Sometimes a different position really helps me with carrying a load. For light fast riding I can go a little higher and more forward on the saddle. With a load, just a little lower and further back seems to let me carry through the dead spots better. Makes so much more difference going up hill. Mostly the lowest gears get through the dead spots - rarely much of a problem in the high-torque zone!

And to think I used to tour on a 42x28. Must have been younger.

Another "trick" I used to use was to go extremely light. Light everything. I still do for backpacking. My daughter and I weighed our packs for our last trip. 32 lbs. Combined weight. Including a day's worth of water. Worth investigating ultralight. I rarely toured with more than 20 lbs load including a day's food. 33 lbs has to be a killer. It's not just pushing it forward, it's balancing that up hills.

On gearing, rarely need the really high gears. I'm with a 30-42-52 x 12-28 at the moment. I don't need a 52-12! The only advantage, other than that I had the triple hanging around, is that I grew up with 42 x 52 and 14 - 28, so the intervals are quite familiar. That's absolutely the only advantage!! I think about changing it, but that would be work.