Originally Posted by
contango
I always thought getting off and walking was an admission of defeat. Then I figured the purpose is to get around the course within the time allowed. First choice is to ride, then walk, but do what it takes to get to the top. Sometimes walking just gives your cycling muscles a rest and uses some different ones, which can be handy if you get leg cramps.
A couple of years ago, I did a ride with some longer steeper climbs than I'm used to. A friend of mine only had a double and had to walk some of the stretches. I had a triple and was able to ride them. But, she probably walked up them at 3 mph, and I rode up them at 4 mph, so there wasn't necessarily a big gain in performance.