You think of someone you hate, REALLY hate, every pedal stroke is a kick in the face, you're jumping on them, grinding them into the road. At the top of the hill the anger's spent & the rider still feels remarkably fresh.
Try it sometime, it works.
help improve my hill climbing ability
There's an old pro's trick which I've seen attributed to Bernard Hinault:-
You think of someone you hate, REALLY hate, every pedal stroke is a kick in the face, you're jumping on them, grinding them into the road. At the top of the hill the anger's spent & the rider still feels remarkably fresh.
Try it sometime, it works.
You think of someone you hate, REALLY hate, every pedal stroke is a kick in the face, you're jumping on them, grinding them into the road. At the top of the hill the anger's spent & the rider still feels remarkably fresh.
Try it sometime, it works.
If at first you don't succeed - cheat!!
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montmorency
- Posts: 271
- Joined: 31 May 2007, 11:00pm
- Location: Oxfordshire
Well, I was trying the "one, two, THREE" trick, mentioned somewhere above, both on the flat and up hills today.
Well, on what is perhaps the steepest hill of my commute, I overtook a Mercian! Yes, just went sailing by.
OK, yes well, its owner had stopped by the side of the road, and was chatting to a mate, but still!
Seriously though, I think the technique does help a bit. Surreal at first, and the waltz-time rhythm breaks the normal pedal "two-step"!
Well, on what is perhaps the steepest hill of my commute, I overtook a Mercian! Yes, just went sailing by.
OK, yes well, its owner had stopped by the side of the road, and was chatting to a mate, but still!
Seriously though, I think the technique does help a bit. Surreal at first, and the waltz-time rhythm breaks the normal pedal "two-step"!
In my 'square bashing' days in the RN as young apprentices, we used to stamp our boots every three paces. Great fun when there's a big squad! Even tried ascending: 3 paces, then 4, then 5, then 6 etc. I've often tried the trick when cycling. It doesn't half make the day and the hills go by!
Mick F. Cornwall
reohn2 wrote:The best way to get up hills fast is to keep going up hills, and think "round" when pedlaling
Forgot to mention,you won't go up them fast if your a heavy rider.
Really? Eddie Merckx was a large, heavy guy considerably more so than most of his fellow competitors. He wasn't known for being slow up hills.
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reohn2
pete75 wrote:reohn2 wrote:The best way to get up hills fast is to keep going up hills, and think "round" when pedlaling
Forgot to mention,you won't go up them fast if your a heavy rider.
Really? Eddie Merckx was a large, heavy guy considerably more so than most of his fellow competitors. He wasn't known for being slow up hills.
What I was saying is that power to weight ratio is against the heavy rider,though occasionally there will be a good heavy climber, it will only be occaionally.
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montmorency
- Posts: 271
- Joined: 31 May 2007, 11:00pm
- Location: Oxfordshire
reohn2 wrote:pete75 wrote:reohn2 wrote:The best way to get up hills fast is to keep going up hills, and think "round" when pedlaling
Forgot to mention,you won't go up them fast if your a heavy rider.
Really? Eddie Merckx was a large, heavy guy considerably more so than most of his fellow competitors. He wasn't known for being slow up hills.
What I was saying is that power to weight ratio is against the heavy rider,though occasionally there will be a good heavy climber, it will only be occaionally.
hmm...let's think..."good", "heavy", "climber".
Hey, I can tick one out of three!
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melw1
We were in Plymouth today. We went by train, down The Tamar Valley Line. "What has this to do with climbing hills on a bike?", I hear you ask.
The stairs up from the platforms to the main concourse were too 'shallow'. The risers are too low. Consequently, I found it difficult to climb the stairs! Me! Me with thighs to die for!
It's all to do with cadence and length of cranks. Climbing stairs is very similar to cycling. Get the stairs and risers right, and I can climb stairs all day. Get them wrong, and I have difficulty.
The stairs up from the platforms to the main concourse were too 'shallow'. The risers are too low. Consequently, I found it difficult to climb the stairs! Me! Me with thighs to die for!
It's all to do with cadence and length of cranks. Climbing stairs is very similar to cycling. Get the stairs and risers right, and I can climb stairs all day. Get them wrong, and I have difficulty.
Mick F. Cornwall
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montmorency
- Posts: 271
- Joined: 31 May 2007, 11:00pm
- Location: Oxfordshire
Mick F wrote:We were in Plymouth today. We went by train, down The Tamar Valley Line. "What has this to do with climbing hills on a bike?", I hear you ask.
The stairs up from the platforms to the main concourse were too 'shallow'. The risers are too low. Consequently, I found it difficult to climb the stairs! Me! Me with thighs to die for!
It's all to do with cadence and length of cranks. Climbing stairs is very similar to cycling. Get the stairs and risers right, and I can climb stairs all day. Get them wrong, and I have difficulty.
Being charitable, I wonder if they were designed for people carrying heavy luggage (who would have a different "cadence" to people skipping up lightly)?
At the risk of coming over all "German railways are wonderful" yet again, some German stations, I noticed (although sadly not all) had little escalator-type things by the side of stairways, for helping you get heavy luggage up the stairs. I think you might have been able to put your bikes on them too (or at least put your panniers on, although you would need a companion or two to look after the bike then).
Wouldn't it be nice if we had those, or failing that, just a flat ramp that you could wheel a bike up? Wouldn't take much money...just a little thought.
Regards,
M
