Tour De Garage-Hill climb

This workout is designed to increase our power, especially while going uphill. We don't have the luxury here in Virginia Beach to train on actual hills, so we have to get creative. I use to be a pretty good climber, but that was when I lived in Hawaii and weight only 150 lbs (as opposed to my 185 racing weight now). Mt. Haleakala, located on Maui climbed 10,023 feet in 38 miles. The race up it was a time trial called Cycle to the Sun. I did it once, that was enough.

We will start with my typical warm up. Or you can chose a warm up that you are comfortable with. Actually, I give a second warm up that I use often here.

Warm up
Pedal 5:00 (small ring/15) with cadence around 90 rpm.
(small ring/15) one legged pedal for one minute switch legs (repeat 3 times per leg)
After 2:00 soft pedal shift to Big ring/15.
20 seconds standing followed by 20 seconds seated. Repeat for 3 cycles.
2:00 soft pedal

Workout
This first set will have you accelerate up the hill.
(Big ring/13) 3:00 interval. Accelerate every minute (example: first minute is at 60 rpm, second is 70 rpm, and last is 80 rpm). 3:00 easy pedal and repeat.

This second set is increasing slope.
(Big ring/18) 5:00 interval. Shift one gear harder every 1 minute while trying to keep cadence above 70 rpm. 5:00 easy pedal and repeat. On second interval start at least on gear harder.

This last set is responding to a hill attack.
(Big ring/15) 5:00 interval. Start at steady pace (cadence around 70 maybe). After 30 seconds, someone attacks. Stand and accelerate for 30 seconds, sit and keep high pace for 30 seconds. Return to steady pace for 30 seconds. This will repeat for at least 3 cycles (more if you want).

Cool Down
Pedal easy for 5-10 minutes. This is a good time to put it in an easy gear and spin for the first 5 minutes before pedaling easy for the last 5 minutes. This will help put some speed in you legs after a low cadence workout.

Enjoy. Let me know how you like it.