Many of us cyclists hate steep climbs! But you can learn to enjoy, and perhaps even master every mountain, pass, or brutal short climb you tackle with these top tips for pacing, technique and mindset.
00:00 – Intro
00:27 – Pace yourself ahead of a climb
01:04 – Gear selection for steep climbs
01:39 – Climbing technique
02:14 – Bike set up on huge gradients
03:01 – Paperboy technique – a climbing ‘hack’
03:47 – Attitude: Learn to love those big gradients
04:40 – Walking… if you need to, so what?
05:13 – Outro
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46 Comments
What is the toughest climb you've ever ridden?
Let us know 👇
Super tips and tricks again Manon, Hank and gcn!! Doing my HIIT hill reps against a 85kph headwind today sure felt challenging! Attitude is everything, you're so right Manon! So, I didn't know that it was called the 'paperboy' technique, but I used it all the time as an eight year old on my single speed coaster brake 60's first ever bike to even survive getting up steep ravine hills in Toronto. Also went back to it when riding (or attempting) Ontario's Northumberland Hills with a 45 year old Nishiki road bike 12 speed. Glad gearing has gotten easier, but I still tend to grind a bit even on my modern bikes! Love this content and please keep it coming because even for a 'seasoned' cyclist, a refresher is always welcome!
In my usual training rides I have sections in each of the hills where I stand on the pedals – each for 5-10mins. This has built my 'stand up' endurance a lot so on the long steep climbs I can alternate about 50:50 standing and sitting. I don't climb very fast, but I alway reach the top without walking.
Great Video 🚴🏼♀️🚴🏼♂️💨
I've found that eating about a mile before a climb and holding back (just to give a bit of time to digest) makes a difference. I'm missing my other bike though as I'm currently on a 12-32 and 50/34 on the backup, and had switched to a 11-37 and 46/30 on the other (since I almost never top out or at least not at any kind of great cadence).
Don't use the Garmin screen with the little dot showing you're not even half way there. It's demoralising.
Steepest I’ve ridden, in the UK are Leith hill and Chalk pit lane both pretty brutal with my 34/28 gearing
Option 8. Just pick a route around them.
Верните разрешение Серж Расклад на переводы ваших видео https://youtube.com/@sergerasklad?si=JgXliPoQUrRr9nHI
Что за детский сад?
Благодаря его каналу с переводами на русский язык, я многое узнал из ваших видео.
ВЕРНИТЕ ЕМУ РАЗРЕШЕНИЕ НА ПЕРЕВОДЫ ВАШИХ ВИДЕО!!!!!!!
I was all set to hit that thumbs up button… but then you went and ruined it for me at the very end 😛
I love climbing hills. The hills make the rider stronger. It also defines the spirit. Frooming up is a dreary activity.
I like #5 and #7 which I have done often. Even my new bike with a decent gear range has me resorting to these two techniques especially when I am weighed down with gear. The one technique I might have missed being mentioned, is that more hills done more regularly prepares you for them. If you know your route has them on a ride, and you want to make short work of them, in the months preceding the ride practice on other routes which are steeper. Eventually the targeted ride will become tamer for you to handle. Don’t forget to taper off before the big day to build up your reserves.
Don't look round. You're not going that way. #Ragnar Lothbrok
You've missed a big point here- the reward. By climbing you get the reward of the descent. By contrast, fighting against the wind on the flats rarely gives you the chance to ride with the wind, as we all know.
I know it seems obvious, but I think we try everything else first, however when I lost weight, for every 7-14 lbs (3-8 kilos) I lost I also found climbing SO MUCH EASIER! Who knew? 😅
Here in Brazil, MTC XCM is one of the most popular cycling discipline, if not the most popular. I acquired a carbon road bike just for training and my cycling changed a lot. In our XCM races the organizers love to put a wall or 2 during the course of the race. Some are really outrageous to climb pedalling because they are way steep and, we are talking about MTB, so…lots of craters, etc. The road cycling helped me A LOT not only in my stamina but also in my attitude when facing those climbs. Today, I am totally like Manom, I have fun climbing or at least I try to have fun when climbing and I only focus on me. I am 1,84m/95kg …I am not made for climbing lol.
hello, I’m a viewer from the Serge Rasklad channel, I’m here to negotiate the translation of your videos into Russian, please respond to the letter from the Serge Rasklad channel.
I’m a really slow learner. I keep clicking on these GCN videos and still hope that I’ll learn something new even though that never happened ever.
hello, I’m a viewer from the Serge Rasklad channel, I’m here to negotiate the translation of your videos into Russian, please respond to the letter from the Serge Rasklad channel.
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪
These couples of months I've been "training" myself to climb while holding onto the end of the drop handlebar (just like when you're sprinting), I find holding on the drop pushes my hip forward, thus pulling the upstroke way easier on any climb. I suggest anyone can give it a try, see if it works for you!
A good way to get lower gears is to fit a GRX crank and, unless you're lucky, front derailer. It has the same Q factor as road cranks but 2.5mm wider chain line. I even used a left hand road crank to save a bit of weight.
BE A PRO ! – climb in the DROPS aka Pantani-style sans EPO – you need a super strong core to hold it – some balance and technique to master it but it is super fast(er) than on the hoods or in the saddle – you are basically in sprint-mode UP the mountain – the more you do it – the better you get and the longer you can hold it – hey … Thanks Marco !
the TOUGHEST European climb I have done is Monte Zoncolan from Ovaro in 1:25:44 and 188W average – only the second mountain I had ever climbed back in 2021 – the first was Alpe d'Huez – there are actually two other routes up Monte Zoncolan that are less daunting but from Ovaro – honestly – I would be nervous to attempt it again – it was a pure PAIN FEST – every self-respecting climber should do it at least once to learn how to suffer on a climb – after establishing that sort of reference point – EVERYTHING else has always seemed LESS bad
I think you missed the most important advice, pacing not only before the climb, but DURING a climb. I have friends and colleagues asking “isn’t it terrible, riding those climbs in the mountains?” I typically respond that it’s not any harder than riding on the flat, you just go slower. Riding using 200w in a steep climb, is not any harder than doing 200w on the flats. As long as you have the right gearing and don’t go to quick. Pacing based on your capability is the most important thing!
I shuddered at the "get off and push". I mean who does that? Well if you type Wiggins Tour of Britain you'll see Brad pushing up The Struggle in Cumbria…. And he was a probably a better cyclist than me i think, so….
Toughest Climb, the La Velo Francette cycle route from Ouistreham to La Rochelle , across Normandy , not high hill,s but steep gradient,s and it,s one after the other , very tiring , so it was a case of walking on a few occasion's, they just keep on coming for days.
The Llangollen pass had us, on a tandem, stopping every 50m for breath…. But no walking!
Wanna get better at climbing? Practice climbing. Go find a local hill and beast it 10x. Then on the way home think about what bits went well and where you may want to improve both physical and mental performance. n.b. The physical is made easier with a tough mental approach. If you go in to the climb thinking you can’t do it, you won’t. Go in telling yourself you’re gonna beat it….💪🏻
The best way to go up hills get off the bike and walk it You're pretty much still going the same speed😂
I struggle with climbing because of exercise-induced asthma. I can hang with anyone on the flats, but I fatigue so quickly in the climbs no matter how I pace myself. I’d really love some advice on this.
Moved from Alaska back to Florida. Really miss my climbing. Anytime I encounter a short hill, shift up to a higher gear, get out of the saddle, and turn that puny 4% grade into a 12% workout😂.
Hmmm Norfolk isn't great
👌
Good informative tips, especially weaving back and forth to decrease the incline difficulty.
Good advice guys and I really like that you added walking! We are not all pro and we are not all mountain goats. Letting go of the ego is a big but important step – so what if you have to walk/stop/take a rest? At the end of the day it's not that important but I think many people feel they should be doing steep climbs because 'that's what real cyclists do'! I feel the goal should be to enjoy the achievement of getting there and it shouldn't matter if you had to have a break.
One thing I always do on hill climbs is use the tops – being more upright maybe opens up the chest a bit and makes it more comfortable. Well it works for me!! Cheers!
I am a huge proponent of letting people know there is no shame in walking up a hill. At a certain point you acknowledge that there are 2 things that can happen next: 1. You meet the ground with your feet 2. You meet the ground with your face. You can pick
GEARING – 12 years ago I regeared my Trek Alpha 1000 from a triple 8-speed to a triple 9-speed. I bought a 28t ring and put on a 11-30 or 11-32 cassette, you could almost spin up steep grades. Purposely did this for the Garrett County Gran Fondo in Maryland. It was a great ride until I busted a spoke. 🙁
Lose weight is only way unless you very strong and got amazing cardio
A bike for speed and a bike for climbing. A must?
Idaho Hp challenge as a team support time off all the way to Johnson
Mont megantic
46/30 crankset 11-42 cassette and you are a mountain goat now if only I could make my lungs bigger
To fly even faster up climbs, evaluate your current weight, aim to lose weight if necessary, develop a training plan focussed on a mix of zone 2, HIIT, and weight training. Offset this with rest, nutrition, wellness, and mindfulness. Get the lightest bike you can afford. Focus on breathing, form, core stability, pedal stroke efficiency, cadence, and power. Fly you will.
Hills only
35 years ago, I bought a cheap mountain bike, rode some single track community races up Sundance Ski Resort, came in last place every week, but stuck with it. It was STEEP!!
Fast forward, and I was just gifted a Pinarello Grevil and am prepping for the gravel community. I'm watching every tip and trick video I can. GCN has been my go-to source for knowledge. I so much appreciate everything about this new late-discovery sport I'm now a part of. Keep the data coming GCN!!