Home› General Training Discussions

Keeping watts down on hills

Mark StovallMark Stovall
in General Training Discussions

I rode the full IMLOU course last weekend.  I was easily able to ride the prescribed watts the first 8 miles as it is nice and flat.  The hills were a different story and I am curious as to the experience of others on this point.  I was going up some of the steeper, longer hills as slow as slow could be yet I was holding watts that were above my ftp.  My ftp is 224 and I ride with a compact crank and a 12-27 in the back.  I realize that hills will drive up my watts but is it unusual to be at or above ftp like that?  I didn't know if that was a function of my size or if everyone had that kind of variance.  My goal watts for the IM are 152 but the hills were consistently in the 230-240 range.  At the end of the day there is only so much I can do as I have found staying upright on the bike is more advantageous than falling over.  Maybe I can go even slower but not much I fear.

Comments

  • steveperxsteveperx

    Mark:



    On short, steep hills, I have the same problem. There are only 3 solutions. 1: Get lighter and/or stronger, 2: change your gearing, or 3: Do the best you can. Since #1 is a process that requires time, that may be somewhat difficult to implement immediately. #2 can be difficult because for anything bigger than a 28-tooth cog, you'll need a new derailleur. Even if you can implement #1 (at least to an extent) and #2, that may not be enough, so you have to deal with #3.



    My suggestion would be to really practice carrying your speed from one downhill into the next uphill to minimize the time you need to up the effort. As Coach Rich says, "At the end of the day, you gotta get up the hill. Just keep your watts as low as possible."

  • Coach RichCoach Rich

    Mark,

    Not the first time we've heard this . Getting up a hill is ultimately a function of your w/kg and the absolute watts your produce. All of us, at some % grade of hill, are forced to go above (sometimes way above) what we want to hold or even our FTP. The lighter you are and/or the stronger you are the higher the % grade you can ride before experience these "oh shit" moments, which is when our w/kg bumps against the % grade and our need to actually get up the hill by any means possible. We manipulate the gears we put on the bike so that when the oh shit moment happens, at least we are at a higher cadence. Oh shit is still gonna happen and the watts will probably be the same, but you'll be at 75-80rpm vs 45-50rpm if you had not investigated gearing.

    Short answer is that it is what it is, you improve the situation by becoming strong and/or lighter, and you do the best you can to help the situation by putting as many gears as you can on your bike.

    So, again, three components:

    1. Get stronger
    2. Get lighter
    3. Know thy gearing

    The good part is that the non-EN athlete:

    1. Focuses on getting stronger but they do it by going longer, which usually helps you go longer, not get any strong. The hill doesn't care about how many 6hrs rides you did...all it cares about is how much raw power -- FTP --- you bring the fight
    2. Get lighter -- likely doesn't have tools and methods presented to them in the organized manner that we use in the Wiki and the nutrition forum.
    3. Has no friggin' clue. Now that you know it and are looking for it, you will be astounded by the atrocious gearing choices people make on race day -- either the gears they put on their bike (guarantee you'll see lots of 21's and 23's out there, from FOP, MOP and BOP peeps) or the gears they don't friggin' use when climbing. As a confidence boosting exercise, I like to look at cassettes and gearing choices on a hill, as another validation of the smart choices I've made on race day.
  • Gordon CherwoniakGordon Cherwoniak

    Mark,

    I can't add much other than I'm in the same boat as you.  My FTP is 241 but as you know from the Wednesday weigh in you are ahead of me in the weight category.  I have not been able to get out to Penticton to ride the IMC course but I'm sure I will be going over the recommended wattage several times.  I just hope my gearing is sufficient for the long climbs that that I am not completely fried.

    I also ride a compact with 12-27.  I'm not sure what options there are available up front 50-34 is standard is 33 or 32 a possibiliy?  This also may cause some shifiting issues.  You could also inquire about going to a triple up front. 

    For me I'm just going to focus on the weight over the next 3-4 weeks and tackle the bike course with the compact 12-27 combo I have.  I guess if this causes me to walk some of the run I will just have to get stronger for next time.

    Gordon

  • John StarkJohn Stark

    Not sure this adds much value, but I spent a lot of time practicing steep climbs and was able to go as slow as 3 -5 mph in aero without falling over.  Wasn't always able to stay in my "Gear" but it helped a lot on a couple of steeper climbs (steep is relative) at IM CdA last year.

    John

  • Cary BlancoCary Blanco

    Mark,



    It takes practice going that "easy" on the hills - you will get it. Remember - you worked really hard all season for the privilege of riding the hill at such a low power. You just need to get comfortable with it.



    My FTP is 220 (162lbs.) and I rode LP with the same gearing as you (50/34 12-27), I stayed in my zones. it can be done - you will do it.

Sign In or Register to comment.