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Scotty
yeahnah
Joined: Mar 15, 2002
Posts: 14,315
Location: Heading South
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 Posted: Thu 30/Oct/08 7:19pm Post subject: Training For Hills On The Bike |
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(I did a vorb search on this - not much)
Alrighty, firm believer in training to weaknesses and not strengths here.
Ignoring base training, gym work and outside factors, how would you guys train yourself for hills on the bike ?
Obviously doing hill repeats day-after-day will destroy the legs and I'm trying to work out a pattern that allows time for recovery but still turns the rider into a power machine on the hills.
Short punchy climbs aren't a problem it's the long, steep stuff I'm thinking about.
Anyone care to offer up some nuggets? not expecting anything too in-depth here.
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SaturnReturn
Scuffed
Joined: Oct 17, 2004
Posts: 314
Location: Auckland
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| Posted: Thu 30/Oct/08 7:27pm Post subject: |
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Hills are my weakness too...the long ardous ones in particular like yourself. Since starting 'road' cycling 4 months ago I have set about ensuring that all my long weekends rides and and relatively equal proportion of uphill/downhill sections - and some weekends I will go out and look for all the hard hills to vary things a little bit.
The rest of the time (during the week) I would try for every second ride to be hills at intensity, the other times just general light riding or recovering and doing nothing. As a result I enjoy hills alot now!
I personally don't think there is any magical way, just to ride lots of hills, the longer the better but in an interval fashion, and allow time to recover as well.
The floor is now open for the pros to comment! 
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istepinyards
Wrecked
Joined: Feb 13, 2007
Posts: 6,118
Location: Rooting for the SunDevils
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| Posted: Thu 30/Oct/08 7:29pm Post subject: |
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Easiest option is to cut out the pies 
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Scotty
yeahnah
Joined: Mar 15, 2002
Posts: 14,315
Location: Heading South
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| Posted: Thu 30/Oct/08 7:34pm Post subject: |
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| istepinyards wrote: | | Easiest option is to cut out the pies |
Managed that.
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Compact
Ridden
Joined: Jan 14, 2008
Posts: 187
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| Posted: Thu 30/Oct/08 7:36pm Post subject: |
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I know CERA works well
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istepinyards
Wrecked
Joined: Feb 13, 2007
Posts: 6,118
Location: Rooting for the SunDevils
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| Posted: Thu 30/Oct/08 7:38pm Post subject: |
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| Scotty wrote: | | istepinyards wrote: | | Easiest option is to cut out the pies |
Managed that. |
Nothing beats motorpacing on the hills then.
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johnL
Worn
Joined: Aug 23, 2006
Posts: 893
Location: ROTORUA
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| Posted: Thu 30/Oct/08 7:41pm Post subject: |
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get aerobically fit and lose weight. Climb alot. you could spend a long time looking for a secret , but best to concentrate on high level aerobic training.
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Scotty
yeahnah
Joined: Mar 15, 2002
Posts: 14,315
Location: Heading South
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| Posted: Thu 30/Oct/08 7:42pm Post subject: |
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| johnL wrote: | | get aerobically fit and lose weight. Climb alot. you could spend a long time looking for a secret , but best to concentrate on high level aerobic training. |
good. That confirms exactly what i was thinking.
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Fergie
Wrecked
Joined: Jun 04, 2006
Posts: 5,340
Location: Christchurch
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| Posted: Thu 30/Oct/08 8:54pm Post subject: |
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Determine how fast you want to climb long hills and see how long you can sustain that pace up climbs. Break a ride into small blocks to start with like 1min on 1min off at goal pace. Then go 2on 2off till you are at 5min on 5min off at goal pace.
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Al_Bushman
Flogged
Joined: Jun 24, 2006
Posts: 2,104
Location: In the box
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| Posted: Thu 30/Oct/08 9:02pm Post subject: |
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You've just gotta learn to love hills. If in your mind they're your enemy as they are now, you'll always hate them and avoid them whereever possible come training time.
When you feel the love they'll love you back
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sifter
Moving forward
Joined: Nov 13, 2003
Posts: 11,089
Location: Wellington
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| Posted: Thu 30/Oct/08 9:07pm Post subject: |
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I'm not sure if you're after advice for yourself Scotty, or someone else, but Karori's not a bad place to live for some regular hill work.
I reckon the commute's invaluable - I go up past the gardens which allows me to ride at a nice steady cadence throughout, in a friendly gear. For me, the steady pace is crucial, and as Al says, a perverse love of the hills helps.
Weight loss is important if you're riding against the clock, or competitors, but when I shed 12kg last year, I didn't notice much difference in how I felt climbing, just I could ride in a harder gear, and get up a hell of a lot quicker.
I reckon even flat riding in Wellington helps, the damn wind can be like a hill of sorts at times...
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Fergie
Wrecked
Joined: Jun 04, 2006
Posts: 5,340
Location: Christchurch
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| Posted: Thu 30/Oct/08 9:12pm Post subject: |
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Good point Al. Even though for some reason i'm not that flash climbing I know that any race with climbs is a real race where you can't hide, can't rely on tactics or speed. Also know it's where I get my best workouts. In Christchurch you can ride the Summit Road in a sub 2 hour ride and get some of the best views anywhere. Very inspiring.
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neels
Slightly below average
Joined: Sep 05, 2007
Posts: 1,316
Location: Waiting for the great leap forward
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| Posted: Thu 30/Oct/08 9:13pm Post subject: |
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| Al_Bushman wrote: | | You've just gotta learn to love hills |
Funny you should say that, I tolerated climbing hills on the mtb, but on the roadie for some odd reason I actually find it really enjoyable 
Having said that, relatively speaking I am pathetically slow, but I figure that will only get better (and I think it is) if I keep doing it.
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Philthy
Dusty
Joined: Apr 01, 2008
Posts: 89
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| Posted: Thu 30/Oct/08 9:16pm Post subject: |
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Hills never get easier, you just get faster.
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chuckie34
Scuffed
Joined: Apr 22, 2007
Posts: 360
Location: Whakatane
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| Posted: Thu 30/Oct/08 9:22pm Post subject: |
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| sifter wrote: | | I reckon even flat riding in Wellington helps, the damn wind can be like a hill of sorts at times... |
Saw a quote the other day: all roads are flat, hills are flat roads that point up, head winds are hills you cannot see, so all roads are flat roads.
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