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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Hills?

Old 09-04-12, 02:32 PM
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Originally Posted by DataJunkie
I find it more useful for P\R tracking. Folks take it too damn seriously. If competion is that important register for a race.
Anyhow, most of the riders in my area KOM on windy days.
That's what they all are. KOMs are for entertainment purposes only. My KOMs (if I still have any) are all on my commute. Eventually, one day, the wind will be in your favor if you ride that segment every day.
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Old 09-04-12, 02:39 PM
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Originally Posted by DeanB
I ride around Fort Collins when visiting my SO's family... if I were you I'd just concentrate on pushing hard on your normal rides and once or twice a week try riding out to Horsetooth Mountain and do hills around there...
Ha, that's where I was going this weekend when I figured out how bad I an on the hills.
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Old 09-04-12, 02:40 PM
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Originally Posted by therhodeo
Not carrying any extra weight is a huge help uphill.
Conversely, bringing along extra weight is great training.
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Old 09-04-12, 02:42 PM
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Originally Posted by pallen
That's what they all are. KOMs are for entertainment purposes only. My KOMs (if I still have any) are all on my commute. Eventually, one day, the wind will be in your favor if you ride that segment every day.
Indeed.
I still like to see what times I put down without wind during different points of my training cycle. However, one doesn't need strava for that. Just a bit convenient I suppose.
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Old 09-04-12, 02:43 PM
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Originally Posted by DataJunkie
Indeed.
I still like to see what times I put down without wind during different points of my training cycle. However, one doesn't need strava for that. Just a bit convenient I suppose.
yes, you can also go to a segment and click on the left to see all of your results on that segment (and only yours). Strava makes it easy to track a lot of stuff with that feature.
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Old 09-04-12, 02:48 PM
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No hills, no problem. Computrainer.
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Old 09-04-12, 02:54 PM
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Originally Posted by ThermionicScott
Conversely, bringing along extra weight is great training.
Eh. You only produce the power you produce. Extra weight up a hill just means you go slower.
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Old 09-04-12, 02:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Brian Ratliff
Find a climb you can do in 10-20 minutes and do hill intervals up it at maximum constant pace. 2-4 intervals, two or three times a week and you'll be flying. Time yourself between two landmarks on that hill and use those times as benchmarks to get faster. Your power/weight ratio is directly proportional to your climbing speed.

Mashing vs. spinning; doesn't matter. Just get the job done.
This is excellent advice.

I would also suggest lots of sprinting. Flat terrain sprinting is good preparation for the sudden bursts of hard spinning you will have to do when the grade goes up all of the sudden.

And don't understimate the value of miles on your legs. Even flat miles on your legs help develop a good base for those moments when the climbing gets hard.
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Old 09-04-12, 03:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Indianahersh
Timing makes it hard to go the real hills regularly, I do most my riding after 8pm when my kids are in bed. I guess right now I am not really looking for speed, I guess I was thinking if I mash up the smaller hills it would help strenghen me to spin up the longer ones
There is very little strength involved in long hill climbing. At 300W and 90RPM the peak force on your pedals is around 82lbs.

Anything you can do to increase your threshold power will help with hill climbing. The standard intervals for that are 2x20min with 5 min rest. Ride these as close to your threshold power/HR as possible 2-3 times a week and your power should improve. You can do these intervals on the flat or on a hill. Hills are usually easier for motivation but it doesn't matter much where you do them.
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Old 09-04-12, 03:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Carbon Unit
I have wondered if some bikes climb better because they are stiffer or is it just weight. A lighter bike will climb better? I have a Calfee Tetra Pro which is a good all around bike. Calfee makes a bike called a Dragonfly which cost $1,000 more and the frame is a half pound lighter. The bike is also stiffer.
Not significantly, unless your bike is unusually heavy or noodley.
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Old 09-04-12, 06:19 PM
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I f'ed up my ACL mashing hills. Recovering from surgery the last month, been off the bike 3 months. Be careful. I suggest spinning. Buyer beware or whatever...
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Old 09-04-12, 07:05 PM
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Or you could try what Cameron Cogburn did on his way to winning the Mt Washington hill climb: https://www.ccbracing.com/content/mt-...imb-case-study
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Old 09-04-12, 07:12 PM
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Originally Posted by njkayaker
Not significantly, unless your bike is unusually heavy or noodley.
Thanks, you just saved me a pile of money on a frame I don't need to buy. My bike is not heavy and not noodley either but I can't stop looking at new bikes they way some look at a new Ferrari.
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Old 09-04-12, 07:52 PM
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Originally Posted by gregf83
Or you could try what Cameron Cogburn did on his way to winning the Mt Washington hill climb: https://www.ccbracing.com/content/mt-...imb-case-study
This was a good article, thanks
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Old 09-04-12, 07:58 PM
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I try this, https://www.winthefight.org/granfondo...cal_double.htm, this year. Did my base mile, dropped 20lbs and thought I was ready. Well lets just say some of the 20% grades got me. Nothing will make you a better climber other than doing it.
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Old 09-04-12, 09:40 PM
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Originally Posted by dwatson
I try this, https://www.winthefight.org/granfondo...cal_double.htm, this year. Did my base mile, dropped 20lbs and thought I was ready. Well lets just say some of the 20% grades got me. Nothing will make you a better climber other than doing it.
16,500 feet of climbing seems insane, I bow down to you for being able to survive this, impressive.
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Old 09-04-12, 11:09 PM
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Originally Posted by enroper
I f'ed up my ACL mashing hills. Recovering from surgery the last month, been off the bike 3 months. Be careful. I suggest spinning. Buyer beware or whatever...
Sorry to hear about your ACL,did you do this mashing while sitting or standing
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Old 09-04-12, 11:31 PM
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I'm 200 lbs and hills can be tough. There is a nice Downhill leading to a steep uphill that I try to go back and forth several times. Downhills are fun and give a nice break before mashing it uphill again. I find the toughest part is still getting the correct gearing. Sometimes I can shift smooth, other times its like my bike just doesn't want to shift when there is so much tension on the drive-train.... I climbed my steepest hill yet yesterday. Short and steep. I would say like 20% grade. I had to zig-zag back and forth to make it up. A full body workout for sure.
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Old 09-05-12, 05:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Indianahersh
g. and quickly learned that no matter how many miles you put on the flats, they do nothing to prepare you for the hills. I want to be able to ride in hills around Colorado unfortunatally all my weekday rides originate from my house so I don't have any big hills to regularly ride on to prepare.

Here's my question: obviously the only way to get good at riding hills it to actually ride them.

Thanks for your help

Incorrect on both counts. It's how you ride those flat miles that matters. Raising your FTP by doing longer intervals on the flats will make a big difference in your climbing.

And having just finished the US Pro Challenge Course, coming from Fl, I don't want to hear a guy living othe front range complaining about not being able to train to climb.
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Old 09-05-12, 05:31 PM
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Tabata intervals. nuff said.
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Old 09-05-12, 06:32 PM
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Tabatas don't do that much for your FTP, which is what you need for long climbs. And they don't do anything for endurance.

See https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...abata-Protocol
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Old 09-05-12, 06:52 PM
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Originally Posted by ericm979
Tabatas don't do that much for your FTP, which is what you need for long climbs. And they don't do anything for endurance.

See https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...abata-Protocol
That's not really true. Tabatas are simply a complicated VO2max workout. They are definitely not sprint intervals.
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Old 09-05-12, 08:39 PM
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This:

Originally Posted by gregf83
There is very little strength involved in long hill climbing. At 300W and 90RPM the peak force on your pedals is around 82lbs.

Anything you can do to increase your threshold power will help with hill climbing. The standard intervals for that are 2x20min with 5 min rest. Ride these as close to your threshold power/HR as possible 2-3 times a week and your power should improve. You can do these intervals on the flat or on a hill. Hills are usually easier for motivation but it doesn't matter much where you do them.
which is the same thing as this:

Originally Posted by merlinextraligh
Incorrect on both counts. It's how you ride those flat miles that matters. Raising your FTP by doing longer intervals on the flats will make a big difference in your climbing.

And having just finished the US Pro Challenge Course, coming from Fl, I don't want to hear a guy living othe front range complaining about not being able to train to climb.
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Old 09-05-12, 08:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Brian Ratliff
That's not really true. Tabatas are simply a complicated VO2max workout. They are definitely not sprint intervals.
Complicated? I thought they were simple. Simple but very painful to execute.
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Old 09-05-12, 10:24 PM
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Originally Posted by gregf83
Complicated? I thought they were simple. Simple but very painful to execute.
Well, I should say "relatively" complicated. More complicated than burying yourself a few times for three minutes anyway.
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