HTFU Weekly Rides 2026

• Quick info: Just show up at the NEW LOCATION before 6:30 pm, ready to roll, and you will get in a good bike workout. We'll be doing this weekly, although there will likely be changes as we try to boost attendance. (Shift to Wednesdays?)

HTFU ("Hills To Fly Up," but sometimes known by a less appropriate name, "Harden The Fun Up") is our regular Tuesday night hill climb/power development workout. Come prepared for 60-90 minutes of steep hills and hard efforts. This will help you develop more power, develop better pedal stroke dynamics, and gain confidence in handling downhill section. All of this will help mentally prepare you for challenging sections of your race course.

Benefits of Hill Workouts: Working on hills is critical, because, well, some races have hills. Confidence going up AND going down is essential. But that is just the starting point. Intense near-all-out efforts are critical to improving overall strength and key to improving your VO2 Max. HTFU is designed to allow you to get your heart rate close to anaerobic threshold in repeated efforts. Regular hill workouts will also help you mentally prepare for whatever gets thrown at you on race day. You should join us, even if climbing hills is intimidating. Actually, you should especially come if you find hills intimidating. Intense hill repeats in a supportive group environment is the BEST way to gain confidence in a low-risk environment. Let's get it done.

Routes: There are a variety of potential workout routes from this location. We are going to start the season with hill repeat rides on 5th Ave W, which is a short (uphill) ride from our new meeting location. The hill is about 2,000 feet long with around 150 feet of climb, which averages around 8% with some stretches a bit more. That is "doable" for most everyone, while offering challenges even to the strongest. Everyone simply repeats at their own pace. The fastest riders don't ever have to wait. Those struggling do not have to worry about slowing the group or taking a break. The speed you descend it up to you. And then repeat. Any breaks are taken at the bottom, where we all eventually regroup and return to the starting point. This road is open to traffic, but cars are rare and move very slowly. It is not used as a "through street" for cars.

Routes: There are other route options from this location in future workouts. They might include routes with no repeats where this is a no-drop ride and where we regroup at each hill. Those routes will be posted here before we do them. Stay tuned.

Equipment: Helmets are obviously required to ride. A good headlight and taillight are recommended. Also MUY IMPORTANTE make sure that your bike is in good working order and there is plenty of life left in your brake pads. Can not stress this enough... Check your gear BEFORE coming out!

Location: The address is for a small building essentially in the middle of a public parking lot next to Seattle Pacific University, on the north side of Queen Anne hill. This lot seems to be very open in the evenings when we meet.

Time: Arrival at 6:15 is suggested. We will have a safety briefing and then be ready to roll at 6:30 pm. We follow the group sign-up We will have a brief safety speech, then roll a soon as it is done. Again, arrive early enough to be ready to roll at 6:30 sharp. If you are late, don’t expect to join the ride. Most rides are about 1.5 hours in length.

Weather: Rain or significant chance of rain cancels this ride. We'll make the final call no later than 5:30pm day of the ride. Please check back in the comments section prior to ride for cancellation due to bad weather.
In order to participate in any Seattle Triathlon Group event, you must sign our electronic waiver. Waivers only need to be signed once per year or if your contact info has changed. You can login to your account at https://www.seattletri.org/dashboard to check. I will only be accepting electronic waivers - please complete the waiver ahead of time! No waiver, no ride!