Jughed

Winter?? How do you keep fit for climbing when your area is pancake flat all year round!!

Intervals and efforts at your climbing power levels. If I have a one hour climb that will take 200+ for the hour, I do a flat ride or trainer ride at 200+w using lower cadence.

FTP and VO2 intervals help immensely.

Zwift has all sorts of climbs to practice on. The effort is realistic minus the environmental aspects and altitude… to make up for altitude or wind, I ride the virtual climbs harder.

Trakhak

I guess any area that's pan flat is pan flat all year round.

Seriously, though, I used to wonder why so many pro cyclists from the Netherlands were known to be great climbers in the '80's (e.g., the mostly Dutch Panasonic-Raleigh team). Training and racing under very windy conditions, maybe?

eduskator

Climb l'alpe d'Huez everyday on Zwift. Problem solved.

Bald Paul

Where's my wheelchair?

Garthr

Does riding rollers on an incline count ? IDK .... I never thought of trying it, but I'd need to go out in my driveway to do it and it's too damm cold for that ! But really, the rollers I have are the Sportcrafters ones licensed to Feedback Sports, with progressive resistance. I like them more than I ever did Krietler Challengers. Of course I can't change the pitch but riding in larger gear certainly burns like it, so it's good enough for indoors as this is better than not riding at all.

terrymorse 

Can you elaborate on that? What was lacking when you got back on the road?

I did the Mt Evans climb yesterday on Rouvy:



Even though I rode it at an endurance pace (2.54 W/kg), and at a fairly high cadence (84), my quads are a bit sore this morning, suggesting my legs got a decent workout.

rsbob 

Did old La Honda Road 2 weeks ago. Have done the Alpe de Zwift and the volcano climb up to the radio tower. There is also one in Britain which goes and goes, but can[t recall the name.

genejockey 

Well, for me, the climbs seem a lot like IRL. The one limiting factor is that, at my weight, my trainer can't really simulate much over 10%, so when the gradient gets steeper than that, it all feels the same but my speed in game - say on the Radio Tower climb - gets close to what would be "falling over speed" IRL. There's one really steep pitch on OLH (that one right turn - if you've ridden it, you'll know it!) which I think may be as high as 20%, but apart from that it's all much the same as real life.

6thElement

I don't Zwift, but do you have it set to 100% realistic for the climbs?

Rouvy is definitely tough going on the steep stuff, over 10% I'm standing and grinding away with my 28T rear cog.

genejockey 

Yes. It's the trainer. It's rated to mimic up to a 12% gradient, but that's really just a measure of how much resistance it's capable of maintaining, which is also a function of how much the rider weighs. So if you're a small, skinny guy it can probably accurately mimic >12%, whereas if you're >200#, it'll be substantially less.

Jughed

I don't use 100%. My trainer (Zwift classic), the standard cassette and my weight @ 182# - I have issues with steep grades and low cadence. Grades over 12% and the trainer isn't smooth. And in general, I think the power reading is off, way off.

I did Ventoux at 100%. Struggled to keep basic Z2 power levels (200w+/-). I was flat at my limits the entire way up, but the trainer read 200w+/- and program matched the speed. But my heart rate was thru the roof - Z4+ levels, as was my breathing. I know I was in the 240-250++ range the entire way up.

I did a full gas effort up Col de Aspin with the trainer set at 85% - started at lower power, 200w, and increased power at every segment. I kept my cadence lower to simulate my climbing cadence. This seemed to match my real life power vs effort feel. Z4 felt like real life Z4, and VO2 felt like VO2 levels.

The Alpe - same as Aspin. 85%, increased my effort the entire way up and sprinted at the end.

At the top of Ventoux I could barely pedal let alone sprint with any power - nor could I walk when I got off the bike.

I keep meaning to check it vs my power meter pedals... I just need to get them installed on the trainer bike.

eduskator

Do l'Alpe d'Huez (de Zwift) on Zwift every day. You'll stay in shape. Best 1h30 you'll ever invest in your life!

terrymorse 

I've done AdZ a few times, but it always ends up feeling like a grind.

I started trying the bigger Rouvy climbs, and I'm liking them a lot more. I've done Cortina and Mt. Evans so far. Very realistic feeling, which makes it feel like you're actually climbing instead of playing a game. Rouvy has several famous climbs to choose from, including real l'Alpe d'Huez.

One downside to Rouvy -- it makes me want to travel to those places.

MoAlpha

Someone may correct me, but I think the % realism control on Rouvy just dials back the resistance delivered for a given grad, whereas on Zwift it functions in a way analogous to reducing the gear ratio, i.e., you do the same amount of work and it's just way of adjusting for different gearings. If this were not true for Zwift, competition wouldn't work. Rouvy won't score you for a route if you're not dialed to 100%.

spelger

using rouvy too, what i like about it is the real videos. nice to see places i'll probably never go to. what i don't like is the lack of users. not sure what their user base is but with so many routes to choose from it is understandable that there would be so few riders. that is something i did like about zwift.

i also think they do the best job at the grade profile. similar to zwift but more accurate i think. and *way* better than fulgaz.

genejockey 

Not sure about Rouvy, but you're correct about Zwift - it can make it FEEL LIKE less gradient, but your speed in game is still a function of your mass, your power output, and the unadjusted gradient. HOWEVER, Zwift apparently added a wrinkle for their Climb Portal climbs, which changes the virtual gradient itself, by one of several preset factors, including 125% if you're a REAL masochist.

choddo

I’ll have to try Rouvy. The way I learned to deal with AdZ was to do training sessions on it. Kept it more dynamic and less of a grind. Usually don’t make it to the top in an hour workout because it’s not threshold the whole way but it felt like you were putting in the metres for a reason.

choddo

Leith Hill. The real one is pretty close to my house. It’s a decent simulation. Box Hill is more accurate. Neither are nearly as close to central London as Zwift suggests :-) but they are close to each other, separated by a fantastic descent that looks like somewhere Hobbits might live.

rsbob 

Box Hill is an ass kicker. Don’t recall if it’s Box or Leith which is just a monotonous up with not just scenery change. Visited your fair country for a couple of weeks in September - stunning countryside.

choddo

:-)

Leith if you take the route up that Zwift emulates (there are 8, we do an Octopus each year that does all of them) - Box is the switchback one with the good views, especially towards the south once past the cafe area at the top.

eduskator

That's the beauty of it. Life IS a grind. And it's by doings things you hate to do and by going through tough times that greatness is achieved

Koyote

Does Rouvy make the air thinner in your basement (or wherever you keep your trainer) to simulate the Mt Evans climb?

genejockey 

"Life IS pain, Highness. Anyone who tells you different is trying to sell you something."



















'

terrymorse 

Leith Hill is one of the hills in the Surrey Hills Route:



I did that the other day. Quite fun, even though I prefer longer climbs. You're always climbing or descending -- what's not to like? I guess the real Surrey is farther from London than in the game. Whatever.

Worthless trivia: My mom's family is supposed to be from Surrey, having taken the boat to North America (by way of Holland) during the 1630s.

I've never been to Surrey, but I kind of like the Zwift route.

genejockey 

Leith Hill is also part of the Greatest London Loop route, which is generally about the length/time I like doing on a weekday after work. I don't like doing more than one climb a day, though, unless it's Sunday.