Originally Posted by
Chaco
I'm putting this in this section because I weight 223 lbs., and I suspect my weight has something to do with my problem.
I'm 63, a little under 6 feet, and in pretty good shape. In the group rides I do, I can usually keep up with the riders half my age.
However, long climbs are a ***** for me.
Generally, I just spin my way to the top. But I've been watching the Giro and the TOC and marveling how Contador stands on his pedals and motors his way to the top of the steepest grades.
My problem is that whenever I stand, my heart rate shoots up to 90-95% of max, and I have a hard time maintaining it for more than a minute or so. If I'm sitting, I can maintain 90% of max for 6 to 8 minutes, but not standing. Also, it doesn't seem like I gain that much speed.
But then again, maybe I'm just doing it all wrong.
Any pointers would be much appreciated.
Personally if I know a hill and know it's fairly short I may decide to just charge it, get to the top through brute force anaerobically and deal with the lactic acid on the way back down. If it's a long hill that's not going to work so I drop as many gears as it takes to keep the pedals turning.
Personally I don't feel steady on the bike if I stand on the pedals, although sometimes I will lift my weight enough so I can gain a little extra power through dropping my weight onto the pedals.
One thing I have found is that I need to either put down power, or spin the pedals. Once in a while I find myself trying to put down a lot of power in a low gear, which means my muscles are working hard for minimal gain. If I do that then sometimes I figure that my legs are tiring because I'm in too high a gear and change down, which only makes it worse. If I can turn the pedals at a comfortable rate without feeling like I'm bouncing them then I can probably get up the hill. If I find I'm bouncing the pedals I usually need to go up a gear, or turn them more slowly.