Kill Bill as prep for Savageman?

[consularrider]

Probably repeats of 41st St will help with the Westernport Wall, but there is no seven mile long 2000 foot climb in Arlington.

[americancyclo]

I think the phrase that’s been used is “death by 1000 cuts” how long are your big climbs for savageman?

[PotomacCyclist]

Fun, fun, fun

[PotomacCyclist]

As you can see from the video, it’s not just your fitness that counts, but also the fitness of the person who happens to be riding just in front of you. That guy in the blue jacket seemed to be going along well, until he got taken down by the woman ahead of him. Dave Scott couldn’t make it up the climb either. (Then again, he’s in his late 50s. He’s still faster than me. By a lot.)

[KLizotte]

Not paving that part of the road seems so cruel!!!

[PotomacCyclist]

The short Harrison St. climb in Glencarlyn Park, off the W&OD Trail, is similar to Westernport Wall, I think.

http://goo.gl/maps/qpURv

I tried it out last weekend, for the first time in quite a while. In previous years, I usually had to stand up to get up the hill. This time, I managed to stay seated. I still felt woozy because it’s so steep. Only place in the D.C. region where I feel like I’m about to fall backward on the bike. I think strength training and several hill repeat workouts this winter helped quite a bit.

[consularrider]

@PotomacCyclist 48539 wrote:

The short Harrison St. climb in Glencarlyn Park, off the W&OD Trail, is similar to Westernport Wall, I think.

http://goo.gl/maps/qpURv

I tried it out last weekend, for the first time in quite a while. In previous years, I usually had to stand up to get up the hill. This time, I managed to stay seated. I still felt woozy because it’s so steep. Only place in the D.C. region where I feel like I’m about to fall backward on the bike. I think strength training and several hill repeat workouts this winter helped quite a bit.

I think the Glencarlyn climbs are probably much easier, and certainly smoother pavement. But if you do them six or seven times as a loop?

[thucydides]

Thanks, everyone. To some degree I’m not worried about Westernport. Westernport is mainly about pride. If I have to walk it, I have to walk it. My concern is more about the big picture, i.e., getting through a ride that features lots more difficult climbs after Westernport.

[hozn]

@consularrider 48541 wrote:

I think the Glencarlyn climbs are probably much easier, and certainly smoother pavement. But if you do them six or seven times as a loop?

I rode that for the first time this afternoon; yeah, that is a very short climb, certainly not one of the more difficult ones in the area. Quantico St is pretty good to do on repeat. I like the Patrick Henry-Wilson-McKinley-10th loop (or reverse it) since it is right outside my house. Adding Quantico to the mix there definitely packs a punch.

In general Arlington is a fantastic place to train for climbing. Nearby DC/MD has some nice hills too, like Ridge to Ross / Military (?) up Beach drive or Tilden St up to Wisconsin or Mormon temple hill (whatever that road is), Anglers climb, etc. I love hills. I especially love them when I weigh a little less.

[Tim Kelley]

@thucydides 48542 wrote:

Thanks, everyone. To some degree I’m not worried about Westernport. Westernport is mainly about pride. If I have to walk it, I have to walk it. My concern is more about the big picture, i.e., getting through a ride that features lots more difficult climbs after Westernport.

If finishing is your biggest goal, then pacing is the most important thing to pay attention to. Don’t burn matches trying to muscle up the hills. Sit and spin your way up as best you can and don’t let your heart rate or wattage get too high.

[Dirt]

Sorry I missed this thread earlier. I was out of town for the weekend.

In some ways, Kill Bill would be a great prep for Savageman, but it definitely cannot be your only prep. Tons of short, spiky climbs certainly helps fitness and mental toughness, but you will also need to train on some longer, sustained climbs. Go to RideWithGPS.com and search “Sky-Mass” and you’ll find a good training ride. Hitting the base of Massanutten Mountain after mile 50 on that ride definitely is a great mental and physical check for fitness.

I’m just coming off a weekend with over 160 miles of riding and over 16,000 feet of climbing. Honestly, there is no replacement for putting in mileage on big climbs. Climbing is as much about the mental side as it is the physical. Saturday’s race was evidence of that. It starts with having the wisdom and experience to pace yourself, like Tim said, and continues by having the mental and physical fortitude to just keep going.

Does that help answer the question?

Good luck.

Pete

[Dirt]

I’d also add that climbing, more than any other kind of cycling, uses MUCH more than just your legs. It requires good arms, shoulders and core (lower back and abs) strength and endurance. Start working on core, arm and shoulder strength and endurance now.

Flexibility is also very important. The biggest complaint that I hear from people when they start doing lots of climbing workouts or rides with tons of climbing is that their hamstrings and inner quads cramp, get sore and generally cause quite a bit of pain. I work pretty hard to deal with that BEFORE bumping up my climbing miles, but I still had issues with it over the weekend. I had to change things up a bit as I started getting some twinges of pain in my hamstrings on Saturday’s ride. I adjusted my climbing style a bit… making sure to not stay in one position for too long as well as making sure that I changed my cadence up… doing a bit of slower-cadence, out of the saddle climbing mixed with some sitting and spinning an easier gear.

Learn to move your hands around on the handlebars too. Spinning, rhythmic climbing is often good when your hands are right close to the stem, with your elbows bent. That is a position that conserves upper body strength and maximizes the efficiency of your spin. Standing to climb can be done on the hoods very effectively. When I need big power to go up a steep section or to pull to catch a group ahead of me, I climb with my hands in the drops… either seated or standing. This keeps your center of gravity low which helps handling when the road is steep. It also puts your legs at a very good angle to put out maximum power.

Moving around on the bike and changing how you climb frequently on a long pitch can make the difference between riding and walking. Walking is definitely okay to do!!! We all do it at one time or another. The important part is being mentally flexible to deal with it and not see it as a defeat. Think of it as strategically choosing your battles. If walking up one section allows you to ride 3 other sections later on, then it was a very good choice!.

I know that goes a bit beyond what you’d asked… but honestly, that’s kind of true about 99% of my posts. I hope it was helpful. The above is all stuff that I lived and breathed this weekend.

Pete

[thucydides]

Thanks, Pete. All of it is helpful and confirms what I was thinking. Time to get to it. Woo hoo!

[Dirt]

Here is the final version of the Kill Bill Route

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2357713

We’re riding it April 28th if you want to give that a go. Anyone interested, please talk to me. I won’t try to talk you out of it, but I will give you a realistic view of what to expect.

Rock on!

Pete

[Dickie]

@Dirt 49257 wrote:

Here is the final version of the Kill Bill Route

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2357713

We’re riding it April 28th if you want to give that a go. Anyone interested, please talk to me. I won’t try to talk you out of it, but I will give you a realistic view of what to expect.

Rock on!

Pete

When the elevation map looks like a wild fire and the cue sheets require a stenographer I think the reality is loud and clear! I might try this in sections at first Pete, thanks for sharing!

[Author]

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