I signed up for a couple of the Hincapie fondos this year, Chattanooga and Greenville. It’s not the Rockies but I’ve never ridden a bike on a mountain. I’m 6’2”, not a climber’s build, and have been riding in the pancake flat Midwest for 4 years. My wife is convinced I’m going to die, I’ll be happy …

I live in NC and have ridden in the Smokies quite a bit. My build is close to yours so some of this might be of value: Gearing. Make peace with a 28 or 32 tooth cassette and get some practice using these gears in training. The climbs in that area are long enough that you can’t just slog it out.…

I did a 5 hour fondo a few months ago. To save myself I tried to limit my HR to 150bpm (my max is 177) on the early climbs. My goal was just to have fun and not bonk. It worked. Basically, try not to burn too many matches early on. The challenge with fondos is that they are mass start events. Cat 1…

I live in Chattanooga, and what other people said about low gearing and low cadence work is true. I don’t think anyone ever regretted having too low of gearing on their bike. You’ll have to spend 15-30 min at least twice at a low cadence (up Raccoon and Sequatchie mountains), and I tend to cramp up …

Drive to the closest hills and do a few test rides to confirm your gearing and get some direct experience with pacing. Also can get some practice descending. If the hills are only a couple of hundred feet high, do laps, or find a loop. Even if it’s a couple of hrs drive away, it’s worth it. Don’t n…

[image] c-h-a-d: Beyond the training structure, what are some technical, pacing, survival type tips I should know about climbing and descending for the first time as a larger rider that I won’t get from the typical “how to climb” GCN videos? I’ll second the recommendation to get the right gea…

Live in a pancake flat area, and recently done some first road rides in the Alps. Yes, going up is an effort, but with TR SS Base and a large rear cassette, totally manageable. The hardest thing for me was descending on gradients from 10-20% as that is something you can’t practice on the trainer.

With regards to desending, switch on and stay lose. Don’t death grip the bars and I’d recommend you cover the brakes. Look ahead. Sounds daft but it’s easy to end up looking just in front of your wheel. Be aware of others around you. Don’t get sucked into following lines that you aren’t comfortable…

I have recently just swapped to running a 34/34 and really like it. On the steeper climbs I can choose my cadence and power, vs being forced to grind away at a higher power. Im finishing my rides feeling fresher. I have also found if riding an a unfamiliar hill having the map on your Wahoo helps,…

As said above, going up is all about having enough gears and pacing yourself. Long SS intervals are perfect preparation. Resist the temptation to chase wheels on the early part of the climbs. Harder part might be going down. Depending on the weather you can get really quite cold on long descents - …

First time on a mountain

Training

bbarrera February 4, 2020, 2:17am 4

What type of longer rides have you done? I’m similar build and live in NorCal where its pancake flat but mountains in all directions. Bought a bike 4 years ago and did the zero-to-hero DeathRide in 7 months - some tips here Belgian Waffle Ride then the Death Ride. How to train, thoughts from those wiser than I please - #6 by bbarrera

Topic		Replies	Views
Climbing Basics 101 (or, climbing can't really be this hard, can it?) Training	77	6064	April 25, 2022
What should I be training to get up a steep hill without stopping? Training plan-modification	37	5098	June 2, 2020
How to train for long climbs? Training	60	5995	October 3, 2024
Training for "BIG" Climbs Training	29	5575	November 4, 2019
Everesting Opinions Training	38	3376	April 1, 2021

First time on a mountain

Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast

We Are Here to Help!

First time on a mountain

Related topics

Get Faster with Adaptive Training

Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast

We Are Here to Help!