Fifty Plus (50+) - Is this steep?

I just used Strava to map out a ride I've done a couple times. It's about 25 miles with some hills, but there's a hill at the end that I really struggle with. It climbs about 160ft in .75 miles. That about kills me. I'm sure other more experienced riders who are good climbers will laugh at that, but would you consider that a good challenge for someone who's fairly new to the sport & has about 600 miles in the saddle? The steepest part of the grade is almost 11% for about 1/8 mile.

Sure, it sounds like it's just the ticket. This is all relative to your current ability, as you say. If you keep riding for awhile, you'll come back to that hill in a couple years and find that you are much better at it. It's one of the real pleasures of doing this for a long time, IMO.

Yeah, that's steep for someone learning the sport. Keep repeating the route and by the end of the summer it will become easier;

Spinning is easier than mashing. Mashing the pedals at a slow cadence requires more energy and is less efficient than spinning at a higher cadence. Having a wide range drivetrain with a chain-wheel to cog ratio that is 1:1 or better really helps.

A smooth cadence that produces power at all phases of the pedal stroke improves performance. Good shoes and clip-less pedals along with good technique matters. Again, staying seated and spinning is easier than standing and mashing. I will sometimes stand and mash, but I save that for the steepest part of the climb.

Yes. The average grade is only 4% which shouldn't be bad with reasonable gearing, but the 11% can easily cause someone getting started to either run out of legs, cardio or both:) That's a right-sized hill for strength building.

yep, that is steep for me. This weekend I rode with a group and did 3 climbs that were 130 ft or so, distance 1.25 - 1.75 miles.

http://runkeeper.com/user/sparrish92/activity/94217199

It was quite a grind, but I hope to get better over the coming weeks and months.

Sounds steep, probably looks steep and rides steep. We have one like it just up the street from the house. The .75mi will give you a good cardio hit while using the muscles to their limit, especially at the end of a 20 mile trip.

By the end of this season you will be climbing it in a higher gear and not so winded at the top. Hills are your friends.

YES it's steep, after your 25 mile ride. I have one like that, in fact it's http://app.strava.com/segments/639243 , which some visiting pro did at 19 mph and a bunch of others scoff at, but it killed me after a good hard 25 miles.

What I did was go out to the hill first (instead of last), and down and up 5 or 6 times. A couple of sessions like that and I feel like I've defeated it, and time for bigger challenges.

With only 600 miles experience, the OP should not get too obsessed with hill climbing.

Discuss?

With only 600 miles experience, the OP should not get too obsessed with hill climbing.

Discuss?

Maybe not, but when you're new to cycling you generally improve quickly and a hill is as good or better than anything else for that isn't it?

Maybe not, but when you're new to cycling you generally improve quickly and a hill is as good or better than anything else for that isn't it?Egg-Zackly.

As a restarting veteran last year, I begrudgingly took on hillclimbs. That was the first step in reacclimating to road biking where hills no longer would make me look for an easier route. And my legs were the stronger for it.

This year, I have chosen to ride in stiff headwinds that used to keep me at home. I'm talking 20-25mph in-the-face stuff that normally used to tick me off in a matter of 3-4 miles ride time.

And seriously, when you are a newbie it doesnt matter if it's windy or hilly.....they are effectively the same thing....obstacles to your being an improving rider.

When I started back riding in 1998, I took my bike up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and tried the last 5% 1.8 mile pitch to the top of the mountain. It was all I could do. I kept at it, adding distance and difficulty and in the Fall of 1999 rode the entire 470 miles and 47K' of climbing of the BRP on a tour. Keep at it and improvements will happen!

Maybe not, but when you're new to cycling you generally improve quickly and a hill is as good or better than anything else for that isn't it?
Hills can also cause injury to persons without base... Preventing improvement. That was my thought.

hmmm ... too many steeps all the time for a beginner isn't good physically or psychologically for you. ride that hill twice a week at the end of your ride, but skip it on other easier training rides - even if you have to drive and park, or walk it. try checking your resting pulse in bed when you wake up, and if you're hitting it too hard the pulse will be elevated. if it is, take it easy or do a rest day. it'll get better as you build cardio fitness, leg strength, and convert fat to muscle (or to air). I routinely ride 40 -50 hilly miles, but only ride up the last killer hill to home (200 feet, 1/4 mile) once or twice a week.

Don't tell about the 4% overall grade. Just stick with telling everyone that you are climbing a 11% grade.

An 11 % grade is going to be a good workout for most people regardless of their physical condition.

You are just starting out, don't be to hard on yourself. Try not to attack the hill to hard. Nice easy spin until you need to change gears and repeat. Sometimes at a steep hill I just put in granny gear and grind up. It helps me not to look up to far, just a little ahead, pick out a spot and make it to that spot, then pick out another spot a little farther up and repeat. Smaller steps are easer for me to do than looking all the way up and being overwhelmed. Just a thought. Gearing makes a big difference too. Good luck.

First ride I did was 28 miles on a relatively flat route. It still hurt. 2nd took in two of our local hills and I walked both of them. Several changes came about over the next few years. I got fitter and a higher quality bike with more sensible gearing came in. 22 years later and I still do those two hills and I no longer walk them but they still hurt. They are hills.

Did a club fundraiser ride on Saturday that started with a 157 ft. climb for .7 mi. at about mile 7 of a 40 mi. ride. I never know how to figure out % of the climb. I just know that climb is not as hard at the beginning of the ride as compared to the end of a ride.

There's a big difference between 200ft/mile for 1/4 mile and 200ft/mile for 3 miles! Of course this is obvious and said before, so just ignore this posting.

Yeah, that's fairly steep. We have all been up steeper hills, I'm sure. Some days you slay the beast, some days the beast slays you.

I just used Strava to map out a ride I've done a couple times. It's about 25 miles with some hills, but there's a hill at the end that I really struggle with. It climbs about 160ft in .75 miles. That about kills me. I'm sure other more experienced riders who are good climbers will laugh at that, but would you consider that a good challenge for someone who's fairly new to the sport & has about 600 miles in the saddle? The steepest part of the grade is almost 11% for about 1/8 mile.

To someone stronger than you that hill may appear as little more than a bump in the road. To someone weaker than you that hill might as well be the slopes of Everest.

If you find it a challenge then it's a good challenge for you. Keep riding it and sooner or later your view of it will shift from "big challenging hill" to "moderate hill" to "easy hill" and maybe further than that into "bump in the road" and "can I sprint this hill?" territory. Ultimately it's about where you are now, and where you are now is that the hill is a good challenge.

To someone stronger than you that hill may appear as little more than a bump in the road. To someone weaker than you that hill might as well be the slopes of Everest.

If you find it a challenge then it's a good challenge for you. Keep riding it and sooner or later your view of it will shift from "big challenging hill" to "moderate hill" to "easy hill" and maybe further than that into "bump in the road" and "can I sprint this hill?" territory. Ultimately it's about where you are now, and where you are now is that the hill is a good challenge.

+1

There are a set of hills in the Cuyahoga National Park that are in the 10 to 17% range. They have been a great education for someone from Chicago who only gets to ride hills when he goes out of state. It didn't take me long to learn to complete the climbs in good form.

See: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/178627931

At first, I had to stop at the half-way point. This allowed my heart rate to recover and I then resumed my climb.

Then, I completed the climb, without stopping, but at a snails pace and with no energy left after reaching the summit.

After a dozen attempts, I could keep a faster pace on the sections that were less than 10%.

Finally, I could keep a good pace and not really think about the climb while I repeated the route.

Part of this is just being familiar with the route and my own ability. Now I can finish the hilly route without too much fuss.

This is steep.

http://app.strava.com/rides/7534627#158646527

On a quiet road, I can use the whole width to make my own switchbacks.

This is steep.

http://app.strava.com/rides/7534627#158646527

Wow woodway, That is massively steep! The steepest we get around here is 18 - 20% but that's peanuts compared to your ride!

Rick / OCRR

I'm going to tell you what you already know:
Going up hill is slower and takes more work. For everyone.

Your hill isn't steep....for strong experienced riders. It's a bump
Your hill is really steep... for new riders, and riders with some experience. For your fat neighbor on the couch watching TV it's impossible.

My ride up to my house is on a minor — very minor — uphill. Yesterday I saw the studdly kid next door pushing, that's right, pushing, his bike up the hill. He said it was too hot, and the hill was too steep.

No matter who you are, there's someone worse, and someone better.

Enjoy your ride.

This is steep.

http://app.strava.com/rides/7534627#158646527

Come climb Mt Washington, 7.6 miles, 4727 ft elevation gain, average grade 11.9%.

Toughest climb I've done so far is the Santa Barbara "Ridge", which was 4K of climbing in about 12 miles, done after a pretty hard ride the day before. I had to stop a few times, and I wasn't able to ride fast enough to outrun the flies attracted to my copious sweat secretions.

Toughest local climb I do frequently is South Mountain, which is 1300' in just under 7 miles - ~30 minutes for me now (25 for the Strava section used for hill climb races), but I turned around the first time, and stopped to rest the second time. I'm now almost able to make it using 39/24, but there are two little stretches where I go to 39/28. It has gone from 'can I do it' to 'can I beat my PR'.

Just keep at it.

Toughest climb I've done so far is the Santa Barbara "Ridge", which was 4K of climbing in about 12 miles, done after a pretty hard ride the day before. I had to stop a few times, and I wasn't able to ride fast enough to outrun the flies attracted to my copious sweat secretions.

Toughest local climb I do frequently is South Mountain, which is 1300' in just under 7 miles - ~30 minutes for me now (25 for the Strava section used for hill climb races), but I turned around the first time, and stopped to rest the second time. I'm now almost able to make it using 39/24, but there are two little stretches where I go to 39/28. It has gone from 'can I do it' to 'can I beat my PR'.

Just keep at it.

I loved to climb South Mountain.......in my '74 Triumph Spitfire with the top down. :D

That's a good climb on a bike and 7 miles of it, too. Good job!

I loved to climb South Mountain.......in my '74 Triumph Spitfire with the top down. :D

I consider the fact that you have a spitfire that can stay running for more than 5 miles one of the most impressive accomlishments ever posted on Bikeforums! Why do the brit's drink their beer warm? Because Lucas makes the refrigeration.

I consider the fact that you have a spitfire that can stay running for more than 5 miles one of the most impressive accomlishments ever posted on Bikeforums! Why do the brit's drink their beer warm? Because Lucas makes the refrigeration.

Haha, I thought the very same thing. My friends had Triumphs and MGs back in HS and I helped pull all those engines.

I consider the fact that you have a spitfire that can stay running for more than 5 miles one of the most impressive accomlishments ever posted on Bikeforums! Why do the brit's drink their beer warm? Because Lucas makes the refrigeration.
When will people ever get this right? No, they drink cool beer because they keep it in the cellar where they have a Lucas heater.

As for keeping it running (and bike content too), this runs nicely!:love:

http://users.rcn.com/jimmuller/pics/red_on_red.jpg

When will people ever get this right? No, they drink cool beer because they keep it in the cellar where they have a Lucas heater.

As for keeping it running (and bike content too), this runs nicely!:love:

http://users.rcn.com/jimmuller/pics/red_on_red.jpg

I miss my '70 Lotus Elan...'course I miss my '66 Corvette Coupe and a bunch of other vehicles too.

I recall from my youth Lucas also being referred to as "The Prince of Darkness". And the darn British electric fuel pumps; never leave home without a large "spanner" with which to strike your fuel pump.

When will people ever get this right? No, they drink cool beer because they keep it in the cellar where they have a Lucas heater.

As for keeping it running (and bike content too), this runs nicely!:love:

http://users.rcn.com/jimmuller/pics/red_on_red.jpgI miss my '74 Spitfire :D

My friend had a GT6+ in pale yellow. It broke a rocker arm going over the Throgs Neck Bridge in Queens, NY. That was an interesting ride home.

I recall from my youth Lucas also being referred to as "The Prince of Darkness". And the darn British electric fuel pumps; never leave home without a large "spanner" with which to strike your fuel pump.Lucas Electrics suck.