Cycling UK Forum

PhilWhitehurst wrote:A snapped chain, grrrrr

Any excuse to stop!

In my case, it's having 59 year old legs that make things difficult!

BMB Club Secretary wrote:In my case, it's having 59 year old legs that make things difficult!

Just you wait till you get old.

As I've become older, I reckon hills are getting easier.

Age brings wisdom and understanding. As a young man, I would worry about hills and attack them and become knackered at the tops. The stress and the strain made it all worse.

These days, I relax and enjoy the hills.

There's something in this. Most of my Strava PBs were achieved a year or so ago. But my average speed is now higher. I don't kill myself on the hills any more.

Mick F wrote:As I've become older, I reckon hills are getting easier.

You're not old enough then.

Mick F wrote:Age brings wisdom and understanding.

And lack of strength and stamina.
I just have to plod away in a low gear and hopefully reach the top eventually. Occasionally I've become mixed up in groups of weekend riders, usually because I've been overtaken, and many of them don't seem to do any better than me on the hills.

MikeF wrote:

Mick F wrote:As I've become older, I reckon hills are getting easier.

You're not old enough then.

Mick F wrote:Age brings wisdom and understanding.

And lack of strength and stamina.
I just have to plod away in a low gear and hopefully reach the top eventually. Occasionally I've become mixed up in groups of weekend riders, usually because I've been overtaken, and many of them don't seem to do any better than me on the hills.

As I've become older, my strength and my stamina have both increased.

I reckon it's to do with not flogging myself to death, but relaxing and taking it evenly and steadily.

Maybe I'm not old enough yet?
63 last birthday.

Mick F wrote:As I've become older, I reckon hills are getting easier.

Age brings wisdom and understanding. As a young man, I would worry about hills and attack them and become knackered at the tops. The stress and the strain made it all worse.

These days, I relax and enjoy the hills.

Now I'm a bit older and wiser I go up more steadily than I used to and find them more enjoyable. On really steep hills (e.g. Rosedale) stopping is really hard or rather getting started again afterwards so on steep ones I try to plod up slowly in a 20" gear.

UK hills are generally not long enough to score well on the climb by bike score. I'd argue that longer shallower wills will not be so tough as you can stop, admire the view and get going again.