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Surviving the Hills

(16 posts)
  • Started 6 years ago by morepathsplease
  • Latest reply from morepathsplease
  • This topic is resolved

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  1. morepathsplease
    Member

    I know that there is no magic bullet when it comes to climbing hills but I'm five weeks away from the Ken Laidlaw sportive and trying to maximise my chances of enjoying it!

    So far I'm...

    losing weight
    not eating so much sugary food
    trying to get out at least every other day
    trying to include at least one hill each run (Arthur's Seat is closest for shorter runs)
    when climbing I'm focusing on staying relaxed as much as possible
    I'm keeping my hands on the top bar and using my arms to pull
    I'm including spells out of the saddle

    Any tips re other things that I could be doing? I have a 40 mile route planned for tommorrow, going out to Beecraigs, and will hopefully get a few longer runs in the Bathgate Alps in the coming weeks but anything else that might help me on the day? It would be great if I could do the middle distance but that may not be very realistic - I'm not the strongest of cyclists, have one hamstring that feels sore/tight and have suffered cramp early on previous sportives (yeah, I'm just not fit enough - up and down from a chair isn't cutting it). I thinking if I do enough of the right things I just might make it - it's the shorter 44 mile route otherwise, going with someone I know hence the push for the middle route.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  2. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    I don't know much about road cycling in this lightweight high-speed tradition but I've cycled up a fair few climbs and run up hills at speed. Here is what I think;

    1) The title of you post makes me think you have internalised and magnified the thing you fear. Make friends with the hill, enjoy it and revel in your power to climb it. Don't just try to survive it.
    2) Because you're enjoying the hill, don't go looking for the top of it. Let that come as a surprise.
    3) If you are really toiling summon up the most vivid memory of violent conflict that you have. This will cause your fight or flight response to kick in. Do not abuse this technique. I suspect it shortens your life.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  3. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    And, of course, fit a smaller chain ring to your bike. I see people straining a gut to climb on road bikes that look plain over-geared for amateur cyclists all the time.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  4. morepathsplease
    Member

    you have internalised and magnified the thing you fear

    Yes, I can feel the energy draining as I approach the hill. Since my low point after last week's run in the Borders though I have been looking forward to getting at the hills as I now see that as the best way to improve, or the best way to get more enjoyment out of cycling. I do have moments when I really go for it on a hill, usually when I'm approaching at speed, and that's a great feeling.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  5. Rob
    Member

    Pace yourself. I frequently get overtaken near the bottom of Arthur's Seat only to catch up to a heaving, struggling mess just beyond the halfway point.

    Strava. If you're not using it, I highly recommend doing so. I never felt like I was improving until I started tracking my rides.

    Variety. Keep things interesting and fun. Some extra ideas:

    Faside Castle - https://www.strava.com/segments/2261530
    The Yak - https://www.strava.com/segments/1180217
    Polton Bank - https://www.strava.com/segments/12296198
    Redstone Rig (though personally I don't like the road to Gifford) - https://www.strava.com/segments/1336440

    Posted 6 years ago #

  6. chdot
    Admin

    "only to catch up to a heaving, struggling mess just beyond the halfway point"

    Ho ho, yes, good to find you're accidentally involved in a tortoise and hare race!

    Posted 6 years ago #

  7. gembo
    Member

    I used to think I Was a good climber. Lighter than the big lads I cycle with. Alas my lungs nt quite what they were following my trip to hospital with pneumonia. However, I still like a hill. PRticularly if wind behind.

    Different views on standing up. I do stand up as I see it as a lower gear than my lowest and I am also very bad at being in the right gear.

    Take a magic gel near the bottom? Then take a magic gel half way up? Get off and push? Who cares? A hill I particularly hate is the Honnister pass, very steep right from the start. Stays steep, then the bus comes over the top filling the whole road. I get off and push there. Plus the descent is too steep for me to enjoy.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  8. PS
    Member

    Polton Bank?! Morepathsplease wants to enjoy hills. I doubt I'll ever enjoy Polton Bank...

    Short answer is do more hills. Arthur's Seat is good to have in the backyard and I found the biggest improvements happened for me when I did repeated laps (5 or 6) and started to mix up what I was doing (e.g., one lap seated spinning a low gear; one lap in the big ring; 20 pedal revolutions standing up, 20 sitting down; eventually getting to the point where I can do the full climb standing up). All those laps helps you work out how to pace yourself too.

    Once you get comfortable doing that sort of stuff you find what style of climbing suits you. Ultimately, it's all about endurance, so finding longer hills helps. Gradients around Edinburgh became a lot more manageable after a few cycling holidays in the Lake District. And my climbing ability goes through the roof (temporarily) after a holiday featuring a few continental climbs.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  9. Rob
    Member

    "Ho ho, yes, good to find you're accidentally involved in a tortoise and hare race!"

    The trick is to make it look like you're making no effort as you pass. Not always that easy!

    "Polton Bank?! Morepathsplease wants to enjoy hills. I doubt I'll ever enjoy Polton Bank..."

    To be fair, I've only been that way once so you're probably in a better position to judge. I remember it being brutal but short enough to still be fun. The route leading up to it was beautiful.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  10. Greenroofer
    Member

    If you're relatively serious about this, then I would heartily recommend a book called 'The time-crunched cyclist', which is full of training plans for people of all abilities. It also talks about diet, core strength and all kinds of other useful stuff. Get the 3rd edition, which came out this year.

    Although it seems to focus on 'racing' on first impressions, you'll find that it actually provides advice for anyone who wants to get better and have the power to enjoy their riding more.

    I've found it really useful.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  11. HankChief
    Member

    I'm don't excel in the mountains but I have developed a strategy to get me up them in one piece

    1.Low gear - I have and regularly use a 32t to spin up hills.
    2.Don't look at your Speedo (I've taken current speed off mine altogether) - it only gives a depressing number when you're climbing.
    3.Count something as you go up (snowpoles, catseyes etc) to show yourself that you are progressing - you can also try to guess how many you will have counted before you crest the summit.
    4. Break everything down into units of a hill you are familiar with - for me it is Kaimes Road c.60m of climbing, so the Lecht = 4*Kaimes.
    Having done 10*repeats of Kaimes, this makes the undertaking seem less daunting.
    5. I plot my route onto my Garmin and then look at the elevation screen, which shows the elevation profile of the next 2miles so the length and severity of rest of the climb (conveniently in 60m segments)
    6. If I'm trying hard then I'll concentrate on my breathing and making sure I'm getting regular large breaths.
    7. If it is a really long climb, then eat as you go up, both to pass some time and also to fuel yourself.

    8. It's just a hill, get over it (anyway you can...)

    Posted 6 years ago #

  12. Murun Buchstansangur
    Member

    “It never gets easier, you just get faster” – Greg LeMond

    Think it has probably all been said, but attitude is paramount - if you can't find a way to love the hills (or at least the challenge of them), at least find a way to be zen about it

    Not sure how possible it will be in a lower entry size like the KL, but ride with a group on the (relatively) flats to conserve energy

    As a serial underpreparer, I find the event adrenalin gives a boost - if I've managed a 60-miler as training, I'm probably good for a century sportive. Might not work for everyone...

    Don't overtrain in the 5 weeks remaining, and taper to give your hammy a chance to rest

    Posted 6 years ago #

  13. morepathsplease
    Member

    Thank you everyone for the wonderful insights and great advice. Put a couple of things into practice during today's run including eating sooner and trying some alternative thinking going up to Beecraigs (I still had the 'b*r' reaction on first seeing the hill). Felt much better overall although it was half the climbing of last week's run.

    Going uphill I was thinking of each leg doing push-ups and how that would be an inordinate amount and not just going up the hill. Whether it was focusing on that, or not, it did feel much easier in some way. I would be amazed that something so simple would make such a difference but keen to find out on the next few runs! At least that's a 40-miler under the belt, I'll work up to going down to Hawick in a couple of weeks or so to do the short route with an added 20 miles or so.

    I used to use Strava but removed it due to it being unreliable although most likely to be the phone, which now doesn't support the current version. I'd also managed to make it a chore re trying to improve on times etc and ended up thinking that I just wanted to go out and enjoy the spin and not have to worry about all of that.

    Very interested in following up on that book Greenroofer.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  14. neddie
    Member

    The Strava app was very unreliable in the old days. It's not too bad now

    Posted 6 years ago #

  15. Greenroofer
    Member

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Crunched-Cyclist-Racing-Winning-Fitness-Athlete/dp/1937715507

    Other online or bricks-and-mortar purveyors of books are available...

    I was meditating very firmly on Rule 5 this afternoon as I toiled up various bits of the Granites into the teeth of torrential rain and a stiff breeze. HC's advice above is very sage: my Garmin doesn't have speed on the display, just cadence and heart-rate, and the elevation profile screen is really useful for telling you if you're at the real summit of the climb or not. It definitely helped me to keep the power on right to the top a couple of times.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  16. morepathsplease
    Member

    Well, I made it around the middle route yesterday. Almost 90 miles in total (89.5 I believe!) which was pretty unimaginable after I struggled around a 30 mile route just a month ago. Took 7.5 hours including a couple of stops but I enjoyed it and didn't suffer cramp. Replies on this thread have been very helpful and one of the big improvements has been better hydration and eating (advice gained mostly from dipping in to the book suggested by Greenroofer). The Bathgate Alps have helped a lot and I now look forward to the climbs much more - aren't hills great?! :)

    IWRATS - I do have a 34 small ring on the front and that's got me up everything so far.

    ToB should be a doddle (if only!) or at least interesting compared to how I did last time.

    Posted 6 years ago #

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