and then out descend him. That is all us hill climbers try to do, just make enough of a gap so you big guys cannot catch back up to us :)

Hi,
1) Long rides, easy to moderate pace (natch)
2)Anerobic conditioning - swim laps and breath on one side only. The idea is to go into O2 deprivation, and stay there for 10 or 20 min. At first, you will only make a pool length or two. You can do this on a bike; but I recently discovered
that a lack of oxygen can impair judgement, and running into the end of the pool hurts a lot less than hitting anything on a bike
3)muscular stregth/endurace. You want your legs to see this activity as easy. That means hitting the gym, building stregth, then endurance.
4)Keep a log, and keep track of your progress. That way when you get blown off; you know at least you've come a little closer to goal

No you are not doom.. Hill climbing is the work part of bike riding.
there is a skill. and it can be learned. it takes time and a lot of training both on and off the bike. find a book that explains hill climbing, set a training program for yourself that works for you.
ie gym, pool, and most important learn the skill/techque (sp) that works for you. and keep riding those hills.You will get stronger.
you may never catch that 160lb rider. but he wont leave you so far.

to climb hills effectivly ya gotta climb hills. Climbing is the only good teacher, find a long moderatly steep hill and climb it over and over. I load up my panniers and head for the mountains on the spring weekends for my hill workouts. When I get on my unloaded light road bike it's like flying.

Originally posted by LegalIce
The person I was talking with said because of my size, even with weight loss, I could not compete in hill climbing with a person much smaller...

Is this right? Am I doomed to be last up the hill forever? :(

No way! Yes, given 2 people with differing builds, all other things being equal - the person with the lesser build will be a somewhat better climber. (although the other may be better in the flats, but that's a whole other story) However, that assumption is pure bullsh*t as all other things are NEVER equal! Some of the "other" variables:

- determination (can you say Lance Armstrong?)
- fitness level
- genetics (yup, a few variables here!)
- efficiency and weight of the bike

I've ridden with many individuals who are sporting a heavy build. Some can still climb very well. So, given your build, you may never beat Marco Pantani up the hill, but if you work @ it, you can climb!!!!!

Cool...thanks for the encouragement...I hit the weights at lunch today...should be riding the hills more starting next week...heck, I have already trimmed some of the fat...goal is 210lbs by July 1. Weighed today at the gym - 230lbs...10lbs less than I thought...

Thanks again! :beer:

Keep training on the hills. Once you lose the weight you should be a great climber becasue your legs will be used to hauling a lot more weight up there.

I'm losing weight at the moment and my climbing is improving pretty dramatically.

All other things being equal,yep being heavier is a disadvantage,and usually enough to make the difference.But heavier ppl can climb like mountain goats with the right training and practice.A fit heavy person can outclimb a lighter less fit person,happens all the time.A heavier in shape cyclist vs a lighter one usually has more flatland speed,its a tradeoff.Train your weaknesses and race your strengths.

i agree with the other posters:
yes, all things being equal, a heavier rider is at a disadvantage because of physics - more weight to move up the hill, so more power/stregnth required.

and most of the best climbers are small (less than 150lbs for the REAL clibers).

i personally am a decent climber at 165lbs. i'm a combination climber/sprinter and i SUCK on the flats --- long endurance sections kill me (unless i can draft!)

but there are exceptions. my current training partner is 185lbs and he climbs like a goat! actually i find it annoying b/c i SHOULD be faster than him on the climbs but i'm not (i'm faster on the technical downhills!)

anyway, get in shape and then become the best rider you can. each rider has different phsyscial characteristics: tall, short, big frame, fast-twitch muscle/endurance, etc. ---- no you'll probably never be one of the best pro climbers in the world but then neither will i, but so what


A heavier in shape cyclist vs a lighter one usually has more flatland speed,its a tradeoff.Train your weaknesses and race your strengths.

exactly!

Your question could read "Am I doomed to have this rotten "power to weight" ratio the rest of my life.....?

I don't know are, are you? Glad to hear your attitude has changed since you "titled" your post..... The only other item regarding hills has to do with knowing just "WHEN" to work hard and "WHEN" just to survive the hill.

Your big size should give an advantage on the flats, and you should use that {size advantage**to rest until you get to the hill.

1st off how tall are you? This will help us determine what is a realistic weight for you. 240 lbs on a 6 ft person is very different from someone who is 6'6". Everyone else has had some good advice.
To really improve you would be best served to develop a periodized training plan with base and strength work, then lactate threshold stuff, then intervals and climbing, then some cruise intervals etc. The Cyclists Training Bible has a pretty good introductory description of all of this. If you want higher level ideas ask me.