Hill repeats

[jesusbuiltmycar]

I am planning to try some hill repeats tonight on a Cat4 hill ( linky Average 8% for just over 1Km). Is there a specific training plan I should follow or is it a case of:

• Ride up the hill as hard/fast as I can using the gear(s) of my choice
• Coast back down and recover
• Turn around and repeat, using the same gears, until I feel like I am going to die
• MTFU and try again
• Accept that the hill has won, and then go home

[anonymous-user]

I'm no mountain goat but i'll offer the following;
- try to maintain a steady cadence and use the gears to help you do so
- try not to rock your shoulders, keep them steady and straight and let your core muscles do some of the work. You will know when you have it right as your abs will be screaming.
- alternate between standing and sitting, when I stand, technique goes out of the window so I prefer sitting unless I really have to get out of the saddle.
- release your brake blocks from the rim using the pivot on the caliper if you think you might twist such that your brake blocks rub the wheels.

[TwistingMyMelon]

Pretty much yeah!

Just realised you live down the road from me (I'm in Wroughton)

I prefer to pack in as many hills as poss, rather than use the same one over and over, I usually ride up the four steep hills round Wroughton (steepest is 17%) then ride out to Barbury castle and do the climb up to there. If I'm still going, I head over to Aldbourne and ride up Snap hill, then Ramsbury

[whatleytom]

Ah that's local to me too, I live in badbury. Some great hills round here, as mentioned Snap hill is a bit of a killer. Hatchet hill in wanborough is good as well as it seems like a longer ascent than most around the area.

[jesusbuiltmycar]

TwistingMyMelon said:

Pretty much yeah!

Just realised you live down the road from me (I'm in Wroughton)

I prefer to pack in as many hills as poss, rather than use the same one over and over, I usually ride up the four steep hills round Wroughton (steepest is 17%) then ride out to Barbury castle and do the climb up to there. If I'm still going, I head over to Aldbourne and ride up Snap hill, then Ramsbury

I am actually based in Bournemouth, but I work in Swindon 2 days week so bring the bike up for some hill training.

The hills in the area I have ridden are

• Horn's Ln Climb,
• Hay Lane,
• Hackpen Hill
• Red Barn Climb

Where is snap hill?

Any other's you would recommend?

[whatleytom]

Guessing you work for Nationwide? I do, would be happy to show some of the other hills if you ride after work at all. Snap hill is slightly further from Wroughton and is the climb from Ogbourne over to Albourne. It's a good route going the other way too as its a constant 3% or so for about 2.5 miles.

[itsnotarace]

As another local you can also try Ham Road from Wanborough, very seldom used road. It brings you out near the M4 bridge near Foxhill

http://goo.gl/maps/mMtPe

Dragons Hill Road just round the corner

http://goo.gl/maps/mp233

Blowingstone Hill a bit further along the escarpment

http://goo.gl/maps/DvmzH

Chain Hill out of Wantage is another long drag with some steep sections

http://app.strava.com/segments/948291

This one is quite nice out of Aldbourne, you can hook a right at the end and descend back down into Whittonditch, then go back up the next road along, and keep doing that into Chilton Foliat

http://goo.gl/maps/ugpPn

Edited by itsnotarace on Tuesday 27th August 13:18

[TwistingMyMelon]

itsnotarace said:

As another local you can also try Ham Road from Wanborough, very seldom used road. It brings you out near the M4 bridge near Foxhill

http://goo.gl/maps/mMtPe

Dragons Hill Road just round the corner

http://goo.gl/maps/mp233

Blowingstone Hill a bit further along the escarpment

http://goo.gl/maps/DvmzH

Chain Hill out of Wantage is another long drag with some steep sections

http://app.strava.com/segments/948291

This one is quite nice out of Aldbourne, you can hook a right at the end and descend back down into Whittonditch, then go back up the next road along, and keep doing that into Chilton Foliat

http://goo.gl/maps/ugpPn

Edited by itsnotarace on Tuesday 27th August 13:18

Have you ever done the A338 out of Wantage to the M4? Drove it the other day and it went on forever , with some steep parts.

Itsnot has pointed out some gud uns' the steepest I have found are Snap Hill (as mentiioned) http://binged.it/145yjFJ , my office is about a mile away so pass the bottom most days

Also the tarmaced hill up to Barbury Castle http://binged.it/145yD7n, about 10 minutes from Wroughton

Barbury is a dead end for road bikes, but nice and steep

[IroningMan]

jesusbuiltmycar said:

I am planning to try some hill repeats tonight on a Cat4 hill ( linky Average 8% for just over 1Km). Is there a specific training plan I should follow or is it a case of:

• Ride up the hill as hard/fast as I can using the gear(s) of my choice
• Coast back down and recover
• Turn around and repeat, using the same gears, until I feel like I am going to die
• MTFU and try again
• Accept that the hill has won, and then go home

Depends what you want to achieve, but I'd rein it in to 85-90% effort for back-to-back intervals with limited recovery.

[jesusbuiltmycar]

whatleytom said:

Guessing you work for Nationwide? I do, would be happy to show some of the other hills if you ride after work at all. Snap hill is slightly further from Wroughton and is the climb from Ogbourne over to Albourne. It's a good route going the other way too as its a constant 3% or so for about 2.5 miles.

I work for Cisco (formerly Ubiquisys) in the Stella Building, next door to Nationwide...

Thanks for more hill suggestions, I will stick with repeats tonight and explore some of them next week...

[itsnotarace]

TwistingMyMelon said:

Have you ever done the A338 out of Wantage to the M4? Drove it the other day and it went on forever , with some steep parts.

Have done parts of it (from top of Court Hill to Shefford Woodlands). Our clubruns sometimes use the Ridgeway centre at the top of Court Hill for coffee/cake so we normally go up that one instead, plus there's less traffic via Letcombe Regis

http://app.strava.com/segments/616103

Anyway, there's a surplus of really nice hills in the area so here's a more definitive list for you all to explore

Hatchet hill/White hill
Bishopstone hill
Idstone hill - pretty hairy descent though as the surface sucks
Asbury hill
Knighton hill
West White Horse hill
Blowingstone hill - probably the most difficult
Sparsholt hill
Hackpen hill/Syncombe hill - people seem to have different names for this hill
Gramp's hill - this road is pretty unkempt but it's one of the biggest hills around here in terms of elevation gain
Smith's hill - branches off from Gramp's hill and again is pretty big in its entirety
Warborough Rd hill
Court hill
Manor Hill
Chain hill

[Pulse]

whatleytom said:

Guessing you work for Nationwide? I do, would be happy to show some of the other hills if you ride after work at all. Snap hill is slightly further from Wroughton and is the climb from Ogbourne over to Albourne. It's a good route going the other way too as its a constant 3% or so for about 2.5 miles.

Started following you the other day on Strava, purely out of coincidence (seeing you were in Swindon - thought I'd pick up some routes). I'm soon to be working for Nationwide too and plan to cycle to work!

Small world!

[tuffer]

The hill out of Ramsbury heading for Froxfield.........ooooooofffffff!

[Jimbo.]

tuffer said:

The hill out of Ramsbury heading for Froxfield.........ooooooofffffff!

A friend sprang that on me not long ago as a nice "surprise". Ouch,

[Pulse]

I find ALL hills a bit 'ouch' right now, but I'm getting there! Far nicer if you get to go down the other side!

[jesusbuiltmycar]

Managed 5 repeats of Horn'S Ln Climb out of Broad Town. I equaled my best Strava Time and didn't feel too bad when I finished!

[TwistingMyMelon]

tuffer said:

The hill out of Ramsbury heading for Froxfield.........ooooooofffffff!

Yeah that is a cracker, at least it is short! It rises at first like a roller-coaster and then when you hit the corner it gets steeper!

Headed up out of Wroughton yesterday to Uffington White horse and back @ 8ish, thats a cracker of a ride , pretty flat with a few short hills, then a nice climb to the White Horse with great views at the top. Saw another guy come up behind me just before a climb and thought it was the OP!

Wish I took my bike down to Cornwall, there were some crackers around Falmouth & Truro , I want to cycle over to the Roseland there next month, the ferry is free for bikes and I found a 33% (the steepest you can get in this country???) in St Mawes, along with other steep climbs across the peninsula

[tuffer]

TwistingMyMelon said:

Yeah that is a cracker, at least it is short! It rises at first like a roller-coaster and then when you hit the corner it gets steeper!

Headed up out of Wroughton yesterday to Uffington White horse and back @ 8ish, thats a cracker of a ride , pretty flat with a few short hills, then a nice climb to the White Horse with great views at the top. Saw another guy come up behind me just before a climb and thought it was the OP!

Wish I took my bike down to Cornwall, there were some crackers around Falmouth & Truro , I want to cycle over to the Roseland there next month, the ferry is free for bikes and I found a 33% (the steepest you can get in this country???) in St Mawes, along with other steep climbs across the peninsula

I used to live in Cornwall, there is no way I am taking my bike down there....

[jesusbuiltmycar]

tuffer said:

TwistingMyMelon said:

Yeah that is a cracker, at least it is short! It rises at first like a roller-coaster and then when you hit the corner it gets steeper!

Headed up out of Wroughton yesterday to Uffington White horse and back @ 8ish, thats a cracker of a ride , pretty flat with a few short hills, then a nice climb to the White Horse with great views at the top. Saw another guy come up behind me just before a climb and thought it was the OP!

Wish I took my bike down to Cornwall, there were some crackers around Falmouth & Truro , I want to cycle over to the Roseland there next month, the ferry is free for bikes and I found a 33% (the steepest you can get in this country???) in St Mawes, along with other steep climbs across the peninsula

I used to live in Cornwall, there is no way I am taking my bike down there....

33% Apart from the sufferfest, I'd imagine it is a challenge just to keep the front wheel on the ground!

I've ridden up a hill that was 25% (Blissford hill near Fordingbridge) but it was short so not too bad. Apart from that I have ridden some longer hills with ramps up to 20%!

[WinstonWolf]

pablo said:

I'm no mountain goat but i'll offer the following;
- try not to rock your shoulders, keep them steady and straight and let your core muscles do some of the work. You will know when you have it right as your abs will be screaming.

Good advice that, I tried it and it definitely helped. Even on the flat when I kept my torso locked and pressed on