Are you good at climbing?
Climbing is my weakest link, I have always tried to conquer a local mountain near my house but it is seriously hard as hell, for me that is. I attempted 3 - 4 times but I always turn back and practice riding the hills on the bottom of the mountain.
Its really pathetic, I probably ride a quarter mile up and I am burnt out of energy. Mountain climbing is my future goal. Are some people just naturally better at climbing? As if their body is meant for it? |
i weigh 230 pounds, what do you think? haha.
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i'm okay. i can climb any of the mountains around here, but a lot of my buddies can climb any of the mountains around here faster than me. :)
Originally Posted by s4one
(Post 6419425)
Are some people just naturally better at climbing? As if their body is meant for it?
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I suck at climbing, but I'm probably better than you.
Welcome to cycling. P.S. We're all too fat for this sport. Put down that Twinkie. |
Yes, I love climbing - the flats get boring for me way too quickly :( I would venture to say that climbing is my strength and where I do exceptionally well. On the flats, I'm average at best. Definitely not a sprinter, either.
As far as being natural at climbing? I have no idea for certain, but I think that there is a possibility that some people are more naturally inclined to be climbers. (No pun intended) Part of it is training, part of it is learning how to climb successfully, and part of it is a mentality. |
260 and love to climb/remember gears!
THERE is know doubt there are naturals amoung us Lance comes to mind as a climber but I think its more preference,I dont like tar or down hill. And the only traffic I want is an occasional logging truck on the stud mill rd./Ken
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I really like climbing, I'm probably just fair at it. We don't have mountains, just a lot of hills the longest of which is 4mi. @5.2% and I usually average somewhere around 7MPH. Like prendrefeu said "flats are boring"
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for a 40 year old lummox i'm actually not bad at hills. this is because where i live, you can't ride more than a mile without running into an incline, and some of them are quite heinous.
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Originally Posted by s4one
Are you good at climbing?
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I suck at climbing, pitiful on the flats and brake too late on descents. I climb to satisfy my ego (and to get to work) and cruise BF to escape the truth.
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The only way to improve at climbing hills is......ALL TOGETHER NOW........Climb more hills.
I am a pretty fair climber. I have learned NOT to attack hills until I know how long they are. Keep within yourself and take your time until you have a good reading on the situation then up your output. Once you blow up your done. ALSO.....Your body can take more pain then your brain thinks it can....HTFU and quit quitting. |
Weight has something but not very much to do with climbing ability.
Okay, I admit, at 190+ (and still 5'7", 5 years ago) I climbed horribly. Lasted 2-3 minutes in a race with a 150 m hill (one lap). At 170-175 lbs (now, 40 yrs old) I still climb horribly but it takes more than 150 meters to get dropped. Maybe 500 meters. At 133 lbs (27 yrs old) I could climb okay on training rides and crits (by definition climbs were 300-400 meters max since it was hard to make a course with a longer hill in a 1 mile long loop), but in road races I made it to the second climb instead of the first. By a "climb" in a road race, anything over 0.8 miles (1.2 km). This was my peak fitness. At 112 lbs (21 yrs old) I couldn't make it past the second climb in road races as a 3. At 103 lbs (17 yrs old) I couldn't it make it past the first climb, but I was racing some insanely strong juniors (Hincapie was the strongest, another one won Master Cross in his age this past winter). So maybe it doesn't count. But I couldn't climb with pack fodder Cat 4s on training rides. However, at all those weights, I could sprint pretty well and I won field sprints, sometimes for wins, at all but the 190+ pound weight (I did win a field sprint at 188 though, and uphill to boot). I just suck at sustained efforts. Weight helps but it doesn't magically transform you into something you're not. cdr |
spin.
spin. spin. and love the pain. |
I am very good at climbing.... except compared to everyone else
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Originally Posted by kesa101
(Post 6419982)
spin.
spin. spin. and love the pain. |
Originally Posted by s4one
(Post 6419425)
Are some people just naturally better at climbing? As if their body is meant for it?
My goal this year is climbing my favorite hills in the biggest gear I can, attacking all the way. Get up faster, not more comfortably. Do you do any weightlifting? That can help leg strength tremendously. Keep at it. Never give up, never give in. |
I'm 6'2", 240. I'm a disgusting, bloated, fat f@ck. I don't climb particularly well, but for some reason, I love to do it. I recently signed up for the 3 state, 3 mountain challenge. I imagine it's going to hurt.
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Originally Posted by carpediemracing
(Post 6419970)
Weight has something but not very much to do with climbing ability.
Edit: Under 17 minutes is not uncommon for several cat 4 guys I know, and the fastest hammerheads in town (pro/1/2 level can do it well under 15) |
I've gotten to the top of every climb I've tried without getting off the bike or stopping, so I would say yes, I'm good at climbing.
... can I do it faster than the next person? Don't really care. |
I'm 205-210 and 54 next month. I still love to climb, although I'm usually the slowest one on group rides.
Like others have said, learn your body and stay within yourself. If I chase those skinny ***** all day, I feel shot for 2 days, but if I ride my own speed on the same hills, I feel a lot better. Find a long, gradual climb and work on figuring out your breathing and cadence. |
If I were any worse, I'd only be going downhill.
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I'm 6'3 and 178 lbs. I'm built for sprints. I hate climbs and climbs hate me. I do them anyway.
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I beat my daughter up our neighborhood hill once. She was asking for it though.
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Originally Posted by s4one
(Post 6419425)
Are some people just naturally better at climbing? As if their body is meant for it?
Anyway, I feel like climbing is definitely the aspect of cycling that I do "naturally," while I struggle with basically everything else. |
Originally Posted by substructure
(Post 6420094)
I beat my daughter up our neighborhood hill once. She was asking for it though.
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