The Chilly Hilly is coming up in just a few weeks and as always, it’s promised to be, well, chilly and hilly – just as the name says.
I’ve done the Chilly Hilly two times now and very much enjoy the challenge (even in frigid, snowy weather). I’m not one of those feather-weight cyclists who enjoy nothing more than going up and up for hours; I climb only so I get to descend. But I’ve learned enough from my climber friends to be able to hold my own. So as you are getting ready to tackle the 2,675 feet of climbing, let me share a few tips with you:
Don’t fear the climb. Biking is such a mental sport. Part of getting up the hill is willing yourself to get up there. Think positive!- Don’t start out too hard. This is a common mistake lots of cyclists make. Taking the “the faster I go, the faster it’s over” attitude can work for short, punchy hills but for longer climbs it does not work. You’ll burn too many matches too soon and you’ll regret it halfway up the hill when your buddies come spinning by you.
- Keep your hands on top of your bars or hoods as long as it’s safe to do so. This keeps your chest open and allows you to breathe better.
- Belly breathe. Open your diaphragm.
- Relax. No need for white knuckles, just keep a light grip on your bars. Make sure your shoulders are relaxed – they should not be touching your ears!
- Don’t rock your upper body back and forth unless you are out of the saddle. You should be the proverbial swimming duck: quiet on top with all movement coming from your legs only.
- Spin. Spin. Spin. Keep your pedal cadence high. While this requires more work from your cardiovascular system, it helps save your legs. Climbing out of the saddle expends a lot of energy so try to stay seated until the hill gets too steep to do so. Use your gears to keep a steady cadence.
- Watch the best climbers in your group. The best climbers are not only fast, they make it look easy because they are relaxed. Emulate their form.
- Dress for the descend. You might get nice and toasty climbing up the hill but the descends are frigid. Dress in layers and zip up before you go down.
- Enjoy the view. You just spent all that energy getting up the darn thing, you may as well take a moment to take in the view from the top!
A note on descending:
- Stay in the drops when you’re descending. This keeps your center of gravity lower, helps keep your weight back and allows you better access to your brakes
- Whatever you do, do NOT slam your front brake! Also, don’t brake in the turns when descending; brake just before the turns and pedal out of them. And when turning, keep your outside pedal down, and inside pedal up.
I hope you’ll find these tips useful, and I look forward to seeing you Sunday, Feb. 24, at the Chilly Hilly!
I’ve done Chilly Hilly 4 times, including some icy and some exceedingly sunny days. The short bits of advice? Leave space in front of you on the climbs, ESPECIALLY at the bottom of the climbs… relax, enjoy yourself, and try to have fun!
A “trick” the good climbers use for climbing hills is finding a rhythm that works for you. This is more of an experience thing, but the big points are:
1 – Start slow and steady. Keep a steady pace. It takes your cardiovascular system about 30s to catch up, so if it’s too easy or too hard after 30s of this effort level, adjust your effort.
2 – Make sure your breathing is relatively steady. A good starting point for the right effort level on a steeper hill is you are taking one breath for every two pedal strokes, you’re feeling like you’re putting in the effort but if you had to kick it up a notch, you’d probably be able to do it. Then adjust this effort as needed.
3 – If you have to choose between sit and spin or stand up and grind the pedals, sit and spin is more efficient almost every time. The heavier the bike, the more this makes a difference.
I can’t add much to descending given above, but regarding cornering: motorcycle training teaches braking in a straight line BEFORE you get to the corner, roll through, and apply power out. They also teach putting weight on the outside peg. That’s true for bicycling too – slow before you get to the corner, turn putting weight on the outside pedal, and pedal out of the corner.
On Chilly Hilly, you won’t be alone. Especially at this time of year, many people are not very fit & may not be able to make it up without walking. Keeping that you’ll be riding with up to 6000 of your best buddies (the record I know of from one sunny year a couple of years ago)…
1 – If you walk, you’re not alone. I’d estimate at least 50% of people walk up at least one of the hills on an average year. There is no shame in walking. If you feel like your legs are starting to cramp, walking might even be a good thing! It’ll give you a chance to stretch your legs and use different muscles.
2 – If you’re thinking you won’t make it up the hill, keep more to the right. Call out that you’re stopping, and if you can manage it, use a hand signal. Remember to ride SMART – M stands for move off the roadway if you’re stopping. Which brings me to…
3 – If you’re thinking you’re going to make it up the hill just fine, keep a little extra distance from the person in front of you. Every year I see at least one rider fall because the person in front of them just stopped in the middle of the roadway. Sometimes the fall is bad and ends their ride.
4 – Leave a bigger gap than normal #2 reason – When riders get out of the saddle and stand up on their pedals it moves their bikes back a good 4-8″. If you’re following too closely, you’ll touch tires & go down. Again, have seen this almost every year I’ve done it, and again, sometimes it ends that person’s ride.
At the end of the ride, it is cold, and sometimes you can be waiting for the ferry for a long time. Bring something warm to wear. If you are really cold, and you see a guy with an army green 29′er MTB with a frame bag, that’s me – say hi, introduce yourself and ask for the emergency blanket I keep on hand. I always bring one and will gladly give it to you if you need it.
i’ll be riding my first Chilly Hilly so thank you for the tips. i’m trying to improve my riding skills. anyway, i never thought about how the pedals are supposed to be while turning so…if i’m making a left turn, my outside (right) pedal should be down and (left) inside should be up and just the the opposite for a right turn?
correct! This will keep you from clipping your pedal as well as distribute the weight.