What is it about going uphill that roadies love so much?

Don’t think I’ve ever ridden up a hill that I haven’t ridden down the other side of.

As someone who drove a 550 km round trip just to ride Alpe d’Heuz I guess I must be one of ‘those’ people.

I guess it’s about pushing yourself, testing your physical limits. Remarkably, nobody passed me on the way up! Mind you I guess heading out early afternoon isn’t going to be the busiest of times… 😆

Coming back was brilliant fun too, overtaking streams of vans, RVs and cars. Dodging corner cutting bastards… 👿

I can’t understand these people who sit on static bikes or use running machines. But, hey ho, if that’s what gets the baby a new hat. Live. And let live I guess.

One day I left work and enjoyed riding from the sea to the summit of mt Wellington, basically about a 25km climb up 1200m.
Another day I was out in the mountains slogging my way through the pain of altitude when I found the chairlift was open. A very happy moment considering the valley floor was a little higher than I expected.

I would encorage anyone making ADH pilgrimage to continue over the top, theres another peak a few hundred metres higher and a slightly sketchy decent that will test your skills in a gravel road kind of way.

If you like riding bikes you might as well learn to love going uphill you’ll spend most of your time doing it.

The only thing that makes non technical uphill enjoyable is seeing others suffer more than me and maybe starting a conversation when they are incapable of speech. I may not be a very nice person

Still no takers for my downlift service then?

kayak, I did moot to my mates the idea of a mixed discipline race, where you race uphill on a road bike, then downhill on an MTB. DarksidEnduro(tm)?

kayak, I did moot to my mates the idea of a mixed discipline race, where you race uphill on a road bike, then downhill on an MTB. DarksidEnduro(tm)?

I like the sound of that. Unfortunately the fundamental flaw appears at the start of lap 2.

It’s all about the:
Pace, mash, breath, spin, sweat, mash, sting, mash, burn, breath, snot, breath, mash, kerrclunk, mash, spin, grun, snot, spin, mash, zip, zip, zip, ugh, mash, breath, grind, grind, grind, mash, spin,Pace, mash, breath, spin, sweat, mash, sting, mash, burn, breath, snot, breath, mash, kerrclunk, mash, spin, grun, snot, spin, mash, zip, zip, zip, ugh, mash, breath, grind, grind, grind, mash, spin,Pace, mash, breath, spin, sweat, mash, sting, mash, burn, breath, snot, breath, mash, kerrclunk, mash, spin, grun, snot, spin, mash, zip, zip, zip, ugh, mash, breath, grind, grind, grind, mash, spin,Pace, mash, breath, spin, sweat, mash, sting, mash, burn, breath, snot, breath, mash, kerrclunk, mash, spin, grun, snot, spin, mash, zip, zip, zip, ugh, mash, breath, grind, grind, grind, mash, spin,Pace, mash, breath, spin, sweat, mash, sting, mash, burn, breath, snot, breath, mash, kerrclunk, mash, spin, grun, snot, spin, mash, zip, zip, zip, ugh, mash, breath, grind, grind, grind, mash, spin.
Shite that was hard..
Wooohhheeeee.
Nailed it.

Looks like even pro roadies occasionally enjoy an uplift service 😉

kayak, I did moot to my mates the idea of a mixed discipline race, where you race uphill on a road bike, then downhill on an MTB. DarksidEnduro(tm)?

I would really like to do the Three Peaks CX race on a similar format:
Road bike for all the road bits
No bike at all for all the push/carry uphill bits
DH bike for the descents

Would also require a helicopter to sort out taking the DH bike to the summit, taking the road bike round to the next bit of road and so on… Minor logistical headache. 😉

Resurrecting this thread briefly having had cause to think about it during a short break riding somewhere with some nice long hill climbs.

Riding up a hill usually feels a bit easier than riding flat/rolling terrain (if you’re trying to do the same number of watts over a given time period.)

Also you’re usually sat a bit more upright (on the hoods or tops as opposed to the drops) and everything’s happening a lot slower so a bit more comfortable and able to enjoy the surroundings a bit more (with hilly terrain usually being a bit more picturesque too.)

Loving mikewsmiths uplift helmet, you just snap it on to the cables and away you go

Did a nice road ride the other night: 1000 metres of climbing in 30Km. Need to earn my tea 😀

I don’t actually hate riding uphill but I am fat shit at it and so I do hate riding up hills with others

lets face it – if your riding on a road there is precious little to get excited about full stop – its all relative I suppose

Yeah..that’s why its so unpopular.

lets face it – if your riding on a road there is precious little to get excited about full stop – its all relative I suppose

Depends where the road is and what it’s doing, I think, and who else your’e sharing it with.
I get to cycle around the Yorkshire dales/moors/hambleton hills, and I love it. I also hate it sometimes and wish I lived in east anglia.
I like not being in a hurry to get anywhere, and admiring the views, sounds and smells of the countryside.
I don’t like being in a hurry to get somewhere when I can’t be bothered, or being in traffic/busy roads with impatient drivers.
I prefer climbing on the road bike to MTB. I don’t know which I prefer riding.
Endorphins vs Adrenaline. Both are fun.

Bikes are awesome.

I have to say the most bizarre thing I saw was at the top of the climb a large number of roadies were getting INTO cars for the trip down rather than ride back down. That really had me confused.

Perhaps there is a business opportunity of a DH track that starts at the top of a road climb, you could have paying customers for both directions then

I can’t remember if it’s about the suffering or the sacrifice. Both are pretentious terms applied liberally to going for a bike ride on the road.

I do quite enjoy a road ride. Loved overtaking lots of posh carbon bikes at the weekend while on my rustic steel CX bike (it was a sportive).

I have to say the most bizarre thing I saw was at the top of the climb a large number of roadies were getting INTO cars for the trip down rather than ride back down

What about those rock climbers then? Deliberately climbing up the most difficult bits then walking back down. Weird 🙂