Originally Posted by
garbagehead
Hey everyone,
There's a hill I often go up, cat 1 team riders do it in 4 min and a few I do it in about 6 min. I want to improve my time but I keep popping near the top.
The hill is 2 kilometers long, the first half about 2-4% the second half is about 8%. Should I push the flatter really hard and know I'll pop near the top and then creep up, or should I try to conserve early and make the time up by giving it all in the second half?
Always better to push harder on the steeper section. If you push hard on the shallow section you'll waste energy as the aero drag becomes significant. I'd go a little over threshold on the first part and then all out on the second. If you don't have a powermeter, speed will be a reasonable indicator of effort. You should aim to do the 2nd half at a steady, all-out pace where you've got nothing left at the top. Not a big deal if you don't pace the 2nd part perfectly as relatively little energy will be spent overcoming aero drag.
Even if you botch the pacing on the 2nd half you should still be able to ride at threshold, albeit painfully. No creeping allowed
Edit: And to improve your time go up the hill 4-6 times (5 min rest in between climbs) at a steady pace twice a week. These are probably the most painful and uncomfortable intervals you can do but they're effective.