Hills

They are the bane of every new rider. Although Arizona is flat in many, many places, there are still areas where hills jut out of the sides of mountains, taunting many and even tempting some. When I first started riding, I didn’t know the elevations or even the paths of most of the rides I went on. The unknown was my worst enemy because what could be awaiting us at the turn of any road played with my mind. I would start fretting the potential hill before I even knew if there was one. Once I decided I would not fret these hills, once I knew the routes we were riding on and was not surprised by hills and once I realized each hill I climbed made me stronger and built my stamina, I not only stopped hating hills, I learned to embrace them.

One of the most common mistakes new riders make is starting a hill in the wrong gear. If you begin a hill while on the small ring in the front, regardless if you have a two-ring or three-ring bike, and are already in the largest gear in the back, you are essentially beginning your work with an empty toolbox. When approaching a hill of some significance, it makes sense to get into the hardest gear you can tolerate while maintaining a decent cadence. This way, as you begin the ascent, you have some gears to help you as you make the climb. You can avoid the strenuous mashing and panic.

Also, take notice where you are positioned on your seat when you begin climbing. You may have slid all the way to the front of your seat. There’s nothing wrong with riding from that position, but it makes your calves do most of the work. A tip that helps give leverage to the work your legs are doing is to push your bottom as far back on the seat as you can comfortably go. This leverage will help the large muscles in your thighs do more of the work.

Standing, while climbing, is a great way to get up the hill. As a beginner though, depending on the strength of your legs, one should start rising from the seat for short intervals at first. Try to set a goal by starting to stand at one point, committing to remaining standing until reaching a certain landmark such as a telephone pole before sitting. It took me months before I had the strength to stand for any length of time. The first time I managed to stand for the length of short, but steep hill. I remember awakening to what felt like someone had tied bags of cement around my thighs while I was sleeping. Luckily, that didn’t last very long and it reminds me of the old advice for ridding oneself from hangovers: taking some hair of the dog that bit you. In other words, the best solution for that weighty stiffness is, what else, but a ride! Yes, believe it or not, a short ride is the best remedy for the stiffness that comes from using muscles that have been on hiatus.