Improve my bicycle hill climbing

I need to lose 15-25 lbs to do this. I’ve joined Carmichael Training Systems and have a coach. I’m doing lots of Steady State intervals and, when the season starts, will be doing many more hills. I’m paying attention to breathing, riding in “my” gear and at “my” cadence.

After all that hill climbing on RAPSody, I wasn’t even sore.

I’m calling this “done” – while there’s still lots of room for improvement, I’m certainly a better hill climber than when I adopted this goal.

I know this isn’t impossible – maybe I’ll try again to climb Carriage Hill before the end of 2008!

I went up multi-deity hill today for the first time this season without stopping. I’m finally back to where I was last summer.

Last year I probably peaked on my hill climbing in June. This year, with Tour BC coming up, I’m hoping to exceed where I am now in the middle of July – maybe even declare this goal done…?

but I am far better than I was. Call this one good.

My local riding group is planning a tour of the Canadian Rockies for the summer of ‘08. The focus of my off-season is to lose some ballast, and get the climbing legs ready.

I also need to pick Petersky’s brain about her trip to that area in ‘05. We are looking at routes now, and trying to get a handle on the logistics.

I’m not feeling quite as strong as I was a month or so ago, when we did the Sunrise climb. I was falling behind on last night’s group ride every time the pavement kicked up just a little bit. I am surely glad I did not sign up for the High Pass Challenge this year.

I’m going to continue to work this goal, specifically to improve my power to weight ratio so that the hills don’t seem so big.

Getting a road bike helped. I made it up the hill from 25th to 27th in Madison Valley without having to walk…

I rode the Sunrise / Mt. Rainier climb yesterday. 4,180 feet of climbing in 20 miles. I rode to my heart rate, rather than speed or cadence, and made it through in fine form. This is a beautiful ride, and the weather was just perfect yesterday. I’m looking forward to doing it again, perhaps in the Fall.

So I might not get to climb Mt Baker this year, but I’m planning to bike to Artist’s Point. Could be a disaster…