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- If you ever ride in the mountains,
then at some point you will have been defeated by a climb.
And sometimes that can leave you
with a real fear of that climb.
- Let's call these the killer climbs.
But often they're not even the hardest climbs you ride.
- No, it can depend a lot on your experience
or the dynamic of the group you're in
or what happened in the race,
or maybe you just had a bad day.
- So the question is,
how do you survive these killer climbs?
Or if you've had a bad experience on one,
how do you overcome that and conquer the mountain?
- Here are our top tips for surviving killer climbs.
♪ Hey, try ♪
♪ We can make it ♪
♪ You gotta know ♪
♪ How talented you are ♪
♪ Hey, try ♪
♪ We can make it ♪
- Firstly before you go,
if you are tackling a serious climb,
either as a one-off or part of a longer
sportive or race, do your research.
Check out the gradient
and make sure that you have appropriate gearing.
Try and train on similar terrain if you can.
And if you don't have any terrain available,
then check out the videos on the channel
about how to overcome that.
- It's important to ride smart before the climb.
You don't want to arrive
at the bottom of the climb knackered,
as this will pretty much guarantee
that you find it tougher than it needs to be.
So be aware of how much work
you're doing earlier in the ride.
Now we come to pacing.
And although it might be quicker
to stay with other cyclists on the climb,
both for motivation and for aero benefit,
the problem with trying to stay with other riders
is you might go too hard and blow up.
- Instead, aim to pace your effort at a power or heart rate
you can sustain all the way to the top of the climb.
Even though you feel great on the lower slopes,
doesn't mean you should go hard or go into the red,
as this will surely lead to crisis later on the climb.
We both know what that feels like, don't we?
- We don't like that, no crises.
- [Chris] Cadence is a personal choice,
but be aware that low cadence fatigues your muscles more,
while excessively high cadence
will put more load on your cardiovascular system.
So stay within your normal range.
This is why gear choice in advance is so important.
- Being hydrated is absolutely key for longer climbs,
especially in the heat and when you're working hard.
Because being dehydrated will detriment your performance,
and you also risk hyperthermia.
So try to remember to take regular little sips.
It can be difficult if you're working hard,
but be disciplined.
Remember, it's all part of the climb.
- On a real killer climb though,
you're gonna have to replenish your glycogen stores,
especially if it comes at the end of a long ride.
Energy gels and sports drinks are the perfect way
to do this while your body is working hard,
as they're easier to consume than solid food.
- While we're talking about fuel,
what you have for breakfast is also super important.
You should go for either simple or complex carbohydrate,
depending on how long your ride is going to be.
- Oats are great for a long ride,
or bread and an omelet, for example.
- Why have you only got fruit then?
- Well, antioxidants, Emma.
- Can we get some porridge too?
- Of course it's going to hurt, and you should expect this.
And in fact, you should embrace it too.
Motivate yourself by focusing on the end goal,
a cafe in the mountains,
dropping your mates, not getting dropped.
Just because you feel rough right now, potentially,
doesn't mean you will in five or 10 minutes' time.
- How well you deal mentally with the suffering
of intense exercise is actually highly trainable.
So a lot of riders find it easier
to break the climb down into smaller chunks.
If that doesn't work for you,
another few mental tactics are distraction,
thinking about something else, or dissociation,
so trying to separate yourself from your physical pain.
However tempting it might be when you're struggling
on a climb to pull over and have a little rest,
my advice would be to not stop,
because getting started again is just so difficult.
Of course, you might not have a choice
if you run out of gears.
Chris, Chris, I told you to put a 30 on the back.
- Just you wait, just one minute.
- No, I'll meet you, I'll see you at the top.
I can't stop here or I won't get going again.
- Emma, please.
Ah, I can't go on. - Told him.
Told him a 25 wasn't enough.
Ultimately, I think the most important thing
for surviving your nemesis climb is to try to enjoy it,
because at the end of the day, you chose to do it.
- Do you know what, Emma, I do enjoy climbing.
- Really? - Yeah.
Despite not being great at it, I enjoy it,
because I know that on the other side
there's gonna be a sweet descent.
- Oh man, I'm never gonna catch you.
Can you just, can you order me
an Armani coffee and some dates, please?
- Only if you buy the cake. - All right.
So there you go,
some tips for surviving a really tough climb.
Why not let us know down in the comments
which climb has been your nemesis.
And remember when you get back to it next time,
you are the boss, not the mountain.
- And if you want to check out
some other epic climbs in Oman, come and click over here.
But give us a big thumbs up before you do.