How To Get Better At Riding Steep Climbs

Cycling Weekly

Whether you want to claim the bragging rights on your local 'cols', boost you chances of finishing your next big ride in the hills, or simply get to the summit without feeling ill, here are five pieces of essential advice from Paul Knott - Cycling Weekly contributor and author of the Official Tour de France Road Cycling Training Guide - that'll help you nail every climb. Let us know your top climbing tips in the comments.

Transcript

00:00Steep climbs are something cyclists come across on every single ride and it's something that

00:04every cyclist should look to improve on. They may only be a few hundred meters long,

00:08but whether it's your preparation, your gearing or your bike handling,

00:12it's certainly some area that we can definitely improve.

00:15So here's Cycling Weekly's guide to conquering those devilish little kickers.

00:30One tip that you may well see in the pro races, such as the Tour de France and especially on

00:37climbs such as Alpe d'Huez and its 21 hairpin bends, is something you can replicate on the

00:42corners when you're on a steep climb yourself. So as you can see with this one, the inside line

00:47is really really steep and even though on a flat road this may be the quickest option to get around

00:51the bend, but on this road in particular it's definitely the steepest gradient. Whereas if

00:56you can move slightly out without crossing the line into the oncoming traffic in the lane,

01:00it's a slightly lessened gradient. This means you can maintain your momentum and your speed

01:05and get to the top of that climb a hell of a lot faster.

01:14When it comes to climbing, gearing plays a crucial part in two ways. Firstly, ensuring you have chosen

01:20the right selection of gears for the ride ahead. If you know you're going to be taking on multiple

01:24short steeper sense then having the correct gear ratios will be really beneficial.

01:28There are three types of setup which typically come in the following chainring sizes.

01:32A standard setup which is a 53x39 tooth chainring, a compact which is a 50x34 and a semi-compact

01:40which is a blend of the two at 52x36. The chances are that unless you are a pro level rider,

01:47a compact or a semi-compact setup will most likely prove beneficial to you in the long run

01:52for the types of road riding you will be doing. But a lot of this is based on personal preferences

01:56and ability. Making sure your bike is not only set for the terrain but also your ability itself

02:02is key. You may be able to ride up a steep climb once, but if you know your ride consists of multiple

02:08ascents then it may not prove quite as useful. Remember there isn't a cyclist alive who complained

02:13about having an extra gear on their bike so don't feel like you're wimping out if you go for a compact

02:18chain set or a large rear cassette. It's all well and good having the gears on your bike but make

02:28sure you use them efficiently is another matter entirely. When you're coming up to a climb make

02:33sure you prepare for it by changing down the gears before you reach the climb itself. Otherwise you could

02:38be caught out when the road ramps up. If you can try and time this gear change so you get as much

02:44speed and momentum before hitting the climb itself as well. Changing gears on the climb itself is less

02:50efficient and also puts a huge strain on your bike components. You never want to crunch through the

02:55gears on the climb itself as this puts a massive strain on your bike and is highly inefficient on your

03:00speed and your momentum. We all have a preferred style of climbing whether it be in the saddle or

03:12out of it and one of the main issues this brings on steep climbs is how you distribute your weight.

03:17When standing up in the pedals you can easily see your backwards lose traction with the road

03:21and therefore speed especially if the road is wet. Whereas if you sit too far back you may cause the

03:27front wheel to lift. Doing a wheelie up a 20% climb is never ideal at the best of times. Therefore

03:33knowledge on what technique works best for you and practicing this is vital. It is more likely that

03:38riding the saddle will avoid any mishaps but working on your weight distribution for whatever

03:43method works best for you is key. We've all been there and even though maybe a massive hit on your

03:53morale unclipping on a steep climb doesn't have to mean the end of your climb in the sense even though

04:00it could be the toughest thing you do that day but there are a few tips you can take on board to try

04:05and get started again. So clip in and just face your bike slightly against the gradient making sure

04:12you're not going too far wide and just try and get a bit of momentum up and then bring your foot in.

04:18You don't have to clip in straight away just keep the momentum going. Keep going side to side lessen the

04:25gradient eventually you'll clip in there you go and then away you go.

04:40Those are our top five tips for conquering steep climbs. Let us know in the comment section below what

04:45tips you use to conquer them yourself and if you enjoy this video give it a like and don't forget

04:50to subscribe to the Cycling Weekly YouTube channel. Until next time we'll see you then.

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