Ah ... so that's what I'm doing wrong here.

Once I started climbing steep hills standing up, it's been easier for me. Climbing out of the saddle requires more cardio and less leg action, and I happen to be stronger in the former category.

I learned about the inevitability of getting over hills on rides when my only options were: climb the freaking hills and get over it, or call my wife and have her come pick me up. So, I always grit it out, even though it starts to hurt after awhile. In that respect, it's a lot like riding in the cold--you do it because you don't have any choice if you want to get home.

I had the same experience with XC skiing. You learn to love climbing hills as part of the process if you live in a hilly area, or you quit doing the activity. Anybody who can ride a century can handle hills, Machka. I think I learned that from you.

I still have yet to master climbing while out of the saddle. I suppose it will come with time. I don't think I have the balance.

That's me. When I stand, I can fly by others on a hill regardless of whether they are seated or standing. Part of that is I have a high proportion of slow twitch muscle fiber. I learned that from running when I found out my 10K race time was about the same as my 10K split in a 10 mile or half marathon. The other part is my body weight of 170 lbs at 6'0".

Never had to get off. I've gone up some ridiculously steep grades, but never quite the 30% range like Fargo.

They seemed to be similarly geared if that is what you were implying.

I was actually doing quite well with the standing while climbing thing ... that's how I got through the 2003 Paris-Brest-Paris. I stood for about half that ride.

But then I fell over on a hill while touring in Wales shortly after the PBP ... very steep hill ... going really slowly ... couldn't get my foot unclipped ...

And I came very close to falling on a few very steep hills on my 2004 Australian tour.

And I developed this fear of steep hills.

I switched my pedals to the ones that are platform on one side and SPD on the other in 2007, and have been riding with my left foot clipped in as normal, but my right foot on the platform. I started doing that just going up hills, and have kept doing that even on flat ground.

While I love that setup, and while it has given me so much more confidence on hills, I can't stand up when I'm going up a hill with that setup. So at some point I'm going to have to get over the fear of being clipped in on a steep hill, so I can start working on standing again.

Add me to the hills over flats crowd. I'm built to go up hill and over all get more beat up on long flats than i do on lots of up and down. Though the "kings of glide" in my group like to show off their coasting skills on the downhills while i'm pedaling in my 50-x whatever.

I think if you do the same route and hills over and over they can either get easier or faster depending on how you attack it. You figure out what gear you will want to just sit and spin or shift up a few and get after it standing if it's short enough. Mixing it up between sitting and standing can help use different muscles

practice.. try different techniques..

yea i'm usually not one to surrender. ill say this though, my first time giving up was due to riding in running shoes and jeans...then again that same day i watched shaun wallace climb it on a beach cruzer with....here ill just show you.



no nothing special to watch out for, just kinda fun to guess who's got it!

Yes, and no. It's easier for me to climb a hill at a reasonable pace than it is to go fast on flat ground. I can put out more watts at the same level of discomfort on a climb than on the flat. A good climb is never as easy as a flat recovery ride, but it can be pretty easy.

One start for being a better climber is to never give up and walk. You can ride stuff that's way harder than you think, but only if you actually do it. You'll build some strength and more important, gain the technique, for standing and muscling up a climb. But only if you do it.

I have to practice the same sort of thing when it comes to flat ground and headwinds... being slow there is largely in my head.

For the pedal thing, practice unclipping on a hill when you're fresh, so you have the motion wired and can do it when you're tired. You should never stop on a hill of course, but it's important to be able to stop in an emergency. And practice starting up again. So if you do run into a hill you can't conquer, you can stop to let your heart rate go down, then get going again. No walking!

Depends on the hill. A short <800 meter hill? Perhaps. Longer? Probably not unless you're a gifted climber. I climb Mt. Doom here every day, 1 mile, about 400 vertical feet, and there are days when it's easier, but that hill is never easy. Shorter .25 - half mile hills around here can feel easy for me on a very good day. I'm a Cat 4 amateur racer, 52 year old man, 5'11", 170 lbs or so, an average to above average climber on that level when I'm in shape.

This is all relative of course. There is always somebody faster, particularly when things tilt upwards on a bicycle.

For me, anything longer than a mile in length starts ranging into major climb or mountain mode. As I commented, it's all relative. A mile long 'hill' might seem like a mountain to you, my 2 mile long 'mountain' might seem like an easy hill to a top amateur or pro.

But hills don't scare me, and I do enjoy climbing. Always have.

Yes, stand and mash.

But will there actually come a time when I can just comfortably zip up a hill?

No; if you are comfortable on a hill, you are riding too slow.

A lot of it is mental--relative perspective.

There are people who I ride with to Nyack 6 months out of the year and they know the exact route we are going to take because we've gone there tons of times but they freak out and whine about the "climbs" every time.

Then you realize that a "climb" in NY might be a bump in the rode for people living in CA or CO.

Best thing to do is to straight-up attack the greatest climb you can find; then you know how bad it can get and how to pace yourself for anything less than.

It has mudh less to do with the length or grade of the climb than who you're chasing up the climb.

This notion that if it's easy you're 'riding too slow' is odd. Sometimes I'm in a groove, I feel good, I ride a moderate tempo and I fly up the hill that on other days might feel like a much harder climb if I tried to maintain the same pace. If you're going as hard as you can go up a hill on any given day, it's NEVER easy.

This is somewhat o.t. but does anyone else find weather (i.e. 90+ degrees and humid, 32C+) more of a killer than climbing?

Riding in 19F isn't all that easy either. Just saying...

When I first did road biking I was living in Vermont, Mad River Glen/Sugarbush area. By the 2nd - 3rd week I had to go over Lincoln Gap, so I just got used to it. My house was on a hill as well. I think I don't recall ever walking up except when it is on gravel and you are rding a road bike and the wheel just sinks. Still going fast up is a lot about genetics. Most can train to finish hills but there are a few that go fast on the real long and steep climbs.

It can make a climb a killer!! I did a 33.3 km ride with three climbs today in 32C heat and by the time I did the third climb, I was suffering. It was the steepest of the three climbs as well.

That's just great. I was planning on starting long rides this year

As Winston Churchill was wont to say " Never give in, never give in...NEVER GIVE IN"

Never let those steep gradients beat you, defy the pain, the mountain, the breathlessness.

Challenge the climb to DARE beat you.

Hey all.. a hillclimb thread; yes!!!! Love it!!! There are a whole breed of us that are just the opposite of dreading hills. We love hills. When we see a hill in the distance, our hearts don't sink, we salivate. If the gradient is double digits, we say, "Yes, dessert!" Here in Japan, they have a name for us- "Saka-baka." Saka means "hill," and baka means "idiot." There is a whole series of hillclimb races every season, and some of them, like the Mt. Fuji Hillclimb, have gotten so popular that the entry limit of 4,000 racers fills up within hours on the first day entries are accepted. Now it's done on a lottery system by random computer picks. What makes it so appetizing? I guess we kind of are "idiots" . But seriously, three things do it for me. One, cresting the top after 90 minutes of climbing and knowing the mountain couldn't beat me. Two, all the hours of training, getting a smoother and more powerful climbing technique. Last but not least, high speed descents! Banzai!

-rj

rjtokyo: Do you drift? Sorry, stupid question

Wish I lived in a more hilly area. Unfortunately I have to cope with the Netherlands. As flat as a pancake, with once in a while a little speedbump.

hill repeats. the best way to get better at climbing hills.

LOL. Hey FreddyV,

I love driving mountain roads but I don't have a good car for drifting. Actually we climb on some of the same roads the drifters use (not while they're drifting, of course ). Sorry to hear the Netherlands is so flat. I'd guess the next best thing is pushing some big gears, eh? How far are the nearest mountains?

Cheers! - rj

I hate hills because despite my light bike I am still carrying extra 15-20 pounds.

I love hills because they can help me to shed those extra pound faster Although, it's very hard to find a HILL in my area (Richmond HILL), but there are some up North of my place.

I've come to the conclusion that there are two types of riders, those that love hills and are built to handle them with ease, and the flatlanders that can spin fast, but struggle with hills. (Maybe there's a third that's not good at either but I won't go there). I've reached the conclusion that I'm a flatlander. I can haul on the flatlands, do a good pull, almost an A class club rider. But on a mountain or significant hill ride I'm not much better than a C group rider.
I worked hard on hills last year and now I'm a better quality of lousy hill rider. Working at it helps, but I'll never be one of those guys who "loves" the hills because they're a challenge. I just draft with them, then wait for the flats. One of my riding freinds that's used to this hit the flats on a recent ride and said later he just waited for the spinners to blow past him, then he drops us on the hills. That's just the way it is.