Climbing speed/pace uphill...

Hi everyone,

(I posted this over in the training fourms, but go no takers. I figured I would try again over here, since this page seems to get more traffic. If this is a stupid question, someone can just reply "You stupid newbie" and I'll understand..... )

I'm pretty new to the forums and have been riding about 2 months. Love it. Anyway, I'm just curious to where my speed/pace should be when I start riding hills. On the flats I can spin 20+ with no problems for 2+ hours. Living in Utah, we have no shortage of good climbs. I have several "bellweather" climbs that I do fairly regurally. My favorite avgs about 7-8% (with peaks over 10%) for about 4 miles. Last time I rode it my average speed according to my computer was about 7.5 mph (I clicked it at the bottom of the hill). I've not droped the cash on a HRM yet, but it seems my legs not my lungs/heart were the limiting factor. BTW, comming down is a BLAST! (When you pass a harley, you know your moving....)

I guess my real question is how much speed decrease should one see when climbing. I know that this is a "it depends" question, ie length of hill and steepness. I just looking for generalities here.

1 thing I left out. I'm Male 5'7" and 137 lbs....

Thanks in advance !
Lonnie

 

Hi, like you say, it really is a 'depends' sort of question but...

What i class as a hill I can climb at between 5mph (v Steep) to 10mph (Steepish) The more hills you practice on the quicker you will eventually be able to climb.

 

I always pass Harleys, their always broken down on the side of the road.

Just kidding all you Harley riders.

Dan.

 

[QUOTEBTW, comming down is a BLAST!
[/QUOTE]How fast do you get going when coming down those hills?

I have been only riding for about 3 weeks now. Hills here in Henderson (Las Vegas) are probably similar to some of the hills you have in utah. I have noticed that I get down to about 7 miles an hour on the tough climbs. Even though I just starting riding I have been jogging for many years which I am sure has helped. I have a granny gear but have been determined not to get into the little wheel.

I guess it is hard to compare unless you know the actual grades of a hill.

I have noticed that on my usual 20 mile ride through mountains my average speed is around 15 mph. I hope to improve on this. I weigh a bit more than you though. I am 6'0" at 190 lbs. and probably older at 41. I need to lose a good 10 lbs.

 

With my feeble memory, the fastest I've gotten down hill is about 53 mph. I haven't really tracked it.

Where do you ride in Lost Wages (N or S of town ?)

L

 

Wow that's fast. Maybe your hills are steeper. I have only gotten to around 40 but then again I have only been riding for a few weeks.

I ride in the southeast part of town. If you are familiar with it, the Seven Hills/Anthem area (South of Green Valley) has some good hills. The benefit of urban sprawl is more roads in the mountains.

 

The fastest I have managed was 45mph down a local hill, and it just so happened that at my peak speed i also got accompanied by a very painful leg cramp in my left calf muscle, nearly sent me off my bike.

 

This particular road has a few advantages that helps with the speed. 1). It's fairly new (just a few years old), 2). No Sharp Turns, they are more sweeping, 3) It's 4 lanes/w bike lanes, but not TOO much traffic. (It leads to new homes and not much else.) They have just started the connector road over the other side of the mountain so next year it will be much more functional in terms of riding. That's if we don't move closer to our jobs....

L

 

So where are you talking about? I'm down in UT County and do a fair bit of riding, but I'm not really built for the hills. I've recently gotten back into riding 20-30 miles a few times a week and do mostly flats or gradual hills and maybe American Fork Canyon once in a while. There are definately some steep hills around to test yourself on.

Kurt

 

The road up to suncrest in draper is my main hill. I'm in Draper. I've also done AF and Little Cottonwood canyon.