Whether you want to claim the bragging rights on your local 'cols', boost you chances of finishing your next big ride in the hills, or simply get to the summit without feeling ill, here are five pieces of essential advice from Paul Knott - Cycling Weekly contributor and author of the Official Tour de France Road Cycling Training Guide - that'll help you nail every climb. Let us know your top climbing tips in the comments.
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00:00Steep climbs are something cyclists come across on every single ride and it's something that
00:04every cyclist should look to improve on. They may only be a few hundred meters long
00:08but whether it's your preparation, your gearing or your bike handling, it's certainly some area
00:13that we can definitely improve. So here's Cycling Weekly's guide to conquering those devilish little kickers.
00:30One tip that you may well see in the pro races such as the Tour de France and especially on
00:37climbs such as Alpe d'Huez and its 21 hairpin bends is something you can replicate on the corners when
00:42you're on a steep climb yourself. So as you can see with this one the inside line is really really
00:48steep and even though on a flat road this may be the quickest option to get around the bend
00:52but on this road in particular it's definitely the steepest gradient whereas if you can move slightly
00:57out without crossing the line into the oncoming traffic in the lane it's a slightly lessened
01:02gradient. This means you can maintain your momentum and your speed and get to the top of that climb
01:07the hell of a lot faster.
01:14When it comes to climbing the gearing plays a crucial part in two ways. Firstly ensuring you have chosen
01:20the right selection of gears for the ride ahead. If you know you're going to be taking on multiple
01:24short steeper sense then having the correct gear ratios will be really beneficial. There are three
01:29types of setup which typically come in the following chainring sizes. A standard setup which is a 53x39
01:35tooth chainring, a compact which is a 50x34 and a semi-compact which is a blend of the two at 52x36.
01:44The chances are that unless you are a pro level rider a compact or a semi-compact setup will most likely
01:50prove beneficial to you in the long run for the types of road riding you will be doing. But a lot
01:54of this is based on personal preferences and ability. Making sure your bike is not only set for the
02:00terrain but also your ability itself is key. You may be able to ride up a steep climb once. If you know
02:06your ride consists of multiple ascents then it may not prove quite as useful. Remember there isn't a
02:12cyclist alive who complained about having an extra gear on their bike so don't feel like you're wimping
02:16out if you go for a compact chainset or a large rear cassette.
02:26It's all well and good having the gears on your bike but make sure you use them efficiently is
02:30another matter entirely. When you're coming up to a climb make sure you prepare for it by changing
02:35down the gears before you reach the climb itself. Otherwise you could be caught out when the road ramps up.
02:41If you can try and time this gear change so you get as much speed and momentum before hitting the
02:46climb itself as well. Changing gears on the climb itself is less efficient and also puts a huge
02:52strain on your bike components. You never want to crunch through the gears on the climb itself
02:56as this puts a massive strain on your bike and is highly inefficient of your speed and your momentum.
03:08We all have a preferred style of climbing whether it be in the saddle or out of it and one of the main
03:13issues this brings on steep climbs is how you distribute your weight. When standing up in the pedals you can
03:19easily see your backwards lose traction with the road and therefore speed especially if the road is wet.
03:24Whereas if you sit too far back you may cause the front wheel to lift. Doing a wheelie up a 20% climb
03:30is never ideal at the best of times. Therefore, knowledge on what technique works best for you and practicing this is vital.
03:37It is more likely that riding the saddle will avoid any mishaps but working on your weight distribution
03:42for whatever method works best for you is key.
03:50We've all been there and even though maybe a massive hit on your morale, unclipping on a steep climb
03:55doesn't have to mean the end of your climb in the sense. Even though it could be the toughest thing you
04:01do that day but there are a few tips you can take on board to try and get started again. So clip in
04:09and just face your bike slightly against the gradient. Make sure you're not going too far wide and just
04:15try and get a bit of momentum up and then bring your foot in. You don't have to clip in straight away,
04:20just keep the momentum going. Keep going side to side, lessen the gradient. Eventually you'll clip in,
04:27there you go and then away you go.
04:40Those are our top five tips for conquering steep climbs. Let us know in the comment section below
04:44what tips you use to conquer them yourself and if you enjoy this video give it a like and don't
04:49forget to subscribe to the Cycling Weekly YouTube channel. Until next time, we'll see you then!