Originally Posted by
rubiksoval
It doesn't matter if you climb a lot or don't climb a lot; what matters (the most) is how much power you can put out and how much you weigh. Put out more power, go faster. Loose weight, go faster.
Simply riding up a hill doesn't mean anything if you're not improving your ability to put out more watts.
I can ride up most hills where I live at 220 watts or so with a 28 on the rear. Continually doing so won't make me stronger and able to go faster, though.
I can attest to the more power/less weight scenario. 3 years ago I increased my FTP over the winter by about 30 watts through The Sufferfest and Zwift on the trainer, and lost 30 pounds in the process. When I went outside in the spring all of the hills had disappeared. Seriously, all the small hills and climbs that we have in NYC, and it truly isn't a lot, felt like little bumps in the road to me. I was able to climb the small hill in Prospect Park without slowing down. On the bridges across the East River the other riders just got in the way, even when riding on my commuter bike. I just felt like Superman. Well, that was 3 years ago. Due to family issues I didn't get to ride nearly as much indoors the next winter and lost some of the watts and put a few pounds back on. And I feel it every time I think I can just blast up that hill in Prospect Park, but can't.
