How to Improve Your Climbing: 5 Essential Tips for Cycling Faster & Easier Up Hill
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- čas přidán 18. 02. 2023
- Today from our holiday in Tenerife it's time to test how far my FTP, aka Anaerobic Threshold, has fallen following two bouts of a nasty chest infection. Joining me in Tenerife is Paul Hamblett, who is an incredibly experienced and accomplished sportsman and cyclist. Unexpectedly Paul kindly offered to provide me with some coaching tips whilst I did my test. What I learned was priceless - and well worth a video in its own right.
So here it is - 5 simple but effective tips to help us all improve our cycling up hill, taking inspiration from the power house that is Tony Martin! Also there are a few 'bonus' tips thrown in for good measure!
Tony Cope, aka Top Cat, provided Paul & I with a tip for the climb, The TF-465 in Tenerife. A boring name but a truly sensational climb - highly recommended. Cheers Tony.
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Thanks ever so much for all of your support! And whoever you are, what ever your do, please remember to LIVE THRIVE AND STAY HEALTHY !
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Congratulations Phil. Very nice video. by the way, the roads and views are great. I like it a lot. It would be great if Jane joins you with the e-bike :))) I forgot about the earthquake with this video, thank you very much my friend.
Hi Atakan - always a pleasure to hear from you ! I tried to persuade Jayne to join us on the e-bike, but she decided to relax this holiday! Hope all is starting to recover in Turkey following the recent smaller earthquakes 🤞
Cycling like this is so much like playing a musical instrument at a high level. Spend years practicing to make what is hard look easy.
Agreed Matt 💯 Paul has years of experience as a top level rower then very impressive amateur cyclist, and has honed his skills (including fuelling) to burnished perfection. And I can also confirm that even at 325W for time, Paul looks as relaxed, cool calm and collected as he does there at his 275W
Great video Phill, some outstanding advice there - I really look forward to putting the “Tony Martin” bit of advice into practice! Some other real nuggets there too 👍🏻
Thanks ever so much MoG 🙏💯 - that’s hugely appreciated . And for sure Paul’s tips and guidance are the real deal. Small changes that all add up to help us go a little faster and with more overall power but less wasted energy on these longer threshold climbs 💯🚀
What a man 😍 I've been privileged to have many of these nuggets of wisdom shared with me over the last couple of years and honestly it's paying dividends for me. Great work on the climb Phill, and well done with this video getting some pragmatic and insightful advice from Piglet to the masses
What a guy indeed 💯 Piglet is THE natural coach - especially when actually doing the activity. He has an amazing spidy sense as to when to eek a little more power - and has all the small but important details, adjustments and tips to help do more with less wasted energy. Was really eye opening this one - because he was behind to see all the areas needing correction and not in front.
I really enjoyed that video. Paul really has the perfect DS voice imho, just crazy how he is able to stay so calm and collected (and seemingly unflustered) while doing a good hard effort up a climb. Everyone should have a Paul behind them while riding :)
Cheers Marco 🙏 - so pleased you enjoyed this. And agreed Paul’s advice is truly practical and makes a big difference. And I can report that at 325W for time he looks as calm and relaxed as he did there at his 275W !! Cool calm and collected - the perfect coach or DS !
Where to start with this video Phill, fantastic effort up the climb and the insight/knowledge/mindset information that Paul provides is gold - one to watch again and again 👍
Thanks ever so much Andrew 🙏 - and for sure an incredible recommendation for a climb from Top Cat, and Paul is on another level when it comes to good advice that actually works - hope you go faster as a result of his insight !
So many great nuggets from the piglet
Piglet is indeed the Yoda of the cycling world - simple, practical and effective tips, that cost nothing ! Hope all good Tim 👍
Great tips thanks Phill & Piglet! Those roads look super smooth, great climb TopCat!
Cheers Mick 🙏 - and all the good advice is Piglet’s 💯. And for sure try out his tips - they all add up to help you go faster, and with less wasted energy 🚀
Arrrrrr
The cafe owner must not have known he had got VIP guests coming. 😢
Good work boys on the hill, quality session.
Who knew there was some 13% sections near the top 🤐 glad you enjoyed the smooth tarmac on the way up.
🤣 here ! They missed out on our 10euro coffee and cake for sure ! And thanks for the positive energy, it was superb and practical advice from Paul, complemented by the hairpins and velvet tarmac 💯
understanding the power curve - wot you can hold for 10, 20, 30 minutes - is also important for pacing climbs. well done.
Thanks FoundFoundoftheFound 🙏 - and agreed, whatever my fitness I’ll always first understand my power curve - with the focus on LT1 - then 2x15 to establish my max threshold (as per the vid last week) and then given time I’ll play around to find my 20min and 5 or 10min powers. I do love matching the desired physiological response with the power 💯
That was brilliant to watch. So informative. More of this please! 🙌
Thanks ever so much Matt - that’s massively appreciated 🙏 - so pleased it’s helpful! And for sure I’ll try to do more of this when I have the opportunity. I’ve got a couple more from Tenerife - which will hopefully inform
Brilliant vid. Phill 👍And well done on that climb💪 Great having a teacher like Piglet by your side, I have learnt a lot from him too👌👌 Thanks alot👊👌 Keep up the great work👌
Thanks Gunnar - that’s massively kind of you Sir🙏. And Piglet is an incredible coach - really knows how to get the best out of you. The road back to fitness is ON !
Thanks Phil and Paul. Top and simple tips. Great work on the climb.
Cheers Ethan - it’s a pleasure ! And so pleased you enjoyed the video, and Paul’s words of experience and wisdom 👍
Great timing. I'm tackling the FRR tour of fire and ice tomorrow. Its a TT so I made notes to stick on my monitor. Thanks for the great tips
Thanks Chuckey - and wishing you the very best of luck on the Alp TT - keep the power down on the shallower hairpins to build up the speed into the steeper ramps 👍
So glad you are back fit mate 🙏😊
Thanks ever so much Lake District Cyclist 🙏 - hopefully back on the upward trajectory after a torrid December and Jan 🤞
Great climb guys and excellent advice as always many thanks.. 👍🤩🏅👏🚴🚴💪
Cheers Pete 🙏 - that’s massively kind of you 👍 - and there is no doubt Paul’s advice works wonders 🚀
Great video will be taking that advice on board! 😃 as informative as ever Phil! 👏
Thanks ever so much Janek 🙏 - really enjoyed making this one with Piglet 💯. And for sure - try and incorporate his tips into your own threshold efforts, and you’ll hopefully also find you can go faster, and with more overall power but less wasted energy 💯🚀
Phil.... so good to see the return of the hill climbing video’s, i have really missed them 😎👍🏼 hope to see you out recording more this summer!!
Thanks ever so much Rich 🙏 - really appreciate you saying so. And for sure I’ve one or 2 more to come from Tenerife, after tonight’s strength training video. And am building the fitness to film more outside over the spring and the summer 💯
Great to see you back Phill, and what a brilliant climbing video with some great climbing tips. Hope all is good with you and Jayne. Great to see you getting back to full fitness.
Great to hear from you Tony 👍 - and I hope you and the family are well! Jayne passes on her best . It’s been a rough 2 months - but now starting to feel a little healthier and stronger - and for sure these tips help any longer climb (or TT ) 💯🚀
@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy good to hear Phill, missed your super regular vlogs.
@@tonystrange7224 hoping to upload a bit more frequently going forward, Tony. Work has been very intense the last 6 months, and then I got run down and x2 chest infections in 2 months, so hoping for a better run of health and fitness in 2023, and some interesting things to film. I got a few in the bank whilst away - so if work allows I’ll release again next week or latest the week after.
I bloody enjoyed that nice to have a Paul l in your corner, Phill. And will try that when I go to Spain in five weeks, but I very much doubt it will work as well as it work for you though. 😂👍🚂
Thanks ever so much Nick 🙏 And 💯 try your Tony face indoors on the trainer and then enjoy the speed when on the climb in Spain . I’ve carried on experimenting, and it really does help considerably.
@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy yes I have been doing it on the trainer as well as I do believe that is a very noticeable difference, but like everything to start with you’ve got to concentrate a bit until it comes second nature and every little helps as they say 😉
Great informative video Phil. Whenever you show your Wilier at the end I always pause the video and admire it. What a machine that is.
Thanks ever so much Pete 🙏 and so pleased to hear you enjoyed the video and the Wilier ! I really hope you get some good benefit from Paul’s advice - I’ve been religiously practicing on the Turbo !
Ps does Paul do coaching? This stuff is epic!!
Paul doesn’t currently do coaching - hence the video to share his insight 👍
Phil, just on the negative split thing; Paul is talking about inching up your average watts by 1W every minute or so towards the end of the climb. When I first heard what he said I was thinking surely he can't control his output to within 1 watt!! . Just slightly increasing effort over your current average to increase the overall average for the climb based on your perception and how you are feeling, and knowing that you are getting closer to the end. Top effort!
Yep - just by riding consistently a little above the lap average in the final 33% will create a 1W increase every 2mins or so on a climb of this length 👍
Well done Phil! I’m climbing the famous tour climbs in France this season and these learnings will see me well prepared along with an adequate training in preparation. Keep these coming, it’s instructional the whole of the vid…..
Thanks ever so much Richard 🙏 and I really hope Paul’s tips help you go faster uphill in France. And on the longer climbs out there (and at altitude) my own experience is that it’s better to build into each climb than start off too hard. I’ve been using Paul’s tips on the turbo to get into the habit ahead of my own events this year. More to come - for sure 💯
Great video, many thanks guys, appreciated 🙏
Thanks ever so much Lee 🙏 - pleasure! And I hope you find the tips helpful for longer threshold efforts - certainly they add up to help you go faster and with more overall power but wasting less energy 💯🚀
Top Vid Phil 👍🏾
Thanks ever so much Jeff 🙏 - hope you get some good progression from Paul’s tips 👍
What a fantastic video. Two top gents on a top tempo climb 👌 Brilliant advice.
Thanks Katie - too too kind !! And was certainly Paul’s low tempo ….. but my high threshold at the moment 🥵 And for sure Paul’s advice is always on another level - practical and effective 💪
What a great vid. He is an amazing motivator. Encouraging whilst giving a kick up the arse. Perfect.
Thanks ever so much Finnation 🙏 And agreed, Paul is a perfect coach and motivator - calm and considered with a great sense of when I should be pushing a little deeper. 💯
Awesome ride 👍💪thanks Phil & Paul for the video 🍻🍻
Thanks ever so much Stong 🙏 - was really good to be coached whilst undertaking the effort - and I hope the tips help you save a little energy and go a little faster 💯🚀
Super insightful video Phil, thank you so much to you both .some brilliant tips
Thanks ever so much Ciarsz 🙏 - it’s an absolute pleasure to make this video, and I hope you get some good progression from Paul’s tips 💯
What a video. Brilliant.
Cheers David 🙏 Piglet the guru in full informative flow💯.
I'm much here with some appreciate your chimply to me on your prior video "your bike experience is certainly impressive" I'm fifty seven current and still doing some pretty fast strong of sorts, i had trained up on the hills of hopkinton massachusetts, which are pretty steep (I'm still not going to say confident of exact grades though several are steep) simple put i went into some violent big gear sprints and interval levels among some yes more so citizen (as we called them then) level to some of the cats, one race in south maine (on the front part of the race a sizer climb) I went into a big massive powerful climb sprint (all of 52 × at least 15) I was dropping monkeys left and right, ive prided my self on my speeds (and I've done some dam cadences too, flats hills both) strengths, also well thought by me then there's been the lance armstrongs (drugs of sorts or not) who do just that much more, from massive sprints to more the distances, my stepfather (a thought intelligent guy, and there was many other thoughts chimpings of him) once chimped way back when we were kids "the difference between the best of the best (yes drugs or not)and the best has often been in small amounts, he had chimped of long jumps as an example
Thanks ever so much ilostryker 🙏 - really good to hear about your own experience on the climb! And kudos to you for being so fit and healthy at 57💪 And agreed when it comes to the talented professional athletes, I do believe that physiologically it is small differences with hard work / consistency of training and chipping away at tiny improvements that makes the difference 💪
@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy what my stepfather (ages ago before you were born? lol) had gone on about elite track field athletes, long jump for example, how the very lance armstrongs of long jump had beat the other also pretty superior athletes (compared to masses of others) beat them only by small amounts, through the years I compared that to the bike sport as well, like in time trials for example, now I whaled many of the very low citizen like riders, and I got closer to the lance armstrongs, though those ones (best of the best) quite often won by just that much more, looking forward to (you likely have heard of him) the great phil ligget again this year, hands down the most desired play by play voice, and recent chatter of froome gearing up again, i'll yet touch on his age (and others of like age through the ages) and comparing that with a lemond interview during his last years, and also will touch on more of gear ratios here in the states and how many have changed past decades, and some differences from the west to east (my territory) new england/northeast, we also can touch more on mind and body (recalling what the motorolo coach had said a few decades ago, what that was worth) ive enjoyed your replies, may I inquire your age son?
Eat eggs and also beetroot, but not together. Pumpkin seeds are pretty good for keeping magnesium and potassium levels high.
Cheers Alex - and for sure I do eat plenty of beetroot (including on this holiday) plus I’ll snack on a few seeds - and take electrolytes in the bottle 👍
Our motto for 2023 : #bikeracingwithoutmercy
Too too kind Sir !
Would love to see TCs H/R he looked like he was doing a recovery ride 😂😂
Hi Tatties - Paul is seriously strong. Years and years of experience - including in the mountains. So my 240W (his 270W) is very much Paul’s low tempo . You’ll see in a later video the power he can put down for a long long time - it’s not small!! Top Cat is a force of nature too - his acceleration uphill is savage💪
Great video Phil, enjoyed very much. More tips than you can shake a stick at. Looking forward to trying them out - on the turbo sadly :(. Those views aren't bad either!
Thanks Clive - really appreciate your kind support 🙏 And for sure on the turbo is where I too am practicing the tips ! Tony Martin Face 💯
It looks like you guys had Great day out 👍
Cheers Harry - and for sure Tenerife always makes for a good day out 💪
You'll be in the yellow jersey soon enough!
🤣cheers Buggsy 🙏 - super kind of you! I’ll be in the yellow …. If I buy myself a replica 🤣
I would cry there next to the cafe 😂
With Tony having provided a glowing heads up on the cafe …. I was more than a little teary eyed when I saw the metal shutters!! No Baraquito Complete for me 🤣
This is awesome. Two questions: 1. How do you know what power to start at to apply the 1w per x mins? 2. Any tips on getting gearing right for a climb? Is it a case of whatever you can keep 90rpm at? thanks Phil and Paul
Actually I think I got some of number 2 later in the video - I should always watch to the end first. Still not quite sure I understand when to change gear. Is it the 90rpm test until you run out of gears and then you stand up?
Think I may have confused myself!!!!
I think rule of thumb for edging the average power up on a climb with reasonably consistent gradient, is check your sensations with about 1/3 of the climb to go. Is your HR and breathing elevated but reasonably stable (ending up ) and if all good (but hard work) look at the average power and don’t let yourself go below. Seek to eek up by about 1W every 2-3mins
With the gearing - find out what kind of gradient forces you into your lowest gear and then what additional gradient causes you to grind a lower cadence or get out the saddle. If this is happening at 6-8% - I’d suggest getting a bigger cassette on the rear (eg a 32-34)
@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy thanks phil!!
phil try girona out ive been there 4 years and its also nice lots of pro riders stay there
All I have to say is “Scheisse” my bike is in the shop to have a grx derailleur and 11-42 cassette put on my road bike just so can go over 10%, my 60 year old heart rate tops put at 160, incredible
That’s great fitness at 60, GC641 - and for sure the easier gearing makes a good difference. I just changed to a 34 on the rear of my Wilier
Great video …you mention trainer difficulty on zwift ..I have just swapped from a KickR to a Watt bike atom ..having always had 100% TD on the KickR …I can’t keep up and struggle to get on top of the gears on the Watt bike so have dropped TD to 50ish % …any advice or tips from yourself or subscribers would be welcome…it’s like starting again 😢😢
Thanks ever so much Nick 🙏 I too have noticed that compared to the WattBike the Kickr Bike doesn’t quite run out of gears as fast as on the Atom. My main tip is to ride outside and experiment with the gradient required for you to have to get out the saddle or grind a low cadence in your easiest gear. And then inside try to match the same via the Trainer Difficulty setting on Zwift. e.g. If in your smallest gear you have to stand / grind at 11% gradient outside, then if this is 75% on the Atom go with that. I use the Radio Tower climb as my gauge 👍
@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy cheers for the reply …loving the Tony Martin …it really works just knocked 7minutes of my best time for this year up the Alpe !! Shoulders relaxed !!
😂😂😂professor Paul. But....Yeah...very interesting.
Paul is indeed the Yoda of practical cycling advice, Agnes 😁 - and looks the same at 325W as he does there at 275!!
@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy amazing person 😊
What was that noise ?
The underlying noise was simply the noise of the road and chain, Gazavman. It comes out a little distorted because I had to max the recorded volume to get Paul’s voice clear, and then reduce hum.
@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy wooo sorry that was not important but I can t ride with a noise on my bike ! Thx for you vids ! You are a great man.
@@TheGazavman always a pleasure to answer all questions Gazavman - and for sure it is a little distracting. But in the road the bike is actually smooth as velvet 👌. Have a great week - and thanks ever so much for your super kind support 🙏
Paul did not mention : use a rim brake bike when climbing. maybe he thinks this is obvious for everyone, unfortunately, is not.
And for sure Paul’s bike is seriously light - 5.5kg with the pedals ! My disc brake Wilier with the same pedals is 7.2!!