Forum menu
I love it when I'm out on the bike and I'm on an incline and I feel strong and I can power up the hill. You know when you go out on a ride and within a couple of minutes riding you know wether you're feeling strong or not. On my normal ride I usually cycle a very big hill soon after starting to warm up quick, this particular one is just 2 miles from my house. When I'm feeling strong I like to leave the bike in the big ring and smallest ring at the back and stand and power those pedals round. There's no better feeling when I'm coming to the brow of the hill and I start to speed up and 'YESSSSSSSS' carry on spanking it, as the incline turns to a flat, turns to a decline then it's Weeeeeee for about 2 miles. This is in comparison when I started biking about 3 years ago and would dread any hills that appeared or actively avoid them, not going out for much more than 3/5 miles. Now when I go out it is generally for a minimum of 20 miles and over the biggest hills I can find.
This normally lasts until you turn round back into the wind 😉
Lol @ Jonba Thats so true- all my fav rides have the prevailing wind in my face on the way back.
Got to my turn-around point the other day with a 18.5mph average on the clock (on mtb) but by the time I got home, I was all the way back to 15. Nothing worse than a killer headwind.
Can't be that very big a hill if you are going up it in the big ring!
But yeah I know what you mean, I can tell by the end of the road how well I'll riding, sometimes surprise myself when I don't feel that quick but on the clock I've done quite well.
...finish the ride and spend the rest of the day wanting to high-5 everyone i meet 🙂
@ tarquin - yeah, don't you ever do that. It may not always be the smallest on the back but going up hills in the big ring is a great way to get the heart pumping. It's also like a challenge when going up the steepest of hills, how long can you keep pumping in the big ring. For me when I stand up on the pedals the gears needs to be higher than it would be if I was sitting.
I'm "going-well" when I can get up Link Lane in one, using a respectable gear, and don't feel like stopping to throw up!
It's a good feeling for sure. Gives me confidence on those days I feel crap.
For me when I stand up on the pedals the gears needs to be higher than it would be if I was sitting
+1 I always change up before standing.
I can tell I'm having a good day when my leg's feel "bottomless"
i.e. every time I need to push harder - they just respond and I'm left feeling like I have a bottomless pot of strength 😯