Climb Like A Pro Cyclist! | Top 5 Mistakes To Avoid

[@gcn]

What do you do to ride faster uphill?

[@jeffconnaly6209]

Take my bag off

[@kehncamurungan870]

I pace myself slow at the start of a long climb so that my body can adapt and get my tempo then go full gas at the most steepest part.

[@lexa5051]

Think of "Bohemian Rhapsody" or "Stairway to"... starts slow, gets wild in the middle...and finishes to a fade.

[@KermitFrogThe]

I tend to try focussing on my music rather than the riding. It helps me avoid the mistakes shown here and means I am less focussed on how my body feels. I do ride with music, always have done. With wire free headphones now that connect to the phone means I am safer and able to be contacted if there's an emergency. SO much better than the old tape players where the speed of music could start dropping as the batteries faded.

[@willsbirdworld1510]

Try as hard as I can!! 😂

[@billybish833]

Don't avoid the climbs. You won't improve by staying on the flats. "Don't buy upgrades; ride up grades"

[@renz09baylon]

noice

[@sepg5084]

Why not both? I climb up grades because i live in a mountainous region, and i buy upgrades if they are actually worth it.

[@ivarbrouwer197]

Say that to all our Dutch climbing legends…

[@DaveCM]

I agree. I live in an area that has rolling hills. You can "climb" about 3,500 feet in 65 miles if you aim for some hilly areas. People I sometimes ride with complain about the hills. My advice is to occasionally ride in the mountains. It makes you better and then the hills in my area seem to be virtually nothing. After several miles of 8+ percent climbing, a half mile 4% grade isn't $hit. And I suck at climbing

[@billybish833]

@@sepg5084 Oh I can't disagree with that. I also like to buy nice new bike bits. But you get the idea.

[@gefloigle]

0:42 - Don’t start out too fast 2:27 - Keep well fueled 3:41 - Change positions 5:03 - Gear choice 6:23 - Don’t rock (back and forth - be efficient)

[@jensenyap803]

Thanks for saving my time

[@ap0110]

this is helpful. thanks!

[@Janiduvirunaka]

Thanks brother

[@lasmijubilee2779]

Thanks :)

[@markproulx1472]

You deserve a medal.

[@martinandersson5833]

A top tip that works in every endurance sport: try to relax your face and neck muscles as much as possible at all time. Keep your mouth and jaw relaxed. You will breathe a lot easier and use more of your lungcapacity. Don’t grind your teeth and strain your neck. Remember to breathe out effectively too. Try it next time. You’ll be surprised of the result👍

[@johnusmaximus83]

@@Ewok009 Sounds gay?

[@frasersmith3651]

That’s a bite right?

[@jkimm7]

One of the best things I did for my climbing is convince myself that I love it, I feel so accomplished after a climb and I needed to get away from the stigma that everyone has where they dread hills. I figured you can either choose to enjoy it or you can let it bother you. Choice is simple really, mindset plays a huge role in difficult tasks

[@cristibaluta]

You can also think of the fun of going down from there

[@Thomas1965K]

true for all kinds of situations in life 😊

[@richcrompton6891]

I ride an old bike with old gearing. I had to grind up most climbs, but I persisted. Slowly my weight dropped off and I had to grind up fewer climbs. I’ve lost over 30kg now. Same old bike, but the grinding only happens when the percentages head north of 12%+ for a sustained distance. Keep on persevering and magic happens! I do dream of compact chainsets and rear sprockets in the high 20’s and beyond!

[@krist370]

Friend gave me a good advice: "Look down and keep up pedalling, you will feel much better." Must say that it helps me every time I see hills in front of me.

[@skandinav_nummer1]

I do it all the time. Overtake road bikers on MTB.

[@DriverHenryWho3245]

As long as you look up to observe a good bit then sure

[@breeekazoidd]

When Hank said "I got faith in you" I feel rejuvenated, I feel I can conquer anything.

[@colerobertson8743]

Just keep spinning just keep spinning just keep spinning spinning spinning. That’s the song I sing in my head when climbing up long climbs around me it takes your mind off of the pain and makes it a bit more fun lol.

[@theunexpectedjaz9100]

S🅱️innala

[@kippen64]

I don't sing in my head but I definitely do think it for the entire climb.

[@lukel909]

I go: LEFT right LEFT right LEFT 😂

[@ghcheong]

Just keep spinning, just keep spinning... finding nemo??

[@mariohunka5548]

@@ghcheong yop, I always sing the Dory song 😅

[@IloveYou-zh3ob]

Spent about 500 miles on it and so far so good. kzbin.infoUgkxMesz3KOGEmwmvyKQfLfrRSUXLFzfVHZA Pros:1. Very light2. Solid quality build3. Fast delivery: It arrived 5 weeks earlier than expected.4. Easy assemblyJust a few cons but nothing major:1. Cheap tin tubes and had flat on first day... but not a big deal. I replaced the tubes.2. Seat is a bit uncomfortable but that's pretty much the same situation with most bikes.3. Seat post is a bit long/high for a smaller size 48 bike - had to saw 2 inch off to fit properly. The lowest setting is too high. The post locking system does not seem to hold well (perhaps because I saw 2 inch off).4. wheels are not tubeless compatible (from what I can tell)

[@skinwalker_]

Drop down a gear. 😆 I’m already out of gears at this point.

[@hikeride7520]

🚴‍♀🤣

[@benoitbvg2888]

Do as I did and just buy a bigger cassette 😅

[@-privat-9061]

Real

[@davidadamus177]

​@@benoitbvg2888I have a 11-28, would 11-30 be enough of a change, or should I go 11-34? Would have to go 11 speed for that, so considerably more money to go 11-34.

[@davidadamus177]

​@@benoitbvg2888I have a 11-28, would 11-30 be enough of a change, or should I go 11-34? Would have to go 11 speed for that, so considerably more money to go 11-34.

[@jabehauber]

As a chronic grinder, the last bit on going to lower gear is indeed important. Our group motto for climbs is, "don't try to be a hero...you'll wind up a zero." What that effectively means is use the little chainring more than you think you should and/or spin 1or 2 gears below what you might normally think. If you happen to speed up, then by all means shift up. Also don't be afraid to adjust that gearing on the climb, up or down. That's what the derailleur system is for after all!

[@nikgracanin6180]

I try to keep my cadence (around 80 RPM for me) as constant as possible during long climbs, it really helps to keep me in the right zone of exertion.

[@gcn]

It's all about pacing your effort!

[@peters6119]

Really, really smart. A steady cadence requires the right gearing which is usually NOT grinding, but more spinning. I am killing other more experienced riders on the climbs, and even destroyed a group in a race on several climbs recently without ever leaving the saddle (despite being inexperienced at racing). The key was spinning it at the right cadence in the right gear. (Being light and strong helps too, but I was improving my chances by being in the right gear and having a comfortable cadence). Good suggestion!

[@bengt_axle]

One of the most helpful tools for a long climb is a heart rate monitor. If you know your maximum (e.g. 175), you'll know when to slow down to avoid blowing up before the top. Usually I start at 30BPM below and try to stay under 10 BPM below max until the last few seconds of the climb, when it is OK to go over the max for a few seconds and then recover on the way down. Do the same climb over a few times, looking not just at the time, but how low you can keep your heart rate, just be being more efficient and choosing the right gear. That’s what is going to make the ride more enjoyable.

[@beeble2003]

On my screen, there's a line break after "Usually, I start at 30BPM" and I was thinking, "Who are you? Marco Pantani or something?" until I got to the next line. 🤣

[@RobertJWaid]

Heart rate monitor is a great tool. I agree with the above. Easing off a few minutes before you blow up will pay huge benefits on the rest of the climb and ride.

[@bengt_axle]

@@beeble2003 Ha, ha. Cycling as brought down my RHR. I'm 55 and when I'm doing a lot of riding (in the summer) my RHR in the morning is around 50. I now try not to go above 175 under any circumstance, even though I once hit 183, and it was quite uncomfortable.

[@randygarcia4565]

"I am not a climber" so... Whenever I'm in a group ride, I try to slowly positioning myself in the front, so I won't be too far behind when the climb ends. While in the climb, I'm so tired that I can't get up from my saddle, so changing positions is a "don't do it" for me, I change in the saddle, rotate hands in the handlebar, pull more than push on the pedals and try to have small goals during the climb. Looking at my Garmin doesn't help much as the incline % start increasing, it becomes more psychological. What I try to do is glance the cadence number (75 to 85 for me) and then keep my head down for a while and look up briefly to the front. I do 8% inclines, but beyond that is a "no men's land" for me. Doesn't help that I'm pushing 53/39 with an 11-28 and 235lbs....

[@iangannon8543]

Acceleration is the killer. Find an intensity your comfortable with and keep turning the crank. I find on the flat i’m comfortable with 90-100rpm, where as climbs i’m normally 70-80.

[@jameswitte5676]

Try an 11-32 cassette.

[@randygarcia4565]

@@jameswitte5676 I think I'll change the chainring for a 50/34 instead.

[@jameswitte5676]

@@randygarcia4565 Or an 50/34 AND 11-32!

[@JanMichalDzban]

Thanks for sharing with everyone, your comment surely helps other people what exactly not to do 😉 bro, this is a real disaster what you are doing ha ha 😂

[@richardhale9664]

I moved from Wiltshire to W. Yorks a few years ago. The hills by and large are no worse now than my old local ones were, but.....There are precious few nice, empty flat roads - so not much recovery time between the hills(the plus side is I am less bothered about wind now!). Of necessity, my climbing ability has improved no end. This video gave very sound advice. Personally the biggest help I found was getting used to being out of the saddle more. Being big and powerful, sitting back and spinning a low gear is good for long pulls, but when I get to a steep rise I tend to lift the front wheel off the deck when doing so - not very helpful, so getting my weight over the front on the steep bits means I can climb much more efficiently and also has the benefit of stretching my various muscle groups. It takes some practice to get your breathing sorted, but it's well worth it. I can even get round my usual routes on my fixie. It's a bit of an effort but very rewarding. My fixie has On One Midge handle bars, and the very shallow drops and wide spread really open my chest out, so out of saddle breathing is much easier at maximum effort. So I would suggest that one makes sure your handle bars are the correct width for one's chest size whatever bike one is riding.

[@jesseking5104]

Most of us can relate to the first mistake. Learnt my mistake in the hardest way 😂😂😂 I just take my time to climb the hill in the easiest gear and I really don't care how long it going to take me to get to the top of the hill

[@lucafwn]

Every time Hank talks about Pantani, I am almost moved to tears. It's great to know that the Pirate still has fans all over the world.

[@calltothewildwild661]

A lot of really helpful comments. One thing that also really helped me to overcome the hills hump is to break it down into 20 or even 10 m chunks. Only look 10 m ahead and say to yourself when you are halfway to that individual target section and reward yourself when completed it and onto the next.

[@yisraels4555]

Every road around my house goes up hill... I changed the chainrings to 50/34 and cluster to 11/34. What a difference. I decided this was the year to conquer the hills so I rode to the bottom, rode up, turned around and did it again and again... I kept a standard route for several months so that I can easily see and feel the improvement in my strength and endurance. Parts of the ride which were painful 6 months ago are relatively easy now.

[@Tchairdjian]

I put a 11-42T cassette. I can climb a tree now haha

[@Tchairdjian]

You will need a Wolfe link for a 11-42t cassette. Not if you use the 11-40t if you have the R8000 Ultegra. With Ultegra 6800 you will need the road link for both 40 and 42T cassettes

[@michaellynn9763]

Definitely hitting the hill too fast and grinding a hard gear! After 10 years of intermittent cycling, I still delude myself that my thin white ass can do it, only to be beaten by nature! I don’t think it’s only me but it’s almost like I would be disappointed in myself for dropping to the small ring. You will however, be happy to learn that I swallowed my pride and spent most of todays climbs in the small ring!

[@nickisherwood9646]

The greatest climbing mistake is to avoid climbing. The greatest climbing learn is that cadence is king.The ultimate climbing wisdom is that some climbs either aren't possible, or you're not fit enough to do them.....which brings us back to the greatest climbing mistake.

[@seniorcycling5352]

Here’s a tip, pedal fast and hard up hill. Do that every day. (Except rest days of course) . Like anything else it will keep getting easier to do certain power. But it will still be tough, like the saying goes, “cycling never gets easier, you just go faster”

[@sandiegocyclingnutz]

I'm definitely not a good climber, but I really enjoy it, nothing better then the feeling when you summit a climb. All these tips are great and will help you enjoy every summit.

[@steveyankou4144]

One of my favorite things about GCN videos is watching cars have to wait behind the riders. In the states they'd be whizzing by inches away, or leaning on their horns.

[@markhillyer6619]

They would be here too normally - I think the prominence of a camera has something to do with it :-)

[@shellypalumbo5297]

So true. I’m cut off and honked at on every ride.

[@DerFilmgucker]

Those roads GCN uses are so tiny, yet really busy. I would probably not go on them with a bike if it was in the US.

[@okantichrist]

@@DerFilmgucker we don’t have much choice here unfortunately.The bigger roads are even busier.

[@stop223]

I ride a 11-34 cassette on my road bike. This summer I went cycling in the alps and even put a grx 46/30 chainset on my bike. Just gave me a peace of mind knowing I would be able to shift in an even easier gear. Cadence makes all the difference for me when I ride all day.

[@DoNuT_1985]

I really think, gearing is by far the most essential point to be ticked off. If you're grinding with a classic crankset on 10+ percent climb, there's no way you can ride a sustainable cadence as an average rider. I'm a light rider at 62 kg and probably some sort of mountain goat but I really wouldn't want to go for anything else than my 50/34 11-32 setup where I live. When I'm feeling good, I just stay way from the largest 2 cogs (also to have it as backup for really steep sections).

[@rozscyclingadventures]

Great video. I've made several of those mistakes in the past and even recently for not fueling properly. Using a powermeter and HRM really helps me on the long climbs, knowing how much I can sustain over a 5km climb.

[@drc3286]

I'm nearly 50 and about 110kgs. Hills are horrible for me. The groups I go with, just drop me on the climbs and a particularly hilly route I end up riding solo most of it. I love cycling, and regularly do 30-40mile cycles. Done Arran a few times (approx 55 miles), and have now down the 5 ferries 3 times (approx 70 miles). but this summer, I took the plunge and got myself an ebike. I makes so much difference on the hills, but it nonexistent on the flat. Has made a huge difference to my cycling, both solo and in much younger groups.

[@theegg-viator4707]

Seems like you’re enjoying the ride which is the most important thing, As far as the hills, try to switch up your position from seated to standing while in a lower gear ratio on the climbs. Try to use your weight to your advantage with lower gears and aim for approximately 50rpm when standing.

[@adamrice617]

Short, sharp hills I’m fine with, but I struggle mostly on long, consistent inclines (not even particularly steep) and go into a sort of conservation of energy mode..

[@paulfox7581]

I've fallen for the "going off too fast" mistake many times, especially in a group when I don't know the climb. What can help if you're following a route you're not familiar with, is make sure you've got the elevation profile screen on your Garmin. That'll help you know how much of the climb is still to come, and how steep it is.

[@edmcguigan3501]

Always better to misjudge leaving too much in reserve than the other way around. I would also say, have the "emergency" cog on the back for when you have blown your wad and need to recover by twiddling something ridiculous without the indignity of actually stopping or, God forbid, getting off and walking.

[@sir_felix.]

Just bought a bike and my first lesson here is worth it for i made all this mistakes yesterday... Thanks man for the good work

[@wesleysept6536]

Good to know, even though I'm a BMXer, I can still learn from these videos. Where I live is really " hilly", not quite Sanfransico, but just about. Thanks again dude. Wes Sept

[@raypamplona0226]

There you go… another super educational tactics to improve my climbing skills. Can’t thank everyone in the GCN enough. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@DerFilmgucker]

You need to keep going on climbs, but keep some rest days. This is just a sample: Day 1 - 300m Day 3 - 300m Day 4 - 100m (ride flat) Day 6 - 800m Day 8 - 300m .... Day 30 - 1200m If you want to improve, climb 3-4 times per week. Ride a 12%+ only once a week in case you have one. The steep parts degrade material the most. You can ride a small hill multiple times for this. This gives you plenty of time to decide on how to hold the handlebars. Track your VAM on Strava after a month.

[@shellypalumbo5297]

I find that by grinding in the highest gear that I’m able, at low cadence, to more efficiently engage my glutes, giving me far more climbing endurance and less quads burning. 🔥 Being nearly 70 I’m forced to adapt to a less than perfect Bod.

[@xosece]

low cadence is also good for the heart, 'cos the legs are doing most of the work. So you need to fuel your legs but it's worth it. On the contrary, at high cadence while using the easiest gears, it's a breeze for your legs but your heart rate increases a lot

[@edymarkonthego4096]

1. Pacing 2. Breathing 3. Stroking technique, use body weight while pushing down. It takes time to learn this technique but once you get the rhythm, you’ll save a lot of energies 4. Listen to your legs to avoid burning your Vastus muscles which is located above your knee. Relax and a steady.

[@g.west2372]

go up the highest and the steepest climb in your region to get a baseline for all other climbs...

[@parttimeandy854]

I have the 3 biggest hills in my area. 1 mile long and 200' of elevation, gaining altitude is awful in Indiana.

[@qwertyazerty1439]

I live in the Netherlands. The steepest climbs are bridges, everything else is as flat as it can get. Are bridges a baseline for all other climbs?

[@Kromaatikse]

@@qwertyazerty1439 Perhaps where you live, they actually are. Here in Finland, I make at least occasional use of the full range of my 24-speed gearset. Finland is relatively low-lying, but not flat; the landscape was shaped by glaciers, not sedimentation.

[@jackkeable6752]

mtb fellas with their 11-52 cassettes laughing at us 11-28 bois

[@tohidnikkhah]

I got a 9 speed entry-level mtb which weights almost 15 kilos, with Shimano Alivio 11-34 in rear and a 3x crankset (20-32-40). Honestly, I hardly ever use any bigger cog than 28 using while using the middle chainring. I've never used the smallest chainring at all. I mean it's totally useless. You just keep spinning, and you feel like the bike doesn't even move! Planing to upgrade to a relatively lighter road bike cause I found half of mtb drivetrain useless, even in some serious climbs!

[@cornishalps9870]

@@tohidnikkhah yh unless its ridiculously steep you won't need MTB gears. Off road up 20% grades it's necessary due to lack of grip keeping the torque constant. But even with my 34-42 lowest which is considered not that low for an MTB is fine on everything if you have the legs.

[@Paganiproductions84]

In have 20% Climbs on the road with my MTB with 11 46

[@nekobytes9187]

Yeah but MTBs are heavy, and the geometry is built for climbing while sitting down. They kinda need those bigger gears, especially off-road when tires won't find any grip at higher gears due to the loose surface.

[@pipolchamp8205]

off-road technical climbing is way different, every pedal stroke momentum is killed by the terrain so it's basically impossible to not install a 50t cassette. even xc pros use them so 🤷

[@jegirafranciskyledv.1495]

Thank you for the tip about switching to maybe 1-2 lower gears when climbing, i myself really feel exhausted after 10 seconds of climbing up with high gears, my muscles will suddenly starts to feel pain and my breathing becomes heavier, i need to try switching to maybe less than 1 or 2 gears before my highest gear, thank you GCN

[@peters6119]

Climbing often enough I just made my own adjustments and logically followed all this advice before I ever saw this video. It just made sense and felt better to ride in a slightly lower gear and to ride at the right pace and to eat well before climbs and not during them. If you make these mistakes you should only make each one once. How awful it feels and how unsuccessful the climb goes should let you know what to change. Still, GNC always has the best advice for us amateur riders. All these mistakes should be discovered as you make them, but it's always better to learn before making mistakes, isn't it.

[@Sklouchechi]

I literally watched this atleast 3 times last night before I head out in the morning for my second mountain climb, this really helped a lot, my first climb was so horrible that even walking my bike up the climb is exhausting, i thought i'd never get home. Now, i got overtaken a lot of times but I remembered to just stick to my pacing, near the peak i catched up to the fellow cyclists! And they bonked the hell out lmao. Thanks GCN!

[@az149keyjoecoil3]

I like climbing, it's inevitably leads to the downhill🚴🤪

[@hucklejoko4838]

Dont be like me who switched to an 11-23 cassette from an 11-28 only to end up suffering real bad in a 6km climb that only averages at 7%. I could feel the lactic acid build up on my legs a quarter in. I already rode 60km of flat before the climb but I was able to do it not suffering very much on my 34ring-28 cog before.

[@satchmojack]

Wish I could run 11-28! I've got 12-25, and it's campy record so I'm too cheap to buy a medium or long cage RD to fit bigger cogs back there. I've gotten used to it over the years but I run out of gears pretty quickly.

[@Kromaatikse]

I'm just about to switch my well-worn hybrid over from the 48/38/28 and 11-32 cassette that it came with to a 48/36/26 and 11-34. The gear sequence is nicer in both the level-road and climbing ranges, and the double-shift changes are more similar to simple gear changes. The bottom gear doesn't see a whole lot of use as it is, but I know that when I load up the bike heavily (including a Burley trailer) and encounter a nasty hill, I'll be glad it's there so I don't have to get off and walk.

[@Gracie.Paulina]

My share.... On one particularly frustrating day I got off of my bike, slowly walked it over a bridge. It was always very windy so I took it very easy. I kept doing this. One day I'd forgotten and just smoothly rode over and it's been like that ever since. Uphill and against the wind is now a great training method for me. Thank you

[@gcn]

Glad we could help! Great to hear that you are getting stronger and improving! Have you got any climbing goals in mind? 👀

[@johnfiler6448]

Really great vidio on avoiding the 'bonk'. Thank you. Stay Safe.

[@leangrypoulet7523]

One of the things not mentioned is weight loss, and that’s more likely on our blobby bodies than shaving grams off the bike. Makes a huge difference. A friend and I climb locally (French Alps) and he weighs 65kgs and is built like a grimpeur, whilst I weigh 85kgs and am built like a rugby player who happens to be on a bike. 20kgs difference. Studies have shown that you lose 3secs/KG/km at the same wattage. So if we look at our local Cat 1 climb, approx 13km and 1000m+ gain, he can finish 13-15mins faster than me, using the same effort. 😬 However, non of this is going to stop me enjoying burgers and beer. 🙌

[@abe.vs.ape.]

Burgers and beer are a good part of life, cheers friend 😎

[@kstethespokes1051]

Well that’s rather timely - we go up Sa Colobra tomorrow at the GCN Mallorca event!

[@rossross8224]

good luck, weather not great for next week , but will probably change 😂

[@Markbell73]

I am surrounded by hills here in San Diego. I'm ascending atleast 3 hills a day. Big ones. Little ones. Long ones, short ones. I still don't stand up. I'm not comfortable standing. Balance issues from diabetes. Also. I enjoy making my legs do all the work. No help from body weight. I never rocked. I studied many of these videos on proper techniques when I first started cycling. There's still a few diamond difficulty hills I haven't tried yet. The Presidio hill is still my most difficult one. It's short but steep. Don't know the gradient. Don't care. It's hard. When it gets easier, I'll move on to steeper and longer ones. Like Texas street hill. That one is hard for cars.

[@carmenandthedevil2804]

The Robert Miller "Bob" worked well for me and a lot of riders back then. Same when out of the saddle, doing the Butt Cheek touch of the saddle horn.

[@shanepaulmodelo5354]

Don't forget to sing Hime Song from Yowamushi Pedal

[@roysandoval5779]

Hime hime hime hahahaha

[@solomlgaming8877]

HAHAHA The Climber Song Indeed😆

[@edmanktelow670]

Try and ride within yourself so that when the grade pitches up you can still maintain the same cadence. Keeping a rhythm helps and you can slightly recover on the lower gradients.

[@SioLazer]

This is awesome! I set out to do more elevation this year and a lot of this was very much part of my journey. There are a couple of points that deserve stand alone videos. My biggest mistakes were not fueling properly and not training properly.

[@mozzraouf]

I improved my climbing by riding the same hilly route (1500 ft EL) 3-4 times a week. You will learn quickly to avoid the mistakes mentioned in this video. If the weather is hot keep your glasses off, and cool your head by spraying water. Pace your rides and monitor your wattage. And don't forget, 3 of your 4 rides a week should be recovery rides. Have fun :)

[@daveharo9878]

Regular hour-long sessions in the hills are exactly what got me into the right physical and mental shape for longer rides too. I had one of the UK's top 100 climbs virtually on my doorstep, a great way to build confidence and technique. (Alas I'm currently stuck in Jakarta for a year for work; just hope I've still got it once I'm back.)

[@mindy_cycling]

What kind of training can I do to ride a bike well?

[@imkuza]

As a newbie, our town literally has no flat roads. Uphill and downhill is good and tiring at the same time and this is why I'm watching this

[@rodmagno6540]

very nice bicycle mate... i love it

[@DoNuT_1985]

Short version: Get over your ego and get a compact crankset.

[@lukeemanuelmondido4245]

3:39 I never knew changing position was a thing, back then i was climbing hills for 30+km and i was tryna find my position for climbing hills, to learning which is the best, i was confused since of.the time i try ro find it, i don't get exhausted

[@peterfox7404]

I'm lucky to have both the big hill at Hardwick Hall near me and a few pit tips with trails on them. The main slag heap at Sherwood pit tip hits 22%.

[@shpetimzeqiri9765]

I love all your episodes, thanks for that nice work ! i want to do this now haha, but my road bike is broken as hell at the moment

[@paulcs2607]

Put your hands on the top. Do not grip hard - just rest your hands there. Relax your upper body and settle into a nice low gear. That stops energy from going to your upper body, arms and your hands. It goes to your legs - when you need it. That will make you more efficient.

[@robbeelsas]

If you must change gear under load, try and do it on the upstroke of your dominant leg

[@Tillmanns1]

Proper gearing is absolutely crucial here. If you can't retain a cadence of about 80 rpm on longer climbs, then this means you have to change your cassette and possibly your chain ring as well. IMHO obviously ;-)

[@theegg-viator4707]

For long seated climbs with gradients between 5% to 9%, maintaining 80 rpm while SEATED is great, but once you start getting into 10% and above, most normal humans do around 50-75 rpm LoL... Standing up (and being in a slightly harder gear allows for same speed or maybe faster going up the climb, but at a higher wattage requirement and lower rpm / cadence

[@Tillmanns1]

I agree, still this could be easily solved if companies like Sram and Shimano would provide wider climbing options. Especially heavier riders would really benefit from lower than 1:1 ratios.

[@klaasdeboer8106]

As a Dutchman on vacation I learned to approach a climb the following way, first try for two minutes what feels right, than shift down two or three gears ontill it feels rediculously light, let the legs get used to climbing and 10 minutes in the climb, and then when I feel strong enough, go for it!

[@ro...valverde1622]

You should also take gearing into account, my bike came with very high gears for the mountains where I live. I stalled out the first time I tried to go up 😰

[@shellypalumbo5297]

I run a Deore XT 10 speed triple group set 11-40/22-40 on my touring bike. Thought I rarely used my lowest gears on pavement, it’s nice to know they are there! 😊

[@alloynash179]

😮 lucky I found this Channel which is Content is all about roadbikes. Im Beginner on roadbike this help me to improve and learns how to ride a roadbike properly, thanks a lot. sorry my English is Bad hahah😅

[@pinoyeh]

Breathing on a rythm while churning the cranks will help.

[@blekfut5763]

6:27 and what about Alberto Contador, who was famous for his rocking while climbing?!

[@langcamonrogeliolllj.2956]

I'm a climber and for me I prefer rocking my body because I can produce more power to the pedals while climbing as I rocking my body left and right, I think that just my style 😅😅

[@walterbrightman8844]

Could you make some videos on riding a two wheel recumbent, eg. climbs, handling hills, riding with up right riders? Thanks, I do like the content.

[@MP-th4nx]

Great content as usual .... Love Hanks humour ... Thanks GCN

[@alejoval5944]

Thanks for the tip of these video:) well appreciated mate

[@devinpace2932]

I find that if I over anticipate the climb and get in too easy of a gear too fast, I never really get the teeth I need to power up the hill.

[@wandom8970]

Im trained to do long n short climbs using my mtb. And when im in group road ride, climbing is super easy n fun

[@Darsithis]

Hilly Hundred next weekend! Can’t wait!

[@svenshipman3612]

There are many things you can do to be a better climber but you have to be mentally tough and take the pain especially on long climbs. Unless you are in supreme shape (which i am not) it is going to burn. I will look initially at where im at on the climb but i try to not look as far ahead. Mentally for some reason it helps me get through it.

[@martintramuntbikemallorcak481]

I'd like to welcome all you GCN folks to my home here on Mallorca today! Enjoy the heavy stormy rain I've organised for u all!! lol.... don't worry... when you's all leave it's to go back to our normal sunshine scorching weather from Tuesday!! Perfekt!

[@DerFilmgucker]

Santuari de Gracia (Randa) is a good beginner's climb. I did it on a mountain bike. Beautiful.

[@martintramuntbikemallorcak481]

@@DerFilmgucker yes it is... but it would've been a wee bit slippery today for sure!! it is slippery with pine needles at best of times!! not done it this year..but done it plenty in past... come over to Andraxt area and I'll show u alot of unknown climbs!!

[@johnfitzgerald1192]

Another good note is to keep your mouth close & breathe out your nose at all times. Exercises the lungs and you don't become exhausted easily and it helps maintain keeping your strength, while giving your brain constant ability to concentrate on your form and other muscle groups to collaborate and work equally.

[@Dhyanesh1012]

GCN.... love 💕 from India......

[@pauljohnson8667]

So is it wrong to hydrate with a sugar/salt drink before the big climb? It seems like fluid and energy in the bottle is just weight holding me back. So I take a few big hits before the local long climbs like Baxter grade, Christian Valley or Ridge or Ridge road.

[@alainbellemare2168]

Make sure your brakes are good enough to go down or have proper shoes to walk down, i remember scaring myself with a very decent rental down a 22% hill in sardaigna

[@AQUPAS]

Great tips, I see many riders (myself in the past) often rock and jog back and forth left to right while tackling a climb, again great stuff and keeping it simple!

[@justinbetz6060]

I just start yelling the theme song to Yowamushi pedal whenever I climb something steep. Hasn't failed me yet!!

[@katiel7166]

I chanel Dory from Finding Nemo - 🎵 just keep pedalling, just keep pedalling...🎵

[@danielechesta4753]

Loved that quote of Pantani! Well done gcn!

[@nomorebroke1056]

very good tipp thank you mate

[@franco992]

Some of the gearing in the comments was a bit of an eye opener for me. I ride an older machine and it’s 52/42 on the front and an eight speed 11-23 on the back. I even modified the cassette as it was originally 11-21. No wonder I can’t get near 80 rpms on many climbs! Must be good for building leg strength I suppose.

[@slowiss]

Never be afraid to try a climb. I have not found a one yet that I could not walk up if needed.

[@karlmack8343]

What advice do you have for those of us who genuinely get sensory overload with steep/long climbs?

[@alyssaapoc]

Breathe, breathe, breathe. Pace your cadence and your breathing to the tune of marching in your head: One... two... three... four... One... two... three... four... Give yourself permission to slow down/stop and take several long, deep breaths and drink some water. You will feel MUCH better. Pace is the trick. Don't overexert yourself! Focus on your music, and look mostly down/avoid looking up at the hill ahead of you, it makes it less daunting. Hope this helps!

[@DavidC-123]

I needed this video a week or two ago. I could have used this info before trying to tackle 6 Gap.

[@josiebenson-thelifeimlivin6005]

Great video, really helpful!

[@alisontriathlonlover]

Thanks, always helpful 👌😀

[@barrymonaghan6593]

Not eating and drinking when you're doing a really long climb such as 20, 30, 40 + km. The KOM in Taiwan comes to mind.

[@Imran_A-Mumin]

I have been riding a 2012 carerra tdf black yellow RRP £210 up quite a few hills.. and it is very physically taxing.... first time i got knee cramp from a 37mile ride with many many uphills.... i need a better bike... and practice

[@Ulrich.Bierwisch]

Most important for me is: Know how high, how far, how steep it is. Nothing is more devastating than thinking it ends behind the next turn and it goes on and on. After my first trip into the Alps, 30 Years ago, I bought a watch with altimeter and I'm using this, bike-computers or GPS systems until today. If I know there is another 300m to climb I know how to do it. Together with the distance, it is also possible to know how steep it will be. Much easier this way.

[@michaelguerrera1463]

Noted. All of it makes perfect sense.

[@watdafuk21]

Controlling your breathing is one of the important thing while climbing 😮‍💨

[@theegg-viator4707]

True

[@lucferrari3109]

I have got a 50/34 in the front and a 11/40 in the back.I can always have a good cadence without killing my knees even in the steepest climbs.Allways use a heart rate monitor, certainly for 20 km climbs.

[@sniqow]

Great info but the dirt and dust on the lenses in several different shots was driving me crazy

[@willsbirdworld1510]

Great Video!!! 👍😃

[@dexternicolas2122]

Thanks For tips ..... Iearned a lot tha k you Idol😊🤘🚴🏻