Since the season of hard outdoor rides is here again I thought I’d throw this out there.
What is your definition of a hill? What’s your ‘favorite’?
For those in the great plains, like me, I’d consider anything more severe than a highway overpassw to be a substantial climb.
Personally, my kind of hill is a ride through the windswept plains of SE Michigan up to Ottawa Lake with a constant 15mph crosswind. That’s a hill.
friday’s stage of the tour de georgia.
anything where you have to put it in granny gear, and inch by everyone else who is walking or falling over while still clipped in.
a climb is anything over a mile at a grade greater than 5%. my favorite is anything that doesn’t have a climb in it and hilly is a ride that contains a number of climbs.
100 feet of climbing per mile
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During my evening 31 mile commute, the first 20 miles are pancake flat… I then approach the hills. The first climb is about 3/4 mile at an avg of 7% with the the final 200 meters at 10%… It’s a killer, which I attempt to do seated… everything for the last 100 meters or so…
Coming
If you can power up over it in the 53 (and let’s say 21 or smaller cog), then it’s just a roller. Even if it takes a minute or 2 to get up. Disclaimer: of course, if you are in the 53x21, and turning 40 rpms, then… you might be a redneck, er, I mean, it’s probably hilly, and say goodbye to yer knees while yer at it.
To be “hilly”, you need to have some mandatory downshifting to the 39 (and let’s say the 17 or bigger), then it’s hilly.
Of course, all the above is rider-specific, which is why one rider’s “hilly” ride is another’s easy training ride w/ some rollers.
PS - I’ve always wondered, how do you folks know what the % grades are for climbs you do, in particular for certain sections? It’s easy enuff to figger out for an overall climb, if you know the rise and run, but how do you know this stuff for say “the final 200 meters” or whatever?
The 14%, quarter mile entrance to my neighborhood that I must climb to get home. It is nothing short of a curse, especially after a 15 mile run, but then again…
PS - I’ve always wondered, how do you folks know what the % grades are for climbs you do, in particular for certain sections? It’s easy enuff to figger out for an overall climb, if you know the rise and run, but how do you know this stuff for say “the final 200 meters” or whatever?
I go to the graph that I download from my Polar 720 and I highlight the section of the ride in question. Then I click on “section information” and it tells me everything from the % grade, to the time to climb, average speed, etc. It provides just about everything you would want to know for a given part of the ride.
The triple bypass is a pretty hilly ride for Colorado standards…
http://teamevergreen.org/Triple_2005/TripleMap.pdf
Also the ride from Hilo to the summit of Mauna Kea (12,000 verticle) is decent as well…
Mt. Evans…
I live on top of a “hill”…to end my rides I have to climb 4 miles at an avg of 10% grade…2000 ft elev change in total.
Just to get to and from my house 110 feet in 1/2 mile. Great warm up on every ride.
I live on top of a “hill”…to end my rides I have to climb 4 miles at an avg of 10% grade…2000 ft elev change in total.
Ugghh. Ouch. I bet you’ve considered moving about mile 3 of that climb on more than one occasion…
Lehmkuhler
I love living up that high, but it is a tough climb, bike or car. When I drive up it, I can literally notice a change in the gas level after I reach the top! Riding up it after a long ride is always a near-death experience - HR usually goes up to about 85% of MHR
100 feet of climbing per mile
I also use that figure as my cutoff for calling a route ‘hilly’.
ot
My Ciclosport gives grade readouts and datalogs them too.
Hilly ride has to have more than one or two climbs. When I tell people I am going to do hills, it usually involves at least one climb taht is 2.5km at 10%. It usually ends up with a 5000-8000’ feet for the ride.
A hilly ride with a strong triathlete is much harder than one with my cycling team. 
How about a freakin’ speedbump!!!
Actually any single climb that takes more than about 3-4 minutes in my granny gear or that forces me out of the saddle more than two or three times in said granny gear.
OR
a bunch of “grinder hills” in sequence that require the use of the granny for those 1-3 minutes and then repeat themselves…over and over and over…
burgerdp-
Is there a site on which you found your original altitude? My altitude setting are off because I have not determined my starting location’s altitude. Therefore, my file is not really true about grade and ascention rates.
Powerman AL Bike course. Not steep but a nice long grind. Big Hiney, 8 miles into Buffalo Trails Du.