Tips for hill training

tdl123321 said:

Some of the better rides in my area involve some pretty good climbs. What is the best way to attack the hills(lowest gear with highest cadence, higher geer standing up) Other than simply riding the hills are there any tips or suggestions that could help be get better with the inclines? Thanks for the help!

"Standing" on your pedals requires much more energy ... but, if your hills are JUST Midwest-type hills that are less than a quarter mile long, then you can probably sprint up the hills ...

Otherwise, if you can find a not-too-low gear which you can crank with a moderately high cadence that is close to your normal cadence, then you will probably still be with the group on the last hill of the ride.

alfeng said:

"Standing" on your pedals requires much more energy ... but, if your hills are JUST Midwest-type hills that are less than a quarter mile long, then you can probably sprint up the hills ...

Otherwise, if you can find a not-too-low gear which you can crank with a moderately high cadence that is close to your normal cadence, then you will probably still be with the group on the last hill of the ride.

I guess I have a lot of training to do because I have a tripple and there is not way I can maintain a cadence close to 90 even in my lowest gear.

tdl123321 said:

I guess I have a lot of training to do because I have a tripple and there is not way I can maintain a cadence close to 90 even in my lowest gear.

for many people, a high (or even moderate) cadence on a climb is impossible. This is simply because of physics and a lack of fitness compared to the best cyclists at going uphill.

Pedalling in a specific gear (e.g., 39 x 21) results in a specific speed at a given cadence. For e.g., at 90 revs/min in this gear you move at just over 21 km/hr. That's easy on the flat and may require a power output of <60 W for a rider and bike with a total mass of 80 kg. On the other hand, using that gear and riding at that speed on a 10% grade requires the same rider to generate over 500 W.

As most people can't generate that power for more than a few seconds you have to slow down. As you slow your power drops. If you don't have a lower gear (e.g. 39 x 23) your cadence decreases.

So, unless you have very low gears, or the hills you ride aren't very steep, or you're not a Div 1 pro, you'll end up having to ride at low cadences uphill.

Ric "i sometimes have to ride at 45 - 50 revs/min in a 39 x 25 on the hill to my house!"

ric_stern/RST said:

Ric "i sometimes have to ride at 45 - 50 revs/min in a 39 x 25 on the hill to my house!"

This is me at the end of every ride from home. There are 3 ways to get home, all of them uphill. And "i sometimes have to ride at 45- 50 revs/min in a 39 x 25 on the hill to my house!" too ..

🙂

Well, sometimes 34 x 23, if I ride Onyx.

tdl123321 said:

Some of the better rides in my area involve some pretty good climbs. What is the best way to attack the hills(lowest gear with highest cadence, higher geer standing up) Other than simply riding the hills are there any tips or suggestions that could help be get better with the inclines? Thanks for the help!

I like to stand for short little hills. I sit on longer climbs but will stand if the pitch increases for a short distance. When seated, I try to pick a gear I can "stay on top" of. Meaning that I am not struggling to turn the pedals. For me that is about 70 rpms.

Riding a lot of climbs will make you a better climber, to a certain point. Then you can maintain a good speed on climbs but can't go with other rider's acellerations. Then you need to do intervals.

[font=Verdana]Hi tdl,[/font]

[font=Verdana]You do not mention if you ride in a group or not, or do any racing. I’ll assume you are a recreational rider wishing to ride hills better than you currently do. I am a rec. rider & also have a triple. [/font]

[font=Verdana]If riding long seated climbs which are steep & your cadence gets below 90 or 80, but you can hold this in one of your low gears with good rhythm, then occasionally go up a couple of gears & stand for maybe only 30/60 metres, then return to the seat & go back to your original gear. If in the above your cadence drops to below 60, leave it in this gear but still stand occasionally. These standing efforts should be taken easy, unless the top of the hill is close, as more energy is required standing. The main objective is to use different muscles, alter the working range & intensities of the muscles used while seated. Fatigue is also greatly reduced, & it works wonders for my lower back probs.[/font]

[font=Verdana]I have some short steepish hills where I “train” using low cadences, but do not go to low to start or knees may become a problem. [/font]

Albert 50 said:

[font=Verdana]Hi tdl,[/font]

[font=Verdana]You do not mention if you ride in a group or not, or do any racing. I’ll assume you are a recreational rider wishing to ride hills better than you currently do. I am a rec. rider & also have a triple. [/font]

[font=Verdana]If riding long seated climbs which are steep & your cadence gets below 90 or 80, but you can hold this in one of your low gears with good rhythm, then occasionally go up a couple of gears & stand for maybe only 30/60 metres, then return to the seat & go back to your original gear. If in the above your cadence drops to below 60, leave it in this gear but still stand occasionally. These standing efforts should be taken easy, unless the top of the hill is close, as more energy is required standing. The main objective is to use different muscles, alter the working range & intensities of the muscles used while seated. Fatigue is also greatly reduced, & it works wonders for my lower back probs.[/font]

[font=Verdana]I have some short steepish hills where I “train” using low cadences, but do not go to low to start or knees may become a problem. [/font]

First of all thanks to all that have responded to the thread. Albert 50, I am a recreational rider(just started riding in Feb. However, I have begun training for a my first event(a century with a some significant climbs). Yeah I know, I'm really starting with a bang, but I have set the goal and I'm going to do everything in my power to complete the event!

some people like to power up hills in a big gear, some like to climb out of the saddle a lot, some like to spin. you should ride the hills the way that you feel is best for you.

I live in Indianapolis and work in Bloomington.

Around home, it is flat. Bloomington is hilly = 150 ft climbs over distances like 1/2-1 mile. I have ridden in Bloomington over each of the last 3 summers. I find that after not riding the hills, the first couple of weeks are awful. Then the next couple weeks seem to be ones of no real progress. Then, after about the 5th week I start to make significant gains. I generally try to maintain a higher cadence (90 rpm) while seated for the longest climbs and then ride in progressively harder gears as I improve.