Hill Climbing-help needed - Triathlon Week

rds · 05-09-2005, 11:53 AM

I have been training for my first sprint tri for the last three months. I have a decent background in swimming and running, but cycling is a different story. The training route I ride incorporates three moderate hills (beginning, middle[short and steep], and end). My current strategy is to keep the bike in the middle gears and power up these three hills. However, with this strategy I do not think I could climb hills that are much bigger than the ones on my ride. I have access to larger hills but they are on a very busy road, should I try them and incorporate the "granny gears"? Any tips/stategies would be appreciated. I plan to preview the course before the race, but I am really sweating any possable/probable hills.

Thanks in advance for any help
RDS

swibikerun_boy · 05-11-2005, 03:14 PM

Hill climbing involves your mental power and feeling comfortable. The more you think about getting into that smaller gear the more likely you will be to do it.
Find a nice gear at the start of the hill and as long as there is no difference in the grade of the hill just concentrate on holding the same cadence.
For shorter steeper hills i suggest kepping a larger gear and getting out of the saddle and try to just grind you way up it.

The more hills i do the more comfortable i become. I would suggest trying to get as many hills in as you can. (especially if you are worried about it) great confidence boost when you know you can climb a bigger hill than the ones on race day. If you do not want to go on the busier road (i never do) just keep going up and down that same hill on a quiter roade.

Hope this helps

Peace
Tyler

Annie_777 · 05-11-2005, 04:08 PM

Hi RDS,
I am a bit of a newbie to riding myself (having started at the beginning of the year) and I've found (so far) the most effective method for hill climbing is focusing on cadence; not the hill itself -eg try to keep to at least 60RPM -so if you find you're cadence is slowing down, change your gear... as you get stronger, your times will get better. Otherwise hill repeats are good for practise (and practise makes perfect huh?!) - Hope this helps :0)

pyschosyd · 05-11-2005, 04:27 PM

Hey
Annie is right! Cadence is the key. Don't try to 'grunt' your way up a hill. Choose a smaller gear and spin faster. This way you are using your aerobic ability instead of burning out your muscles by pushing a hard gear. Think of it as if you are lifting weights. Say you have a 5 and a 30 pound weight. You can lift the 30 5 times for a total of 150, but you can lift the 5 times for a total of 250. Same theory applies.
Look at one of the best hill climbers (good ol Lance) He keeps a higher cadence than anyone else.(and works very hard at it!) That is why he is so dominant on the hills.
Pushing a high gear works for some people. Usually those who have a higher natural muscle mass.
It takes some practice to know what gear to use. Practice taking the same hill in different gears, and find which gear you can maintain a high cadence in(60+RPM) When you can do it all the way that is your gear. The hill is only part of the race so you don't want to kill yourself on it.
Hope this helps

rds · 05-12-2005, 06:18 AM

Thanks for the helpful responses. I had a good ride tackling hills on my last long ride and I will take this advice into account for the future. I really appreciate the help.
rds

swibikerun_boy · 05-12-2005, 11:58 AM

you might want to use a cadence a bit higher than 60rpm. It's a personal thing but i enjoy holding around 80RPM going up hills, and Lance Armstrong going up the Alp D'huez averaged around 90RPM.
Now there are some fast legs

Peace
Tyler

KenMierke · 05-14-2005, 09:34 PM

Pedal stroke technique is much more critical for climbing than for going fast on the flats. On the flats, you're going fast enough to have a lot of momentum to coast through dead spots in your pedal stroke; climbing you can't. I have an article on pedal stroke that I'll be happy to send to anyone who writes me off list at [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] Ken

Smartt/RST · 05-16-2005, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rds

I have been training for my first sprint tri for the last three months. I have a decent background in swimming and running, but cycling is a different story. The training route I ride incorporates three moderate hills (beginning, middle[short and steep], and end). My current strategy is to keep the bike in the middle gears and power up these three hills. However, with this strategy I do not think I could climb hills that are much bigger than the ones on my ride. I have access to larger hills but they are on a very busy road, should I try them and incorporate the "granny gears"? Any tips/stategies would be appreciated. I plan to preview the course before the race, but I am really sweating any possable/probable hills.

Thanks in advance for any help
RDS

RDS,
The first thing to do is be very clear about the nature of the hills on the course you will be racing on (sounds like you are not quite sure). Getting the info from the race organizers is the best, but you can also put the word out on different forums and maybe get some good feedback from racers that have done it before. This can guide what are approgpriate hill repeats/intervals to do for your specific race.
On a general level, longer hills that take 15+ min to climb will work on your steady state fitness (Maximal Steady State or Lactate Threshold 2). This will always help your climbing for any hill that takes at least 3min to get over, should be done in the saddle and with a cadence of 80+rpm.
Climbs that take 3-5min will really improve your power on short climbs and for sprint races, but you've got to hit these climbs hard enough that the last 1.5-2min put you into some labored breathing and significant discomfort. If sprint racing is your goal, I really recommend these VO2max type intervals for improving your climbing ability.
For pacing your bike, working harder on the uphills is always advantageous. Just how hard depends on the length of the event, the length of the hills and your fitness level, but the basic strategy remains. Mixing race specific hill intervals into training rides that are similar in duration to your goal race will help you get a handle on this.
A comment on pedaling technique: there is no need to try and "spin circles" when powering over short climbs. Elite cyclists (road or triathlon) do not do this and I don't recommend it. Simply unweighting the upstroke (as opposed to consciencely pedaling "upward") and subsequently working hard through the power stroke (1-5 o'clock) should be your goal; always keeping your upper body reasonably stable.

rds · 05-16-2005, 11:31 AM

Thanks for the helpful responses I have received on this topic. I really appreciate all the help. I have my long ride tomorrow and I will be seeking hills to try out some techniques.

RST: I live close to the coarse I will be riding in the race and I have planned to at least drive it before the race. Based on the advice at the beginning of your post and information I have read, I will try and get over there sooner lather than later so that I will have a clear picture of the coarse.

sfricks · 06-10-2005, 07:47 AM

The best advise I can give for hills is to point your toes slightly down. Read this on another forum and tried it just a month or so ago. Really decreases the stress on your legs. Focus on complete circle spinning and if you stand (assuming you have clips) pull up with one leg while pushing down with the other and swing your bike slightly from side to side. DO NOT kill yourself by trying to climb too fast at the base of the hill. If your heart rate gets too high too fast, you'll have to slow to a crawl just to finish the hill. Choose a gear that you can pedal at >70 RPMs unless you're standing. If so 60 or so is fine.

Good luck in your sprint!