How To Ride Steep Climbs
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- čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
- 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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What is the toughest climb you've ever ridden?
Let us know 👇
Honister Pass in the Lake District
@@adyblanchard5438 that is a brute!
When each section of the road has a different gradient especially on the mountain and zigzag roads 😭
Blagdon hill or Blacksmiths Hill. This is from someone who has done the brutal bergs of Cheddar and Wentwood. Ask Si how hard they are.
Abdon Burf up Brown Clee is not easy as its straight up no bends and a dead stop start after the gate. Asterton Bank Devils Staircase and Hard knot always a challenge.
I'm fully aware that Manon is an ex-pro. She is far beyond what my fitness is, I'm sure. But, I appreciate her because she isn't an endurance or climbing monster like Si or Hank is. She has DNF'd a race for us all to see on here, she talks about how she is afraid of being slower than her friends on steep climbs, she (to my knowledge) hasn't done any of the ultra-endurance challenges. She's just so relatable to me, an average 33 year-old trying to keep fit and do some longer challenges that take all summer to train for, but would be seen as a fun weekend for a lot of the GCN audience. All of this to say, thanks Manon for keeping things grounded for us out here who struggle to find the time due to life to put in the long hours in this hobby.
Well said, I definitely love the fact she's relatable.
Sure bobby she is just like you, but the thing is you're a grown man bro, almost the same but no quite. However, keep pushing
@@juliomarcelo5015 what's your point?
Manon is great! She smashes every challenge 💪 Hills might not be her thing but you know she'll smash us as in a sprint 🥵
Smash you in a sprint? Maybe she'll beat some girls, but none of the men.
A mental game: sometimes a quick glance behind you once you're well into the climb gives a bit of inspiration when you see how much you have accomplished.
It can certainly help give a boost!
Agreed! I've always had that mentality to crack on being a former serving Royal Marine Commando. Two years ago I took up cycling and only cycled 20 miles with no training I managed to cycle up Alpes D'huez. It was a challenge yet rewarding especially when French and Italian cyclists ride pass you cheering you on.
Unless your gased and still only 10m in
It's true, a lot of it is mental. I got my PR going up Portlands 17% climb after being passed by a local chap who has loads of top 10 times. He flew past me just before the climb while I was cruising and I thought 'yeah I'm gonna get him'. I didn't know who he was at the time and I didn't get him but I took a chunk off my time.
Conversely, don't look up early in the climb, for the opposite reasons!
I live in a hilly area, and I've gone from hating hills to appreciating them. Hills will get you fitter faster than any other riding terrain. I'm surprised you didn't make cadence one of the key points, as cadence regardless of which gear you're in is the key for me. There's no shame in needing to use your lowest gear to get up a hill. You may need to for the first 10 times going up a particular climb, but it's very satisfying over time when you realise you've improved so much you can go up in higher gears! Surprisingly, I now feel that if I moved away from where I live now - I would miss the hills. Go out there and do some climbing!
Great to hear you have come to love hills! They can be great fun 🙌What goes up must go down 😉 Great point about cadence, spinning is winning! Even the GCN Tech crew will tell you that 👉czcams.com/video/J8Rag33MZlg/video.html
Just no. Hills might get easier but I will NEVER love them.
Hi Guys.
I have often used the "I can get to the next drain cover (tree, telegraph pole, white line dash whichever applies)" technique and then find I can still manage a bit more. It works.
Your "paperboy" method can also be an emergency "get started" method.
Very easy gears can mean too low a speed for balance, but with some hills (such as the 18% star hill near where I live) then walking is the only way. That is, though, a small price to pay for the wonderful ride either side of it.
Having those way markers can really make a difference! Just one more pedal rotation 🥵
It looks like you're supposed to be stomping on the pedals when climbing out of the saddle, but in fact, this is not the most efficient way. Rather, a very gentle weight shifting from one side to the next, without much pushing of the legs is what makes a very efficient dancing on the pedals. The lower abs and transverse abdominus play a big role in stabilizing the core and allowing you to do this, and they must be engaged as you lift the knees to the chest and use your body weight to propel the crank. Bring your belly button in gently so that it feels a bit like your doing crunches. A very small difference in the fore and aft position of your hips also makes a big difference in how efficiently you can use your body weight, without tiring your quads. It takes a lot of practice to find just the right balance. It also takes a lot of practice to sweep the bottom of the pedal stroke backwards so that you pedal in smooth circles. Abs will get a workout!
Thank you for mentioning the "paperboy" technique. I am a horrible climber. Once I started using this technique, I have passed others who made fun of me until they saw me crest the climb ahead of them!
Hey i was a paperboy in the 1960s. Never needed to do that technique (yes in hilly area) on tiny mustang bike with banana seat… i probably loved riding then as much as anytime in my life. Just having fun with you. But also true
It can be a bit tricky to be climbing behind someone "tacking" up a hill, trying to work out which side of the road they're going to be on when you pass them.
It's a classic technique! Don't worry about what makes you look silly, whatever gets you over that hill 🗻
@@secretagent86 I think it's a reference to the Nintendo game.
My two items:
Eat before you reach the base of the climb. Depending on your preference 5~15 minutes beforehand.
I watch my numbers, basically my heart rate. When it climbs too high I ease back maybe 5~10%. I find my heart rate monitor tells me when I am working too hard before my body does.
Actually, heart rate lags behind when starting an effort.
Heart rate tells us a lot! Great tips here 🙌Do you enjoy climbing?
Also make sure you are hydrated before you hit the climb.
I love climbing - it has become a bit of an addiction for me this year (just under 115,000m of gain this year with around 9000m average per week) some weeks i can do 12,000m or more.
For me personally, i go absolutely full on max effort leading in to a climb and slam down the gears just before the ascent begins. this usually gives me a few seconds of momentum and not having to put in too much effort. that 10 m or so of just coasting upwards has a great psychological boost.
You guys did a great climbing video many years ago with Matt and Alberto Contador who made the comment that when he climbs he pretends / feels like he is dancing on the bike - allowing it to move to the rhythm of his body.
Having a run-in works for short, sharp UK climbs. Absolutely doesn’t work in the Alps when your run-in finishes about 30 seconds later and you then have 2 hours of climbing to finish …. 😂
@@PixelVibe42 it is more psychological than anything else. I find it a personal benefit to "believe" that I have cheated the hill out of 3 mins of struggle
I managed the Stelvio 4 a few weekends ago - prato, alto adige, umbrailpass and bormio. that was a tough weekend and last year i did the ventoux malaucene route every day for a week.
As you can tell, I have no life and no friends 🤣🤣🤣
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!
I used to live in a very flat part of the country, but recently I moved to the place with some hills, so my weekday morning training sessions now are all about up and down a hill multiple times, and I love it.
That's awesome! Hill reps make for great training 💪 Are you seeing any changes?
@@gcn well, not yet, to be honest, but I ride that way only for a couple of weeks
As a Marine on a yomp carrying a heavy load we'd contour our way up a steep hill, interesting it's known as the paperboy technique here.
I live in Seattle so I encounter hills every ride... but the Triple Bypass ride in Colorado was definitely the toughest because altitude was also a factor. (But the descents were amazing!). And since you mentioned "the paperboy" I'll be less embarrassed. I'll tell everyone it's a legit technique! Thanks for all the great advice and keeping it real. 💪
If it's a shorter climb, or more of a roller I always try and build momentum to get up the base of the climb quickly. Especially on a single speed or vintage bike with pretty hard gears.
Of course alternating standing to seated,etc is required.
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? 😅
I always get happy when I find out something I've done before without having looked it up already has a name. I have to do the "paperboy" technique on the last really steep climb on my way home
I always thought of serpentines
Great advice, thanks for sharing.👍
Love these vids, I ride mtb but apply what I learn from you guys as it applies just as much. Keep em coming
Oh,super vid.
Thanks for the intel.
As a cyclist who has put in alot of hill miles I agree with your tips and suggestions. To make my road bike more suitable for climbing 10% grades, I swapped out my road bike derailleur for a mountain bike derailleur. Being able to spin while staying seated helps me on the long steep climbs. Awesome video!
I've used the paperboy technique before and I find that if you can lean in on each turn, it gives a little extra momentum on said turn...
Great tip 🙌
Good informative tips, especially weaving back and forth to decrease the incline difficulty.
Most important is to not ride with leg warmers on and arm warmers off. There actually is an old GCN video where they tested it. Matt with leg warmers against some Spanish bloke without. And even if one day there will be some super aero leg warmers saving you 5Watts each, never sacrifice style for speed 😉
It comes as no surprise that Andrew Feather has the KOM for Draycott Steep - in a time of 6:07 whilst smashing out 493W - awesome effort!
Manon back in action! 💪🏼
Thanks JLW , Manon , and crew...my technique for my first mountain/gravel race ...let everyone pass ....die like a dog the remainder of the race , then empty myself in the forest behind the parked cars....yep , success !!
1:32 - hah! That makes me feel better, a nice honest winter cassette. 😅
meanwhile, Ollie and Alex are screaming WAX THAT CHAIN at the screen!
@@gcn 😂 I could hear them in Fleetwood!
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😂.
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. :(
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.
Great Video 🚴🏼♀️🚴🏼♂️💨
Ride in Cassis, southern France, so many roads at 20% and one of them is almost 30%, but if you reach the Crest Road, what a view =)
Yep, getting off and pushing is something I do a lot on Draycott Steep (New Road) and there's no way I would have the energy to speak when going up it, so how you two managed is beyond me
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.
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.
Steepest : Koppenberg
Longest : col de la Croix de Cœur (from Riddes)
Toughest : col des Planches (from Martigny)
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.
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!
Good tip is to practise on longish steep parkland grass banks so the effort is similar but a softer fall if you keel over sideways. The road ones seem a bit easier after a few sessions of that.
That sounds like racing cross to us 🤣 Seems to be working for Mathieu van der Poel
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.
One things that definitely help me with steep climbs is what we all say in my part of town, "put your head down, and peddle". I stare at my front tire, a couple of in front of my tire, or the back tire of the cyclists in front of me if I'm in a group; so long as i don't look at the top of the hill cause, like she said about the mental game, see how far you have to climb can discourage you.
looking down it looks like a flat road
@@offsitearchive haha, good point!
I wonder how Manon managed to make this video fit in her "only zone 2" training... Oh yes, her zone 2 must be somewhere around 250 watts...😁
I was wondering the same thing!
The Llangollen pass had us, on a tandem, stopping every 50m for breath.... But no walking!
Observatory Road, Brooklyn Indiana...20% OUCH
When the text said "paperboy" I had no clue what I was about to see, and then it dawned on me 😂. Fifty years ago, I was a paperboy delivering morning papers on my bike doing exactly that, zigzagging through the streets.
Unfortunately, where I live now, most of the roads are too busy to use that technique, and some of them are so steep I have to get off anyway 😢. But if I get off at a specially steep section, I find it hard to choose the right moment to get back on. Either it is still too steep, or my bike stops just a second before I am back in the saddle 😅
Think the steepest and longest was (not that i managed it), a climb out of Settle, on the Way of the Roses route.
Also Crawleyside bank, got to about 3/4, but that was years ago.
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
Keep going,,🔥
That's easier said than done when the hill gets steep 🥵
@@gcn try an existing music, it becomes flat and easier.🤗
I ride my hybrid Merida crossway 300 and climbing is a piece of cake. It’s a super versatile bike and got the deore groupset and 3 x 10 it has the capability to climb, it can let you go super fast and you can even ride on light gravel. It’s light, its versatile, it’s got all the bells and whistles and doesn’t pain in my crotch. I just can’t stop appreciating how awesome my bike is. Ditching my road bike to swap for a comfort hybrid was the best thing I’ve ever done in my cycling tenure
Ah nice! A triple chainset certainly helps with that extra low gearing. It sounds like a great bike! 👍
I tarted up a Mark 1 Carrera Crossfire . That does the same thing like you say. Hybrids are a good bike choice for a training go anywhere leisure type bike.
@@gcn 👍🏼
@@333wheeler yes, I agree
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.
All hail the triple chainring..i have great low gears with it
Steepest I’ve ridden, in the UK are Leith hill and Chalk pit lane both pretty brutal with my 34/28 gearing
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
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.
Reinforcement is part of the learning process
Zigzags (paperboy) were very helpful for me during the Alps tour.
The zigzags have got plenty of people over the hill 🤣
1:29 Is that speedlink really installed correctly? Generally Wipperman Connex recommends that the medial face of the link be the fixed pin (no slot) in its leading end. In this shot, the slotted end being on the medial side would enter the cassette first (because the fixed end is shown to be on the outside). I know the arrow says its pointing in the right direction, but could it be that it is supposed to be on the medial side of the chain?
The toughest climb I have ever done whas during my cross America cycle tour. I was on a muddy gravel mountain road in the state of Colorado. Eventually the mud got so thick that I had to stop and push my bike.
I thought that you might have mentioned the “Pull Up”. Clipless pedals being ideal for using that different muscle group that is fresher to speed up hill in some cases, giving the other worn muscles a bit of a holiday
Gearing appropriately is way more effective than weird techniques that aren't used in the pro peloton.
Definitely works if you can shift your weight back at the right time, ripping the back wheel off the ground isnt ideal
This hill is Draycott Steep, running up the Mendip Hills towards Priddy. It’s really steep, hitting and maintaining 20 percent for far too long. Simply being able to keep going is a feat - I’ve achieved my lowest cadence without falling off on this hill - and if you do have to stop, you may be walking up the rest of the way.
There's a (to my knowledge) unnamed road out of Wembury, Devon (I believe locally it's known as "Pump Hill"). There are sections where sitting is impossible due to the extreme gradient, but you also have to be very careful about your centre of mass when standing as it's very often wet and therefore easy to lose traction at the rear. Add in the width and state of the road surface rendering the Paperboy technique pretty much impossible and you've got a bit of a beast! I believe Feather is the KOM...
It sounds like it could be this climb? it looks pretty tough! www.strava.com/segments/17276697
@@gcn That's the one! There's also a longer segment with a slightly less "magnanimous" name which encompasses the whole climb.
I got off and pushed on a hill on last years first spring ride. I still haven't forgiven myself, or taken that route again. 😂
what climb was it? It sounds a tough day out!
@@gcn It was the Miura peninsula hill in Japan to the windmills from the southeast end. I really had let myself go.
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 !
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).
25% climb in Slovenia- Mojstrana, dolina Vrat(valley Vrata). It is not that long, but it is brutal.
i comuute by bike a lot. If i happen to be in town and there is car traffic on the road could I just get off bike and walk it on the side of the road i just tried to ride or should i go to sidewalk even befor climb?
Wearing all black on the road is a massively rookie move.
Is it ?
Wow, these tips are game-changers! I've always struggled with steep climbs, but your advice on gear preparation, body positioning, and mental attitude really makes a difference. The 'paper boy' technique is genius-I can't wait to try it out on my next ride. Thanks for sharing these invaluable insights and empowering us to conquer those daunting ascents with confidence. Thumbs up for sure!
The paperboy technique used to be used lots by riders before lower gearing was more easily accessible! a fine technique as long as the road allows you to use it! ❤
You on the payroll?
I love climbing hills. The hills make the rider stronger. It also defines the spirit. Frooming up is a dreary activity.
Hardest I've ever done was Conde Creek in Oregon. ~12 miles at 5-10%
Best advice I have ever had was "if you can climb a ladder, you can ride a bike up a hill".
Work out a gear that gives you 30 rpm. 1 step per second.
All you are doing is climbing a ladder with a 10kg backpack. 40" should do.
up cypress mountain in Vancouver.
Step 0: be lighter! 😆
When I was 76 kg, everything was easy, especially climbs. Now with around 100 kg, even the lighter hills are torture. I still cycle like 2-3 times a week, and the plus weight is not fat, but it feels like for the added ~33% weight, I have to do 200% more work. Descends however are way better, but they have their prices too: brake pads degrade extremely quicky.
And since I became heavier, and my legs got stronger, I have to change chains more often too.
The climbs is where the fun is at. Embrace it
Breathe. Calm your breathing whenever you're not going full chat. Five seconds in, five seconds out. Always through your nose. Try and keep this rhythm as far as you can up the climb, at the very least breathing in through your nose. It's hard to do, but pays large dividends. Ideally, read Breath but James Nestor as soon as you can.
My bike has 22t chainring and 50t sprocket, i can climb coconut tree if i want to 🤭
You could climb up the side of a building on that!
Just become Andrew Feather. Job done.
Paperboy technique and walking is what I usually do on a steep climb
Option 8. Just pick a route around them.
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….💪🏻
I was all set to hit that thumbs up button... but then you went and ruined it for me at the very end 😛
Long sustained climbs are my kryptonite… so of course I have one coming up this summer
GCN has been saying big tires are as fast as slimmer tires but most of their tests have been on flat ground. Does anyone have the numbers on something like a 28 compared to a 32 or 34 when it comes to climbing?
Not a fan of hill climbing but I have to admit I do feel a certain amount of pride setting Strava PBs on climbs that a year ago I was walking up, so I try to use them as a progress gauge for motivation.
Keep going!
I just can't do the small ring. It feels like I'm just standing in place.
Muscleing through in the big ring feels way better to me.
I hate that climb and its not the worst on that side of the Mendip! As for toughest climb, has to be south side of the Timmelsjoch in Italy after more than 200km and three other passes. No walking but several stops and i did clean the long 17% ramp near the top! Technically the Rosedale Chimney ascent is worse, shorter but steeper with a cattle grid to get over.
I'm not built for climbing but i do enjoy the buzz of getting to the top, its a matter of honour to not walk but sometimes....
Can’t have a crazy fast downhill without grinding away at a climb! Embrace it and it’ll get a little easier every time
Wow. I haven’t done the “paperboy” technique since I was a …..
paperboy.
Try repping short medium gradients on a fixed gear. Being stuck on 7-8% gradients on 72 to 78 inch gearing until you complete it really puts the slow speed cadence through the wringer 😂😂
Mash life
Different cycling disciplines teach us different virtues. 😌 If you are bike touring on a loaded, 50+ lb rig, you may choose to spare your legs and just walk up a steep hill, especially if you have another 100 km to travel afterwards. 😌
How much convincing did it take to get Mannon to take part in a hill climbing video 😂
Good tips to keep in mind.
Hahahaha not too much 😉 we can tempt our presenters with post shoot coffee
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.
Death before walking!!
Long time ago I used to ride my 1990 hardtail Schwinn Mt bike with full knobby tires on the road from Mammoth Hot Springs just inside the Yellowstone north entrance up to the Yellowstone caldera every morning.
The best way to do a full gas climb. Keep the video as short as possible, and stop at the bottom and part way up to do a piece to camera 😂. This is a good video though. Please be aware, if you buy a big rear cassette, you are going to need a long cage rear mech. So check your mech size first 👍
I also find it helpful if you don’t look up the climb. Keep your head down (if safe to do so).
Nothing worse than focusing on the top! Easier to break it down into small sections 👍
Being a tall rider and carrying 90kg of me uphill doesn't make me exactly climb like Andrew Feather. Each percentage grade feels so much harder in comparison to a lightweight rider. The worst hill I've attempted out there is York's Hill, in Kent. It features in a famous hill climb. I've tried twice and been defeated twice in the last 200m. The day I get up that monster I'll never ride up a hill again.
When it’s really tough I don’t look any farther than 10 m up the road. I know I can make that, repeat as necessary.🥵
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!
Crack power meter + dual side pedal power meter!! Only GCN can pull this off!