Hill training with no hills!!

[DaLoCo]

Background. I live in Richardsbay, where a 40km training ridewith all the hills available included is worth about 250m vertical. Our only significant hil is 9%, but is about 100m in total. The highest elevation in the whole route is 40m, and the lowest is 3m above sea level. Any lower and I would need a submabicyclerine.

 

So, about three months ago I hit fast forward on my training, knowing that I am riding the Tour Durban. I do the hills available twice, sometimes three times on one training ride. I go long distance, do 36km every morning and long rides with the fast guys on Saturdays.

 

Come Tour Durban.....yep, you guessed it, the first hill floors me, and then it get progressively worse. By the time I get down to the M4 where it is relatively flat I cannot even manage to maintain 23 km/h (full average was 22.6 km/h)

 

I did all the hills spinning. Up the M7 I spent a lot of time in granny gear as I knew I was in trouble. There was just no strength. I used Gels, drank a lot of water.

 

At no time did I feel like my fitness was giving in, no nausea or headaches or massive shortness of breath. My heartrate only went to max on the first hill (2.3km) and then stayed in zone 4 for the rest. I finished the race and was fairly relaxed and unperturbed, I just did not have strength.

 

How am I going to train for hills when I have no hills?

[_Daemon_]

Sounds like a IDT with resistance turned up and perhaps the front wheel lifted to get into more the climbing position will work for you.

[kennyg]

I lived in Germany in a place where the highest elevation was 10m, and the only way climbing was possible was IDT. High resistance....

 

A spinning class... set for power was another big help. Since power is what gets you up the hill, its very easy, force by velocity is the quick and dirty. So you seem to have the cadence, just need to add resistance and keep the cadence.

 

However, each person will have an optimal performance point, where the cadence and force on the pedal balances out, for speed and comfort.

[DaLoCo]

Deamon and KennyG, your suggestions are along the lines of what I have been thinking.....thanks. I am wanting to supplement my normal training, as I still need to get out on the road.......

[Gman1834]

I always wondered if you strap a parachute to your back on a flat road if it will help with power training.

 

 

 

You can also fill your tires with water to add mass, it will make you strong for the acceleration efforts.

 

A spinning bike is probably your best option, set the resistance high and maintain a cadence of 70rpm

 

 

[owen62]

Try using a big gear into the wind so that your maximum cadence that you can pedal is about 65 rpm - it will have the same benefits and effect as climbing a hill

[DaLoCo]

I always wondered if you strap a parachute to your back on a flat road if it will help with power training.



You can also fill your tires with water to add mass' date=' it will make you strong for the acceleration efforts.

A spinning bike is probably your best option, set the resistance high and maintain a cadence of 70rpm

[/quote']

 

Did you see the dud at the Argus in the superman outfit. That cape was a solid parachute, as he had to sit on the end to stop it getting into the back wheel

[DaLoCo]

Thanks Owen62....was also in the back of my mind. I will definitely start churning bigger gears during my morning rides. I do think the IDT route will be an excellent supplement, as I would be less "inclined" to "cheat"

[Bos]

Did you rest properly for this race?? Im no Training god but have read some books and do lots of it my self

 

It sounds to me like you were not properly rested. If one does a little "taper" the last week before a race you should have the reserves full and the legs shouldnt do what yours did. Just a thought and not taking away from whats been said. Tempo training and the Indoor resistance thing should work. I guess I really have no Idea what riding in flat areas do to you as Even our driveway back in knysna was a bigger climp then what you described

 

Good luck

 

PS. Have you thought of Mountainbiking? Is there perhaps bigger climbs offroad? I cant remember it being that flat when I was there last time..

[DaLoCo]

Did you rest properly for this race?? Im no Training god but have read some books and do lots of it my self

 

It sounds to me like you were not properly rested. If one does a little "taper" the last week before a race you should have the reserves full and the legs shouldnt do what yours did. Just a thought and not taking away from whats been said. Tempo training and the Indoor resistance thing should work. I guess I really have no Idea what riding in flat areas do to you as Even our driveway back in knysna was a bigger climp then what you described

 

Good luck

 

PS. Have you thought of Mountainbiking? Is there perhaps bigger climbs offroad? I cant remember it being that flat when I was there last time..

 

I did taper off in the last week, went for some leisure rides to keep everything spinning. On SAturday morning we rode from La Lucia down to the beachfront and rode the flat al the way to Ushaka and back, about 32 km. I never pushed or got sucked into the little petty dices happening because I knew I had to conserve. It is just simply no power in the legs.....Yet!!!

 

I must add that I started cycling 6 months ago after about 18 years of inactivity......so no muscle memory to speak of at all

[Bos]

so scrap that idea...Good luck mate.. any Thoughts on the mtb ?

[DaLoCo]

I had a mountain bike.....untill my dad came and took it away, muttering something about me having all the fun. He now cycles around the block every day.......at 68 y.o. Crazy old fart It was a mission to get him to buy a helmet....but he did, and gloves. He flatly refuses the shorts though.

 

Ps. he is bigger than me, so I cannot use force to get my bike back

[DaLoCo]

In seriousnes though, I know a mountainbike will help with muscle building. Mine was only used on the road, and that helped me with cadence, seeing as I had to pedal so much faster to keep up.

[PhilipV]

Make like the rugby players, train by dragging tyres behind with a rope tied around your waist. Go borrow the MTB again and do this on a long field, or the beach.

But seriously, your best bet would be the IDT and lots of windy rides. And train in harder gears than you would race in.

 

[SwissVan]

 

Lucky you, sometimes I wish I had an abundance of flat roads...

 

As Owen62 said earlier use a bigger gear with a lower cadence. Just be carefull as to much to soon of this type of training can hurt your knee's. You need to build up the muscles involved gradualy.

 

Typicaly you could start off with 3 repeats x 5 minutes @ 70 - 80rpm with 5 minutes easy spinning between each rep during one of your rides once a week.

 

After a month or so and if you find it getting easier increase the reps to 10 minutes each (with 10 minutes easy spinning in between), aim to slowly build up to reps of 15 - 20 minutes over the next few months.

 

Or you could try riding on the beachsand....

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DaLoCo]

 

Lucky you' date=' sometimes I wish I had an abundance of flat roads...

 

As Owen62 said earlier use a bigger gear with a lower cadence. Just be carefull as to much to soon of this type of training can hurt your knee's. You need to build up the muscles involved gradualy.

 

Typicaly you could start off with 3 repeats x 5 minutes @ 70 - 80rpm with 5 minutes easy spinning between each rep during one of your rides once a week.

 

After a month or so and if you find it getting easier increase the reps to 10 minutes each (with 10 minutes easy spinning in between), aim to slowly build up to reps of 15 - 20 minutes over the next few months.

 

Or you could try riding on the beachsand....

 

 

 

 

 

 

[/quote']

 

Hmmm...beachsand will not be good, our is full of tgitanium and all such beautiful abrasives

 

During the intervals, should I use my heart rate as an indicator of how hard I am working, or should I just put the hammer down? I suspect for five minute reps the heart rate should not be an issue, and it is a training ride. As stated before, my fitness level is quite good.