My 2nd SUMMIIT Climb

Two weeks ago, I participated in my second SUMMIIT Climb event, a virtual climb challenge for Peloton/indoor bikes. I participated last year for the first time but never shared the specifics of how it works. You have seven days to reach a peak of your choice. I signed up for Haleakala at 10,000 ft again. I hoped the challenge would get me back on track with my fitness routine.

How it works

During registration, you select an intensity level for your climb. These most directly correlate to the incline of your ride. Each increase in intensity will help you reach the top more quickly but will require higher average output during your ride efforts.

The climb consists of three elements: cadence, average output, and total output. To complete the event, you will need to maintain an average cadence BELOW a certain number, and an average output ABOVE a certain number until you have achieved your calculated total output. You theoretically can ride outside of these metrics for a ride or two, but the farther away from the metrics you stray, the harder your next effort will be to properly realign your averages.

Your personalized metrics are based on your current functional threshold power (FTP) value. I must confess that I haven’t tested my FTP in about 18 months. I had no idea if what was still accurate, especially after taking a bit of a forced break recently, so I chose the beginner level, which suggested riding < 70 RPM and keeping my output > 136 watts.

I stacked shorter rides on purpose! You need to hold a certain average cadence/output combination for the entirety of the ride, so it’s wise to keep the rides short (so you can get a little rest in between). My other strategy was to ride extra low cadence for a while (low 60s RPM) and then take a “break” in the high 70s but overall keep the average <70 RPM. That worked out well.

How long it takes

This is a week-long event and the lowest elevation at the easiest intensity level requires approximately 10 hours of climbing time in the saddle. Knowing this, you can break your climb up into manageable chunks over the 7-day event window. I planned out my week and calculated how many hours per day I would have to climb, considering that I wouldn’t have as much time on work days. I was hoping to climb for about an hour on weekdays and a little longer on my off days.

As mentioned, I signed up for the beginner level but felt myself getting stronger over the course of the week. I was able to push higher output for longer periods of time as the event progressed. I also learned how to strategize each ride and ended with a higher level than I started. I signed up as a beginner but finished as advanced. The initial completion estimate was 6-8.5 hours of riding, I was able to finish in 6:35.

My friend (#BCBabe) Sherry led our Streakers365 team for this challenge and she created a little prize challenge to keep us motivated. We also posted selfies to our group daily to check in and motivate each other. We have such a great group of riders!

Have you participated in a climb event?