Originally Posted by
Monoborracho
Did you ride your "mountain roadster" Trek?
You know......you can get a 34 for the back in 9 speed, or 36 teeth in 10 speed. It's much easier to change gears than to lose weight.
I did ride it and was glad I did. As you know I have the 11-32 cassette and for now the 32 is still a winner. I hardly used the 32 in Colorado-mostly the 28-- but there was probably a section or two where I dropped down just to spin a little easier for bit. If I were down to my climbing weight it would make a gear or two difference.
Hills are the barometer that tells me I'm getting stronger. When I anticipate a challenging hill on a ride I haven't done in a while and don't recall where the hill is on the route, and realize I just completed it --- and it seemed flatter than last time --- I know I'm getting stronger.
According to the self-assessment in Friel's
Cycling Past 50, climbing is my strength.
Endurance [currently] is not, but historically it was so I'm working to get that back.
That happened to me the other night. I was on a hill near the end of my ride that many times I'll drop down into my small chainring and chug along 10-15 mph. However Thursday night I was with a group and looked down and we were doing 23 mph up that darn thing. Nice!! Keep riding. Your endurance will come back. A lot of times it comes in "step changes" as opposed to gradual improvements.
Originally Posted by
loneviking61
You'll lose those extra pounds if you keep after those hills! I know the feeling of not wanting the pain. Where I am in Nevada there are plenty of hills. It's sometimes frustrating as I'm in low gear and cranking like a mad monkey, sucking wind for all I'm worth and there will be a some guy in a jersey/spandex outfit blowing past me as if that hill didn't exist! Just wait.....I'm working on it!!
I can relate completely. With getting a little older and carrying the extra pounds it feels like those guys sprinting past me on the hills is getting to be a more common occurrence. It used to really frustrate me but now I'm okay with just riding my own pace.