Conditioning tips for steep climbs anyone?

[Kimono]

I'm doing a ride in late August featuring some super-steep climbs, one of which has a 200 ft section of 25% gradient. I ride 2300 miles a year and climb pretty well (ain't no Contador, but....). My preferred climbing style is to channel Jan Ullrich and stay seated, but that's not going to cut it on the really steep parts.

I'll be using a 39 ring upfront and an 11-28 on the back but does anyone have any quick / effective conditioning tips to help develop the quads for this ride? Also, I hate standing climbs... the HR zooms up fast and I've just never really adapted well. Wonder if I'm doing something wrong there so if anyone has tips on making the conversion from seated to standing climbing that would be great.

 

[amp300]

Well besides including steep climbs on your rides, one workout a friend gave me was to do 8 repeats up this one local climb. The climb is half a mile long (.55 to be exact), and rises 300 feet. Basically we did the climb this way:

1x seated the entire time
1x stand the first half, seated the whole second half
1x seated the first half, standing the whole second half
1x standing the entire time

than repeat after a little active rest

Honestly I thought I was good at climbing, but the first time I did this workout I only made it through the first set, and had to try again later in the week.

Another good one he taught me was to climb a hill in your big ring up front. and big one in the back. I was always a little sketchy on breaking the chain, so I would put it in the 53 up front, and the 22 or 23 (out of a 25), and climb standing. We do this one on a hill that rises 250 feet over a a mile and a half.

 

[Ninety5rpm]

I'm doing a ride in late August featuring some super-steep climbs, one of which has a 200 ft section of 25% gradient. I ride 2300 miles a year and climb pretty well (ain't no Contador, but....). My preferred climbing style is to channel Jan Ullrich and stay seated, but that's not going to cut it on the really steep parts.

I'll be using a 39 ring upfront and an 11-28 on the back but does anyone have any quick / effective conditioning tips to help develop the quads for this ride? Also, I hate standing climbs... the HR zooms up fast and I've just never really adapted well. Wonder if I'm doing something wrong there so if anyone has tips on making the conversion from seated to standing climbing that would be great.

25%??? Jeez, we have a 14% grade, and it's just brutal.

Here are some ideas off the top of my head, with absolutely no science or any kind of data or research to back them up. It just seems logical to me...

You've only got a few weeks, but I'd be spending some time doing the steepest climbs you've got in higher gears, and standing. Pick some 5-15 minute long climb and see if you can do the whole thing standing up in a higher gear in record time, then go into a higher gear and try to do it even faster next time...

Another thing to try to simulate the steepness is to add weight to your bike and/or self. Climbing with a 20-30 lbs pack on your bike, or attach a kid trailer filled with a kid or water bottles or something.

Some combination of high gears and weight should get you to the point where you HAVE to stand, and work on being able to do that for longer and longer periods.

 

[BroDeal]

If you had more time then I would say lose weight.

 

[runninboy]

its only 200 ft suck it up dude
seriously Not like it is a quarter mile
200 feet less than 70 meters it will be over quick

 

[Kimono]

its only 200 ft suck it up dude
seriously Not like it is a quarter mile
200 feet less than 70 meters it will be over quick

This particular course ,"Hillier Than Thou", in NW New Jersey, is estimated at over 6K feet climbing. That's gonna be a lot of sucking it up

 

[hfer07]

Use a compact crank instead of the standard...
and yes-you need to practice some "out of the saddle" riding on the climbs too...

 

[the big ring]

If you want to ride up 25% sitting down, buy or obtain a compact cranks set - 50/34 - and keep the 11-28 on. Otherwise, learn (by practising) to ride out of the saddle - even if just for short efforts.

The main thing with 25% is the complete lack of momentum you will have - that's something that is very difficult to get used to.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I would definitely start riding uphill intervals, preferably on something with a steep gradient.

If you really want to get proper training in, get an HRM, and start logging your intervals with it. That combined with a watt (power) meter is ideal, but may be too expensive.

I would definitely not try pushing huge gears up anything steep. Arnie Baker (Flandis doctor buddy) advocates these and they are knee wreckers IMO. You could however find a slightly concave climb that starts at about 1%, and tops out at no more than 5%, and try riding it in one large interval in a big gear. You should be standing the entire time, and up to about 80+ rpm when you give up in oxygen debt and finally sit down. If it's too easy, use a harder gear.

Fully agree on a compact crank set, while keeping the same rear cogset. If you can climb good to begin with, you can sit on a lot of very steep climbs using a 34x28.

 

[danyela]

25%? I'd say the best option is to get a friendly passer-by to give you a lift up to the top

 

[elapid]

With only three weeks left and the climbs being short, despite being steep, I would recommend two weeks of climbing intervals as mentioned above. But the steep sections are only short, so you should be able to get out of the saddle without too much increased effort. Remember these sections are going to hurt regardless of whether you are seated or standing. For me, the most important thing you can do is change your cranks from standard to compact (50-34) and keep your rear cassette, as mentioned by both hfer07 and Alpe. The small ring combination of 34-28 should allow you to spin up most hills while giving your muscles a little relief.

 

[saxe_coburg_gotha]

Hire a donkey a mule and of course an ***

 

[horseman]

Ride as many hills a you can in training and persevere with the honking, however ride within yourself and don't try to go flat out (with effort) on the climbs.

 

[psychlist]

Which one of your cycling buddies convinced you to do this ride?

 

[DonTickles]

I do a lot of my really steep climbs standing up, by which I mean standing up beside my bike and pushing it up the hill to where it's not so steep, which is often followed by some sitting, by which I mean sitting beside the road rubbing my quads and telling myself I need to lose some weight before I try that again... So yeah, I guess my suggestion is to not be like me.

 

[titan_90]

I also, would like to recommend you switch to a compact crank. Then start doing spinning specific training 80+rpm (I personally find 85-95 the most comfortable) but ease into it don't over do it at first so your body can get used to it. I know this from experience, I screwed up my left knee once from just grinding big gears on some steep climbs and had to take six weeks off from riding. I invested in a compact and learned how to spin the pedals and my knees have been very happy ever since.

 

[hulkgogan]

With only three weeks left and the climbs being short, despite being steep, I would recommend two weeks of climbing intervals as mentioned above.

Doing 2 weeks of intervals 3 weeks before the event is more than likely gonna leave dude flat as a pancake. It too late to do a peaking cycle.

At 25% it's almost unavoidable that you're gonna be outta the saddle so I'd do some adaptablity work riding some steep climbs, you guessed it, outta the saddle. Focus on your form, relaxing your shoulders and where your body is over the pedals at each point in the pedal stroke. Get a nice rhythm going. Don't worry about heartrate. You need to do at least 4-6 sessions before you get the adaption effect. But make sure you cut these efforts 50% the week before the event.

Remember the goal is to get your body used to being out of the saddle, not to increase your power or anaerobic capacity.

 

[ProTour]

How to climb more efficiently on the steepest climbs.

You're going to want to upgrade to a triple. But you also have to run a 9 speed to make it really work, since nobody makes a 24 front chainring that is compatible with a 10 speed chain. I call this system the super-triple. Lower your front derailleur as much as possible and replace the smallest 30 tooth chairing with a mountain bike 24(old school mtb bolt ring diameter). You might have to bend your front derailleur a little with some pliers to get the proper clearance to make the down shift possible to your new super-granny gear. I'm using an older Tiagra triple front derailleur, I'm not sure if it will work with any of the Campy stuff.

Using the super-triple does take some special technique. You want to make the shift to the 24 very slowly so you don't lose your chain. I usually stop pedaling, shift, then slowly pedal a full rotation to safely land the chain on the super-granny. Then sit & spin, my friend. Even up the steepest of the steep hills, you'll be comfortably spinning efficiently.

With the super-triple, my climbing times on the steepest terrain have significantly improved, and I've become a stronger rider. It's much easier to stay seated and spin, making for much more efficient pedaling over the long run. Also much easier on the knees, and it seems to strengthen my legs, especially my upstroke(hamstring) muscles. Training on steep terrain with the super triple has also actually improved my performance on flat TTs.

 

[gjdavis60]

With a 39x28 on a 25% grade, you're going to be out of the saddle. You may actually have to pull yourself down onto the pedals with your arms to get the cranks to turn. The trick I learned for very steep grades like that is to reduce my cadence dramatically so that I do not blow up. If you try to turn the pedals at a normal rate you will go anaerobic and hit failure very quickly. Think of moving as if you were in slow motion, and pay attention to your heart rate and breathing. The resistance you will be pushing is more like a weight lifting exercise, plus you will also be pulling with your arms and back, so you need to meter your effort carefully in order to stave off exhaustion until you reach the top.

The other thing about a grade that steep is that you have to be careful where you put your weight relative to the front/back of the bike. Too far back and your front wheel may come off the ground. Too far forward and you can lose rear wheel traction and all forward momentum. An over-correction in either direction could deposit you on the pavement. Make small adjustments to your weight distribution and keep the pedals turning over slowly, but smoothly.

Good luck!

 

[180mmCrank]

As others have said...

Get a set of gears that will allow you to sit down and spin...a compact is a good way to go. I have a triple on my grandfondo/sportive bike - not sure I would have got up the Tourmalet without it.

You can always mix up standing and sitting to give yourself a break - but you need the gears to sit down without having to grind.

 

[Greyhound Velo]

You could also use this set-up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vgh5Y5RhdfM&NR=1

.

 

[usedtobefast]

You could also use this set-up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vgh5Y5RhdfM&NR=1

.

man that is going slow.

 

[usedtobefast]

its only 200 ft suck it up dude
seriously Not like it is a quarter mile
200 feet less than 70 meters it will be over quick

i think you have to get out of the saddle, in a sprint. it is a short but steep climb. not fun but as stated, over pretty quick.