Originally Posted by
GeorgeBMac
Or, I have heard, riding longer at "just above" the lactic threshold will also increase it. My cardiologist was happy with everything except what he called my "ventillatory anaerobic threshold" -- aka lactic threshold. He said my VAT occurred at a heart rate of 114BPM -- so he told me to get my average up to 120 or higher.
With a number like that, I advise backing it off and not doing so much hill work. Just ride and don't worry about it. Getting your body converted over to a cycling machine is a slow process. I've heard 7 years for complete adaptation, and I think that's probably about right. On the good side, that means that you'll keep getting better and faster for at least 7 years, which is nice to look forward to. Your VAT will come up no matter what you do as long as you're riding lots. You have a lot of base work to do. You'll know when you're ready for hills, and if you keep doing 150+ miles/week, you'll make good progress.