A bit hesitant to post yet another climbing thread, but maybe this might be a little bit interesting. I live at the top of a hill and have up to 18% grade switchbacks. Except on a mtn bike with about a 22-tooth chainring, this climb, which I have to do almost every day, has for years *always* provided a bit of grief to my daily rides. Almost half the time after a long hard ride, I just get off and walk the bike up it as I don't want to have to deal with having to crank enough power to continually lift the front wheel off the ground time after time. Well, apparently no more...
 
After the HC600, I took a couple of weeks off to let my ankles and tendons recover, then last week, while still having tendon problems, I went for a few rides. Riding back home, while even still not back up to power with my leg muscles, the hill was *nothing*. I began wondering who switched chainrings or gears when I wasn't looking, the effect was so dramatic. Even on the rides, I was climbing moderate grades several mph faster than I used to, with the feel of using a lot less power.
 
While I always notice a difference after a long, fast ride, I wasn't expecting this much difference in climbing. The other thing is that while the power to lift the front wheel is still right there, rarely am I actually lifting it anymore. I think that the difference might be that somehow I'm generating more constant torque without having to muscle the bike up the hill.
 
Has anyone else seen this?
 
Sounds like if you want to climb a lot faster and easier, you just need to go on a really long ride with lots of hills. :^)

I have admittedly never encountered anything like an 18% grade switchback, and think it sounds like an EXCELLENT candidate location for walking up...  especially at the end of a long day on the bike      It also sounds like a situation that calls for a 24T / 34T gear combo, if one were to tackle it...
 
When you're talking about "powering up and lifting the front wheel," are you in your lowest gear at the time, or do you still have a couple left?  Seems like keeping your cadence as high as possible would do nothing but help, trying to keep in the "spinning" region.  Granted, you gotta do what you've gotta do!

Quote from FlyingLaZBoy on Apr 13^th, 2009, 9:08am:

 
Yes. It's one thing to tackle this hill every now and then but every time you come back from a ride tended to get wearisome. The 18% grade is a short, flared up entry to a sharp right turn and the road is highly peaked to handle water runoff but it's 15% leading up to that. So you have a steep flare combined with a really sharp, peaked right turn with moats on either side to take you out if you don't keep your line. Part of the reason I walked it before was because I had problems keeping from running off the road in the turn. But that's the other thing I gained since the race, I can make the turn with no difficulty also. Really weird.
 
I ran a 30-42-53/11-25 on my carbon Roubaix before the Corsa and in 1st gear every slow pedal stroke would gently float the front wheel off the ground. Basically it was barely touching the ground, especially in that hard, steep corner. There is no real cadence possible on either bike. I've never taken a look but I'm probably turning 60rpm max on the Corsa with the 30-32 lowest gear, doing about 5mph. You have to just mash your way up the hill. I was joking with John S. about this after the race and he mentioned how fun it was on those hills to have the front wheel lift every stroke and set back down to one side or the other. I said 'yes', but I never thought it was all that much fun as one side or the other might mean off in the ditch for me. Speaking of falling over, about a week before the race I was powering up a short, steep grade out of a low water crossing at about 32mph and the bike just started to fall over. I was a little confused by this so backed off the power a bit and the front tire hit back down. Had never even considered the possibility of a power wheelie at over 30mph on this insane bike!
 
A 24/34 would be great - where you climb more slowly than you can walk. I used to consider putting a 28 or such on the front just for this hill, but appears I waited long enough to not need it.  

Quote from aikigreg on Apr 13^th, 2009, 2:19pm:

 
Like you're about to be shot out of a cannon or sitting on the top of a rocket, right? :^) The first few times the front wheel lifts, it's a little scarey as it does feel like you're about to flip over backwards, but you get used to it. Having the bike fall over to the side is probably more likely than flipping over backwards. And yes, the problem with possibly needing to unclip is exacerbated when you are trying to make a sharp turn at the same time. I have a large frame with a carbon seat which places me lower and further forward than I would be with a Euromesh seat at the same recline angle. I bought it with a Euromesh seat but didn't have it so laid back. If I rode a Med frame which would place the CG much further back, that might be a problem.  
 
I had tried all different climbing techniques - closed vs open, etc.  Before the race, the closed position, including where I would pull myself up by the bars to sit forward with my back off the seat, allowed me to be more stable in the turns, but it didn't really help as far as power goes. Now I just lay back and crank up the hill with no worries.
 
Hey hey.. What I haven't mentioned is that that last 50 feet of my drive - up to the garage - is up to a 20% climbing bend on roadbase (limestone gravel with a chat filler to hold it in place). But I have a little flat spot just before that to gather a little speed so it isn't quite as difficult as long as I keep the roadbase packed down well and the rain hasn't just loosened it up. But I have to unclip at the *very* top - on a tiny rough concrete pad just inches before I bash into the garage door, so I've gotten really good at hammering, slamming on the brakes and throwing a foot off the clip and down so I don't crash or slide backwards down the hill, then carefully peeling myself off the bike without taking weight off the tires until I'm fully on one foot. Exiting the garage makes me think I'm riding out the back of an airplane with a parachute. I built the house - it's dug somewhat into the side of the hill, thus all the steep grades required to get there. Most people have trouble driving a car up or down my hill...  
 
http://www.texasescapes.com/SouthTexasTowns/Helotes-Texas.htm Apparently 'helotes' is also a native word having to do with wild turkey. No one knows exactly how the town got its name. While the corn reference is most likely, since the local farmers raised corn here and it was supplied to troops during the Texas Revolution, etc., the other story, which I can't remember well enough to post, has a bit of possible validity also.

Quote from Killer Bee on Apr 13^th, 2009, 5:01pm:

 
Do you still have the route sheet and can tell me what roads they were? I've ridden almost everything around there but there are still a few backroads I haven't been on. I'm familiar with the one on 965 just sw of Enchanted Rock. hellweek.com used to have the route descriptions I thought, but I can't find them now.

I wish I could say I knew what makes a good climber.  Having easy access to some good hills helps.   I feel like I used to be a good strong rider on flats and on hills, but that it's slipped away and I can't quite get it back.  I'm trying like heck, though.
 
I'm still scouring around trying to find some long (miles long) 4-5% roads.  I think doing those would help me gain aerobic capacity and some muscle strength, but at least I have some decent options fairly nearby, just nothing I can do after work.

Quote from aikigreg on Apr 14^th, 2009, 9:30am:

 
Mark Metcalfe told me about a hill that's great for training. It's on Gifco Road, west of Hwy 67. It's over a mile and a half long, and never more than a 6% grade. It's a dead end road, so there's not much traffic. I'm trying to do hill repeats on it at least once a week.
 
It's plain that I'm never going to be able to process enough oxygen to be much of a climber, but I can still better train what I do have.

hi gals and guys, pretty darn nice forum you got going here!
 
Training for climbing can be done with out having hills, I do it all the time down here in FL. The only hill I can get would be the wind.  
 
Interval's,,, the right kind of intervals can help you climb, combination of tempo, steady states and tension intervals can make you a good climber. Having a good coach that understands your goals will guide you to successful climbing and history on how you got there to remember down the road.
 
Kent, the first time I was Heletoes I was at teh foot of your drive not knowing trying to find Hank's bike shop, small world.