When I say that I enjoy climbing to my friends, they find it crazy can can't believe me.
So just wanted to ask you for your opinion.
What about you? Do you like to climb or rather prefer flats/downhill?
Also, for fans of descending, I recorded this video! (from Col du Tourmalet)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkd4b4FQHTo
by farleyyyyy
18 Comments
Climbs for sure. Flats are boring.
Definitely prefer climbing. But that might just be because I can drop most people I ride with on the climbs, and then generally have to hang on for dear life on the flats.
(Alfred voice) : why do we [ride] ourselves up?
So that we can ride down!!!
First of all, I will always take climbing over headwind. However, I also want the climbs to mean something. Rolling terrain saps my will to live. I’d rather consistently climb a mountain than have tiny climbs break my pace.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a long, flowy, “YEW!” inducing downhill.
But I really love technical climbs. It’s like solving a puzzle.
Climbing is the best part of cycling
Climbs (long ones), flat is really boring and I don’t see it as an objective.
Reaching the summit of a climb or multiple ones in a single ride is very satisfying.
I much prefer the flats over the climbs. Being heavier climbs are horrible, I just have to sit and wait for it to end. On the flat, fast and flowing roads I can determine how hard and how fast I go
Climbing gives me something to focus on.
I like climbing! I used commute ~15km (10 miles) and 300 m every morning & I loved it. My colleagues woul ask me if I wouldn’t rather climb to get home, and I always said it was great way to start the day.
They thought I was daft.
Yes I have to living in the Catskills. Especially on winter rides.
It’s best on a fixed gear bike, sitting and spinning is as much fun as filing taxes
Hate hills. Am surrounded by them. Takes me 30 minutes to ride to find a decent long flat road..
For me the only climbs i dislike are the ones that are very shallow and have no reference to the altitude gained. It just feels like having extra rolling resistance. Its particularly worse when i feel to stubborn to gear down.
Other then that climbing just feels satisfying, additionally probably because i know im light so i feel efficient doing it.
I like the climbs on my regular route. I have one in particular through a park. The view is beautiful, the road is safe and wide with a low vehicle speed limit. I like to push myself toward that PR and watch seconds of improvement each time. Then as the season progresses, I watch my sprint times improve because of that work. The climb work also adds to my calorie burn which helps my blood sugar control. Last but not least, it’s the safest route home from the trail.
Someday I’ll get good enough on the climb that I can ride the main street in my neighborhood safely. These are short, city climbs, often with traffic.
https://youtu.be/dNEiS2Rpulo?feature=shared
I love climbing! Especially by myself or in a small group with riders of around my same fitness and skill level. Flats get boring, and I get a bit lazy. With climbing, it is hard to be lazy, and there are usually nice things to see.
One exception: flats or easy rollers can be more fun in a larger group, where everyone can take turns pulling to get the group as fast as possible. I find larger groups more difficult with climby rides, since different people have different speeds and abilities both climbing and descending.
Give me a mile or five of 12-18% grade, any day. There is very little flat ground near me, anyway.
Rare is the bike path with a significant hill, which is why I would prefer to only ride them to get to a hill.
Climbing forces me in to an almost trance like state, pushes me to my limit, and ends hopefully with a great sense of achievement and a stunning view. I love climbing. I’m a road cyclist though mostly, I know it’s different for mountain bikers.