I am "Hill Challenged" looking for training advice

[Royster]

I have been riding for 2 years. I ride regularly in crits. I seem to go well on flatter terrain, however when I hit the hills i seem to lose it.

I have recently lost a few Kg's which has helped but on the hills, I either seem to lactate from pushing a too big gear or from spinning at a too higher cadence.

Can some one advise me on tecnique or training drills to help me on the hills.

Cheers,
Royster

 

[jhuskey]

Originally posted by Royster
I have been riding for 2 years. I ride regularly in crits. I seem to go well on flatter terrain, however when I hit the hills i seem to lose it.

I have recently lost a few Kg's which has helped but on the hills, I either seem to lactate from pushing a too big gear or from spinning at a too higher cadence.

Can some one advise me on tecnique or training drills to help me on the hills.

Cheers,
Royster

This may be old info to you but sit back on the saddle while grasping the handlebars near the center. Use your arms to help pull while getting full power stroke with your legs. When you approach a hill find the right gear and try to maintain your cadence as long as possible without overextending yourself

Two more things ride more hills and ride more hills and oh yes try ridding more hills.

 

[Carrera]

I'm no expert myself. It's said there are natural climbers out there who just have a knack for climbing.
My only advice is you should divide your hill work up into grades as follows:
(1) Hills that appear flat but go on for miles and are very tiring for this reason. It's only when you turn back in the other direction and roll that you realise you were climbing in the first place. Such light hills are good for fitness and stamina.
(2) Rolling hills are fun to climb and can be done in higher gears within reason. I prefer medium range climbing work since they're great for fitness.
(3) Monster hills are very challenging and some may even force you to quit before you get all the way up. Beware of tendom problems in the forearms you might get by pulling too hard on the bars.
I noticed I'm one of the few cyclists who stays seated when climbing when everyone else gets out of the saddle. I feel comfortable with my hands draped over the bars, not in the drops. Probably I've been making a mistake since I now have a minor ligament injury around the knee I need to sort out.
They say that climbing out of the saddle places less stress on the knees as you can use your bodyweight to propel the gears, rather than drive the legs as I have done. There's a technique called honking good climbers use where they sway from side to side while going uphill.
Another tip is don't climb too often as it can be quite intense and hard on the knees on a daily basis.
Attitude is the main factor. Climbing is good because it's hard work on the cardiovascular system. That means you get fitter and stronger going uphill which will reap its own rewards in the weeks to come. All the top cyclists such as Indurain built themselves doing lots of climbing and perfecting time trials.

Originally posted by Royster
I have been riding for 2 years. I ride regularly in crits. I seem to go well on flatter terrain, however when I hit the hills i seem to lose it.

I have recently lost a few Kg's which has helped but on the hills, I either seem to lactate from pushing a too big gear or from spinning at a too higher cadence.

Can some one advise me on tecnique or training drills to help me on the hills.

Cheers,
Royster

 

[Royster]

Originally posted by Carrera
I'm no expert myself. It's said there are natural climbers out there who just have a knack for climbing.
My only advice is you should divide your hill work up into grades as follows:
(1) Hills that appear flat but go on for miles and are very tiring for this reason. It's only when you turn back in the other direction and roll that you realise you were climbing in the first place. Such light hills are good for fitness and stamina.
(2) Rolling hills are fun to climb and can be done in higher gears within reason. I prefer medium range climbing work since they're great for fitness.
(3) Monster hills are very challenging and some may even force you to quit before you get all the way up. Beware of tendom problems in the forearms you might get by pulling too hard on the bars.
I noticed I'm one of the few cyclists who stays seated when climbing when everyone else gets out of the saddle. I feel comfortable with my hands draped over the bars, not in the drops. Probably I've been making a mistake since I now have a minor ligament injury around the knee I need to sort out.
They say that climbing out of the saddle places less stress on the knees as you can use your bodyweight to propel the gears, rather than drive the legs as I have done. There's a technique called honking good climbers use where they sway from side to side while going uphill.
Another tip is don't climb too often as it can be quite intense and hard on the knees on a daily basis.
Attitude is the main factor. Climbing is good because it's hard work on the cardiovascular system. That means you get fitter and stronger going uphill which will reap its own rewards in the weeks to come. All the top cyclists such as Indurain built themselves doing lots of climbing and perfecting time trials.

Thanks for the advice. I will try and implement the tips in my training. I guess the common theme is practice practice practice

Regards,
Royster

 

[Trek1000]

Originally posted by Royster
I have been riding for 2 years. I ride regularly in crits. I seem to go well on flatter terrain, however when I hit the hills i seem to lose it.

I have recently lost a few Kg's which has helped but on the hills, I either seem to lactate from pushing a too big gear or from spinning at a too higher cadence.

Can some one advise me on tecnique or training drills to help me on the hills.

Cheers,
Royster

I think its all about finding your pace early on and knowing how hard you can push in the beginning. I find that I can often push harder later through out the mountain hills once i find my pace. Also on long hills sit up and move your hands to the top of the bars and breathe..stupid but it works. On shorter hills it is a lot easier to stand up.

 

[ed073]

don't let the thought of climbing psyche you out, "I'm only good on the flat, etc etc" use climbs as a training tool and concetrate on your form and breathing. Every climb makes you stronger, so seek them out.

If you use a HRM, notice how pushing higher/lower gears affects your heart rate and speed. You'll soon work out an optimum climbing rhythm and pace.

 

[bigmonkey]

"I either seem to lactate from pushing a too big gear or from spinning at a too higher cadence"

You bizarre medical phreak! (to lactate is to produce milk) stop taking the steroids man!

 

[Carrera]

I agree with that. I far prefer to do steeper hills with my hands on top of the bars and staying seated. Sometimes, if I know the course really well, I'll stay in this position till a given point and as the hill steepens go down into the drops and stand up.
Sometimes I switch, drop down and stand, then change hands to the top and sit down again as a methodology - in order to rest at given points of effort.

Originally posted by Trek1000

Originally posted by Royster
I have been riding for 2 years. I ride regularly in crits. I seem to go well on flatter terrain, however when I hit the hills i seem to lose it.

I have recently lost a few Kg's which has helped but on the hills, I either seem to lactate from pushing a too big gear or from spinning at a too higher cadence.

Can some one advise me on tecnique or training drills to help me on the hills.

Cheers,
Royster

I think its all about finding your pace early on and knowing how hard you can push in the beginning. I find that I can often push harder later through out the mountain hills once i find my pace. Also on long hills sit up and move your hands to the top of the bars and breathe..stupid but it works. On shorter hills it is a lot easier to stand up.

 

[Liquid.Fire]

Hey, i think i was born hill climber, as i havent managed to find a hill that i cant ride up ( 90 degrees doesnt count ) im quite light ( 10 stone 2 ). This is my basic techinque for hammering up the hills, stay in ur normal riding gear for as long as possible, make sure ur seated while u do this, as it begins to be really hard to pedal knock it down 1 or 2 gears, inject some pace, then come up off the seat and start pedalling get a steady pedal going and when reach 3/4 of the hill pedal as hard as u can, this will finish off the hill for sure, works lovely for me. make sure u pull up really hard on the hand bars, once i killed both tendons in both my forearms and i couldnt clench my fists for 2 days, but it heals, and gets stronger for it. i hope this helps...

Liquid

 

[Columbia]

I'm quite a strong climber (I'm 16 years old and I can hold pace with most Cat 2/3s on the climbs, although they drop me rather quickly on the flats).

I absolutely *CAN NOT* stay seated for more than a 30 seconds on a climb. I much rather stand and turn a big (HUGE) gear. I'll stand for 45 seconds, sit for 15, stand for 45, sit for 15 etc. Sometimes I find myself climbing in a bigger gear than I would use on the flats . I get a lot of stick from other racers because of my style but its what works for me.

Go out, do some hills and find out what style is best for you. If you find one that is comfortable, and gives good speed then dont let other people discourage you.

P.S. I am in no way suggesting that my way is the best way for people to climb. I know that my style is out of the question for most people, I'm just saying find out what works for you.

DONT BE AFRAID TO GET OUT OF THE SADDLE.
Besides, standing is the best way to show the ladies your great a$$ .

 

[Carrera]

I think you're right. One of the mistakes I've made is to stay in the seat while climbing, just because it's comfortable for me that way. The problem is there is far more stress placed on the knees and tendons when seated while the pressure on the knee is far less when you stand up.

Originally posted by Columbia
I'm quite a strong climber (I'm 16 years old and I can hold pace with most Cat 2/3s on the climbs, although they drop me rather quickly on the flats).

I absolutely *CAN NOT* stay seated for more than a 30 seconds on a climb. I much rather stand and turn a big (HUGE) gear. I'll stand for 45 seconds, sit for 15, stand for 45, sit for 15 etc. Sometimes I find myself climbing in a bigger gear than I would use on the flats . I get a lot of stick from other racers because of my style but its what works for me.

Go out, do some hills and find out what style is best for you. If you find one that is comfortable, and gives good speed then dont let other people discourage you.

P.S. I am in no way suggesting that my way is the best way for people to climb. I know that my style is out of the question for most people, I'm just saying find out what works for you.

DONT BE AFRAID TO GET OUT OF THE SADDLE.
Besides, standing is the best way to show the ladies your great a$$ .

 

[steve007]

Basically it sounds to me as if you need to increase your lactate threshold.

One way to do this is find a long flat road and using short high intensity bursts, cadence of 100+ - basically as hard as you can go for as long as possible, then reduce cadence, recover and repeat. You should aim to ride for a total time not less than 90 minutes. Gradually over time the amount of time you can sustain high cadence will increase.

Another method i use to train quadriceps, a specific muscle used hard for climbing, is set a real hard gear and low cadence on a slight incline. A cadence of around 45 - 55 rpm. For example yesterday I spent 1 hour on the same hill. A climb at low cadence, which took around 10 minutes, followed by easy downhill and then another climb etc.

Also what about diet? What sort of stuff are you eating prior to training and after?

 

[psyke1972]

Originally posted by Carrera
I think you're right. One of the mistakes I've made is to stay in the seat while climbing, just because it's comfortable for me that way. The problem is there is far more stress placed on the knees and tendons when seated while the pressure on the knee is far less when you stand up.

Happened upon this thread as I was browsing the forum and this has given me some really good pointers. Did a 60 mile ride on Sunday with a few steep but short hills - I really felt it on the outside of my knees for the next 2 days and I am much more of a seated 'Ullrich' rather than a bouncing, standing 'Armstrong'

Think I'll try to stay more out of the seat next time - climb much faster that way too :-D

 

[jhuskey]

Originally posted by psyke1972
Happened upon this thread as I was browsing the forum and this has given me some really good pointers. Did a 60 mile ride on Sunday with a few steep but short hills - I really felt it on the outside of my knees for the next 2 days and I am much more of a seated 'Ullrich' rather than a bouncing, standing 'Armstrong'

Think I'll try to stay more out of the seat next time - climb much faster that way too :-D

You can climb faster using the standing/ seated alternating method but it takes more energy. I stay seated as much as possible since I am no longer a srtong sprinter type.

 

[ed073]

Originally posted by psyke1972
Happened upon this thread as I was browsing the forum and this has given me some really good pointers. Did a 60 mile ride on Sunday with a few steep but short hills - I really felt it on the outside of my knees for the next 2 days and I am much more of a seated 'Ullrich' rather than a bouncing, standing 'Armstrong'

Think I'll try to stay more out of the seat next time - climb much faster that way too :-D

Seated climbing = lower HR. Get out of the saddle for steep pinches or to attack a group.

 

[slowhand]

Originally posted by Royster
I have been riding for 2 years. I ride regularly in crits. I seem to go well on flatter terrain, however when I hit the hills i seem to lose it.

I have recently lost a few Kg's which has helped but on the hills, I either seem to lactate from pushing a too big gear or from spinning at a too higher cadence.

Can some one advise me on tecnique or training drills to help me on the hills.

Cheers,
Royster

Try throwing in some hill repeats.Find a long fairly steep hill and go up at or close to AT, do at least 8 runs. Only do these once a week and do a recovery ride after the last run up, these will build stength and confidence in the hills.

 

[Carrera]

What can I say except I've been taught a lesson. I've now been out of cycling for over 2 weeks because I evidently just pushed too hard and too often uphill (staying in the seat). At first I thought it was a knee injury but now I'm aware it's a front hamstring pull - fortunately it seems to be getting better.
Whenever I rode with other cyclists I noticed they got out of the seat all the time while I remained in the mountain bike posture, hands on top of bars and seated. I think I'm going to have to start getting out the seat far more often in future as it seems to me that pressure on the joints is lessened somewhat. Seated I think I'm using the leg muscles far more than standing. I did this because most cycling books recommended you stay seated as much as possible. However, when standing you can drive more from the hip, less from the muscles which may be safer in the long run.
I just don't want to pull any more ligaments as I've lost loads of time through it. Maybe I also have a weakness or tightness around the knees that made me more vulnerable.

Originally posted by psyke1972
Happened upon this thread as I was browsing the forum and this has given me some really good pointers. Did a 60 mile ride on Sunday with a few steep but short hills - I really felt it on the outside of my knees for the next 2 days and I am much more of a seated 'Ullrich' rather than a bouncing, standing 'Armstrong'

Think I'll try to stay more out of the seat next time - climb much faster that way too :-D