VegasJen

This is a hill I try to incorporate in most of my rides. This is just a three mile segment, but it continues on for a few more miles at a slightly reduced grade. Most of the rides I incorporate this hill are 18-30 miles long. Did this hill today as part of a 40 mile ride. Just brutal. There are points that hit 5%, and I definitely feel it, but the average is 2.4 (can't round to 2.5 or the Party Guy will jump in to correct me). There's more to this hill but this is the part where I tend to stand up and mash for a good workout.

CliffordK

I don't know about that Strava hill climb. I know there are some riders that are just leaner and stronger than me.

Another favorite segment of mine is moderately U-shaped. Mostly -1% to -2%, with a slight lead-in, and a slight incline at the end. I was surprised that it naturally pushes one to about 30MPH without trying too hard. I had thought it was flat until I looked at the speed.

The current KOM is at 80 MPH.

Ok, perhaps not on a bicycle. Especially since the speedster is heading straight down the freeway which goes parallel to the segment.

I've left it there so messages don't go out "XYZ has taken your KOM", just in case I can get up to the KOM. Yet, when one used to be able to analyze Strava rides, the person that is now at #3 (behind the likely legit cyclist) was using an older Garmin that took data points every 5 seconds, so the distance traveled between data points was the equivalent to about 5 seconds missing, making it awfully hard to catch.

It should be possible for Strava to filter out cars. Fist of all, they tend to have a more constant torque/speed, and take different routes than the bikes. As well as impossible speeds.

caloso

It’s usually pretty obvious when someone gets a KOM in a car. Usually it’s because they have driven to the ride, they load up their bike, and forget to shut off their computer or phone app. You’ll see rides where they spend an hour going 12mph, then there’s a break, and suddenly they’re going 45.

rsbob 

Hill-arious!! I definitely would invite you to my parties.

livedarklions

I don't know about anyone else, but for every 2 degrees above 90 Fahrenheit, the grade increases by 1.5%. I've measured this carefully by my super-secret patented methodology (very few lab animals are employed and the conditions are relatively humane).

Really, though, sweat in the face sure gets worse when the air flow isn't high.

Bald Paul

That can happen when you start out riding, and then find yourself in the back of an ambulance.

Don't ask how I know.

livedarklions

I don't need to. Don't ask me why.

Thomas15

I worked very hard to get my hill climbing skills up to par. For me locally I have a 7 mile loop that climbs 850 feet. One hill is .95 miles and average 6.6% grade. From my experience when on a difficult climb the second you start to think you are done you are done.

Having sad that i'm just getting over an extended illness and need to hit the flats.

livedarklions

I went through that last year, and the hills are definitely the last thing to come back. My only advice is to be patient with yourself.

I wish you good health and tail winds.

VegasJen

Did this ride today (map on top, elevation on bottom). Shorter than I thought, but I was actually pressed for time. I have my cursor on the slope of the third and steepest hill in the "Three Sisters" chain. According to the map, it's 16%. I have to get that right or Party Guy will come in and correct me. Anyway, it looks pretty much straight up on the map, and it looks pretty much straight up in real life. It is absolutely brutal. They shouldn't call them "Three Sisters", they should call them "Three Mothers", because damn! Anyway, good little ride to get the heart pumping and maybe the last ride I do in Vegas before fall. That's the bad thing about living in the desert, while everyone else is getting their bikes out, we're getting ready to put ours up.

Eds0123

Velominati Rule #6.1?

Clyde1820

Back in the day, doing distance running (and all the training that comes with that), we had a bluff nearby that formed the backbone of our hill work.

We could head along the 3mi-long MUP for our fast, flat speed work. At the start of a run or on the way back, we could head to the bluff and follow the steep inclines around it. It worked for our sprints and the hill work. Each incline was less than 200ft in length, and about a ~80-90ft climb. Steep. Would certainly get the heart pumping. At full tilt, a dozen of those inclines in the middle of a 6-9mi run could wipe the smile off even the most capable runner.

(Can't recall if we ever gave that thing a nickname. "Ball Peen" might have worked, on the lighter days. "Slegehammer," on the nastier days full of sprints and intervals. Oh, well.)

Intervals and hill training on that bluff became an integral part of our season prep and keeping our skills as sharp as they could be. Brief enough to be tolerable, but tough enough to be really difficult if we pushed it. Good stuff.

Clyde1820

"The Witches' Trio," perhaps.

Gotta love hills.

CheGiantForLife

I climbed up a 5% hill for about 2 mins.
Max grade hits 12%.

This is a perfect little interval challenge.
This weekend, I will ride back and forth on this hill, and try 8 reps.

spelger

what do you mean exactly? not familiar with Vegas weather but is it too cold in winter? i figured it would be warmer than in Reno and you can ride year round. truth be told i can ride year round but i don't like it cold.

VegasJen

No, it's too hot in summer. Everybody else is getting their bikes out and ready for "riding season". Our riding season may last eight months, but it's now getting too hot. Bikes will go up until probably September, except for the rare cold (relative term) front that moves through.

I'll ride today and tomorrow, and maybe a couple more times here in may, but then I probably won't get more than one or two rides a month until late September or early October.

spelger

oops. guess i had it backwards.

livedarklions

Reno doesn't get that hot? Honest question, it was pretty bloody hot the one time I was there.

spelger

by backwards i meant that i thought she stopped riding at the beginning of fall. because of that error i thought she meant it was too cold in winter to ride.

it does get hot here but not 120F like vegas. only 100+. (sure, *only*)

burnthesheep

Usually those only get caught by the KOM/QOM owner. It's very obvious when the HR is like 100 and the speed is what a world tour pro would max their HR out at. If they contest it, own them in the comments and tell them to meet the crew out at the hill so they can show off their amazing skills.

I feel like this is only partly true. Ignoring your physiology can land you with significantly sub-stellar cycling performances. In other words, treating your match book like an endless blank check book. But some folks do just "chicken out" also when it's time to chew bar tape and get on with it.

CheGiantForLife

Ok, I did the up/down hill on my road for 5 laps (10 total hills)

No flat. Either up 5% or down 5% grade the entire time.

Total ride was 30 mins. 5 miles total.

Was a good workout. Will do this again.