First time hill climb event

Greetings,

I plan to take part in a hill climb event in September. The race is 28kms and climbs around 1000m.
I am new to cycling, only around 3 months. I ride a 2016 Giant TCR advanced 2. I usually ride over 100kms a week-my courses include many climbs but nothing too long. I have a chance to try out the route once before race day in two weeks time.

Being my first event I would love some advice.
-What kind of training will help me prepare? Hill repeats or go for distance?
-What should I take with me on my ride?
-What should i consider when trying out the course?
-What can I expect on race day?

Any other suggestion would be much appreciated!

Many thanks in advance,

JunkyMan

 

Hi, It seems like I find myself saying this a lot on these forums. "this is my take, but wait for a more seasoned member to give better advice. I seem to be decent at self training, but its no substitute for experience, not to mention, I've incorporated many of the tips given here into it. First, id like to say, congrats on your first race/event! Way to just dive in there after 3 months!So 17 miles and roughly 3,280 ft of climbing! Sounds pretty steep. If it were me preparing for this:

-Focus on 1-2 hour rides,4-5 days a week. You should pretty much live in the hills until event day. No sense in doing rides that are too long, Id say no rides longer than 65 km(roughly 40 miles).

-Do what I like to call "power climbs". Thats what I use to refer to short, but very steep hills. I have a bunch of short hills near me that really help build up my lungs and muscular endurance. They range in 400-500 ft and are 1-3 miles long. I climb them as fast as I can.They also makes shallower climbs a breeze. Your even is short and steep, focus on doing short and steep climbs. Variety will keep you motivated, but if not, hill repeats will do.

-Know your gearing, if you don't have the proper gearing for an event like that, you may since your own ship. You may want to use a compact or mid compact chainring and at least 12-28 cassette to be safe.

- You've only been riding 3 months and may have not developed too many preferences yet. I'd say knowing your strength and weaknesses is a good start. If you tend to prefer being out of the saddle for climbs, work on being out of the saddle as much as possible during training. If your preference is to "spin", work on spinning faster for those climbs.

-When trying out the course, remember which roads were the toughest for you and try to ride roads similar leading to the event. When I just started riding, I was humbled by a hill that I couldn't even finish. I make sure to climb it now every chance I get and do so twice as fast as I use to. It is often more important to work on weaknesses than strengths.

-For a timed event/race, keep it light. Water bottles, flat repair, a bar or something to eat during the ride if need be. You may only need 1 bottle due to the distance, but don't worry if you need 2. You can always empty one later in the race if you're positive its just added weight(or just drink it).

I've never raced, so much of what I say is what id do to train for something like this. I'm sure another more experienced poster may give you better advice. Just have fun out there, don't put to much pressure on yourself about results. Sometimes a humbling experience can be more beneficial than a victory. I've been dropped a few times in fast group rides and seem to improve and learn the most that way.

 

Any weight you can lose off your body is a bonus - less weight you're pulling up the hill, less gut pushing on your diaphram as you're breathing and effectively less oxygen needed for fat cells.

I'm doing the fourth of four hillclimb races next Sunday (much shorter than yours) and leading to each one I try and lose at least 2kgs (I'm already pretty light) as it really makes a difference.

Gearing - what he said but you maybe even can go to a 30 or 32

Good luck, Paul

 

Thanks for the support and advice guys.

-I am a light rider (under 65kgs) and will be watching my diet leading up to the event.
-I have been doing some power climbs as suggested and mixing up my riding positions.
-Think I'll stick with one bottle as they have water stations along the course and just take my puncture repair kit.
-My cassette is Shimano 105 11x28, 11-speed. Wont be changing this before the race but will consider it for any further hillclimbs competitions.
-My goal is to finish and gain some experience so really looking forward to it.
-I will have more to consider once I try the course next week.

Best of luck Paul on your next race.

Cheers,