Originally Posted by
Machka
Most of my cycling has been done in a flat part of the world (Manitoba). I spent 13 years there, riding into headwinds, but not climbing hills.
Even though I moved a little over 5 years ago into a hillier area, and am now living in a very hilly area, I still have a lot of trouble climbing hills ... and I still prefer flat ground and headwinds to hills.
Does hill climbing ever reach a point where ...
-- your heart stops sinking every time you see another hill in the distance
-- your stomach stops going into knots as you approach the hill
-- your legs stop turning to jello a short distance up the climb
-- your lungs stop feeling like they are going to climb out of your body and die in the ditch
-- your heart stops beating so fast and hard that the entire left side of your chest aches
-- your body stops being in pain?
Does hill climbing ever become as easy as riding on flat ground? Can a person climb a hill without undo effort?
Gradual hills with a low grade (say, 2% or so) aren't much different from a headwind. Those I can do. But the steeper a hill gets, the worse it is, and the more likely I'll just give it up and walk.
Yeah, I know ... practice. And I am. I'm riding hills pretty much every time I go out. But will there actually come a time when I can just comfortably zip up a hill?
I'm a 52 year old guy, 6'2", 190 Lbs, who moved to the hills near Groveland CA. Like you, I used to spend 95% of my time in the flats of Central California. Last year, after visiting my brother, I decided to resume riding after a 14 year hiatus. My bike then was a touring bike equipped with 28/32 granny. Right near where I work, is a 1.5 mile hill which averages 13%. I started using that hill as a training route. With my old bike, I would drop into granny and crank up. Although I improved, it seemed like I was not building leg strength. I started using bigger gears and tried to make it up w/o downshifting. Soon, I began to get used to the feeling of hard working leg muscles. I was spoiled by my granny gear and not at all used to the feeling. All it took was a trip up, with a friend who rides compact gearing, 34/23, kicking my arse. I figured if he could climb in a taller gear I could.
It's been 4 months since I started this. Now, when I ride with my Valley friends, my training pays off. On a little Valley hill, they are grabbing gears and I just power over them, leaving them behind.
Get used to the feelings of hard working legs. It worked for me.
Eric