Originally Posted by
rm -rf
A good measure of hill climbing is
VAM (velocità ascensionale media, vertical meters per hour). It makes different grades comparable. Strava.com shows the VAM score for all it's hill climbs. (The VAM score tends to be higher on short, steep climbs.)
Your 250 per mile * 11 miles per hour = 2750 feet per hour /3.28 =
838 VAM. That's
very good. I average about 650 (around 2100-2200 feet per hour) for long climbs.
And 250 * 14 mph = 1066 VAM That's comparable to the top 10 riders out of 200 on the local 4% / 1 mile climb. You have some
fast co-riders!
I'm guessing that those speeds are average for the whole ride, not the climb.
I do about 3000 ft/hr for repeated long climbs.
If your body fat is above 10%, you can lose some fat. That'll make you faster on climbs. The other thing is to do more climbs.
For the guy with a 9sp ultegra triple, get a smaller granny ring- 28t or 26t- to lower your gearing. I also prefer a 39t middle ring instead of the 42t. It makes the middle ring useable on moderate grades. Make sure it's a middle ring with chain pins on the inside.