View Poll Results: Faced with a big climb, I generally...
Look forward to it!
52
40.94%
Dread it badly, but do it.
35
27.56%
Meh, neither love it or hate it.
37
29.13%
Avoid it entirely.
3
2.36%
Voters: 127. You may not vote on this poll
Climbing
04-25-18, 03:28 PM
#51
Life Is Good
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I'm a Clydesdale and enjoy seeking out climbs, and then with my weight it makes for a quick descent.
04-25-18, 06:20 PM
#52
Senior Member
It's necessary evil. For every hill you have to climb, you get the same number of hills to speed down.
04-25-18, 06:41 PM
#53
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Climbing
I posted to a previous thread, "Oh No! i just realized that i coast too much."
So todays ride, for some reason i realized i coast way too much. I have no logical reason why?...
i have no clue what my cadence is but assume its 60rpm so maybe i am running too high a gear and should shift down and spin faster and longer? i will have to wait for my garmin to figure out the cadence.
any opinions and tips to break this habit?
i have no clue what my cadence is but assume its 60rpm so maybe i am running too high a gear and should shift down and spin faster and longer? i will have to wait for my garmin to figure out the cadence.
any opinions and tips to break this habit?
Coasting is not allowed among those who believe rides should be "sufferfests"
Wait! What's the problem with coasting? I think of it as my reward for pedaling long and hard. Plus, it's fun. I never realized it could be a problem.....
I often think the same thing when I find myself coasting, and as also posted above, using a cadence meter is a good motivator to keep pedaling.
Furthermore if you track your average speed for a ride, pedaling downhill is an easy way to bump up the average.
As far as feeling "guilty" about coasting, I think to myself that I did have to pedal up the hill to be able to coast down, and maybe the respite is good for recovery.
A saying of Ronald Reagan from the 1980 presidential campaign strangely comes to mind as I coast. RR said, "I paid for this microphone, Mr. Breen."
I paid for this hill.
Furthermore if you track your average speed for a ride, pedaling downhill is an easy way to bump up the average.
As far as feeling "guilty" about coasting, I think to myself that I did have to pedal up the hill to be able to coast down, and maybe the respite is good for recovery.
A saying of Ronald Reagan from the 1980 presidential campaign strangely comes to mind as I coast. RR said, "I paid for this microphone, Mr. Breen."
I paid for this hill.
04-25-18, 06:57 PM
#54
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Your reward when riding in Florida is heading out into the wind for 50 miles then making the turn around to head back.....into the wind. Climbing a hill usually has the top to look forward to but riding the wind in Florida (and other States) many times has no top. There can also be a NO LET UP condition where crank rotation is continual and coasting very minimal.
04-25-18, 07:07 PM
#55
aka Tom Reingold
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I live in Manhattan which is mostly flat, so I am familiar with the downsides of wind! I ride to work almost every day. Almost every day, I have a headwind in the morning. The wind very often turns around at midday, so I usually have a headwind going home, too!
I descend like a teenager with no sense. On Saturday, I hit 42 mph! It's not something I can recommend, but I do enjoy it.
I descend like a teenager with no sense. On Saturday, I hit 42 mph! It's not something I can recommend, but I do enjoy it.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
04-26-18, 10:30 AM
#56
Senior Member
Your reward for climbing a hill is generally the opportunity to blast down the other side, whether coasting or not.
Your reward when riding in Florida is heading out into the wind for 50 miles then making the turn around to head back.....into the wind. Climbing a hill usually has the top to look forward to but riding the wind in Florida (and other States) many times has no top. There can also be a NO LET UP condition where crank rotation is continual and coasting very minimal.
Your reward when riding in Florida is heading out into the wind for 50 miles then making the turn around to head back.....into the wind. Climbing a hill usually has the top to look forward to but riding the wind in Florida (and other States) many times has no top. There can also be a NO LET UP condition where crank rotation is continual and coasting very minimal.
04-26-18, 11:38 AM
#58
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Really, if it's not blowing at 30+mph, on that machine it is a TAILWIND. It's slicker than snot.
04-26-18, 12:38 PM
#59
Full Member
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Can't say that I love long climbs but I just tackled a route that included a climb up Reddish Knob in Virginia this past Monday. This flatlander (Illinois) took on the mountain and actually made it up without having to stop! It was an amazing feeling to make it to the summit after 6 miles of climbing. I believe the maximum grade on that climb was 10.8%. Plenty of those miles were around 7-8%. The views were amazing from the top!
04-27-18, 06:13 AM
#61
- Soli Deo Gloria -
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If you live in North Georgia and don't like climbing then you don't like cycling.
04-27-18, 08:37 PM
#62
Farmer tan
I could see that. I did Haleakala a few years ago and after that long, hypoxic slog to the top, you're looking forward to the ride down. The problem is that you're exhausted, cold, and spend half the ride down dodging tourists on cruiser bikes who haven't been on a bike in years. I called my wife and had her meet me at the store.
/mauna-kea-bicycle-climb
This year I'll be in Maui, hope to try Haleakala.
04-27-18, 10:47 PM
#63
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I paid for the SAG including the ride down when I did Mauna Kea last year.
/mauna-kea-bicycle-climb
This year I'll be in Maui, hope to try Haleakala.
/mauna-kea-bicycle-climb
This year I'll be in Maui, hope to try Haleakala.
04-28-18, 03:44 AM
#64
velo-dilettante
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always depends on the ride. most of the time, i try to hit the biggest climb(s) in the first part of the ride.
longer rides of 80+ miles, an hc/cat 1/cat 2 climb at the end of a ride looms like the sword of damocles over your head
and is generally not the most pleasant prospect.
longer rides of 80+ miles, an hc/cat 1/cat 2 climb at the end of a ride looms like the sword of damocles over your head
and is generally not the most pleasant prospect.
04-28-18, 10:36 AM
#65
Senior Member
I like hills even though I'm not very good at climbing them. I just kind of settle in and concentrate on having enough reserve to get to the top. Being in London, I don't have many hills though .
