How do you handle a climb early in your ride?

[SaiKaiTai]

I don't have far to go if I want to tackle a "short" climb around here. Short to you guys, anyway; anything over 1/4 mile starts getting long for me if it's anything above, say, 4% or 5% or so.

We have one road here that I've visited a number of times but it always scares me enough not to try again for a while. It runs just under 1/2 a mile. End-to-end, it averages about 8-9%. If you just take the last 500 feet, it's about 12%. Yep, the farther you go, the steeper it gets. Nice reward. So, the other day I went back, set a pace and ground my way up in around 2 minutes, HR at 163 (doctor approved!) and I was feeling it. I turned around, went down and climbed it again. This time I had to stop maybe just 20 feet from the top when my HRM went off. It goes off, I stop. Them's the rules I play by.

What I wonder though is that I usually just ride over and start climbing. It doesn't take that long to get there, a few minutes at most so I figure I must still be pretty cold when I start up and that can't help the cause any. I do have the option of riding around in the flats for a while to loosen up -and I'll try that next- but what do you do if you don't have that option, if that climb is right outside your door step? How do you approach that?

[Red Rider]

I don't have far to go if I want to tackle a "short" climb around here. Short to you guys, anyway; anything over 1/4 mile starts getting long for me if it's anything above, say, 4% or 5% or so.

We have one road here that I've visited a number of times but it always scares me enough not to try again for a while. It runs just under 1/2 a mile. End-to-end, it averages about 8-9%. If you just take the last 500 feet, it's about 12%. Yep, the farther you go, the steeper it gets. Nice reward. So, the other day I went back, set a pace and ground my way up in around 2 minutes, HR at 163 (doctor approved!) and I was feeling it. I turned around, went down and climbed it again. This time I had to stop maybe just 20 feet from the top when my HRM went off. It goes off, I stop. Them's the rules I play by.

What I wonder though is that I usually just ride over and start climbing. It doesn't take that long to get there, a few minutes at most so I figure I must still be pretty cold when I start up and that can't help the cause any. I do have the option of riding around in the flats for a while to loosen up -and I'll try that next- but what do you do if you don't have that option, if that climb is right outside your door step? How do you approach that?

Why not just run the flat/easy part a couple of times before you tackle the climb? For these 52 yr.old knees that makes sense.

Otherwise I'd approach it in low gear/high cadence, to keep the joints (relatively) stress-free, and call it warm up.

Hope you find the happy medium.

[cyclezealot]

I hate climbing before a little warm up. My minimum warm up would be like 3 miles; anything less I'd alter the course to make it so.

[BluesDawg]

In a low gear, spinning like mad.

[BSLeVan]

In a low gear, spinning like mad.

+1 If it were right out my door, I might even start in the lowest gear I have.

[BCIpam]

I do a couple of rides where I seriously start climbing in about a quarter mile without a warm up (pretty much north of my front door it's hill country). I'm with BluesDawg, go low gear and spin. I actually believe climbing hills are a great warmup. You are forced to rely on cadance vs. power. I just get into working my pedal stoke and keeping it smooth and constant. It's hurts alittle when starting but eventually the body lossens up.

[PaulH]

Or even low gear / low cadance and take it easy. My old route to work had a big hill early in the ride, and I looked forward to it on cold winter days because I was always warm and comfortable when I got to the top.

Paul

[Terrierman]

I live at the end of a street that is all downhill to my house and my driveway is also downhill to my house. I just have to start out in a low gear and crank it out.

[big john]

I like to warm up for 15-20 minutes before any real climbing. When I leave from home, however, there is this steep, nasty thing and I go to my lowest gear (30x25) and do switchbacks across the road so my heart doesn't go from rest to max in 5 seconds. I also like to think it's better for my 53 year old knees that are carrying 205#.
Some people complain that a long stop in the middle of a ride makes it too hard to get started again. I don't think that's a problem, I just start slow as if the ride had just started. We ride on Angeles Crest Hwy and it has a series of 6-7 mile climbs followed by 6-7 mile descents. Let me tell you, if you've been climbing all day and you finish a 7 mile downhill, your legs will scream at you on the start of the next climb!

[SaiKaiTai]

Spin like mad. Me? Right.
If I've learned one thing it's that conditioning does not come back in a year and a half after 20 years off.
I've tried spinning up hills and my HR blows up (and my pipes close up) pretty fast.
So, it's slow and steady for me. In terms of my heart and lungs, slow and steady does it. I grind up at 55-60rpm. If you can spin at that pace, I'm doing it. But I don't think hitting it cold is the way to go.

[BCIpam]

It's time you get a triple! ;)

[SaiKaiTai]

My LeMond *is* a triple... maybe I need a quadruple?

[NotAsFat]

I curse a lot. Hey, I didn't say I handled it well. :p

[BluesDawg]

Spin like mad. Me? Right.
If I've learned one thing it's that conditioning does not come back in a year and a half after 20 years off.
I've tried spinning up hills and my HR blows up (and my pipes close up) pretty fast.
So, it's slow and steady for me. In terms of my heart and lungs, slow and steady does it. I grind up at 55-60rpm. If you can spin at that pace, I'm doing it. But I don't think hitting it cold is the way to go.

The key is not to strain early in the ride.
I'm not quite sure what you are doing, but it is not what I'm suggesting. Spinning up hills should be easier than pedaling slowly, not harder. If you can't spin or easily turn your lowest gear, then you probably need a lower gear that you can spin. A 30x26 may not be low enough for you on the hill you are climbing.

[SaiKaiTai]

Oh, I know I'm not doing what you are suggesting. I do understand the concept of spinning.
I said that somewhat tongue-in-cheek, although I do keep my stroke steady and even, pushing over from the top and lifting somewhat with my "off" foot.

I pretty much would have to agree that a 30/26 is not quite low enough for me to go up a 11-12% grade easily or for very long - 500 to 600 yards at a time is about it.

[stapfam]

I have about 5 or 6 miles to the hills just up a few slopes- but on one of my breaks for coffee- I immediately start a 12% for about 500 yards and the total hill is around a mile at 9%. From the cafe- I am in lowest gear and I do not think about the legs- or spinning or cadence. I concentrate on breathing. Keep it just on the comfort side for that 500 yards but do not ask me a question after 100 yards as you won't understand what I am saying. After that 500- I am fine.

And it does not matter if I am on the Giant with 30/28 or the Boreas with 34/27. It is equally hard on either bike. Only thing is the Boreas is faster. I reckon that my normal cadence of 90 to 95 will drop to around 70 so I just take it steady and wait for the lungs to come in.

[Tom Bombadil]

Okay, I'll admit it!

I live about 1/3rd of the way up a hill that has about a 6%-7% grade. That hill lies between me and the rail trail. About 75% of the time, I walk my bike up that hill to begin. I just hate starting out, with stiff legs, up a hill.

The back side of the hill is worse and I always ride up it on the way home. Occasionally I ride up it, then back down, and then up it again.

[MarkAJ]

I have tired all these methods and riding easy for 3-5 miles first to warm up results in better performance and ending to the ride.

[soma5]

...
What I wonder though is that I usually just ride over and start climbing. It doesn't take that long to get there, a few minutes at most so I figure I must still be pretty cold when I start up and that can't help the cause any. I do have the option of riding around in the flats for a while to loosen up -and I'll try that next- but what do you do if you don't have that option, if that climb is right outside your door step? How do you approach that?

I have never been able to put out my full effort without a thorough warmup. Back when I was racing, if I didn't have at least 10-15 minutes warmup time, I often did not finish. Before then, when I was riding recreationally, I'd do club rides where everyone seemed to hammer at the beginning and then riders would sort themselves out into groups. I'd always be on the back of the last group at first, but then I'd start passing people. Now that I'm coming back to riding at the recreational level after a long layoff, I find that the situation is certainly no better for me. I really need to warm up. I'd skip the hill if I couldn't warm up on a trainer or get some other riding in first. I don't own a trainer any more so I guess I would drive my bike to a more suitable (for me) starting point if the big hill were the only way for me to get anywhere. There aren't many flat areas near where I live, but if I'm careful I can avoid the big hills for a while.

-soma5

[Old School]

Don't be a wimp, stand up and hammer!

Seriously, climbing should include some standing if you can handle it. Don't forget to shift up a couple of gears just before you stand if you have been sitting. As for a hill climb early in the ride, I like the idea of altering your route until you are warm or warming up before you head out.

[byte_speed]

...We have one road here that I've visited a number of times but it always scares me enough not to try again for a while. It runs just under 1/2 a mile. End-to-end, it averages about 8-9%. If you just take the last 500 feet, it's about 12%. Yep, the farther you go, the steeper it gets. Nice reward. So, the other day I went back, set a pace and ground my way up in around 2 minutes...
I don't know what you are complaining about. I have a similar hill just 1/4 mi into my rides, right at the entrance to my subdivision. My hill is 180 ft of climbing in 1/2 mile or about 7% grade. I like to warm up by attacking this hill (or my best imitation of an attack). My fastest time ever up the hill is 2:05 sec. with a strong tailwind. I did it today in 2:12. You are riding a steeper hill in less time. Must be those repeats.

To answer your question, I have tried spinning up the hill, but I get the best times by grinding in a larger gear out of the saddle as long as possible.

[cyclinfool]

Like others who have responed, I need to warm up. My normal rides have short (300 ft) & steep climbs, I usually do those as fast and hard as I can, there sort. My loop with the bad hill is 16 miles into a ride of flat to rolling terrain. I then climb what is a perfect interval hill, real steep, then moderate, then real steep, then a short slight grade and back to real steep and so on. This goes on for almost three miles. You gain a lot of verticle. Then it's a 6 mile down hill to rest and then 10 more miles back home.
In climbing this long hill I sit & spin and stand and sit again. By the time my speed is under 10 I am getting angry with myself for loosing momentum and letting the hill win - which it always does.

[RockyMtnMerlin]

I would turn around and find a different route. :D

[oilman_15106]

I live at the end of a street that is all downhill to my house and my driveway is also downhill to my house. I just have to start out in a low gear and crank it out.

Same here. At the bottom of a 1/10 mile slope, I have several choices of climbing out of the neighborhood with the worst being a 1/4 mile hill at 10%+.

[SaiKaiTai]

Well, I tried it again last night and, ya know, climbing 11-12% is HARD. For me at this stage of the game, anyway. Maybe this time next year ,with another year under my belt, it will be better. For now, I'll stick to the 5-7% climbs which are still a good workout (but not as hard as they were a year ago). As I said, this street is particularly diabolical because, end to end, it's 9%. From the mid point to the end, it averages 12% and the last 500+ feet are 20% (According to Toporoute.com. TWENTY? I didn't know that :eek:).

I'm suspicious now about that two minutes statement. I have one 1/2 mile climb I do that starts at 7.5% and ends at 5.5%. That takes me 5 minutes (5:06 last time out).

And again, I have a 600 foot, 11-12% climb to get home. I can do it but it's a test.

[Terrierman]

Well, I tried it again last night and, ya know, climbing 11-12% is HARD.

Quick, somebody call Mike Wallace! :D

[Tom Bombadil]

Well, I tried it again last night and, ya know, climbing 11-12% is HARD

I'm going to take your word for it.

[SaiKaiTai]

Quick, somebody call Mike Wallace! :D

Yeah, I do catch on quick :lol:

[card]

How do you handle a climb early in your ride?

Slowly.

[robtown]

I have a 10% grade 1/8 mile climb starting a 100 yards from my driveway. On single speed day, laden with work clothes and food supplies in the panniers I really feel 50+. Most days it gets my lungs working overtime. On the days I forget something It's quite annoying to have to retrace my route.

[freemti]

Otherwise I'd approach it in low gear/high cadence, to keep the joints (relatively) stress-free, and call it warm up.
Now this is something I've not understood since I've been reading BF. I live in a hilly area and there is no shortage of double digit hills out there. I've got to the point where I can ride all of them, but the idea that I can (or anyone else remotely close in age/condition) just "spin" my way up them is just (pardon me for being forthright) not-going-to-happen!. No amount of advice to use a "high cadence" is going to alter the basic physics, at least not for me.

Am I missing something here? Are there legions of non-professional semi-aged cyclists out there that indeed just drop to a lower gear and just cruise up >10% hills in seeming defiance of the laws of physics and physiology?

[Big Paulie]

I hate climbing with less than 5 miles of warm up. And I use a compact triple chainring. It's not just my legs, but my heart. It scares me to go anarobic without being warmed up. That may not be something to worry about, but I do anyway.

And, a compact triple is the way to go if a "quadruple" sounds good to you!

http://www.rivbike.com/products/list/cranks_bottom_brackets#product=none

[TruF]

I like to warm up for 15-20 minutes before any real climbing. When I leave from home, however, there is this steep, nasty thing and I go to my lowest gear (30x25) and do switchbacks across the road so my heart doesn't go from rest to max in 5 seconds. I also like to think it's better for my 53 year old knees that are carrying 205#.


+1 on the switchbacks. My steep hill is at the end of every ride I take from home. No choice but to ride it or walk it. At least I'm warmed up, but I'm tired after a long ride and seeing that hill is a bit daunting.

[daredevil]

My commute is pretty much straight up out my door. It's much easier to get warm standing up than sitting. Find the right gear when you stand and you can climb nearly anything without breathing hard if you want.

[cranky old dude]

How do I handle a climb early in the ride?

With a real low gear and a real high level of determination (and I refuse to
to get out of the saddle). I too have a steep climb just outside the
parking lot at work. My reward is a basically downhill commute home
from there. (Hint: buy a house between a large body of water and your
place of work for an easy ride home at the end of a long day.) :D

[maddmaxx]

By living on top of the hill....:D

[SSP]

Like all the other climbs...one pedal stroke at a time. If it's gettin' too hard, gear down. If gettin' too easy, gear up. Repeat as necessary.

[cyclinfool]

Now this is something I've not understood since I've been reading BF. I live in a hilly area and there is no shortage of double digit hills out there. I've got to the point where I can ride all of them, but the idea that I can (or anyone else remotely close in age/condition) just "spin" my way up them is just (pardon me for being forthright) not-going-to-happen!. No amount of advice to use a "high cadence" is going to alter the basic physics, at least not for me.

Am I missing something here? Are there legions of non-professional semi-aged cyclists out there that indeed just drop to a lower gear and just cruise up >10% hills in seeming defiance of the laws of physics and physiology?

I can say that before I paid attention to cadence my thoughts were alot like yours. Since putting cadence on my dashboard I noticed what a big difference it makes. An example, I can be feeling like I am putting out max effort at a cadence of say 70, drop a gear, go up to 80-85 and pick up a 1 to 2 MPH in speed and feel like I am not working so hard. I still find it hard to spin a hill for a long time, I have been working on it. My best hills are ones I can do at a cadence of 90 or more and not feel like I am over loading - I have actually accelerated up hills hitting the top with a candence of around 110 (and wheezing like the geezer I am). If it is so steep that in my lowest gear I am dropping below 90 , then I start to grind away at it. I fight to keep the momentum up so I don't loose speed and go from spin to grind mode. Once in grind mode it's hard to get back to spin mode. You get tired and feel defeated.

The exception to this for me are those short hills - If I can start the hill fast, as soon as I feel my speed drop I'll add a gear, stand and sprint the hill. My cadence drops but I know I can sustain the effort for the time required to top the hill. I usually only loose about 5 MPH in speed.

Hill climbing takes a lot of technique, you have to know how much gas is in the tank and not use it all up at the start, I am still learning. I'll probably figure it out when I trade my bike for the walker.

[flatlander_48]

In the Village of Watkins Glen is the International Motor Racing Research Center. It is essentially a library devoted to all sorts of motorsports with books, magazine and memorabilia. They open it on Sundays of Formula 1 weekends and a group of us diehards drop in to watch on their big projection TV. I often ride to the Village as it is about 21 miles from my house with really not much in the way of hills on the way. However, coming back is a different story. About a block from the Center, you begin the climb to get out of town. There is a truck warning sign on this stretch. The hill is 2.5 miles with maybe a 1/4 mile flat spot about 2/3 of the way up. I sit the whole way and try to keep my speed consistent. However, the biggest thing that I noticed was that I tightened up my shoulders. This wastes energy and makes it harder for your lungs to expand. My remedy was to relax my shoulders and loosen my grip. Hopefully most of that energy wasted in the upper body will go into my legs. At any rate, it does seem to be working as I can climb it in one shot.

[BluesDawg]

Now this is something I've not understood since I've been reading BF. I live in a hilly area and there is no shortage of double digit hills out there. I've got to the point where I can ride all of them, but the idea that I can (or anyone else remotely close in age/condition) just "spin" my way up them is just (pardon me for being forthright) not-going-to-happen!. No amount of advice to use a "high cadence" is going to alter the basic physics, at least not for me.

Am I missing something here? Are there legions of non-professional semi-aged cyclists out there that indeed just drop to a lower gear and just cruise up >10% hills in seeming defiance of the laws of physics and physiology?

I don't think anyone is saying that you will always be able to spin up a hill at high cadence regardless of the slope, your gearing and your condition. What we are saying is that it helps to go at it with as high a cadence as possible. If you start a hill at a higher cadence, you will have a better chance of keeping your feet going faster than if you start off at low cadence. Keep spinning as long as you have a gear available that is low enough for you to maintain a spin. It's about using physics, not defying it.
There will always be a hill out there that will be too hard to keep the spin going. Sometimes you can stand for a short burst and get the speed back up enough to spin again. Other times you just have to grind it out.

[stapfam]

5 miles into a ride- when I am warm and the Gods are willing- I can spin up a 10% hill at 90. 12% and I might take it down a bit and the 15%- S*d the cadence- just turn and get up it. If that 10% hill is right outside the door- then it is get the breathing right until I feel comfortable and forget the cadence. Low cadence? Well how low can you go?

[Road Fan]

My LeMond *is* a triple... maybe I need a quadruple?

I have the same problem, even on my Woodrup which has a triple, and it bottoms at 30-26 = 30 inch gear. I've also found with early hills that if I let my HR go above say 85%, riding recovery takes a really long time, making much of the rest of the ride really uncomfortable.

Road Fan

[stapfam]

I have the same problem, even on my Woodrup which has a triple, and it bottoms at 30-26 = 30 inch gear. I've also found with early hills that if I let my HR go above say 85%, riding recovery takes a really long time, making much of the rest of the ride really uncomfortable.

Road Fan

Think you have just hit the nail.

I have a routine for a ride- Take it steady and 1/2 mile from home I have a slope where I let the HR get to 130- Then relax and let it drop. Next slope and I get to 140- then let it drop to around 100. Then I attack the next hill and get the HR to 150. Takes longer for the HR to drop but from the on- I can ride at 140/145 for as long as I like. Let it rise to 150 on the hills and even get somewhere near my Max of 165 by the end of the hill- or when it steepens up at the end. I even get above 170 if it is worth it- or the youngsters have got off and walked. Mind you- that is definitely slow down and recover time.

Without that warm up of the HR- I will have a difficult ride. Even Time trial riders have a warm up before the off, and that is not just the body they are sorting out.

So to do that steep hill immediately from home with Gusto- Definitely is not on- Take it steady and just get up the damn thing.

[daredevil]

and I refuse to get out of the saddle

I'm curious, why would that be?

[MTBLover]

I'm curious, why would that be?

I'll chime in as one who doesn't like to get out of the saddle either- it's not efficient. You waste energy by standing on hills, although, I grant you, sometimes, there's just no getting around it. I have a number of hills to contend for which I set "no-standing" goals. I've met a few of these, and I must say, there's a huge difference in terms of efficiency (measured by cadence, HR, RR, and general satisfaction).

[Big Paulie]

I'm curious, why would that be?

One of the benefits of staying in the saddle when you climb is that you're building your cycling strength for riding seated in the flats. When you stand up, you're working the muscle group that pertains mostly to...standing up.

[daredevil]

One of the benefits of staying in the saddle when you climb is that you're building your cycling strength for riding seated in the flats. When you stand up, you're working the muscle group that pertains mostly to...standing up.

But we're talking about warming up climbing a big hill, not training technique. So he refuses to get out of the saddle because it doesn't work the muscles he wants to build?

Why wouldn't a little alternating between sitting and standing be a good idea? I mentioned earlier, you can get out of the saddle on any climb and barely raise your heart rate if you want. That's not possible seated I don't think. At least not on a sizeable grade with typical triple road gearing. At least not for most 50+ers. :(

[Big Paulie]

OK, my bad...

[daredevil]

OK, my bad...

Nope, all your points were good ones. I was just curious about Cranky's reasoning.