Climbing Gain PR
 

I don’t live in a snow-free climate where it’s particularly convenient to get year around mileage. Neither do I live in a mountainous area where I can log big gain numbers. I wish I could join those of you who do. My area is hilly and in a delightful cycling friendly area with good roads, so I have that as a plus.

The past two years I have been away on a special assignment in my vocation that set me down in glorious wilderness but didn’t give me much opportunity (and worse yet) or desire to get out and ride like I have the 8 years prior. I paid the price for this. That is, until the first of October when we moved back home. On Strava, my gain stats showed 12,000ft on the year. So, Oct 1 I said to myself, let’s hit that 20,000ft mark. In the weather-worst time of the fall. My biggest ride was 906ft on the Criterium Series but with 3 weeks before having to grab the mountain bikes and start slugging it out. Winter is now upon us.

Last night on an 8mi ride I broke the 20,000ft mark. It feels good to be back home. Can’t wait to hit springtime with a lighter bike, lighter body and a lot less clothes when the road/base miles are a bunch easier.

I Happen to live in an area where elevation gaining is not a problem...In...
8,209Km of riding I gained...
92,320 Meters of elevation and used...
316,421 Calories....


Yay for me... :p

I'm not really sure how elevation gain is calculated. Our part of north central Texas is sorta hilly, lots of roller coaster terrain. Strava says I've done 246,000+ feet of elevation gain this year. But my usual 20-40 mile training routes are the hilliest I can find nearby, just west of Foat Wuth. I ride those 2-3 times a week, sometimes repeating certain hills. Usually around 1,500-2,500 feet per ride. I suppose it all adds up.

Mostly it makes it easier riding around the relatively flatter city. When I avoided hills for training it made even casual city rides a grueling chore. Now it's relatively easier.

This thread is now open to post all climbing PR’s. :lol:

This is my one ride PR elevation gain for some local hill repeats from this past April.
I stand in awe for those souls who can Everest 30K/ft in a single day.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3599910309

OOoopps… I was wondering what PR's meant... :o OK, My average ride seems to be 41.4 Km and my average elevation per ride is 466Meters... :thumb:

For me I am at just over 96k feet. Shooting for 100 by year end. Best year for me.

I've done 300,000 feet a lot of years and I'm not a great climber. Did 12,000 feet in a century type ride once and I still felt it a week later.
My friend does over 500,000 feet every year and he is not fast or a great climber, just dedicated.
Some people do 1 million feet in a year but have said it gets to be like a job and no longer is it fun.

Everesting, what a concept. Find a steep hill, 1 or 2 miles and do it 85 times. No, thank you.

I'm at about 380,000 ft of climbing for the year, which seems like a lot. But last year, on this day (Sunday before Christmas), I was out on a group ride, and one of the local riders hit 10,000 miles and 1 million feet of climbing for the year. That's impressive.

I've got no way to track total elevation gain, but my easiest route (based on average speed) to Estes Park has about 2500' of gain in 22.5 miles, to the turnaround point of a 45 miles out and back. It's a steady climb, but not difficult. Ride that 100 times a year and you'd have 250,000. My other routes are all more difficult due to steep hills, but the total elevation gain, might be lower. My average speed on those routes is 1-1.5 mph slower.

Looking at the terrain map, I suppose the reason I can get in some reasonable "climbing" for the flat prairie part of Texas is because my hometown, Fort Worth, is in a huge river basin. So there's a gradual slope extending many miles outside the city center.

I'm west of town, about midway up the gradual slope. It gets a little steeper toward the west, so that's the direction I go for most workouts.

Our prevailing wind is usually from the south, so I look for climbs into the headwind. There are several but usually only 1/2 a mile or a mile at most, averaging maybe 1%-2% with lots of little steeper peaks.

Occasionally in early spring and winter we'll get strong winds from the west or east. That's good for practice because there are longer gradual climbs for miles. So I'll head into that stiff wind and slog away for practice.

Recently I snagged a new PR on a 4-5 mile gradual climb on a day with 15-20 mph headwind. At first I thought it was a Strava glitch, but both Strava and Wahoo Fitness agreed, and when I manually calculated the speed and time it was correct. Best I can figure, it's because a yearlong grind of physical therapy to improve my core strength and flexibility enabled me to stay tucked and more aero almost continuously. And I'm a little stronger now, although not enough to account for the PR. That's mostly from staying as low as possible for the entire grind.

So, next neutral wind day, I *should* be able to beat that PR if I stick with the same technique and don't get lazy and sit upright.

Ever keep going to the top of Trail Ridge Road? That would add some elevation, assuming you don't get run over by a gawking tourist.

The rides in the local mountains almost always come out to around 100 feet per mile. Sometimes there are steeper grades but the main roads don't have anything extremely steep.

Most of us ride GMR/GRR but have you ever climbed Baldy Rd to the lifts? It's 5,000 ft in 13. 6 miles. Average 360 ft per mile. Done it a few times, that's why I do GMR ha ha! :D

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1e8574c35c.jpg

Sure, I've been to the lifts but I don't enjoy that part. When I say 100 feet per mile, I'm talking about the whole ride. From the bottom to the lifts and back is what,58-60 miles and 7000 feet? (GMR)
If you go straight up 39 to the 2 it's 5000 feet in 25 miles but if you stay on the 2 and make a loop it's 85 miles with about 8000 feet.

I won't even make 350k feet this year, which is a fantastic feeling-- my smallest climbing year yet. 425k last year, 406k before, and 461k the year before that. Climbing sucks.

I can't even imagine what it must be like to have the biggest elevation ride of the year be 906ft. My 2019 average was 1,229ft per ride, and I generally avoid going up hills.

Imagine living in Florida. Also, imagine living in Northern Michigan. Imagine working a demanding job. Imagine having health challenges.

Be grateful.

Continuing on from the eastern city limit of Estes Park, to the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park and up trail ridge road would be another whole ride in itself. I've never done it due to all of the traffic and no shoulders on most of the road. All the cars going up have to move over the center line to pass you. It can also be quite cold and too windy for safe riding. I once saw a fool at the top, getting ready to ride down to the west, with no extra clothing, with a nasty wind and temps in the upper 30's. The ride through the Big Thompson Canyon to Estes is also quite busy, but at least there are shoulders, except for a few short stretches. I still wouldn't ride it on a weekend.

I've ridden the 28 miles from Idaho Springs to the top of Mt. Evans, the highest paved road in the USA, 6 times. The average slope is about 4%, which isn't all that steep, but there are some fairly steep sections. I always ride it on a weekday. Even in the summer, the temp will be in the forties at the top. The record temp is only in the low 60's. I've had temps ranging from 36 to 48 at the top. I about froze on the way down, when it was 36.

My longest climb is a route I’ve done in Italy. I’ve done this route many times in the last 10 years, most recently in May of 2019. It's a climb from the sea to Cozzo Aurulo in Southern Italy. It provides 4055 ft of climbing in less than 17 miles (most of it in 12 miles).

https://www.strava.com/activities/2353956114


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I would be doing that on my lightweight mountain bike.

I actually use a Trek DualSport. It’s an inexpensive rigid 29er, as much a Hybrid as anything else. It has a 48,36 & 26 triple and a 11-34 cassette. I like the upright position, but it’s not as fast or efficient as some of my road bikes.

I’ve ridden Trail Ridge to the top from both ends several times. Once was in blinding sleet and snow. Another time the wind gusts at the top were 50 mph and blew you into oncoming traffic. It was the most scared I’ve ever been on a bike. I told my brother that I was done with Trail Ridge!!

6355 feet was my best day this year. Took 107 miles to get that, so no mega hills.

You could climb a cliff face with that low gearing. Sounds like a good choice.

An old riding buddy of mine has twice ridden from Fort Collins to the top of Trail Ridge Road and back again, in a single day. A long and brutal ride, and on some sketchy roads - winding, poor visibility, narrow shoulders, and many distracted tourists. An impressive feat.

DaveSSS , I've ridden the Mt Evans Hill Climb race a couple times -- in '07 and '08. Yeah, it's not really that steep, but it is relentless. Cool place to ride!