How can I get faster at hill climbs? How can I become a better climber? These are questions we often hear. Below are the best techniques to become a better climber.

Hill climbs are unavoidable unless you live in a very flat area, and they are an essential part of cycling. While some people enjoy climbing hills and can ascend them with the ease of an expert, others dread them and struggle with the gradient and physical demands required to climb them.

Point 1: Pace yourself

We’ve all done it: sped up into the base of a climb, fought to maintain that speed all the way up, and stumbled over the top. The smarter approach is to ease into the climb. Try to reach the bottom of the climb with a good heart rate, not too high, and enter the gradient of the climb comfortably, trying to suppress your urge to push too hard. This is difficult in a team environment, we acknowledge, but it's wise to adopt your own pacing strategy. As you get more accustomed to the climb, you can increase your pace, finish faster, reach the top, feel stronger, and be ready for the next challenge.

Point 2: Understand the climb in advance

It's difficult to adjust your pace when you don't know how long or steep a mountain is. If you're climbing blindly, it's wise to find a comfortable speed and save a little effort, especially if the climb gets steeper or longer than expected. Another strategy is to use modern technology, such as Strava and Google Maps.

Point 3: Lose weight

Unfortunately, one of the enemies of fast climbing is how much weight you need to carry up. You can diet with your bike. It's easy to spend money on your bike to lose weight, but there's only so much room for improvement there.

Weight can be a limiting factor in your climbing speed. This depends entirely on your power-to-weight ratio. Reduce your weight and increase your power. Not only does fat slow you down, but muscle is denser than fat. When cycling, upper body muscles often contribute very little.

Point 4: Install lighter gears

Struggling with a heavy gear can lead to muscle fatigue and make it impossible to climb. The basic principle is to spin in a lighter gear.

Point 5: Correct posture

Many people have a preference for standing out of the saddle when climbing, but usually the most effective and aerobically efficient way to climb is to sit in the saddle and climb the hill using your gears and rhythm. Getting out of the saddle can increase power output and help generate the necessary force to tackle very steep gradients exceeding 10%.

The extra power generated by standing on the pedals can also increase your speed during a climb. It's also useful for attacking or riding behind friends. The disadvantage of getting out of the saddle is that oxygen consumption increases, so save these efforts for temporary bursts and very steep climbs. Many people have their preferences, and in any professional race, some never get out of the saddle, while others seem to never sit down during a climb, so you might try experimenting to see which method is more comfortable and effective for you.

Point 6: Increase your cadence

Instead of grinding a very high gear, copy the pros and shift to an easier gear, increasing your cadence. While pushing a bigger gear might feel more comfortable, research shows that spinning a lower gear actually improves performance.

A study conducted in Spain in 2004 by researcher Alejandro Lucia revealed that a higher cadence significantly increases efficiency. "Economy decreases with a slower cadence (60 rpm) compared to a higher pedaling rate (100 rpm)," and that decrease is also accompanied by higher levels of blood lactate and fatigue.

Therefore, higher cadence pedaling is more effective as it reduces strain and load on leg muscles and minimizes lactate fatigue and early onset, which can hinder climbing performance. If you're used to pushing very high gears, it might take some training to adapt to spinning lower gears, so take some time to adjust, perhaps adding short bursts of higher cadence pedaling.

Point 7: Use a heart rate monitor or power meter

You can adjust your pace by listening to your body and feeling the pain in your legs, but if you want, you can get more scientific data. A heart rate monitor is a good way to control your speed throughout the climb and prevent you from entering the red zone. A power meter is an expensive upgrade, but it shows direct effort, allowing you to control your rhythm more accurately than a heart rate monitor.

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