PsySal

Hi there! So recently (this is my second year road cycling) I have found that I'm pulling up to generate power, particularly in climbs. This feels good and just sort of naturally happened. I ride with clips (i.e., rattraps) and have long felt naked and unstable without them, but I've not actually come to the place in my cycling ability where pulling up just feels natural until the last few weeks. It's great! Lot's more power, feels amazing.

Except. Parts of my lower back, a little to the sides of my spine, feel like they are getting strained by it. Both sides tend to get strained, and I'm not sure if it's getting strained on the same side or opposite to the up-stroke.

Generally, I am able to keep a nicely relaxed upper body to let me put my energy into pedaling, and to float a bit better. But here, to generate this power I find myself grabbing the bars and involving my upper body. Is this right? Am I going to hurt myself (instinct says, definitely, yes.)

Is there a technique to the upstroke to prevent this kind of issue? I should mention this happens when I'm standing in the climb, upstroke-mashing very deliberately. A lower gear (or just to go slower) would eliminate the need to mash, but that would sort of defeat the whole purpose of powering up the hill.

Advices?

merlinextraligh

yes, proper cadence. If you're straining your back pedaling your riding too big a gear.

PsySal

Well, I am in my lowest gear. Anyhow, thanks for the insight!

botto 

what's your lowest/easiest gear?

ZurichSeattle

I'm a pretty big guy, but a very good climber. It takes a while to get good at climbing hills, you have to concentrate on the right things. My recommendations are:

- Keep a steady, fast cadence. Concentrate less on pulling up than keeping a steady rhythm of power on the pedals
- Start with your lower gears and high cadence, then work up to higher gears when you get better
- Keep your body and bike steady, if you noodle around too much you loose efficiency
- Stand up once in a while to relieve muscles in your legs
- Scoot up a LITTLE bit on your saddle to get over the pedals a little bit (this will help your back)
- Relax your arms, just let them rest on the bar tops
- Don't worry about aero positioning, it won't make a difference at -12mph
- Breathe like a dog if you have to

Another BIG advantage you can have is: psychology. Most people dread climbing hills. I look at them as an advantage and you will soon too if you get good.

DON'T think if it like this: I will never get up this hill, how can I make it when I am already wiped out?

DO think of it like this: Shift forward on my saddle, rev up cadence, move at a comfortable pace

I saw Elvis

Couple of thoughts. does your bike fit? Obvious question I know, but if it doesn't it could lead to problems. Do you warm up stretch before you ride? I have a similar problem (caused by a racing crash 10+ years ago) and I need about 15-20 mins stretching plus a Warm up before any serious climbing to avoid any pain.

I don't think there's much wrong with using the upper body, I use my arms / shoulders to work the bike from side to side on big climbs, see how the pros do it, and that's never given a problem. I'm not sure what you mean by grabbing, I just loosely hold the bars/hoods and work the bike from side to side. As I rock/tip the bike to the left I push down with my right leg and vice versa.

Pulling up during the rotation is not a natural thing to do, I spoken to others about this and the view seems to be that you should try to do this over the winter, so when you come to the summer it's more of a natural thing. If it's natural for you I'm jealous, I've been racing / riding for 20 years and I still have to make the effort to remember to do it (but I'm just lazy )

I'd like to see your pedaling action, I was out with a guy yesterday who was naturally strong and was complaining about pains in his knees, when I rode behind him I noticed his knees stuck out when he rode.

Be careful about 'powering' up hills. I've seen permanent damage done because someone has tried to ride climbs with too high a gear on a regular basis. If you get to the top and you get there in decent time what difference does it make what gear you rode up in?
Again an example, 2 weeks ago I was on a training week and rode up a 30% climb with a guy who was pushing a 'big' gear (he told me it made him go faster) I was 'spinning' on a much smaller gear and left him for dead.

Think about doing some targeted weight training to build up lower back and legs.

ZurichSeattle

Look at the best climbers and their style if you can. Basso and Simoni at Giro 2006 are great examples of expert climbers: cool and calm, rock-steady pace-setting, not noodling all over the bike

-Nigel

PsySal

Ahh, thanks for the insight. I suppose I'm not having trouble getting up the hills per se. I can get up them with a reasonably steady pace, although I don't have the gearing to maintain what would be a normal pedaling cadence for me. The climbs I'm looking at are more the shorter climbs that I want to get up really quickly, basically using leg strength rather than good pedaling endurance. I can climb seated without too much of a problem, usually, but to generate real power, I've found I can get what feels like an incredible boost by pulling up. There is a hill near to my house that I ride a heck of a lot. I think generally to involve the upper body too much is bad news, so I will try to stay looser on the handlebars and see how it feels. I might just be tense!

My situation for gearing is that right now I'm on a 12 speed (old, but it's a NICE old and I love it), dt shifters, and living in a pretty hilly city (Calgary). I'd check my lowest gearing right now except that it's really raining and nasty outside... I suppose this is something I should know. =) I know I have a 24T on the back as the lowest gear, and my previous freewheel was a 26T but truthfully I'm much stronger than I was last year so I'd rather keep it this way. As well, the smallest cog on the back was a 23T before and now it's 24T, so I find it's improving my cadence since I tend to take the flats in my small ring up front. I like the idea of weight training, I'm quite interested to see what will happen. This year I might try racing, kind of scary but I think it would be fun!

Is there youtube videos of basso/simoni that I can watch? Or just other good climbing technique? I've seen climbing videos and generally I do try to emulate that, although I think I would have to see myself on the bike to actually tell. Anyhow, thanks for the advice!