alison_in_oh

A few days ago terrymorse posted off-handedly that on climbs with varied grade, he shifts up and puts a little more effort in when the grade eases up, so that he can carry momentum into the next steep bit.

This is the kind of ingenious expert tip I'd love to see more of! (On last night's training ride I had an opportunity to try it out and it worked really well!) Does anyone else have more such gems?

TheKillerPenguin

To expand on why you shouldn't look up, if when I'm climbing I look up and see the top, my legs start to give out. It doesn't matter how good they're doing up to that point, if I can see the top they start to feel tired.

krich

Shift down early and spin at a higher cadence. Try to aim for a gear that you can climb the whole hill in so you don't have to shift when you are half way up the hill. Shift down only when the grade gets steeper. I also try to shift up towards the top of the hill to carry momentum over the top.

Kestrelman

Yup - happens to me, too.

Also, on some climbs I like to sit far back in the saddle and "pull" on the bars - it's a bit isometric and seems to give me more power. I also like to "snake" up some hills - move the front wheel back and forth a bit - it also provides some power. Finally, when I'm on a varied grade and reach a flat part, resting (stop pedaling) even for just 5 seconds seems to give me back some energy.

jsharr

I find I climb the best when I "spread out" on the bike, back on saddle, hands on hoods, arms a bit open, relaxed, drop my heels a bit more. I tend to look at the top of the climb prior to starting it, then not until I am at the top. I will also make sure to carry some pace into the climb, then shift to maintain cadence. If the hill eases, I shift to increase pace also.

TheKillerPenguin

I actually do the opposite of Terry, that is, pedal hard on the steeper parts, and use the less steep parts to give my legs a bit of a rest. I dont sit farther back (which may be bad form on my part), as I find when I do the front wheel lifts off the ground if I start to crank harder. I use my arms to pull the bike when my legs get tired or the grade gets steeper. I alternate between pedalling normally and inverse pedalling to work different muscles, giving some a bit of a rest. The best thing you can do is mental, though. Just get yourself not to fear hills, but to enjoy em, and it'll make a world of difference. I smile up em, and almost enjoy going up more than going down. almost.

Dr. Moto

It's probably completely wrong to do so, but I find I can get up almost any hill by varying my cadence. I might start out spinning an easy gear, then just stop pedaling and coast until I almost come to a stop, then get up out of the saddle and mash until I'm back up to spinning speed to sit down again. It's probably inefficient as all hell but it works for me. I also upshift when the grade eases to build some speed.

Jaco

For me it's all about cadence. I tend to spin more than mash, and establishing my cadence before the climb begins is key. If you try to spin up to the speed you want your cadence to be after you begin the climb, I think it's much tougher. I find my cadence and keep it there, if I want to I can up/down shift for more speed or rest. The only time this might change is when I'm out of the saddle, but I try to get back to that cadence as soon as possible after I sit again.

thad

Sometimes I like the shift up a gear or two and stand, then shift down a gear or two and sit/spin.

Avalanche325

Never aim for the top of the hill. If you are in sight of the top, target something about 20ft past the top.

If the climb is long, shift your position on the saddle occaisionally to use different muscles.

Keep your line efficient. Don't make the climb longer by weaving. A straight line is the shortest distance.

Here is a good one. Sometimes on a tight switchback the curve will have a lot of camber. Don't go down in the "hole" created by this. It will feel good to ease up for a few seconds, but then you have to climb back out.

For mind games, I use the "bungee cord method". If you are struggling, pick an object about 20-30 ft in front of you. Imagine that you have three large bungee cords around your waist. Mentally stretch them out and hook them onto your target on eat a time. "Feel" them pull you up. It works. I think it just breaks the climb into smaller sections, keeps your mind of of how bad your legs hurt, and keeps you from looking at the top.

live311

Downshift.
Mash pedals.
Downshift again.
Mash some more.
Run out of gears.
Continue to mash while wheezing and wincing like a prison *****.
Reach top and continue to wheeze and wince until the pain goes away.

NewTrekRoadie

This is good stuff. I used to play on my college golf team, and would use mental stuff like this all the time. I'm gonna try this one on my ride tonight.

What is a good cadence to be at when going up hills? For that matter what is a good cadence all the time????

flyingasics

Usually its whatever feels good. I've found I can spin up most anything, so If I feel like going faster, I will mash the last half or quarter of it.

kandnhome

As a heavier rider (225lbs) I find it helps to shift my weight forward on the saddle just an inch or two, gives me more direct power on the down-stroke.

Also, I lean forward at the waist, and take my weight off my hands, so that the only things holding me up are my abs and my legs, this can really add a boost of power if you have strong core/legs (which most of us heavier riders have), and it gives your arms a break.

ImprezaDrvr

Keep a low gear available whenever you get out of the saddle, if you can of course. In other words, if you get out of the saddle on a climb, shift to the next highest gear and then downshift once you're back in the saddle.

Corsaire

How about just attacking the damn hill, can be therapeutic sometimes (speciall if it's not too long):

Field off, flat out and get the hell out of my way !!!!

Corsaire

JungleCat

I'm guessing you guys do this as a mental trick? I see it differently. I stare at the top of the hill with the premise used in life in general - keep your eyes on the goal and you'll never forget why you're working so hard.

Now this part is hokey but sometimes I talk myself up a hill such as:

-If Lance can beat cancer and win the TDF, I can climb this little hill.
-Emmitt Smith single handedly won a football game with a dislocated shoulder; this pain is nothing.
-If you do one more steep climb, you can drink a Heineken later
-My fave: Thinking about any moment of the 2003 tour esp 'the crash'

Yeah I know, very corny...

jreeder

This isn't near as important if you're just climbing by yourself, but I have had some good experience with this one when racing:

Most people get to a hill and instinctively want to hit it hard from the beginning. Heart rate lags behind exertion by about 30 seconds, so a little while into the climb, they are really hurting because of that early surge in exertion. So what you can try is to ease up a bit in the last 25m before a climb and then just take the start of the climb a little easier than instinct would tell you to. You'll give up a little gap because everyone else hammered just before the climb and hammered up the start of it. The gap doesn't matter that much though, because there's no use in drafting here anyway. Then about 2/3rd in to the climb, turn the screws. You've still got that in you because you've been "resting" up until now. The real advantage is this: now not only can you make up the gap that you let grow, you're going to keep hammering over the top of the climb and onto the descent. Most people see the top and want to take a breather, but you're just getting started.

danch13

AMEN!
I am not a "big" rider...about 155lbs but I too love to be up on the nose of the saddle directly over the pedals hands on the flats and relaxed. It seems to incorporate the hip flexors and glutes into the pedal stroke as opposed to relying on quads only...more power

Dr. Moto

Sometimes in my head I'll hear Phil Liggett saying "look at him dancing on those pedals" and that helps me keep going.

alison_in_oh

Ooh, good one! Yeah, the main reason I want to get faster on the hills is for racing, and I can see where last Sunday I really failed here. I knew I needed to really hammer as a newbie in an experienced field, but I hit the climb HARD and petered out halfway, each time. If I could have sustained a more reasonable effort, or had enough in the tank to pour it on closer to the top, I might have done better.

All these tips rock, thanks! I hope to use them on tonight's training ride with the hardcore boyz!

RT

I am not a roadie, but ride a modified MTB to work each day and this is exactly what I do. Not optimum for a race, I imagine, but it sure gets me up the grade the quickest with the least amount of effort.

terrymorse 

Everybody seems to have a different preferred climbing cadence, and it also seems intensity dependent. When I'm just noodling up a hill, my cadence is about 65. When I'm climbing at tempo, it's more like 70-75. When I'm time trialing, I'll average 80 or slightly higher.

Most people seem to fall somewhere in that range. Less than 50 is a grind, and more than 85 is pretty uncommon.

Avalanche325

This is not a good method, but I do use it.

Get 2/3 the way up the hill. Keep looking back at your cassette in hopes that somehow it grew another gear. It hasn't worked yet, but I'm hopeful.

alison_in_oh

Hahahaha. Also the old shifting the front derailleur multiple times to be sure...REALLY sure...that you're in the small ring!