Climbing on a bicycle isn’t supposed to be easy. But why do some cyclists barely break a sweat while others puke their guts out? Why you’re a better climbing cyclist – or not, takes a look at some common issues with the typical climbing cyclist that can make a difference in your ascent.
Pacing is Everything
Pacing makes all the difference for the climbing cyclist. Attacking a hill doesn’t work. Sure you’re fresh at the bottom of the hill, your heart rate is down, and your legs are free of lactic acid. But when you push past a certain point and you still have gravity to overcome, you slow to a crawl, recovery is impossible and staying on the bike is your only objective. Other riders begin to pass you. Failure to pace yourself is probably the biggest reason why other cyclists of your caliber are better climbers than you are.
Genetics and Training
Don’t beat yourself up too much if you struggle on hills. Some of the prominent climbing cyclists — probably the majority of them — are gifted by genetics. Hill climbers tend to be shorter, lighter, and show the highest maximum load with the lowest oxygen consumption. But this doesn’t mean you can’t train yourself to climb hills better or just as efficiently as your shorter, smaller, lighter brothers and sisters.
Power to Weight Ratio
Power to weight ratio is the power required to overcome the gradient at your given weight — while still moving at a reasonable rate. If you weigh less, you have less mass to haul up the hill and therefore require less power to maintain your speed. It might not seem like there is much of a difference in weight between you and some of your fellow climbers. But if you have to push a few extra pounds uphill every time you climb, it can make a significant difference to your fatigue levels by the time you reach the final pull to the top. This is why the best climbers in the world are light and are able to maintain a consistently higher power output relative to their weight.
Frame Size
Smaller frames have a climbing advantage; they’re lighter for one thing. And shorter wheelbases provide better leverage when climbing hills. This is due in part to the ability to get your torso forward on the bike while keeping your body weight above the pedals. The compact design of shorter frames also has a mechanical advantage by keeping the drive-train shorter, and moving power to the back wheel more efficiently. You can gain something on hills — more so on mountain bikes — by using a smaller frame bike. Albeit smaller frames on road bikes can make you less efficient on flat ground.
Gearing Options
A wider range of gearing choices allows a good climbing cyclist to use lower gears to climb more efficiently. For road bikes, if you’re pushing a standard double chainring in front, you’re at a disadvantage to your friends riding a compact double, which has lower gears. Introduce the triple chainring into the equation and you have a road bike that can almost rival a mountain bike on hills. Is it worth it? If your rides are consistently hilly, the triple chainring can help you be the climber you want to be.
Mountain Bike Training
If you’re dead serious about becoming a better climber, take a few tips from mountain bikers. The contemporary mountain bike can climb almost anything. Riding one can help you gain skills that road bikes don’t offer. Add one to your stable, take it out on the trails regularly and the skills and abilities can transfer to your road bike climbing abilities. Additionally, descending on a mountain bike also gives you insight into descending on a road bike.
A Few Tips to Be a Better Climber
- Anticipate: Keep an eye on the hill as you approach it. Pace yourself accordingly. Don’t attack the hill, at least from the bottom. Attacking over the top is the better solution if you must attack at some point.
- Momentum: Carry momentum from your approach. Drop down through gears quickly and smoothly one at a time while maintaining momentum.
- Don’t Stand Up: Staying in the saddle keeps your heart rate down. Standing up can cause you to blow up as it puts more load on your legs resulting in an increased need in oxygen to be delivered. The exception is if you’re a lighter rider and practice it. This article gets into the science of standing versus sitting while climbing.
- Save Your Lowest Gear: Drop into your lowest gear only when you’ve slowed to about 5 mph.
- Distraction: Keep mashing the pedals. Sometimes climbing a hill is as much a mental battle as a physical one. Try to distract yourself from the pain. Pat yourself on the back when you get to the top. You own this hill.
The Climbing Cyclist
All climbing cyclists get defeated by hills at some point, climbing hills is hard work. Sometimes it’s just too steep or too long. Sometimes you have a bad shift and lose your momentum. Don’t get defeated or demoralized. There’s always tomorrow. The hill isn’t going anywhere.