I have a question for the fitness expert types on here. I’ve just returned from fabulous a week in the Brecons. We went up into the hills every day. We even rode The Gap one day - my arms are still recovering and I need more suspension LOL! Wales is Wonderful! However, every time we returned from a day out on the trails, we’d ride back along to Crickhowell and then face a final short (but unbelievably steep) road climb back to our digs. My buddy has legs like pistons and always rode the whole thing. I found, try as I might, I could only ride about a third to a half, then I’d just have to push. Once off the bike, I felt strong and I could push along at about the pace I’d just been riding (the slowest imaginable). I always found if I got back on the bike again I’d tire out and again almost immediately. What’s going on here? Tim (a knackered old dude)
I always think that the most important thing about climbing is to ride at your own pace. If you were trying to keep up with tim on the start of the climb then that could have been undoing you later.
I always find any unrideable off road climbs can cause me to cramp, i guess it is the different muscular action and may be why you felt dead when you climbed back on.
Don't worry eskay, I started SLOW! I guess you're right about the different muscles though. Walking, I felt I could carry on for miles but after 35 miles of riding, I guess my cycling muscles had just had enough.
It's your fitness level. Get fitter, more miles lose some weight.
Immortal advice from the Q&A section at the end of the XC/Fitness chapter in Brian Lopes/Lee McCormack's bike skills book.
Q. I feel tired & weak.
A. You ARE tired & weak. Train more.
Not sure if you do any road riding or not, I do a little, and since there are lost of short and fairly steep climbs around where I live i'll session a road climb a few times when I come across one, just as i'll session a steep technical off road climb. Over the summer my fittness and climbing has definitely got better and i'm nipping at the heals of the better climbers in my group - still a long way to go, but at least I feel i'm making progress.
AFAIK and in layman's terms.Your muscles were tired from over exertion 🙂
If you had done more of the ride in a lower gear then the fatigue/damage to them would have been less and muscle recovery is quicker so you would have been able to ride for longer,theoretically at leastand provided you had the cardio fitness.Obviously if you did do the ride in as low a gears as possible then you need to get fitter as stated above.
PS I am not a qualified fitness coach.
You will be surprised at how much better you are at mountain biking when your really fit. Road will help a lot, as will intervals, turbo, hill work and gym. Throw in a couple MTB sessions a week to keep skills up
If the road is free of traffic you could zig zag on the tough parts, right across the road and back again, it really makes it much easier. OR just stop somewhere you can put your foot down without getting off the bike, take a breather for 10 secs or whatever you like, have a drink and go again. don't walk!!! unless you've grown a vagina!
^^ oi! Cheeky! ^^
I have MTFU written on my frame, near the stem. That helps!
For some reason I can hold my own in our group doing off road rocky climbs, but I'm awful at hills on the road, they always feel like a slog on my MTB!