Training tips for cycling faster uphill

Adventurer10

Hi,
I've been doing a few of the An Post cycles, 100km, and find I pass lots of people on the downhill but I'm really slow on the uphill, and everybody passes me out again.

Anybody got any tips on how to train to get faster please??

Inquitus

Adventurer10 wrote: »

Hi,
I've been doing a few of the An Post cycles, 100km, and find I pass lots of people on the downhill but I'm really slow on the uphill, and everybody passes me out again.

Anybody got any tips on how to train to get faster please??

Ride more, eat less.

Ryaner

Hill repeats. But short very hard intervals. If you are like me you'll love them. If you are like "normal" people, you'll probably hate them.

Adventurer10

Inquitus wrote: »

Ride more, eat less.

Should I be trying to do short sprints uphill? Or what?

It's not a fitness thing, I'm not out of breath or anything and muscles not sore, just SLOW.

Lumen

Adventurer10 wrote: »

It's not a fitness thing, I'm not out of breath or anything and muscles not sore, just SLOW.

Pedal faster until it hurts.

thebouldwhacker

I'm yo yoing about 85/90kg so I aint gonna win any hill sprints, up hill has always been my nemesis but;
If you train on hills you will get better on them.
Weight is a big factor.
steady rhythm, dont go nuts on the fist section, speed up through the middle and empty the tank to crest you'll improve over time.
Mix it between standing and sitting... both are important.
Acknowledge your success! hills are hard and if you note your improvements you'll grow in confidence. Confidence is the difference between pushing for that extra 30 seconds or not.

Enjoy and best of luck!!!
Oh yea, join a club too!

Adventurer10

Lumen wrote: »

Pedal faster until it hurts.

That must be what is holding me back, don't like hurting;)

Adventurer10

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

Mix it between standing and sitting... both are important.
QUOTE]

Wondered about this standing v sitting, i was told it is best to sit if you can, I have managed to stay sitting for most climbs, like the vee in waterford and conor pass in kerry. When is it better to get out of saddle?

Thanks for all the advice

32yg

Adventurer10 wrote: »

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

Mix it between standing and sitting... both are important.
QUOTE]

Wondered about this standing v sitting, i was told it is best to sit if you can, I have managed to stay sitting for most climbs, like the vee in waterford and conor pass in kerry. When is it better to get out of saddle?

Thanks for all the advice

i find i go much faster standing(much more tiring though).
Do you find you go faster sitting?

kincsem

If you are passing people downhill you are probably heavier than them. And if you are heavier than them it is not a plus going uphill.
What is your bike gearing?

ROK ON

Last up, first down. Thats my motto.
Keep HR as low as is practical on the hills, then drill the descents. You would be surprised at how many people do not work at all on descending - either the effort put in or the technique.
You should be flat out sprinting n certain parts of a hill descent, then learning when it is appropriate to drop and tuck.
Learn how to corner at speed. Thats where you can pick up a lot of speed. I like to shift my weight over the centre of the bike. eg Turning left, then push down with right leg and left arm, to throw centre of gravity over the bike.

I know this is about going uphill, but downhill matters also. For up hill do what the guys above said - they are not wrong. Wish I had the discipline to lose weight and do hill repeats till it hurts.:rolleyes:

thebouldwhacker

The art of mixing sitting with standing is one of the great mysteries of cycling, it is not mastered until one can change gear while standing and climbing (front and back)
As mentioned standing does use more energy however it uses different muscles as sitting so used properly can have a resting effect, its great for quick injection of pace to pick up momentum or suck a wheel and also breaks the monotony of long climbs. on long drags it can increase your speed by many kmph when utilised correctly... go, grind and stand (but watch those knees)

HivemindXX

It's possible you are trying to ascend in too high a gear. I see a few people who remain in a high gear and get out of the saddle but allow their cadence to drop very low. In my opinion it's far more efficient to get in a very low gear and maintain a high cadence.

As kincsem said, if you are heavy (like I am) it just requires a lot more energy to get your mass up the hills than some skinny-ma-link. Without wanting to seem offensive if you are not out of breath at the top of a climb you probably just need to try harder. At the top of most substantial climbs I feel like I'm ready to pass out. I can't imagine putting out my maximum effort and not being out of breath. If you are finding the act of climbing too easy this might point to your using too low a gear.

So basically change gears until you are barely able to maintain your usual cadence and see how fast you are.

funnights74

Lots of decent stuff on you tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRFNKhNhhJQ&feature=related