5 WAYS to CLIMB FASTER from Tour de France stage winner, Ben O'Connor (a pro cyclists' insight)

How do Tour de France pro cyclists climb so fast? Here are 5 tips from Ben O'Connor, who excels on long, difficult climbs, and has made a name for himself taking wins in the biggest bike races in the world - the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, Volta Catalunya and more...
ESP: ¿Cómo logra un ganador de etapa del Tour de Francia subir tan rápido? Aquí tienes 5 consejos de Ben O'Connor, quien sobresale en ascensos largos y difíciles, y se ha ganado una reputación al lograr victorias en las carreras de bicicletas más importantes del mundo.
A big thank you to Ben for his time in helping make this how-to video.
See the ride on Strava: / strava
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Follow Ben on Instagram: / ben0c0nnor
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00:00 Intro
00:45 Tip 1: Cadence
01:29 Tip 2: Training
04:20 Tip 3: Eat correctly
05:02 Tip 4: Train with similar level riders
05:57 Tip 5: Know your limits
06:49 Tour de France stage win
07:28 Bonus tips
This ride was filmed in Andorra, where many professional cyclists live and train. Riders like Jack Haig, James Knox, Pavel Sivakov, Luke Durbridge, Sepp Kuss, Robert Gesink, Julian Alaphilippe, Carlos Verona, George Bennett and others use the mountains of Andorra to train with teams such INEOS-Grenadiers, Jumbo Visma, UAE Team Emirates, EF-Education Pro Cycling.

[@rbonn3880]

These videos with Ben are always so fun and instructive.

[@stevenbalderstone709]

It was noticeable watching Ben racing in the 2022 Worlds from the roadside on the city circuit climb: he was incredibly smooth and stable on the bike, even compared to the other Pros.

[@tristantakevideo]

If you have a look at his Strava power files from any of his rides throughout 2022 you'll see how smooth his power delivery is on long climbs...it's very impressive.

[@sasatrifunovski]

What I find the hardest of all the tips is - eating on the bike. I guess I could and should add alarms to my Garmin to remind me to eat while riding, but also thinking about amount of carbs I should eat each ride Since I’m here already - buying powermeter pedals (Favero Assiomas in my case) is the best investment EVER for pacing up a climb

[@kge420]

I have my Garmin 530 set to give me an alert every 3 miles as a drink reminder.

[@phoenixinthetrees1446]

Great video. Ben seems such a humble guy, and clearly a great bike rider. Good luck for next season.

So nice to see the beautiful video of our home mountains! ❤

[@dugla]

So cool. So Chill. Luv your rides with Ben. I often go look at his Strava and weep quietly to myself 😀😀😀💪❤‍🔥

[@rabouchet]

We must thank Ben for great tips, and thank Tristan for the great images! I was born and raised in the mountains and so power sensors didn't add a lot for pacing strategies, but torque effectiveness was a huge shock as I figure out my technique was poor. By focusing more on the " pulling back" phase, I jumped from 80 to 95% efficiency and my PB followed this improvement accordingly!

[@maniastrat]

Another good video! Thanks guys!! 🙏🙏

[@user-rc8eq9jq4f]

great tips wishing you the best next season Ben. very helpful video>

[@dollabillwill415]

awesome video, especially when you contextualized with ben's clips, that was so cool to watch

[@donball370]

Thanks Tristan and Ben, excellent tips especially the preparation and pacing for climbing. Have a great festive season and see you for more in 2024, Don

[@greghart6310]

Yeah deffo like that style, some riding, awesome views in the background and casually presented, easy to understand, worthwhile info being imparted at the same time. Winner!

[@AdamLewis-gu8jq]

What a stunning winter ride! 😍 Kudos to you for having the balls to create a lifestyle that lets you do that 👍

[@lukebeveridge7344]

Love this style as well as a simple coffee stop vlog 😊

[@jalebkhan]

Thank you for sharing these tips!

[@bennyw5041]

Another great vid with Ben Tristan👍🏼

[@pacfan1165]

Great advice, really enjoyed watching✌🏼

[@Boatandoffice]

Love these video’s. Please add more coffee shop rides. The Deep winter ride remains my favorite, it was the first video of yours I watched. Have watched it multiple times

[@eddysobieralski8075]

Great to see you and Ben riding on video again. Oh, how I wish I could climb let alone faster.... but being a 90+kg sprinter, it's just a dream... 😎

[@tristantakevideo]

Thanks Eddy 🙏🏼

[@conradleber3247]

Love the style of the vid with Ben, always great watching T

[@tristantakevideo]

Thanks mate 🙏🏼

[@Balintrebeka]

Great content, yet again! Really liked the video angle you used where I could see you brake: when, for how long and how in a curve.

[@tristantakevideo]

Thanks Rebeka, that’s cool to hear 🙏🏼

[@prodrewcer55]

awesome video, cheers guys

[@carlobalzer3238]

Great video Ben new bike 👍✌️

[@brasstinmancrazy]

Great video. Nice seeing Ben on the new bike, would love to hear his thoughts on how it rides even though we know he can't diss it but still always cool seeing a bike check video.

[@tristantakevideo]

I’ll see what I can do in the new year. It’s definitely a change for him after 4+ years on BMC.

[@wasinphutthon]

Just looked both you and ben’s strava. You guys are monster😂

[@Rideurbikenkma]

Great video ❤❤

[@byrt001]

fantastic video

[@Dimashoey]

Awesome tips!!! New jersey is needed to match the bike🎉

[@paulhauck9515]

Fantastic

[@brotherfranciz]

This is why I love cycling so much - it's one of the few sports where the pros train out in public. I mean, good luck keeping up with them, but it's still darn cool to cross paths with them for half a second! 🤣 I would love to see more of these - maybe a review of his past season and/or maybe a preview of the prep work for the season to come. It would be really interesting to hear Ben's thoughts and stories, given that he rides in some of the biggest bike races on Earth! 💪

[@philipsimmonds1103]

Killer, content 👌🏼

[@antspage]

wise words as always, i think following these tips is always harder in reality but all so true and when you get them right it makes a massive difference, thanks TC and ben! will this be last of the brown bibs for ben also ❓

[@neilplatt1111]

Brilliant vid, brilliant content what bikies want to see and learn from :)

[@simondavis9439]

On the new bike already,miss that stunning bmc

[@HoldenAdventures]

Great video! Super cool having ben on! Thanks!

[@peters8504]

Great advice. Thanks. Bike looks great too . Just the colour could be better.

[@dantolo817]

Thanks

[@tristantakevideo]

Thanks so much Dan 🙏🏼

[@MikeStarr1000]

Enjoy the shoulder bumping convo style. It shows an easy comfort in the q and a.

[@Cannonwoods546]

Ben’s bike looks so nice

[@Eramsay121]

The white BMC Teammachine is one of my all-time favorites but those Van Rysels look amazing too

[@alangoh76]

Massive downgrade to these Decathlon bikes. Pity

[@Eramsay121]

@@alangoh76downgrade according to who? It did better than the Tarmac SL8 in Tour Magazin’s aero testing, and initial reviews have been really favorable.

[@massimilianolavermicocca3806]

​@@alangoh76damn right!

[@massimilianolavermicocca3806]

​@@Eramsay121decathlon... 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

[@robertcatuara5118]

Gonna miss the brown kit!

[@marcelsow5817]

Tip 1 is probably the most difficult for an “average” amateur. To maintain a fluid high cadence of 85-90 on a 8% or so climb, you probably have to be able to push 250ish+ watts weight dependent (e.g. at least base on my experience on Alpe du Zwift). On a 2-3 minute climb not too bad, but going for 30 minutes will make it very hard to keep that cadence. That being said, I like how I feel a lot fresher in the legs when doing 95rpm Tempo/Threshold workouts rather than at 80rpm

[@Fatbutnotflat]

Easier gears

[@tristantakevideo]

The answer for most people is to get easier gears. A lot of consumer bikes come woefully under-geared and many people think that grinding up climbs is the only way cycling works. But a larger cassette or smaller front chainring (or both) will make a huge difference to how comfortable climbing can be. When I moved to Europe and started regularly riding climbs of 20 minutes and longer I swapped from a 39 to a 36 on the front and a 28 to a 30 on the rear, and my climbing speed and enjoyment of climbing increased dramatically.

[@marcelsow5817]

@tristantakevideo 36-30...you are also a beast with a 350ish FTP 😆🤣 Surely gearing matters but there are financial implications. Just tell us to get fitter and watch your training videos with John W on how to get there 😜

[@tristantakevideo]

Hahaha that too. New video about a 28 day training plan is coming next week..guaranteed to have a few people climbing faster if they follow that one!

[@marcelsow5817]

@tristantakevideo just finished my ramp test after following your 3-workout video for 4 weeks. 11/9 - 244W; 12/19 - 268W. Taking it easy and then follow the 28-day plan in mid-Jan! You are awesome with the content you share!!! Much appreciated

[@hyperakt1v]

he’s already on the decathlon bike

[@davidbenner6551]

Indoor training good way for more endurance for longer climbs, particularly riding without interruption. Never knew what a difference traffic stops made.

[@tristantakevideo]

100%. Indoor training helps replicate long climbs a lot.

[@logojones96]

Ben is the best, damn we'll miss the brown bibs 😭

[@scugno]

I love the bonus tip; that is very important, too.

[@mokasusa]

Van Riesel?

[@rayrick77]

I'd like to know how he's liking that new Van Rysel he's on! If I were buying a new road bike in 2024, I'd be giving that one a very hard look. Super similar to my beloved 2023 Cannondale Supersix Evo, but appreciably cheaper!

[@chrisbrodroy1183]

Ben seems to be an equally good guy as he is a bike racer! Great video!

[@hegarty134]

I'd love to see someone make a proper video on insight to nutrition while riding. Good energy gels/bars vs crappy ones and why? What to eat vs what not to eat. How to manage fuel while riding...etc. I used an energy gel a few times and felt the effects for maybe 10 mins then bonked each time, so wondering what classifies a good product on the go.

[@jeremyborgeson3127]

In a word (or 3) : carbs are carbs. And you should be consuming 60 g/hr minimum on a ride over an hour, especially above zone 2 (or, as the video says, during higher efforts, such as climbs). Pro tour riders are now consuming 100-130+ grams of carbs per hour. BUT: you need a combination of glucose to fructose in a 1:1 (1:0.8 technically) ratio in order for your body to fully metabolize the extra carb intake (glucose and fructose use different metabolic pathways). Since a typical gel contains roughly 35g of carbohydrate, that will be woefully inadequate for a longer or harder effort. So without additional fuel, it’s no wonder you are bonking. And if you’re not consuming carbs, your body is tapping into your glycogen stores in your muscles. When they are depleted, big bonk. Without fuel, and glycogen is gone, your body begins to metabolize muscle. You can make your own inexpensive carb drink mix with bulk fructose and maltodextrin. Google / listen to Dr Tim Podlogar … he is at the forefront of nutrition research for cyclists.

[@BlakeJames-yk2yz]

@hegarty134 You need to train with the carbs routinely to get your gut acclimated to taking nutrition during exercise. Start on the low end and work up. As everyone is different, over time you will find the type of carbs that you don't even notice. Good to be done on smart trainers, indoors, because if you get it wrong or go too far the bathroom is readily available as opposed to having opt for the woods 😩

[@user-zl4yi1ob9s]

What is the vídeo location? Thanks

[@bagusla_alhamdulillah]

What chain ring the best 50/34 cassette 11/34 ? Thanks 🙏

[@gregmorrison7320]

Yes that is great for hills.

[@ThomasHubik]

What kind of cockpit does Ben's Van Rysel has? Stock builds have a separate stem and handlebar combo in Decathlon.

[@tristantakevideo]

He has the integrated cockpit. I’m guessing it’ll be coming out at some point.

[@BlaqRaq]

Eating and drinking (water) is very important to me when climbing. I'm 90 Kgs, so always belting out loads of power to keep the "super cars" in eye shot. The 70-80 Kg fellows seem to just glide up the slopes.

[@iznasni]

Hi what size cranks do pros use nowadays? What size crank would you advise me to use (1.84 m 79 kg). Thanks!

[@tristantakevideo]

Many shorter pro’s are using shorter cranks these days..lots have dropped to 170mm and I run 165mm. But Ben is 186cm and runs 175mm. It also depends on hip flexibility and how low you run your stem..a bike fitter could help out more accurately, but 172.5-175mm would be fine for your height.

[@iznasni]

@@tristantakevideo Thanks 👍 I’m already on 172,5mm but I heard a lot of triathletes used shorter cranks even the notoriously tall ones (on TT bikes) mostly for hip angle issues and running off the bike…

[@drewbuffington]

Pantani be grinding

[@r.massattack4052]

I look and try all the tips and tricks but when I get out of the saddle I lose all momentum. Just makes it worse. Can't figure it out

[@tristantakevideo]

When you stand up don’t put all your weight on your hands..keep your weight on your feet and keep power through the pedals. Put the bike in a slightly harder gear than when you’re seated too. Start on shallower gradients and you’ll find it easier.

[@r.massattack4052]

@@tristantakevideo thank you for the tip. You were right about what I was doing.

[@channul4887]

Nice Tarmac he's riding there.

[@ToOldToTurnProcycling]

I live in Spain ( Almeria ) and I've got nothing but hills to ride.

[@DeveryAndrews]

I’ve learned to train in the big ring if you wanna get faster.

[@tristantakevideo]

For sure, it helps a lot.

[@dmoore4520]

Great video. I'm a heavier cyclist at 93-94kg 205lbs and riding up any kind of decent grade requires some serious power output no matter what. When i started there were breaks on climbs but training intervals and knowing my limits has helped a ton. Always nice seeing progress!

[@xMaggostx]

Hello! If I don't have more gears to maintain a good cadence though? I'll end up grinding around 45-50 rpm, sometimes at the even beginning of a long climb :(

[@tristantakevideo]

Hey mate, this is where training comes in. Doing seated intervals of 4-5 minutes at higher power and 50-60rpm will help generate torque you can use for climbing. Repeat each intervals 5 times with 6-8 minutes rest in between each. If you do this session once per week, in 3-4 weeks you'll notice a good improvement. I've got a training video coming next week that will explain this further.

[@xMaggostx]

@@tristantakevideo Thanks for the tip!

[@Timtimzi]

Somewhat new here. Love your on the bike vids! Sad that they won't be on BMCs anymore. Now Van Rysel.. meh

[@walterbruggmann4624]

yeah, Ben is already trying out his Van Rysel bike in this video?

[@clenilsonsilas2456]

bom dia, valeu

[@tristantakevideo]

Haha bon dia & adéu.

[@deitzrz]

please someone write here, for all tips... my english not too good. Thanks

[@pedalmafia5499]

Is Ben coming to the TDU?

[@tristantakevideo]

Not this year.

[@sennqkks]

6. Go to Decathlon and buy Van Rysel Bike :P

[@nationsnumber1chump]

fyi since Clif stopped making gels, here in America, decent gels are like $3 each and you can't find any with 100mg caffeine. Its unaffordable.

[@tristantakevideo]

Yeah, a lot of gels offer very little carbs for the price. Keep an eye out for high-carb gels as you'll often find them more cost-effective when it comes to carb to dollar ratio. Alternatively focus on getting your carbs from drink mix - it's easier to consume, cheaper overall and you can fill your bottles with the amount you'll need for the specific training you're doing. Also don't discount just eating regular food like sandwiches, rice cakes, etc. And if all of that is still prohibitive, grab a bag of white sugar from the supermarket and put 40-50g of that in each bottle on your hard days. There are always alternatives and all of them will be better than drinking straight water.

[@jempanuncialman9361]

What crank size he ride?

[@tristantakevideo]

175mm

[@EstelonAgarwaen]

bens bike looks suspiciously like the new decathlon bike, ngl

[@tristantakevideo]

That’s what it is..the team is sponsored by Decathlon for 2024.

[@jarrodfife242]

Is Ben O’Connor doing the nationals?

[@tristantakevideo]

Not for 2024. He’s staying in Europe now.

[@Godshand2]

Yeah, cycle with a high cadence. I tried that up the Mont Ventoux on the indoor trainer and in real life and I blew up quickly both times 😂 Works only if you have a high FTP like a good amateur or average Pro (ca 4 W/kg or more) and not a cycling tourist FTP of about 3-3,5 W/kg 😂 with an average road bike. Or it works with a 30 tooths blade in the front and 80 on the back wheel 😂

[@tristantakevideo]

If you’ve got 3-3.5w/kg FTP and the right gearing holding a moderate cadence shouldn’t be an issue. Ventoux is wildly steep but I’m guessing you aren’t climbing it every day, so that’s an outlier and the point still stands..

[@chrism5433]

I need to lean out lol

[@Bluesman2509]

Nice long climbs and quiet roads like that sinply do not exist in S.E. England...Zwift is not the same as going outdoors.

[@billybirdy9507]

How about losing weight?

[@tristantakevideo]

That also helps, but we went for less controversial and less difficult to implement options.

[@PeatySpirit]

Tip #1 is nice but I would need to switch to mountain bike cassette...

[@tristantakevideo]

It’s not a bad idea. I think most people are overgeared, and could really do with a smaller front chainring or larger cassette (or both) to keep their cadence higher and smoother on climbs.

[@marks3620]

If you have a compact 50/34 and use a 34 max teeth cassette you’ll have 1:1 gearing that should get you up anything.

[@PeatySpirit]

I have 50/34 and 36 in the back and I have trouble ascending hills with high cadence. You also need to factor in my weight of 105 kg and kinda heavy bike...

[@kge420]

I just went from 50/34 to a 46/30 to see if I can get some help bringing my cadence up. 11-32 cassette. I put climbs in my rides and sometimes can’t make it up and have to walk it. I figure climbing is climbing.

[@hcarrer]

gonna miss those brown bibs next year for sure

[@tristantakevideo]

Same 🥲

[@bernardo9202]

They will put them on on the tour, they will have to make people care about the team

[@hcarrer]

That would be great but its impossible. Way too many blue/white kits on the peloton 😭

[@songofyesterday]

I always die a million deaths at the top of a climb 😂. Thought that’s how training should be due to the no pain no gain idiom.

[@Sandro-lj3tu]

Step 1: Ride faster

[@ReVoltaire]

Tip #6 get toothpick thin (climb lots, eat less)

[@tristantakevideo]

This also helps.

[@sayno4137]

Id climb faster if I lost 3st or there was a KFC at the top of climb 😂

[@mrwhiteshorts]

Using a lighter bike would, also, help. I train on a 12.7kg bike with 7 gears, then jump on a 6.5kg weapon with all the gears.. It really helps.... in addition to the tips Ben mentions above.

[@_________4292]

New bike old sponsor clothes kit 😅

[@tristantakevideo]

The kit is current, the bike is future..😉

[@stanislavkindiakov6334]

Five tips: Training Training Training Training Training 😅

[@kempek11]

Look so dumb! in mid winter no gloves!! such a bad trend. the rest is fine!

[@tristantakevideo]

I didn’t realize not being cold enough to wear gloves was a ‘trend’.

[@bikebudha01]

1) Lose weight. 2) Lose weight. 3) Lose weight. 4) Lose weight. 5) Lose weight. Just saved you 8:09 minutes... you are welcome...

[@ketle369]

Yes, yes and yes. In cross country skiing a couple of years ago there was controversy that especially female athletes were getting too thin and many had eating disorders. Instead of caving in to the criticism the coaches actually went on tv and explained how watts per kilo is what’s most important to win. They also emphasized that athletes had great follow up in all areas and that most athletes only live life as a pro for max 15 years and then they get more normal bodies. That said I think most amateurs would benefit more on the climbs from losing 5-10 kg than putting in more training. Having a normal life there is no way you have the time to do all the training and recovery a pro athlete does.

[@bikebudha01]

@@ketle369 Actually, I found the holy grail solution. I race clydesdale. Thus I eat anything I want, still get to race. Nirvana!

[@user-zl4yi1ob9s]

What is the vídeo location? Thanks