Long/Steep Climbs

[AndiG]

I struggle on these, I have been cycling about 3 weeks now but my legs are pretty muscular. I get leg burn about 1 quarter up or half way depending on how steep it is.

I am fairly light, about 63 KGs and I am 182 cm's tall.
So any tips on dealing with hills better?

[daveryanwyoming]

Keep riding hills.

Three weeks is just getting started as far as cycling is concerned. Think in terms of months, and years in terms of reaching your cycling potential, not weeks. The fact that your legs are muscular doesn't mean much unless those muscles were built from sustained endurance work like running or rowing. Mr Universe has strong and muscular legs but won't beat a serious amateur bike racer up a long climb. Cycling isn't about peak strength or muscle size, it's about endurance and sustainable power which is built in very different ways than big muscles.

Stick with the riding, including some weekly hill work, use lower gears and pace the hills so that they make you work but you don't totally blow or have to back off your pace before you reach the top of the climb. Give it time and you'll improve.

-Dave

[EuroG]

The more you ride hills the more your body will adapt to the stress and become stronger. Purchase a Heart rate monitor to begin with to help gauge your efforts in a structured manner.

What I do? Don't overthink it, (keep it simple stupid) just think "riding my bike, weeeeeeeeeEEeeee!" This is supposed to be fun afterall.