Training tips.

John Staines said:

Hi everyone,

Quoted message said:

I'm rather new to this cycling business and I'm looking for some training tips concerning the art
of hill climbing.

Quoted message said:

If a hill is rather long I tend to struggle and basically feel as if I'm about to die! :o)

Going up hills suck. Hills hurt. They slow you down and take your time. That's part of riding.

Quoted message said:

I usually pick a really easy gear and slowly but surely make my way up but I'd like to be able to
improve and climb quicker....and not feel as tired at the top :o) Sometimes I don't always get to
the top ;o)

We'd all like to climb quicker.

Quoted message said:

I've also been trying to spin up the hills ie 90+ cadence...as I've heard revving feeds on your
aerobic fitness and stops the depletion of something (I can't remember what they call it) from
your muscles...the theory (for want of a better word) is that your delaying the lactic blow up
that you get while climbing. I've been finding this very difficult to do on longish steep climbs.

Blah, blah, blah. Aerobic this, lactic that. Just climb the hill. Then climb another. Climb a lot
more and you'll get better. Your fitness will improve, and as if by magic, your hill climbing will
also improve.

Quoted message said:

Am I going about it in the right way? Could anyone out there give me some hints and tips on how to
improve my climbing? What exercises should or could I be doing to improve?

Exercises you should be doing are climbing hills. Climb long ones at high RPM, climb long ones at
low RPM, climb short ones at high RPM and climb short ones at low RPM. Really, just climb them.

To make them a bit quicker, momentum is your friend. Get lots of speed at the bottom and carry it
for a while. Stand up and pedal a big gear to conserve a bit of speed, and then _smoothly_ lower you
speed to what's comfortable for the rest of the climb. Don't kill yourself at the bottom and slump,
make it smooth. And climb more hills.

Quoted message said:

Many thanks

Hope that helps. That's my opinion, and other 'fitness routine' and so forth folk ought to have some
other, possibly valuable, additions.

Heath
--
*--------------------------------------------------------*
| ^Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool^ |
| Heath Raftery, HRSoftWorks _\|/_ |
*______________________________________m_('.'😉_m_________*

there is no easy way to climb hills, i reckong, go fer em as hard as you can and get up them as
quick as you can. hurts for less time. "John Staines" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message "]news:[email hidden]...
: Hi everyone,
:
: I'm rather new to this cycling business and I'm looking for some training tips concerning the art
: of hill climbing.
:
: If a hill is rather long I tend to struggle and basically feel as if I'm about to die! :o)
:
: I usually pick a really easy gear and slowly but surely make my way up but I'd like to be able to
: improve and climb quicker....and not feel as tired at the top :o) Sometimes I don't always get to
: the top ;o)
:
: I've also been trying to spin up the hills ie 90+ cadence...as I've heard revving feeds on your
: aerobic fitness and stops the depletion of something (I can't remember what they call it) from
: your muscles...the theory (for want of a better word) is that your delaying the lactic blow up
: that you get while climbing. I've been finding this very difficult to do on longish steep climbs.
:
: Am I going about it in the right way? Could anyone out there give me some hints and tips on how to
: improve my climbing? What exercises should or could I be doing to improve?
:
: Many thanks
:
: John
:
: I have been trying to conquer Checkers Hill Road and seem to only be able to get to the same spots
: all the time before I can't go on anymore...and thats from either side of the hill. I've been
: going as far as I can...roll down...and start again.

"John Staines" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi everyone,

I'm rather new to this cycling business and I'm looking for some training tips concerning the art
of hill climbing.

If a hill is rather long I tend to struggle and basically feel as if I'm about to die! :o)

I usually pick a really easy gear and slowly but surely make my way up but I'd like to be able to
improve and climb quicker....and not feel as tired at the top :o) Sometimes I don't always get to
the top ;o)

John, If you can't make it to the top perhaps you need a lower gear, and 'winch' yourself up? A
39x25 combo gets me up most hills, although I do struggle up some (new Willunga Hill has beaten me).
Just a thought. Gemma

Hi Andrew,

Yeah I used to try & attack them that way only to blow out half the way up and that's if I was
lucky! :o) Experience (what little I have) has taught me to take my time...which I do.

I know there aren't any quick fixes....and trust me, I know that hills are a [censored]....but I would
like to learn how to improve by hearing what other people have to say.

I'll never be a Baden Cooke, Stuart O'Grady etc....but I want to be as good as I can be.....I want
to feel as if I'm improving with my cycling. I enjoy the pleasure of riding....some days I like to
actually take in the beautiful scenery that I cycle through. But on the other hand I do want to
increase my skills and ability and I'm willing to give training ideas a go. :o) If they don't make
me any better than at least I've tried to improve.

I guess I want to be able to feel as if no hill/climb is beyond me, no matter how slow I climb
it....but at the moment I can't even get up some of the hills near where I live, full stop. :o)

Thanks for the replies so far.

Best wishes

John

andrew G said:

there is no easy way to climb hills, i reckong, go fer em as hard as you can and get up them as
quick as you can. hurts for less time. "John Staines" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message "]news:[email hidden]...
: Hi everyone,
:
: I'm rather new to this cycling business and I'm looking for some training tips concerning the
: art of hill climbing.
:
: If a hill is rather long I tend to struggle and basically feel as if I'm about to die! :o)
:
: I usually pick a really easy gear and slowly but surely make my way up but I'd like to be able
: to improve and climb quicker....and not feel as tired at the top :o) Sometimes I don't always
: get to the top ;o)
:
: I've also been trying to spin up the hills ie 90+ cadence...as I've heard revving feeds on your
: aerobic fitness and stops the depletion of something (I can't remember what they call it) from
: your muscles...the theory (for want of a better word) is that your delaying the lactic blow up
: that you get while climbing. I've been finding this very difficult to do on longish steep
: climbs.
:
: Am I going about it in the right way? Could anyone out there give me some hints and tips on how
: to improve my climbing? What exercises should or could I be doing to improve?
:
: Many thanks
:
: John
:
: I have been trying to conquer Checkers Hill Road and seem to only be able to get to the same
: spots all the time before I can't go on anymore...and thats from either side of the hill. I've
: been going as far as I can...roll down...and start again.

"John Staines" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm rather new to this cycling business and I'm looking for some training tips concerning the art
of hill climbing.

If a hill is rather long I tend to struggle and basically feel as if I'm about to die! :o)

I usually pick a really easy gear and slowly but surely make my way up but I'd like to be able to
improve and climb quicker....and not feel as tired at the top :o) Sometimes I don't always get to
the top ;o)

I've also been trying to spin up the hills ie 90+ cadence...as I've heard revving feeds on your
aerobic fitness and stops the depletion of something (I can't remember what they call it) from
your muscles...the theory (for want of a better word) is that your delaying the lactic blow up
that you get while climbing. I've been finding this very difficult to do on longish steep climbs.

Am I going about it in the right way? Could anyone out there give me some hints and tips on how to
improve my climbing? What exercises should or could I be doing to improve?

I have been trying to conquer Checkers Hill Road and seem to only be able to get to the same spots
all the time before I can't go on anymore...and thats from either side of the hill. I've been
going as far as I can...roll down...and start again.

Climbing is all about power to weight ratio and oxygen uptake. Lightening the load is a good thing
and the best and cheapest place to do this for most of us is off the body. Less weight to push up
the hill and less oxygen used by fatty tissue rather than muscles.

Oxygen uptake is improved by training. Long rides at a moderate pace encourage the body to recruit
capillaries that are normally unused, thus reducing the mean path from blood vessels to muscle
cells. Shorter, harder work improves the efficiency of the heart by increasing the stroke volume.

Cycling requires a fair amount of leg strength, much more than, say, running if oxygen uptake is to
be the limiting factor rather than just leg strength. Many people new to cycling need to increase
leg strength. It is one of the rare cases where lack of strength can limit endurance.

The above can be simply summarised. Ride lots in varied terrain and the body will adapt to the
demands. The only specific exercise I recommend is to find a nice, steady hill and change to a
really hard gear (say 39/15) and climb seated for about 60 seconds. You should be struggling to turn
the pedals at a low cadence. Do a few of these (not too many) interspersed with easy periods in a
sensible gear at a normal cadence. Low repetitions of a high force can help to build leg strength.
It is much more convenient to do them on the bicycle in the manner described than in a weight room.

The last thing to train is the mind. A positive attitude, realistic expectations and the ability to
pace oneself are all handy. Long hills can require patience.

Climbing is hard work, but many riders gain a lot of satisfaction from it. Hang in there and be
patient and you will see plenty of improvement.

John Retchford

"John Staines" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > Hi Andrew,

Quoted message said:

Yeah I used to try & attack them that way only to blow out half the way up and that's if I was
lucky! :o) Experience (what little I have) has taught me to take my time...which I do.

I know there aren't any quick fixes....and trust me, I know that hills are a [censored]....but I would
like to learn how to improve by hearing what other people have to say.

I'll never be a Baden Cooke, Stuart O'Grady etc....but I want to be as good as I can be.....I want
to feel as if I'm improving with my cycling. I enjoy the pleasure of riding....some days I like to
actually take in the beautiful scenery that I cycle through. But on the other hand I do want to
increase my skills and ability and I'm willing to give training ideas a go. :o) If they don't make
me any better than at least I've tried to improve.

I guess I want to be able to feel as if no hill/climb is beyond me, no matter how slow I climb
it....but at the moment I can't even get up some of the hills near where I live, full stop. :o)

Thanks for the replies so far.

And the other thing is: be light. Hills require a good aerobic power to weight ratio. Flats just
require good aerobic power. For example, if you weighed 85kg and dropped to 64kg (10kg bike), thats
a 22% weight loss and your hillclimbing will be either much easier or much faster before factoring
in fitness improvements. Mark Lee

"John Retchford" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"John Staines" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[snip[

Quoted message said:

The last thing to train is the mind. A positive attitude, realistic expectations and the ability
to pace oneself are all handy. Long hills

can

Quoted message said:

require patience.

Climbing is hard work, but many riders gain a lot of satisfaction from it. Hang in there and be
patient and you will see plenty of improvement.

Naah, this stuff is all [censored]. Take the lover not a fighter route for being a coward. Call
yourself a sprinter, even if you aren't a good one, and use that as an excuse for not being able
to climb hills.

Well, that's what I do.........

"see you guy sup the top.......... I'm a sprinter y'know"

the other quick fix is to get a better heart/lung combination. the best way i know of getting this
is to ride/excercise lots. hills make great excercise!

i used to stop dead too once probably would now that i am riding less. "John Staines"
<[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
: Hi Andrew,
:
: Yeah I used to try & attack them that way only to blow out half the way up and that's if I was
: lucky! :o) Experience (what little I have) has taught me to take my time...which I do.
:
: I know there aren't any quick fixes....and trust me, I know that hills are a [censored]....but I would
: like to learn how to improve by hearing what other people have to say.
:
: I'll never be a Baden Cooke, Stuart O'Grady etc....but I want to be as good as I can be.....I want
: to feel as if I'm improving with my cycling. I enjoy the pleasure of riding....some days I like to
: actually take in the beautiful scenery that I cycle through. But on the other hand I do want to
: increase my skills and ability and I'm willing to give training ideas a go. :o) If they don't make
: me any better than at least I've tried to improve.
:
: I guess I want to be able to feel as if no hill/climb is beyond me, no matter how slow I climb
: it....but at the moment I can't even get up some of the hills near where I live, full stop. :o)
:
: Thanks for the replies so far.
:
: Best wishes
:
: John
:
: andrew G wrote:
: >
: > there is no easy way to climb hills, i reckong, go fer em as hard as you can and get up them as
: > quick as you
can.
: > hurts for less time. "John Staines" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
: > "]news:[email hidden]...
: > : Hi everyone,
: > :
: > : I'm rather new to this cycling business and I'm looking for some training tips concerning the
: > : art of hill climbing.
: > :
: > : If a hill is rather long I tend to struggle and basically feel as if
I'm
: > : about to die! :o)
: > :
: > : I usually pick a really easy gear and slowly but surely make my way up but I'd like to be able
: > : to improve and climb quicker....and not feel
as
: > : tired at the top :o) Sometimes I don't always get to the top ;o)
: > :
: > : I've also been trying to spin up the hills ie 90+ cadence...as I've heard revving feeds on
: > : your aerobic fitness and stops the depletion of something (I can't remember what they call it)
: > : from your muscles...the theory (for want of a better word) is that your delaying the lactic
blow
: > : up that you get while climbing. I've been finding this very difficult
to
: > : do on longish steep climbs.
: > :
: > : Am I going about it in the right way? Could anyone out there give me some hints and tips on
: > : how to improve my climbing? What exercises
should
: > : or could I be doing to improve?
: > :
: > : Many thanks
: > :
: > : John
: > :
: > : I have been trying to conquer Checkers Hill Road and seem to only be able to get to the same
: > : spots all the time before I can't go on anymore...and thats from either side of the hill. I've
: > : been going as
far
: > : as I can...roll down...and start again.

I LOVE Hills. I bought a Cannondale road bike recently. The difference between that and the cheap
mountain bike I used to ride is enormous. Hills that used to kill me now just melt away. But the
bike cost an arm and a leg. So every time I hit a hill I grunt my way up to the repeated mantra "It
was worth every penny" "It was worth every penny" "It was worth every penny" "It was worth every
penny" "It was worth every penny" "It was worth every penny" "It was worth every penny" "It was
worth every penny"

"RMan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"John Retchford" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"John Staines" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[snip[

Quoted message said:

The last thing to train is the mind. A positive attitude, realistic expectations and the ability
to pace oneself are all handy. Long hills

can

Quoted message said:

require patience.

Climbing is hard work, but many riders gain a lot of satisfaction from

it.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Hang in there and be patient and you will see plenty of improvement.

Naah, this stuff is all [censored]. Take the lover not a fighter route for

being

Quoted message said:

a coward. Call yourself a sprinter, even if you aren't a good one, and

use

Quoted message said:

that as an excuse for not being able to climb hills.

Well, that's what I do.........

"see you guy sup the top.......... I'm a sprinter y'know"

John Retchford said:

The above can be simply summarised. Ride lots in varied terrain and the body will adapt to the
demands. The only specific exercise I recommend is to find a nice, steady hill and change to a
really hard gear (say 39/15) and climb seated for about 60 seconds. You should be struggling to
turn the pedals at a low cadence. Do a few of these (not too many) interspersed with easy periods
in a sensible gear at a normal cadence. Low repetitions of a high force can help to build leg
strength. It is much more convenient to do them on the bicycle in the manner described than in a
weight room.

I don't want to nay-say John's method, but if *I* put alot of power into the stroke in a hard gear
it's not good for my knees.

So, I guess, don't go stupid.

-kt

John Staines said:

I'm rather new to this cycling business and I'm looking for some training tips concerning the art
of hill climbing.

Quoted message said:

What exercises should or could I be doing to improve?

I'm no expert although I've read those who are, and importantly I don't mind hills. In fact I rather
like them in that I perceive them as good for me, and the challenges they present as beneficial if
that doesn't seem too masochistic?

From my own experience and as others here have already stressed, when it comes to climbing the most
important factor is ...*be light*. It's also possibly about the easiest factor to achieve. Reduce
your weight to a minimum for your physique. This has the added benefit of increasing your potential
for acceleration as well.

Secondly, a positive "I think I can, I know I can" type of 'grit your teeth, take a huge bite and
refuse to let go' attitude no matter how laborious, exhausting or painful the climb may seem of
become is a great asset. Even the great names, or perhaps I should say especially, the great names,
feel pain climbing hills.

And of course, practice, practice and practice some more which breeds the comfort with them
which comes of familiarity, confidence, discipline and builds technique, strength and improves
aerobic capacity.

I'm no cycling world-beater and never will be at my age, but I have improved my personal best hill
climbing performance markedly using these guidelines.

PS: Are your current expectations reasonable? You require a basic level of personal fitness along
with a non-statistically obese weight to begin with prior to expecting to successfully tackle
especially steep grades or protracted climbs. Be honest with yourself.

If obese and used only to the daily exercise routine of your standard Oz couch potato, reducing your
weight and increasing your fitness to norms with less stressful exercise is essential before
tackling the mountains if you don't want to place your heart at serious risk. Until you can
determine from experience your training level of intensity, a heart-rate monitor is a good if not
essential aid. You don't need anything fancy, just the cheapest Polar on runout for about AUD$70-
which will display heartrate.

cheers

Iguana Bwana

I'm 68kgs & I love to hurt the big blokes over the top. But, even now & again the road is flat....

"Iguana Bwana" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

John Staines said:

I'm rather new to this cycling business and I'm looking for some training tips concerning the art
of hill climbing.

Quoted message said:

What exercises should or could I be doing to improve?

I'm no expert although I've read those who are, and importantly I don't mind hills. In fact I
rather like them in that I perceive them as good for me, and the challenges they present as
beneficial if that doesn't seem too masochistic?

From my own experience and as others here have already stressed, when it comes to climbing the
most important factor is ...*be light*. It's also possibly about the easiest factor to achieve.
Reduce your weight to a minimum for your physique. This has the added benefit of increasing your
potential for acceleration as well.

Secondly, a positive "I think I can, I know I can" type of 'grit your teeth, take a huge bite and
refuse to let go' attitude no matter how laborious, exhausting or painful the climb may seem of
become is a great asset. Even the great names, or perhaps I should say especially, the great
names, feel pain climbing hills.

And of course, practice, practice and practice some more which breeds the comfort with them which
comes of familiarity, confidence, discipline and builds technique, strength and improves aerobic
capacity.

I'm no cycling world-beater and never will be at my age, but I have improved my personal best hill
climbing performance markedly using these guidelines.

PS: Are your current expectations reasonable? You require a basic level of personal fitness along
with a non-statistically obese weight to begin with prior to expecting to successfully tackle
especially steep grades or protracted climbs. Be honest with yourself.

If obese and used only to the daily exercise routine of your standard Oz couch potato, reducing
your weight and increasing your fitness to norms with less stressful exercise is essential before
tackling the mountains if you don't want to place your heart at serious risk. Until you can
determine from experience your training level of intensity, a heart-rate monitor is a good if not
essential aid. You don't need anything fancy, just the cheapest Polar on runout for about AUD$70-
which will display heartrate.

cheers

Iguana Bwana

John, like Heath says - it just hurts. Do it lots & it still hurts. You just go faster!

Scott

"John Staines" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi Andrew,

Yeah I used to try & attack them that way only to blow out half the way up and that's if I was
lucky! :o) Experience (what little I have) has taught me to take my time...which I do.

I know there aren't any quick fixes....and trust me, I know that hills are a [censored]....but I would
like to learn how to improve by hearing what other people have to say.

I'll never be a Baden Cooke, Stuart O'Grady etc....but I want to be as good as I can be.....I want
to feel as if I'm improving with my cycling. I enjoy the pleasure of riding....some days I like to
actually take in the beautiful scenery that I cycle through. But on the other hand I do want to
increase my skills and ability and I'm willing to give training ideas a go. :o) If they don't make
me any better than at least I've tried to improve.

I guess I want to be able to feel as if no hill/climb is beyond me, no matter how slow I climb
it....but at the moment I can't even get up some of the hills near where I live, full stop. :o)

Thanks for the replies so far.

Best wishes

John

andrew G said:

there is no easy way to climb hills, i reckong, go fer em as hard as you can and get up them as
quick as you

can.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

hurts for less time. "John Staines" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
: Hi everyone,
:
: I'm rather new to this cycling business and I'm looking for some training tips concerning the
: art of hill climbing.
:
: If a hill is rather long I tend to struggle and basically feel as if

I'm

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

: about to die! :o)
:
: I usually pick a really easy gear and slowly but surely make my way up but I'd like to be able
: to improve and climb quicker....and not feel

as

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

: tired at the top :o) Sometimes I don't always get to the top ;o)
:
: I've also been trying to spin up the hills ie 90+ cadence...as I've heard revving feeds on
: your aerobic fitness and stops the depletion of something (I can't remember what they call it)
: from your muscles...the theory (for want of a better word) is that your delaying the lactic

blow

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

: up that you get while climbing. I've been finding this very difficult

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

: do on longish steep climbs.
:
: Am I going about it in the right way? Could anyone out there give me some hints and tips on
: how to improve my climbing? What exercises

should

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

: or could I be doing to improve?
:
: Many thanks
:
: John
:
: I have been trying to conquer Checkers Hill Road and seem to only be able to get to the same
: spots all the time before I can't go on anymore...and thats from either side of the hill. I've
: been going as

far

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

: as I can...roll down...and start again.

[I ride lots of hills, enjoy the challenge, but I'm no good climber.
My climbing ability has slid the last six months, as I have put some weight on.

Everyone has their own style, but for me, its keep the weight down and ride up plenty of hills..and at least there's the fun of the descents! Determination has got to be a big one too..ain't going to let some hill beat me!

Arghhh. I HATE hill climbing. I'm ALWAYS last. Sigh. Maybe being 95 or so Kgs doesn't help. (6'3 tho)

I am getting better, though. Getting noticably better is a real morale boost for me. I haven't been so fit in my life. I get pumped every time I go out for a long or serious ride, whether on the road or on a nice singletrack.

I guess the bottom line is to not think about the hill. I think of everything but the fact that I hate hills when climbing. I have even let my mind wander to the chocolate bar back at the foot of the 8km trail a few times. Then I thought about the sweeet singletrack descent on the way to that and suddenly I was at the top.

i hate doing hills aswell but once im at the top i just think well now i can go own it😄 but in about 4 months i saw my legs go from flabby the nearly rock hard! thats all i think about when im going uphills. thats what keeps me going. people say im so musley etc etc, but these people are the people u see walking it after 30mins because they dont have the moral will to keep them going.

its all about saying to urself i can o this, this is too simple.

Loki said:

Arghhh. I HATE hill climbing. I'm ALWAYS last. Sigh. Maybe being 95 or so Kgs doesn't help.
(6'3 tho)

Quoted message said:

I am getting better, though. Getting noticably better is a real morale boost for me. I haven't
been so fit in my life. I get pumped every time I go out for a long or serious ride, whether on
the road or on a nice singletrack.

Quoted message said:

I guess the bottom line is to not think about the hill. I think of everything but the fact that I
hate hills when climbing. I have even let my mind wander to the chocolate bar back at the foot of
the 8km trail a few times. Then I thought about the sweeet singletrack descent on the way to that
and suddenly I was at the top.

I used to hate hills too and I'm not that good at them now but I'm a _lot_ better than I used to be.

It sounds easier said than done but you just have to get out and do more hills. Force yourself to
climb hills. I go out of my way now so that I get to climb hills. Somehow I just stopped caring
about it and now I don't dread hills anymore. THey're still hard but I do them quicker and I'm
improving all the time.

I guess you have to get over the initial hardship to build enough strength so that you can do it
easier. It does get much easier when you notice an improvement in your own performance.

Maybe you could pick a ride with a few hills in it and keep doing the same ride over and over. That
way you will notive when you're getting stronger.

Also I suppose it depends where you live. I don't live in a particularly hilly area so it's not like
I have to face it all the time.

If you can lose weight that helps a lot too (assuming you've got extra fat to lose). Improving your
powre to weight ratio will helkp a lot.

Good luck!

--
Nick

"Loki" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Arghhh. I HATE hill climbing. I'm ALWAYS last. Sigh. Maybe being 95 or so Kgs doesn't help.
(6'3 tho)

Keeping your weight down is a good idea, you want to have as high a power to weight ratio as
possible. Usually this comes from keeping the total weight low, as well as less and fat more muscle.

Quoted message said:

I am getting better, though. Getting noticably better is a real morale boost for me. I haven't
been so fit in my life. I get pumped every time I go out for a long or serious ride, whether on
the road or on a nice singletrack.

I guess the bottom line is to not think about the hill. I think of everything but the fact that I
hate hills when climbing.

Hill climbing is hard, noone really likes it. The secret to climbing well is about 20% power and 80%
mind. Don't let the hill, or your dislike of it,
psyche you out. On long straight climbs do not look at the distant crest, focus on rocks, trees etc.
much closer by. Work towards a nearer goal, then set your next goal. Then every few minutes glance
at the crest and it will be closer. Before you know it you'll be cresting the climb. Winding
mountain climbs are a bit better, even when they go on for 10 kms because each bend is a finite
goal. You will need to set a sustainable pace. I find the best rate is one breathing cycle for
every 4 complete pedal rotations, and I put more emphasis on breathing out fully. This can keep me
going steadily, and even increasing my speed, over these long climbs.

Where possible enjoy the views along the road/track to distract your mind. Ride with a buddy and
swap the lead to give you a pace-setter. I find it's always harder to be the lead on a hill, usually
easier to follow someone else's wheel.

Quoted message said:

I have even let my mind wander to the chocolate bar back at the foot of the 8km trail a few
times. Then I thought about the sweeet singletrack descent on the way to that and suddenly I was
at the top.

I always prefer the thought of the chocolate bar in my pack that I am going to eat when I reach the
top of the hill. And as I said earlier, hill climbing is hard - I never enjoyed hills when I was
younger. But what got me to the top of hills was the prospect of a ripper descent on the other side.
Sometimes it doesn't happen but when you get a long winding descent it's really sweet. When I first
discovered the thrill of the Wonderland descent into Halls Gap (overtaking cars, banking through the
sweepers) I began to choose to ride up hills to get that same rush.

To train for hills, ride more hills. Before to long you'll look on the hills as your friend.

Cheers Peter