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How To Get Better At Riding Steep Climbs
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Apr 1, 2025
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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Steep climbs are something cyclists come across on every single ride and it's something that every cyclist should look to improve on
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They may only be a few hundred meters long But whether it's your preparation your gearing or your bike handling is certainly some area that we can definitely improve
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So here's Cycling Weekly's guide to conquering those devilish little kickers One tip that you may well see in the pro races, such as the Tour de France, and especially
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on climb such as Alp Duets, and it's 21 hairpin bends, is something you can replicate
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on the corners when you want to steep climb yourself. So as you can see with this one, the inside line is really, really steep
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and even though on a flat road this may be the quickest option to get round the bend
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but on this road in particular it's definitely the steepest gradient. Whereas if you can move slightly out without crossing the line into the oncoming traffic in the lane
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it's a slightly lessened gradient. This means you can maintain your momentum and your speed and get to the top of that climb
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the hell of a lot faster. When it comes to climbing gearing plays a crucial par in two ways Firstly ensuring you have chosen the right selection of gears for the ride ahead
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If you know you're going to be taken on multiple short steeper sense, then having the correct gear ratios will be really beneficial
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There are three types of setup which typically come in the following chain ring sizes
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A standard setup, which is a 53 by 39 tooth chain ring
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A compact, which is a 50 by 34. a 50 by 34 and a semi-compact which is a blend of the two at 52 by 36. The chances are that
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unless you are a pro-level rider, a compact or a semi-compact setup will most likely prove
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beneficial to you in the long run for the types of road riding you will be doing. But a lot of
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this is based on personal preferences and ability. Making sure your bike is not only set for the terrain
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but also your ability itself is key. You may be able to ride up a steep climb once
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If you know your ride consists of multiple ascents, then it may not prove quite as useful
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Remember, there isn't a cyclist alive who complained about having an extra gear on their bike
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So don't feel like you're wimping out if you go for a compact chain set or a large rear cassette
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It all well and good having the gears on your bike but make sure you use them efficiently is another matter entirely When you coming up to a climb make sure you prepare for it by changing down the gears before you reach the climate itself
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Otherwise you could be caught out when the road ramps up. If you can, try and time this gear change so you get as much speed and momentum before hitting the climb itself as well
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Changing gears on the climate itself is less efficient and also put a huge strain on your bike components
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components. You never want to crunch through the gears on the climb itself as this
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puts a massive strain on your bike and is highly inefficient on your speed and your
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momentum. We all have a preferred style of climbing, whether it would be in the
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saddle or out of it and one of the main issues this brings on steep climbs is how
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you distribute your weight. When standing up in the pedals you can easily see your
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back-wards loose traction with the road and therefore speed, especially if the road is wet
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Whereas if you sit too far back, you may cause the front wheel to lift
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Doing a wheelie up a 20% climb is never ideal at the best of times
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Therefore, knowledge on what technique works best for you and practicing this is vital
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It is more likely that riding in the saddle will avoid any mishaps but working on your weight distribution for whatever method works best for you is key
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We've all been there, and even though maybe a massive hit on your morale, unclipping on a steep
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climb doesn't have to mean the end of your climb in the sense. Even though it could be the
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toughest thing you do that day, but there are a few tips you can take on board to try and get
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started again. So clip in and just face your bike slightly against the gradient. Make
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sure you're not going too far wide and just try and get a bit of momentum up and then
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bring your foot in. You don't have to clip in straight away. Just keep the momentum
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going. Keep going side to side less than the gradient. Eventually you're clipping
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There you go and then away you go. Those are our top five tips for conquering steep climbs
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Let us know in the comment section below what tips you use to conquer them yourself. And if you enjoy this video, give it a like and don't forget to subscribe to the Cycline
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Weekly YouTube channel. Until next time, we'll see you then
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