Anyone ride Beauty and the Beast? Climbing tech question.

[Hobartlemagne]

Im finally progressing in the riding to where I can do the longer routes (64 miles on the B&B).
I know everyone rode the Beast hill slow (400 ft rise over 1.5 miles) but I can easily tell that
Im a very weak climber especially compared to my strong sprinting.

What technique change/training can anyone suggest to strengthen climbing?

[kevinmcdade]

Im finally progressing in the riding to where I can do the longer routes (64 miles on the B&B).
I know everyone rode the Beast hill slow (400 ft rise over 1.5 miles) but I can easily tell that
Im a very weak climber especially compared to my strong sprinting.

What technique change/training can anyone suggest to strengthen climbing?

Do more climbing. A lot of riders work on areas that they are already strong in but often neglect their weak spots. The best way to become a better, stronger climber is to climb more. If you don't have many hills to train on, find one or two that challenge you and do hill repeats. I do my hill training with a guy who weighs 150 pounds and can climb extremely well. By trying to keep up with him on our hill training days has given me some improvements. Being in Dallas we really don't have many real hills but I dedicate one day per to week to do nothing but hills. I live in McKinney and have some pretty decent short climbs (the three sisters 9-13%)and some long rollers that I do repeats on.

How much do you weigh? What type of gearing are you using?

[cuda2k]

I had my first go at Windhaven yesterday on the PBA Sun afternoon DB ride. Legs and gearing was definately willing, but the cardio system was certainly feeling the effects of the winter break. I typically try to climb seated, shifting as my cadence drops, trying to keep a decent spin when the climb is a longer one. For short climbs that I can grind up with the speed I'm carrying from the flat/downhill I'll usually shift one gear and spin till I need to get out of the saddle to maintain speed. Recover at the top, and hope that there isn't any more climbing for a few hundred yards.

[kevinmcdade]

That whole area where the Windhaven hill is located is a great area for hill training. The PBA actually has a hill training ride that does a 10 mile loop 3 times on Monday and Wednesday evenings.

[dl613]

Dallas hill training-the city way-

After living in Montana, NM and back east I had to alter my hill training when I got to Texas and one of the best things we have in Texas is wind. If you can find a long straight that goes into the wind, grind a gear that is a bit harder than you would usually ride in. Rinse, repeat.

Also, depending on the area I'm riding in I will search out the biggest parking garages around and hit all of them on my ride. The security guys don't mind and it's an easy way to get elevation in the flatlands.

[kevinmcdade]

Also, depending on the area I'm riding in I will search out the biggest parking garages around and hit all of them on my ride. The security guys don't mind and it's an easy way to get elevation in the flatlands.

I never thought of that. That's not a bad idea.

[froggmann]

Parking garages are a great way to do short high intensity interval hill training. Living in Houston all my life, hills are few and far between. In high school we used to run the parking garages in the summer to get in shape for football season. Now I do it for cycling.

[Hobartlemagne]

Ive found a steep part of the chisolm trail. just south of the dog park in the middle of Plano.
It's where the trail goes under Spring Creek. It'll be extremely boring, but I think I get out there
and ride that thing over and over.

[jim10040]

In my decades-ago experience, security guards HATE skaters in "their" parking garages. But then, we were 20s, Saturday-night, moderately drunk...Hmm...I wonder why they hate us???? ;) Funny thing about downtown Dallas is, it's dead 24 hours a day now...I keep meaning to take my wife there to roam.