Free Climbing Tips For Stompy et al

(mind you, i have various diseases and illnesses [ie, i'm a sickly fuck] so being a 'big' dude is never really an option)

just for some perspective on it.

87kg this morning.
95kg this time last year
90kg just before Dunwich.

As for climbing technique - I hate getting out of the saddle 'cos it really hurts my thighs, but I've defo been doing it wrong because I think I'm leaning far to forward. Right over my handlebars with the weight on my arms rather than over my legs and through the cranks.

What's worrying me about tomorrow's ride is that I'll be able to manage the ascents on the way out of London, but then I'll be burned out for the bigger hills later on.

If you've ridden with me before you'll know that I'm okay on the flats, a little wobbly on the descents but when the road starts going up I slow down like I've hit a brick wall and get insanely jealous when you all go spinning cheerfully past (Lucky7 annd JayDub - you know who you are!)

On the way back from the Catford Hill Climb I thought that my bottom bracket was borked. I'd mash myself up a hill and at the top when it flattened out it felt like my cranks were glued up and I couldn't get any speed up for about 5 or 10 revs but then the blood would reach my muscles and I would be able to get going again.

Thing is I know I'm crap at hills. And I know that the only way to get better at them is to ride them. Riding in a group really motivates me to push myself rather than just give up and walk, so I'd like to thank you all in advance.

See you tomorrow.

that's the spirit, stompy! my technique up swain o' paine was throw myself at the first bit to get some momentum, then just sit back and take it steady (but not fast). i was panting like a mo'f*cker by the end, tho - but i did make it. not so optimistic for this ride seeing as the killer (apparently) is at the end. i reckon helen'll be way up there tho, as she's got a great gear ratio (46x18 - she's been spinning like fuck recently!) and strong legs.

d0cA she's got a great gear ratio (46x18 - she's been spinning like fuck recently!) and strong legs.

Woo-hoo - another member of the 67.5" club :D

@stompy - sounds like the weight distribution thing will help loads out the saddle. It's just something you have to build up gradually, so all the right muscles in your legs, arms, and lower back adapt. I used to be able to do about 5 revs maximum out the saddle going up Archway Rd before feeling like my legs were being filled with cement; if that's any consolation/motivation ;)

Also, to those that have never done ditchling before - the bit wear most people give up is about 200m for the top! My old chef warn me a bout it, the road curves round and all of a sudden you are there. He said the first time he did it he got off only to find he was right next to the top! Pissed him off royally, though the next three times he did it now problem!

you have your own chef? nice.

But photoben has to paint the food before he eats it.

Great tips BMMF, I would only add when climbing fixed short hills can be gunned at to power over and keep momentum going, longer hills it's best to find a steady rhythm and plug away at it, I tend to alternate between seated and scoop the pedals as BMMF suggests and honking out of the saddle to keep the momentum going.

Steep bastards just do everything you can to get another turn on the pedals, tacking from side to side, swearing at the cranks sometimes helps too :)

6' 2" and 92 kilo's trying to get back down to under 86k my old Judo fighting weight without giving up beer :)

Okay,

I've just visited a pal up in Blackheath - an excuse to try my new brakes and some of these fine hill climbing techniques.

B*gg*r me if I didn't make it to the top!!

Pushed right back in my saddle when going up seated; and when I started really slowing down, climbed up, shoulders back hips forward and I kept going. A couple of times I thought I'd get off and walk, but then stood up and cranked to get my speed up and sat down again.

Not the most elegant of climbs, and I was panting like a locomotive at the top but I f*ck*ng made it!

I am so stoked about tomorrow; bring it on!

My new brakes worked like a charm going downhill as well - None of the squidginess I was getting with the Tiagra calipers. I was ready to bail if I felt the cable slipping; but it was fine.

Hurrah!

Nice one.

What are your new calipers?

Ultegra 6600

Stompy.. you have nicer parts on your Fuji than any of my bikes! Stop it! :P

nimhbus you have your own chef? nice.

Ha! I wish. No, as "my boss" my chef. Used to work in a kitchen.

Dredge!

I want to get better at riding up hills.

I feel that I'm quite a good rider, when I have fitness, but know that hills are my weak point. I just slow right down, change to my bottom gear and go very slowly. Despite being built a bit like a climber (6'3" 12 stone), I climb like a sprinter.

How to get better?

Overgeared hill repeats?
Low gear but spin faster?
Just ride more miles in general?
Something else?

Hmm this is interesting to think about seeing as hills are pretty much a speciality of mine (5"10, 10 stone..) Thinking about my approach to climbing, the first obvious but unhelpful tip is:

don't

slow right down, change to my bottom gear and go very slowly

Like my experience when climbing is of a continual engagement with "how hard do I need to 'attack' this to keep up forward momentum". This is something I developed from riding on fixed: you become hyper-aware of increases in gradient, knowing "when I get to that bit 5 yards ahead I'm going to have to up the levels": it's a process of gauging your reserves and what effort is needed to keep the gear turning. So - maybe give "rolling" terrain a go on fixed - in my experience 72" will get you over anything that's not either a mountain or a potential hill-climb course. This will force you to 'htfu' and hopefully get you out of the above-quoted habit.

Then the idea would be when geared you see the hill as an obstacle to be defeated by applying increased effort to rather than bailing out and notching down through the gears. At the risk of contradicting myself, I wouldn't recommend over-geared climbing when you have the option of gears (at least for climbing training rather than e.g. for strength training): it just makes the bike/your legs feel inefficient and reinforces the "hills are difficult" mentality, whereas once you've been up some steep stuff fixed you'd want to feel like gears/the option of maintaining your preferred/optimal cadence is an extra boost to your effort.

Then in my admittedly limited experience climbing geared, that gauging of the upcoming steepness of the hill is replaced by "what cadence feels like I'm putting out my best effort". I suppose this is something like "let the hill come to you": keep putting out an optimal sustainable effort and use the change of ratios to even out changes in gradient. Weirdly for me this means I now don't notice when the hill gets steeper - I've got to the top of some stuff that would be do-or-die on 72" without noticing anything extreme about it - it was just a matter of "this [remaining] distance at this effort"

Don't know if this is helpful or not; I'm one of those people who like hills, to me they're a satisfying challenge to try and defeat with the maximum panache, rather than an interminable slog

That is really helpful and chimes quite a lot with what I have been thinking about.

Definitely going to try to kick the "quit first" mentality and put some of the above into practice.

I just did a 35 mile ride to Rochester and tried to apply this. Pleased to say that I only used the small ring once, the rest was done surfing the big ring cassette and trying to keep cadence whilst varying efforts. It is revealing to me just how hard I can work and stay (just) within threshold.

(I am measuring threshold as "can I talk?")

Thanks for the great advice.

Any more wisdom out there?

Peak of denial. Stare at the front wheel not ahead.
Ride a bit more?

Find something you don't like and climb it a lot. Then you know you can do anything you want. And then it's just do I want to go quickly? Better stand up a bit. Do I want to go up naturally? Sit and spin.

For style and panache though, it's better out the saddle.

High intensity cardio. I was strugling to keep up with my hill training group, and have started running up and down hills for an hour a week. I have gone from the back of the group to near the front in a couple of months.

Thing about running is you're working all the time– on the descent you dont just stop. You get a much more intense and constant heart and lungs workout, in a shorter time. Running is also good for core stability, helping you stay stable and more efficient at your limit.

Yeah. Fuck running. It's very much not for me.

But cardio is a good idea.

@mashton college road reps.
10 times.
I'll join you.

Top answer from @judenonesuch. Climbing ability is a lot more in the head that one might think. In your case it seems to be more a question of mentality and technique than a fitness issue to train on.
When tackling a climb, push a little harder to start with, to keep your momentum, then gear down to maintain a good cadence. Concentrate on your breathing too, it really helps to relax on longer climbs.

Post 1 nails it.

Yep, I need to sort my head out.

@chalfie yes, let's do that. One night next week?

Hells yeah.

I'll text you.