[bikertank]

I don't know if I am unique in this but I hate hills or any momentum steelers - such as tight curves - stop lights - road crossings etc on MUP's - some people absolutely love it but it represents the only thing I don't enjoy about biking - I love to push it and keep pushing - and push harder the next time - it is an addicting feeling - I NEVER get that with hills - but some people do - one of my colleagues even does hill repeats - the only time I would repeat a hill is if it is the only way I could get back to the car - I know I will never win the TDF because of my weakness but I can delusion-ally win the Time Trial events every time I ride - my wife always scores points for a close second

 

[davereo]

Dont kid yourself. Woman riders are very smart and win every time. You go out for a ride with your wife and you are out front the entire ride. When you get to the parking lot you slow up so you can ride in together. Take a closer look now. When you slow down she moves ahead and arrives quitely at the car a few feet before you. My friend that is called first place she beats you every time.

 

[bikertank]

As long as she considers we worthy of being her riding partner she can win every time

 

[davereo]

As far as hills go I like them. They offer a challenge that you need to use your bike and your riding skills to over come. If you can learn to concur the hills you will be able to destry the flats.

The only thing that I dont enjoy is putting my bike away.

 

[bikertank]

davero - I like short stretches - but into a longish hill - my brain is saying why am I doing this - I know it is good for me - makes me a better man & biker - but when I finish a short 15, an average 25 or longish 30 miler - even on flats I always consider how far I would have gone if I stayed on the couch - when I am on hills I WANT to be on the couch - I could also go into a long lecture - takes about two hrs on muscle fiber types but some are built for hills and mountains - sprinters are not (look at wiggins in the TDF & Olympics this yr) - as I tell my class - sprinters are born and training improves them - anyone can become a distance athlete with the proper workout - I will remain happy with my weakness but endeavor to improve in small doses - as I sit here an write this my wife is commenting that she likes hills - she has a higher slow fiber type content & of course she is also CRAZY !

 

[zero3one]

Dont kid yourself. Woman riders are very smart and win every time. You go out for a ride with your wife and you are out front the entire ride. When you get to the parking lot you slow up so you can ride in together. Take a closer look now. When you slow down she moves ahead and arrives quitely at the car a few feet before you. My friend that is called first place she beats you every time.

My wife recently fell in love with cycling and we go out on rides together when we can get a sitter. I'm a much stronger cyclist than her but she constantly takes off on me and makes me chase!

And as for hills, we don't have any good sized ones here but I love them! They are a great work out! Don't hate them, learn to use them to build your strength and love them!

 

[rola643]

I'm not a big fan of hills either. What I have discovered is that it's not that I don't like the hills, it's that I'm not near as good as others I ride with at blasting up them so I get dropped a lot of times. If I ride solo and hit the hills I can keep a pace that I can maintain for long(er) periods and it's much easier than trying to keep a race pace on a group ride. That also helps believe it or not. In the past few weeks I purposely seek out hills to do the dreaded repeats, it's something I need to improve on and unfortunately it's the only way I know to get better.

No Mountains in the local area but a few hour drive would put me at Skyline Drive, I'm gonna do my dangest top ride that next fall!

And always remember "It never gets easier, you just get faster"

 

[Hazy]

I'm a Hillseeker! While I dont have mountains in southern Indiana I do have rolling hills. Some roll farther than others

I have been participating in some of the local KOM segments listed on Strava and give me real goals to strive for and attain. I'm competitive like that

Besides, what goes up must come down and maybe that is what I like the most

 

[bikertank]

I'm a Hillseeker! While I dont have mountains in southern Indiana I do have rolling hills. Some roll farther than others

I have been participating in some of the local KOM segments listed on Strava and give me real goals to strive for and attain. I'm competitive like that

Besides, what goes up must come down and maybe that is what I like the most

From the physiology perspective doing hills will not make you faster EXCEPT at going up hills - it will give you more endurance and make you faster at going up hills - a faster hill person will never beat a sprinter in a shorter race - it is still about muscle fiber type and cross training effects on intermediate fibers - you will feel faster at the end of the ride but it will because you endurance has increased - if an experienced biker measured their best 3 mile sprint and then trains hills exclusively for a year their sprint time will not improve & might actually decrease - in the end for the competitor (not me) needs a balance of power and endurance to win - i do it for enjoyment therfore i do what i enjoy

 

[rola643]

From the physiology perspective doing hills will not make you faster EXCEPT at going up hills - it will give you more endurance and make you faster at going up hills - a faster hill person will never beat a sprinter in a shorter race - it is still about muscle fiber type and cross training effects on intermediate fibers - you will feel faster at the end of the ride but it will because you endurance has increased - if an experienced biker measured their best 3 mile sprint and then trains hills exclusively for a year their sprint time will not improve & might actually decrease - in the end for the competitor (not me) needs a balance of power and endurance to win - i do it for enjoyment therfore i do what i enjoy

You just made this feel like a very baited thread

 

[kneedrachen]

Paging INTEGRATE to the white courtesy phone. . . .


I LOVE hills! I used to hate them, getting dropped, making people wait for me. My lungs felt like sand, everything hurt.

But. . .

As a guy in my club says "It's only a hill, get over it."

Dude, the SUCK is awesome! When you complete a hill that's kicked your ass for forever and a day and you finally climb it without a problem, man, you feel like the king of the world.

Hill climbing is not always about strength, it's about technique and putting your big boy pants on when it starts to hurt.

If hill climbing isn't for you, stick to the MUPS but don't complain about momentum stealers.

Want to not worry about having to slow down/stop without hills? Try a crit or hit the velodrome.

As someone here has said "Cycling-IF you aren't having fun, you're doing it wrong."

 

[Hazy]

From the physiology perspective doing hills will not make you faster EXCEPT at going up hills -

It will make you faster at going down hills as well. Cant go down em' if you dont go up em'

I was just giving MY PERSPECTIVE on why I like hills and utilize the ones I have around here for my own purposes.

 

[bikertank]

I don't know what a baited thread is - I just wanted your perspectives - some are all for it - some not - my point is that it is the difficulty is not always in your head or the man points you have tallied but the muscle fibers types you were born with or have increased based on your type of training - I love biking and I am glad I live in the flat area of chicago suburbs - you have to look really hard for hills - and since I mostly enjoy the flats - and my enjoyment drives my riding - it is mostly what I do - once a week we have a course that represents everything I don't enjoy about biking - but I don't place any importance to it other than I will be better in the long run - but if I had to do it everyday I would be biking a lot less = lucky for me we can get in about 4 good rides per week & 95% (even when I am going all out) is a pure high and I don't want to stop ! I started three years a go with three shaky miles - now the only thing that limits my miles is time available - that is all goo in my book !

 

[qmsdc15]

I think you have a higher wimp fiber type content.

 

[lmiles64]

I don't know if I am unique in this but I hate hills or any momentum steelers - such as tight curves - stop lights - road crossings etc on MUP's - some people absolutely love it but it represents the only thing I don't enjoy about biking - I love to push it and keep pushing - and push harder the next time - it is an addicting feeling - I NEVER get that with hills - but some people do - one of my colleagues even does hill repeats - the only time I would repeat a hill is if it is the only way I could get back to the car - I know I will never win the TDF because of my weakness but I can delusion-ally win the Time Trial events every time I ride - my wife always scores points for a close second

Baited thread. No where in the original post did you start talking about muscle fibers. Then when everyone gave their thoughts on how they felt hills improved their performance you start throwing genetics around to justify why you don't like hills.

I'm with Hazy in the fact I "love hills". See my quote. I live in an area with lots of hills and I enjoy catching up with all the so called "sprinters" at the hill then dropping them during a group ride. In fact in my book the so called "sprinters" are momentum killers to me.

BTW. I can't understand how a person who likes to be challenged can't handle the challenge of a hill.

 

[bikertank]

I think you have a higher wimp fiber type content.

now that is a good one !

I resemble that remark !

 

[bikertank]

Baited thread. No where in the original post did you start talking about muscle fibers. Then when everyone gave their thoughts on how they felt hills improved their performance you start throwing genetics around to justify why you don't like hills.

I'm with Hazy in the fact I "love hills". See my quote. I live in an area with lots of hills and I enjoy catching up with all the so called "sprinters" at the hill then dropping them during a group ride. In fact in my book the so called "sprinters" are momentum killers to me.

BTW. I can't understand how a person who likes to be challenged can't handle the challenge of a hill.

If it was baited I am sorry - just like to hear perspectives - the joy in my fellow instructor's face & mortification in mine when she talks about hill repeats is a common joke between us - our natural predilection in hills or flats is still about genetics - and changing that which you are born with - I just find it intriguing to get bikers thoughts on the matter - the consolation prize is that the thighs of hill specialists are much more impressive - as Grippel thighs were awesome - Wiggins not so much

 

[kneedrachen]

I bet Wiggins could drop you on a hill climb while riding a steel recumbent fixie.

The guy can endure more suffering in a 20+ mile time trial at full tilt than most people can in a lifetime.

Let's cut it here.

 

[bikertank]

I bet Wiggins could drop you on a hill climb while riding a steel recumbent fixie.

The guy can endure more suffering in a 20+ mile time trial at full tilt than most people can in a lifetime.

Let's cut it here.

Anyone could drop ME on a hill - wiggins could probably do it on a toddler's tricycle - I think wiggins is awesome -he has proved it OVER & OVER ( I watched every minute of the tour & the olympics thanks to direct tv) but griepel's thighs are also awesome

 

[ldyvalerie]

As long as she considers we worthy of being her riding partner she can win every time

Ahhhhh, you are a great husband.....been taught well!