Learn Me How To Climb
Bad grammatical title aside, I am looking for some pointers on how to climb. I know we have some big climbers sitting around idle, surfing the internet for aero calf guards with a built-in trip strip, chain oilers and ridiculously delicious deserts. You know who you are.
I have an event next week that, for me, entails quite a bit of climbing. There 18 climbs with 10,000 ft. of ascent over 80 miles. Each climb has a section of 9% grade or higher, with a couple in the 15%-20% range. I have not viewed the course, but Ride With GPS shows the climbs to be short though steep. A sample of the route can be found here.
Online searching offered up suggestions to stay seated and spin them out, standing as a last resort. Wait on shifting to the next lowest gear until your cadence falls 10%. I imagine, like running, there is a skill to efficiently tackling a climb. Things like gearing, body/foot positioning, and breathing are what I am hoping to gain an insight on. Oh, I’ll be riding this course on my P2, because that is the only bike I have.
Comments
When I climb I like to sit as upright as possible. On a tri-bike I will actually hold onto the aero bar pads. On a road bike I have them close together on the straight part of the bars. When it gets tough I just put my head down, and try to focus on pedaling and not thrashing about.
On an 80 mile climb with 10k going up it is all about pacing yourself. With the right gears you should be able to spin up at a normal cadence. I only like to stand to stretch out and to give my legs something different, also to give my saddle area a break. When you stand to push higher watts you are most likely burning matches and will crack at some point. Pushing high watts when standing uses your fast twitch muscle fibers that don't have much endurance.
What gearing do you have?
I am running a 9 speed Deore XT derailleur to accommodate a 12-32 cassette and running a compact crank up front.
The excess burning of matches is exactly what I am looking to avoid.
To avoid spiking watts you can follow the EN climbing guidance which is to really focus on pedal pressure and downshift quickly as you start to climb try to keep the pressure constant. When not focusing, when you start the climb it is really easy to accidentally put out tons of watts unexpectedly, which done over and over again will burn matches.
Some other notes, when it is really hard I will actually pull back on the handlebars with my arms to apply counter pressure to what my legs are doing. This helps me stay sitting. However, on your monster climb if you get to this point then you are probably going too hard.
In the meantime...this ride is my home terrain, Gg Harbor Peninsula is of course just the other side of Colvos Passage from Vashon. I've ridden this stuff for years on my TT bike. The. "Trick" is to be humble - shift into your easiest gear at the very base of the hill, and just pedal away. No need to work harder than, say, your HIM effort level at any time. It's not a race to the top of any one of those 18 hills, it's a challenge to see if you can finish the whole thing and and not bonk.
Random tips...stay fueled, stay hydrated. Save your standing for when seated pedaling might result in falling over, or he steepest sections, or the very top. Don't try to prove anything to yourself or others, stay within yourself. If you have a power meter, stay under 0.9 IF if at all possible, more like 0.8 on the normal hills. Don't freak out; most of the distance of most of these hills are not as skeery as they might seem on a profile.
For future reference, Shimano makes a mid length rear dérailleur and 11-32, which I have on both my road and TT bikes. This, with a compact crank, let's me get up to 9-10% with fairly normal spinning @ my current w/kg of about 3.25. Above that, I need to slow my cadence, then start standing about 17-18%.
I will be plenty humble for this event, though the reminder is well taken. I am looking to: finish without blowing up and of course to have fun. The end BBQ doesn't start until 2:00 pm, so finishing earlier doesn't get me any rewards.
I initially tried a long cage Ultegra RD that I was assured would work up to a 34 cog, but I, nor Tacoma Bike could get it to work on the P2. It was suggested that I get a 9 speed mt. bike RD, so I went with the Deore XT.
I've been looping Pt. Defiance for the past few weeks in preparation. The Owens Beach climb is getting "easier" as I figure out how to stay seated while spinning up it. Today was the first time I could get into the 32 cog and it lowered the HR by about 5 bpm. I will review my files to see what kind of watts I've been pushing. I'm sure I've been over 0.9 though. I'll have to do some humble climbing runs to see where things shake out.
You'll be fine on your tri bike... I did a TON of climbing on my P5 last yr and was completely fine. I did a normal "training" ride one time of 10,000' over 100mi and that seemed like a lot. 10,000' over 80 miles seems like my kind of ride. Don't let it intimidate you, but don't go crazy in the first 40 miles either. Let it build and come to you throughout the day. And as others have said, STAY HYDRATED and stay on top of your NUTRITION and SALT.
Some quick thoughts:
You certainly have enough gears for the ride so you're square there.
All climbing is good, especially long days like this. You will have forever redefined a "hill," "climb," or "gain" and likely won't sweat any course, ever again.
When I want to conserve watts and relax while standing I (1) keep my back rather straight and kinda lock my knees a bit. That is, I imagine my weight going straight up and down on the pedals, with everything in vertical straight line without flexing my leg muscles so much (ie, the lock-knee feeling). And (2) I don't close my hands on the hoods. That is, my hands aren't gripping the hoods, they are just resting on top of them and I'm not aggressively pulling up on the bars, using upper body strength to leverage the bike. Again, this is for relaxed, relatively low wattage standing. The harder you're going the more you'll start / begin to have to muscle the bike so I'm aware of this and don't do it unless I actually need to. I will likely stand on most of the bigger climbs at IMWI next weekend and ^these^ are the thoughts and techniques in my head, as I stand for a position change only, not necessarily to put out more watts.
If you have a powermeter, it's valuable to move around on the saddle, sliding forward and backwards, to find what works best for you, wattage-wise, as you climb. Over time my saddle height has move to a height that is perfect for me when in the aerobars, but also is right where I want it to be when I'm climbing: I tend to slide all the way back in the saddle on the tri bike when climbing, creating a position that similar to that on my road bike. However, feeling powerful is not the same as actually being powerful, so I'll watch how my watts change as I slide forward or back on the saddle while climbing. Sometimes I'll slide back (creating a slack seat tube angle), sometimes I'll stay forward on the nose (steep), changing things up.
I should have included from the start that I am using a power meter: ftp 255, w/kg 3.34
@Peter – I hear you. Sometimes it comes down to just getting up over the hill.
@Al – I will ride humbly this weekend. My two goals are to finish the course without walking my bike up any of the hills. So, I guess not totally humble, but for sure I will be riding the heck out of that 32 cog.
I hit Pt. Defiance this morning and was able to stay under 0.9 IF, for grades up to 11%. I kept it conservative and on the steeper grades, but was up to 1.40 IF coming out of Owens Beach (17%-20%.) I remained seated on all three climbs with a max HR of between 163-165. I was hitting the hills pretty aggressively these past few weeks, so it was a confidence booster to see that I could follow you guidelines above. Especially considering we are right at the same w/kg.
@John – On this morning’s ride I was able to spin up a 15%+ hill while seated. Watts spiked to 1.40 IF though. In you experience, would standing have lowered my IF or made is worse. I will try standing on this portion my next time out. Looks like I'll get a taste of what you consider your kind of ride.
@ Coach Rich –Yes, this will redefine my perception of a hill, climb and gain. I remember you saying these exact words in the description of your various camps. This is why I decided to ride the full 80 mile course. There is a 30 & 50 mile course as well.
I kept a relaxed grip on the hoods, while seated though, and it seemed to keep the rest of my upper body relaxed during the climb. I will focus on standing posture, maintaining a straight vertical line and not spiking my watts. I find that I slide up on the nose when climbing or putting out an effort at or above ftp. If it’s a longer duration, I will slide back for a time to let muscles rest, and then slide back up onto the nose. I will have to watch how my watts change in these positions.
Phil - Good Luck and have fun at all the food stops! I think it will be "easier" than you imagine - a good confidence booster. With the weather looking good, I'm heading for the Tour de Blast for my Saturday ride.
Kind of an aside - Pt Defiance Five Mile Drive has become my go-to FTP workout. EG, this Sunday, I did three loops @ 0.985, 1.0 and 1.0 (but the VI is about 1.04) Basically Zoo to Zoo + the two little steep hills on the road to Salmon Beach. 4.5 miles, 15 minutes, 3-4 minutes rest down Vassault back into the park, Or I sometimes stop at the top of the hill @ Ft Nisqually, 12.5 minutes. My front derailleur was a little out of tune, so I did the whole thing in the big chain ring at a cadence of 83-5. (Its a lot of shifting, of course.) I don't go down to Owens Beach - the climb out is too steep for anything save VO2 work.
see you there. doing the Passport to Pain too. just did the High Pass Challenge - just managed to make the gold medal time to the top.
I am the tall skinny guy. using Giant red/black road bike.
34 in the front and 32 in the back gives you great options.
when climbing, when road biking, I like to stand often, for variety. I picture Contador though I am sure I am not even in the ballpark smoothness wise.
@Robin - I'll be on the gray and black P2, possibly wearing my EN jersey. Hope to see you there.