Steep climbs are brutal, let’s face it
I mean anyone could ride up a long climb.
You just have to go slowly enough, right?
Well steeps climbs though Si that’s when you're really going to start to suffer
but surely there are some tricks of the trade to not only help us ride them
but to ride them faster.
Well it’s funny you should say that Matt.
Do you ride steep climbs in or out of the saddle? Well in short it depends on you.
And if favour one over the other, that’s probably for the best.
And the advantage of riding in the saddle
are that if your gears permit you can spin an easy gear
meaning that you will end up doing less muscle damage
that may or may not matter. It just depends how long and how many climbs that you going to have to ride
and then if the climb is really steep
then it’s also gonna help you maintain traction at the rear wheel
by keeping more weight over it.
And I’ve never heard
in a pro race a rider seated actually beating or even keeping up with riders
who are riding out of the saddle on very steep climb
that's except of course for cobble climbs where you get far more traction
when you're sat down over your back wheel
so it’s better to say then, depending on your fitness level
that you're gonna go far faster on steep climbs riding out of the saddle allthough you might
pay for it a little bit later because you are expending far more energy
The gears that you choose to ride up steep climbs and therefore your cadence are really important so the
first point is that you need to change gears before you need to. And particularly
from the big chain ring to small chain ring. Because even the most expensive gears don't really like to
shift under pressure. So shift before you get stuck.
And secondly, if your gears allow it, you'll be glad of some lighter gears especially on longer rides
so keeping a high but comfortable cadence. And what you mean by gears allowing? Well
essentially having gears that are small enough so you might want to consider having a
34 tooth chainring at the front and then maybe even going up to a 32 cassette at the back.
Those gears should be easy enough to peddle up just about any tarmac. Well you should be giving it a little
bit of wellie as well of course.
A really short, steep climbs pacing might seem like an alien concept. If all you can do
is get up the climb then you just gotta give everything you've got for as long
as you got. But many steep climbs are preceded by less steep sections or in fact might
just be really steep for really long. So in either of those cases you're gonna use your head as well
as your legs. Yeah. If you know that a climb gets steeper on the shallow part try and
go as gently as you can so that you can really dig in deep and go hard when
the road pitches up and gets steep so to quantify that - speak about it in terms of
time - we could lose perhaps thirty seconds on the shallow initial part of the
climb but actually gain around a minute on the steep section
so you need to use your head for pacing that's pretty clear what about using your
head to help you try harder?
well it's a bit of a horrific cliche but having a positive mental attitude will
help you no end in cycling and that's no more evident on steep climbs just like this one.
yeah feeling positive is gonna help you dig deeper. You'll get more of yourself and
then paradoxically it's also gonna hurt less. I know it sounds a little bit
far-fetched but from my experience when I perceive an effort to be good I go much faster
than when i perceive an effort to be bad so when I'm struggling to hold a wheel for example I
just feel like I'm going slowly
The steeper the gradient the more that your math will be holding you back.
It's simple physics really so if you've got a light light bike and you're a light rider
then you'll need less power to get over the climbs. But there is a limit to how light you can go.
So if you train on steep climbs and you're targeting an event that's peppered with
climbs, definitely worthwhile think about losing a kilo or two. You'll get a big
advantage from that. Well, but if you're a larger rider then don't despair. Firstly
just look at the Tour of Flanders, a race characterized by loads of steep climbs
It tends to be won by riders from the larger end of the pro cyclist spectrum. Showing you than
ultimately power can win out
think about also using your natural attribute to your advantage so pace
yourself on the climb and over the top
really start to turn on the gas and try to reel in on the flat sections in the
downhill as skinny climbers will have
got away from you onthe steep bits. It works in pro racing and it can also work for you.
Think back to a few years ago
when Thor Hushovd won a mountain stage of the Tour de France doing exactly that.
So, steep climbs then? Pace yourself, preselect your gears and then get your head in gear
as well. And don't forget you gonna need to absolutely smash it as well. That is true.
Anyway. For how to train for steep climbs
how about clicking just up here. And for a masterclass on the art of climbing itself
from none other than Alberto Contador no less click just down here. Yeah make sure
sure you subscribe to GCN before going to either of those. It's completely free. In theory you've just gonna click on the red globe.