How to climb hills like a pro

2. HOW TO CLIMB HILLS
LIKE A PRO
Never get dropped!
A guide for cyclists and triathletes
2nd Edition
Updated & Upgraded
by Brett Lee Scott

3. Table of Contents
WHY CLIMB HILLS?
WHY DO I GET DROPPED ON THE CLIMBS?
HOW DO YOU GET GOOD AT CLIMBING HILLS?
SETTING UP YOUR BIKE TO CLIMB HILLS
SEVEN FEATURES OF A GOOD HILL CLIMBER
1) OPTIMUM POWER-WEIGHT RATIO
2) EFFICIENT GEAR CHOICE
3) EFFICIENT CADENCE
4) EFFICIENT PEDALING TECHNIQUE
5) CHANGING BODY POSITION DURING THE CLIMB
6) KEEPING YOUR BODY LOOSE
7) CONTROLLING YOUR BREATHING
ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND CLIMBING
1) HOW TO APPLY THE RULE OF THIRDS
2) HOW TO POWER THE CREST OF THE HILL
3) HOW TO APPROACH ROLLING HILLS
4) HOW TO APPROACH STEEPER CLIMBS
SITTING AND STANDING CLIMBS
SITTING FOR CLIMBING
HAND POSITION FOR SITTING
STANDING
TRANSITION SITTING TO STANDING
HOW TO RECOVER ON A CLIMB
DURING THE RACE
FOUR WORKOUTS TO BOOST YOUR CLIMBING
WORKOUT 1: PERFECT CIRCLE PEDAL TECHNIQUE
WORKOUT 2: HILL REPEATS FOR STRENGTH AND ECONOMY
WORKOUT 3: HILL ACCELERATIONS
WORKOUT 4: 30 MINUTES OF STRENGTH TRAINING A WEEK
F.A.Q
ABOUT BRETT LEE SCOTT

4. WHY CLIMB HILLS?
In order to be a better cyclist, you have to develop the ability to climb hills well.
Riding hills is really all about the technique, staying relaxed and being efficient. But remember: no
one technique is going to work for every rider.
It takes a bit of experimentation, but there isn’t a right or wrong. It’s about what works for the rider.
Everyone is different. Everyone feels more comfortable in different positions and efficiency is
individual to the rider.

5. WHY DO I GET DROPPED ON THE CLIMBS?
This is perhaps the single most asked question by athletes who come to me wanting coaching. I share
my advice below with typical causes of this problem based on amateurs.
1) You don't have enough practice of climbing hills.
Simple as that. You may be great on the straights or on your indoor trainer but if you haven't had
sufficient time in real world climbing situations, you will suffer.
2) You are overweight (think power-weight ratio).
You could easily lose a couple of pounds/kg before splurging out on new equipment.
3) You are tired.
This is an extremely common and often overlooked cause. Many athletes lose power on climbs
because they raced a few days earlier or cranked up their training volumes.
You may feel fine during the ride but suddenly hit the wall when you reach the climb. This is a
common sign of over-training or under-recovery. A tough training session takes a good 3-7 days to
recover from and it's in climbing that the lack of recovery will be most felt.
4) Your Chainset is set up wrong
See the section on Setting Up Your Bike. You may be riding a bike that is not set up to climb very
well. All very good if you are time trialling but if you have to spin up hills, you may suffer
unnecessarily and lose energy economy to other riders.
5) Your Approach
What is your hill climbing strategy? This book covers a number of strategies for breaking down
climbs that may be new to you and help you overcome existing weaknesses.
6) Going Too Hard
This is a common problem, especially for riders who find themselves in a club situation or riding
with others who like to attack hills. It's easy to be drawn into these situations and you may find you
lose out because your fitness or experience isn't enough to sustain these repetitive heavy workloads.
7) You are not Fit Enough
Climbing requires a base level of cardiovascular fitness and high end power to get you up over the
hill. You may find that you are good at some hills but not others. If you are good at short, sharp hills
but fade on the longer slopes then you have the necessary strength but either lack the endurance or are

6. too heavy or need to address your Chainset. If you are good at long looping hills but fade on the short
sharp inclines, you would benefit from strength training to boost your power output.

7. HOW DO YOU GET GOOD AT CLIMBING HILLS?
There is no short cut to becoming a good climber.
My best advice to you is to go climb hills.
You won't get good at climbing hills on an indoor trainer or at the gym without a significant amount of
time on the hills you want to climb.
Climbing hills requires work and often months if not years of ingrained muscle memory.
You can, however, accelerate up the learning curve using the techniques I share with my athletes in
this book. Some of the advice focuses on equipment, some on your technique, some on your own
physique.

8. SETTING UP YOUR BIKE TO CLIMB HILLS
You are 5 equipment choices that can have a significant impact on your ability to climb hills:
1) Your choice of bike
2) Bike weight
3) Chain set and gearing
4) Wheels and tire pressure
5) Excess weight
1) Your choice of bike
Specifically we are interested in the difference in performance between a standard road bike and a
TT/triathlon bike.
TT/tri bikes perform best on long flat surfaces where the cyclist can “boom” out a consistent high
wattage. On these bikes, in aero position, most Age Groupers can maintain speeds of 40km+ for
extended periods without significant discomfort. However, TT bikes are at a disadvantage when
climbing.
Road bikes offer more hand options for climbing. Unlike the TT bike, you have greater control at the
front of the bike enabling you to work harder on the climbs. Furthermore, road bikes are far better
suited for descents. Although the TT bike may be faster on the flats, road bikes are often sturdier and
offer greater confidence to the rider when descending at speed. It's all very well learning to climb,
but you have to descend as well.
2) Bike weight
Pro cyclists are limited by how light their bikes can be today. All pros ride at more or less the same
weight on their bikes. For amateurs, however, there are no such limits.
While cost prohibits most amateurs coming near the level of the pros in terms of lightness of bike, you
will find that few consider the weight of their bikes when they purchase them. A bike may look fast
(and cool) but how well do those looks translate to weight on the road?
A lighter bike is what the pros call “free speed”.
Consider the back-of-envelope physics:
For a tough climb of, say, 700 meters over 10km (a 7% gradient) – a climb worthy of a lower
mountain stage in the Tour de France – every 1kg in weight gained would add 1 minute in your time
based on constant output alone. The last part is crucial because shifting 1 extra kilo up a 7% gradient
will require an increase in power output (watts) and subsequent heart rate. Once you factor in the
physiology you are looking more at a 3-4 minute loss in time. So riding a 2kg heavier bike could lose
you 6-8 minutes on a climb – and that's only 1 climb.

9. 3) Chainset and gearing
The Chainset is the round disc that sits in the center of your bike. Your pedals are attached to the
Chainset through the crank (the handle). Cranking the handle drives the Chainset which turns the
chain.
The chain rides on either the outer chainring or the inner chainring, often called the “Big ring” and
“Little ring” respectively. One set of your gears at the front of your bike will switch between the Big
and Little ring, one will shift the cassette at the back of your bike.
You'll notice that riding on the Big Ring is like the higher gears on your car – it requires far more
power, turns slower but can generate higher speeds. The Little Ring is useful for lower speeds or
climbing.
If you study your Chainset you will see a number that tells you the number of teeth in both the Big
Ring and the Little Ring. The combination will look something like this:
52/39 or 53/43
The larger number corresponds to the Big Ring.
The reason why it's important to familiarize yourself with your Chainset is that this setup can have a
significant impact on your ability to climb.
Let's have a look at the different standard Chainsets on the market:
56/43 (Time trial chainset)
This Chainset suits the powerful cyclist and is useful for cyclists who won't be spending much time at
low speeds and need to “boom” out long, consistent high speeds over flat courses (e.g. time trialists).
Climbing on this Chainset will require a lot of work and often forces riders out of the seat to crunch
out the gears.
53/42 or 53/43 (Age grouper time trial)
The 53/42 Chainset is still found on some bikes but losing popularity. The Chainset offers little
variation in gearing compared to the more powerful bigger rings or smaller climbing rings. While this
combination is still offered it isn't well suited to any specific terrain. For Age Groupers this Chainset
will require extra work on the climbs and is not necessarily recommended on hilly courses.
52/38 or 53/39 (Standard road chainset)
This Chainset is the most popular these days and allows flexibility across all situations. You will
sacrifice a little top end speed due to the lower number of teeth in the Big Ring but you will make up
for this in having gear ratios better suited to climbing. The 52/38 is far better suited to climbing than
larger combinations with 42 or 43 Little Rings. With the 39 Little Ring you will find it more
comfortable to sit and spin up the hill where as the guys riding 42 will often have to stand and grind it

10. out.
50/34 or 50/36 (Compact chainset)
Often referred to as a “Compact” grouping, this Chainset offers great flexibility in climbing and is
popular in mountain climbs where there is little flat sections to power out high wattages. The
Compact requires a rider to be comfortable with high cadence spinning.
In summary, opt for a Standard Road Chainset for most courses. If you are going to be spending a lot
of time in tough mountain climbs (like the Alps) then a Compact is preferable. Your local bike shop
will change your chain rings for you and it's a good investment but bear in mind that it may not be as
simple as changing your Chainset because you may also need to change the gears at the back
(cassette). Your LBS should be able to advise you accordingly.
4) Wheels and Tire Pressure
Such are the advances in technology that many Age Groupers can now affordably ride Aero wheels,
once the preserve of the Pros. Aero wheels come in many formats – from the deep set rims to the full
on disc wheels.
Aero wheels are another example of “free speed” allowing you to generate more power by reducing
the drag created by a normal wheel. Much of the power gains are experienced at higher speeds
(>30km) and there is little advantage for riding Aero under this speed.
There are distinct disadvantages of Aero wheels, particularly for climbing. Aero wheels are
generally heavier than their standard counterparts, so factor that in to the point above about bike
weight. Also, some Aero wheels (e.g. the disc wheels) lose the flexibility of the standard road wheel.
Flexibility is less of an issue for straight line speed but when you are out of the seat, working the
hoods on a climb, you are transferring a lot of force down through the frame and wheels. If the wheel
is rigid, you will find the climb uncomfortable or difficult.
Fortunately, modern Aero wheels are more flexible than they used to but don't expect these wheels to
translate to gains in climbing.
Tire pressure is critical in climbs too. Under inflated tires create a larger surface area of contact
between the wheel and the road. On the climb, this means friction and lost energy. For climbs, ensure
your tires are inflated to the maximum possible (see the writing on the side of the tire to determine
what the manufacturer recommends as maximum). If in doubt, ask your LBS to pump them up.
5) Excess weight
We've looked at the bike and wheels in terms of weight. We'll look at the rider later, but what about
everything else?
A full water bottle, for example, will weigh nearly 1kg (2.2 lbs) which may translate to between 1-4
minutes of lost time on a tough climb.

11. If you watch any of the Grand Tours on TV you will notice riders throwing out their water bottles and
excess gear before the climb. Now you know why they do it. Free speed.
If you are racing, be mindful of where the feed stations are located. Often they are located at the tops
of long climbs. If this is the case, be prepared to empty out your excess food and equipment before the
climb then refuel at the top. If you are going to be heading down after the feed and are a confident
descender you may want to load up on excess weight (e.g. an extra water bottle) to help you down the
climb faster.

12. SEVEN FEATURES OF A GOOD HILL CLIMBER
1) Optimum power-weight ratio
2) Efficient gear choice
3) Efficient cadence
4) Efficient pedal technique
5) Changing body position during the climb
6) Keeping your body loose

13. 1) OPTIMUM POWER-WEIGHT RATIO
Climbing hills well is a function of your power-to-weight ratio.
On a flat road, once you get up to speed, you’re mainly fighting wind resistance caused by your own
motion and the higher your speed the stronger the wind resistance. Because climbing occurs at a
slower speed, wind resistance is not significant.
That means power and aerodynamics are the most important factors in cycling speed on flat roads.
On climbs, however, the physics change slightly and the advantage is with lighter climbers because of
the third factor: weight.
The power to weight [P/Kg] ratio is the relationship between:
Power (measured in watts [W]) and
Weight (measured in kilograms [kg])
Example: A 70 kg (155 lb) cyclist produces a maximum power output of 350 watts in a minute giving
him a P/W ratio of 5 watts per kg of body weight. For a 90 kg (200 lb) cyclist producing the same
power, he’d have a ratio of 3.9.
The less you weigh and the more power you produce, the stronger your climbing will be.
It is said that to win a hilly stage of the Tour de France you have to be able to produce 6.7 watts per
kg of body weight during the final 30 minutes and that’s a lot of power. There are only a few human
beings on this earth who have been able to do that. Regardless, whether a recreational or competitive
cyclist, you’re still going to be able to improve your hill climbing abilities.

14. 2) EFFICIENT GEAR CHOICE
Beyond power-to-weight ratio and one’s physical strength, gear selection when climbing is also very
important, and the more experienced you are as a cyclist, the better you get at choosing the proper
gears.
Accomplished cyclists will be shifting gears all the time in order to dial in the proper cadence.
* Prepare your gears before you hit the hill
As you approach the hill, prepare your gears before you hit the steep grade. This means if you’re on
the flat, you would want to shift into the smaller ring in the front before you transition onto the hill.
As you shift and wait for the chain to drop, continue pedaling but gently let off the pressure on the
pedals so that the chain doesn’t drop off onto the inside. Shift down, let off the power, continue
pedaling and drop in your smaller ring. Then based on the grade of the hill, select your gear in the
back. You’d want to come on the upper part of the cluster here.
* Start in an easier gear
It’s far better to start the climb in an easy gear and change off as you establish your rhythm than to
stand at a higher gear, exhaust yourself and have to change down.
Remember, climbing is about establishing a pace and a rhythm that will get you to the top. You do not
want to be in oxygen debt as it will be hard to come back from that.

15. 3) EFFICIENT CADENCE
For a slight rise, let’s say a grade of 4-6%, most experienced climbers will be climbing with a
cadence around 70 to 80 RPMs, but of course there are different riding styles.
Obviously, when the gradient gets steeper you’re going to shift down. But wherever possible try to
stay over the gear and keep your legs turning smoothly.
You can maintain higher cadences for longer. Some athletes pedal at a higher cadence, 90 RPMs or
faster, whereas others climb at a lower cadence, say 60 RPMs or a bit faster.
* High cadence climbing saves energy
High-cadence climbing is a great way to save your legs for hills that you’ll face later on as you’re
riding. If you imagine a stack of bricks, you can move that stack of bricks in one effort and it will be
difficult to do or you can break it up into smaller amounts and move it in two or three trips, moving
them with less effort than all at once.
It’s the same concept with spinning up the climbs – break the climbs into smaller segments and there
is less muscle fatigue at a higher pedal cadence.
Everyone has a different climbing style, as you’ll find out as soon as you hit the hills. It really
depends on your riding style. But in general, you have to get good at selecting the right gearing in
order to match your climbing style in getting to a good rhythm.
* Don’t copy the cadence of the guy in front
Find the cadence that works for you but remember to climb within your ability and fitness. Trying to
match someone stronger and having your head explode means you won’t make it. It may well be that
the guy who dusted you off in the first 500 meters is the one you leave behind in the final part of the
climb because you’ve properly paced yourself.

16. 4) EFFICIENT PEDALING TECHNIQUE
Pedaling technique is also a critical component of becoming a better climber.
Some people have the tendency to ride a bit toe down, some heel down and some flat. Whatever your
natural tendency it’s okay. But try to keep that same angle throughout your pedal stroke.
* Keep your foot flat for optimum economy
Keeping your foot flat is a neutral position. You don’t want to change much of the flexion between
your foot and your shin. A lot of good climbers will pedal with an ankling style of riding, meaning
that when they’re pushing down, they’ll extend with their foot and then pull back, as if wiping mud off
the bottom of their shoe, and then pull up through the top of the shoe with their heel down.
That’s important because you’re utilizing more of the overall pedal stroke and able to produce more
power throughout the entire pedal stroke, and you’re pedaling more efficiently that way.

17. 5) CHANGING BODY POSITION DURING THE CLIMB
Body position when climbing is very important.
In general, sit up and sit back. Wind or air resistance is less of an issue.
Keep your arms slightly bent to act as a bit of shock absorption. If you do happen to hit some rough
tarmac, your arms aren’t completely locked up and all that force is going to go into your upper body.
* Shift between forward and back in saddle to engage different muscle groups
Moving your weight back in the saddle will give you more power and engage different muscles,
primarily your glutes and hamstrings, some of the larger muscles in your body. If you’re a triathlete,
shifting body position is important as it eliminates that load in your glutes, low back and hamstrings
and also stretches out your hip flexors in a position that you’re naturally going to be running in.
For extended climbs, an experienced cyclist will shift his body position frequently to utilize very
slight changes in his body positioning and, therefore, utilizing different muscle groups. That’s
important so you don’t fatigue a specific muscle group.
Sitting back will further engage your gluteals and, sitting forward, quadriceps. So for climbs that
might last longer than five minutes, you’re going to want to shift a little bit on your saddle back and
forth. When the pedal reaches the 5 o’clock position, hold back on it. You're doing this right when
your heel drops on a downstroke. Then, after a few minutes, scoot forward toward the nose to give
those muscles a rest and use your quads.
With your upper body bent forward about 45 degrees, you use mostly the muscles in your butt and
lower back. Sit more upright and you put more burden on the thigh muscles. Doing this can give one
set of your muscles a temporary rest while you use the others.
Also change hand position. Go from the top of the bars to the hoods.
Rotating between your hamstrings and glutes, your hip flexors and your core will give your body a
chance to recover and you can rotate those mentally back and forth every 20 or 30 seconds. You’ll be
amazed how much quicker your body can begin to recover as you’re progressing and working up that
hill.

18. 6) KEEPING YOUR BODY LOOSE
* Keep your upper body quiet to maximize economy
Keep your upper body nice and quiet or very still.
The more still you are, the less energy you waste. You’re only using your legs to propel yourself up
the hill. Keep your hands relaxed so you’re not wasting any energy. Don't worry if you lightly bob
your upper body. Even the greatest climbers bob slightly. It keeps us loose and helps establish
pedaling rhythm.
Try to stay relaxed. The more relaxed you are, obviously, the less energy you’ll be wasting. You’re
not going to be as tense. But in the long run, if you have multiple mountains to climb, you’re going to
feel in much better shape.
Keep a high cadence, hands gently resting on the top of , and barely gripping, the handlebars. Just try
to stay relaxed and watch out for built up tension you may normally be unaware of that is sapping your
energy.
* Five checks to ensure your upper body is relaxed
All riders start to tense up when the effort becomes difficult. To prevent this focus on five key areas:
1) Relax your elbows
2) Keep your back flat and free of tension
3) Drop your shoulders and stop them from hunching
4) Wiggle or drum your fingers to avoid handlebar death grip
5) Move your jaw to avoid clenching it
These areas are barometers for the rest of your body. If you keep them loose, chances are the rest of
your body will be relaxed as well.

19. 7) CONTROLLING YOUR BREATHING
Synchronize your breaths to pedal strokes. This helps you keep pace for an uphill climb.
Establish a rhythm in your breathing. For example, one breath for every two , adjusting it as you
speed alters throughout the climb. This will help both physically and mentally.
One breathing trick used by the pros to get great oxygen transfer is to push your stomach out as you
inhale. This takes practice. Most of us naturally pull our stomachs in when we inhale.

20. ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND CLIMBING
1) How to Apply the Rule of Thirds
2) How to Power Over the Crest
3) How to Approach Rolling Hills

21. 1) HOW TO APPLY THE RULE OF THIRDS
* Manage your effort, not your speed
It’s not the fastest person who can win the hill climb, it’s the person who can be efficient and
economical on the backside of the hill.
The way you manage your energy when climbing a hill, especially a longer hill, is very important.
When you’re at the bottom of the hill or starting the climb, you want to get into your rhythm right
away.
One mistake a lot of people make is to attack the bottom of a long climb too hard, which puts them in
oxygen debt very early on. It is hard to get out of that debt. People hit the climb and everyone’s in at
the bottom trying to gun it and they end up blowing up before the top, where the real gains are made.
* Apply the rule of thirds
Let’s look at the climb in terms of thirds:
the base, the middle and the crest.
The First Third – The Base
As you start the climb, you get into your rhythm, go through your gear selection changes to get into that
nice cadence, what some call the sweet spot, and then you’re changing your hand position.
Take the first third of the climb slowly, saving enough energy to push yourself through the last third.
This is when you should be exerting yourself, not before.
The Second Third – The Middle
Once you hit the middle, you begin to increase the tension or muscular endurance load onto your body
and/or begin to speed up your cadence.
The Last Third – The Crest
As you’re hitting the top third of the climb you want to be approaching your max velocity. So when
you hit the top, you have momentum to shift over into a harder gear and maintain equal pressure or
tension, or continue to accelerate forward.
If you conserve and begin to shift that energy from the first third to the last third, you’re going to see
the ability to roll that fitness over and that momentum carry over is going to save you energy.
It’s here where people often break down because they’ve been doing those endless hill repeats but
not applying the right strategy to the climb.

23. 2) HOW TO POWER THE CREST OF THE HILL
* Time gains are to be had in how you approach the last third of the hill
Cresting a hill quickly is an important skill set to develop if you’re a competitive triathlete or cyclist.
Often, just before the summit is the hardest part of the climb. Riders will see the summit and they’ll
accelerate over the last 200 meters, stretching up the peloton and dropping the weaker ones.
If you can learn to go over a hill faster, your overall time is going to be faster. But a lot of people
don’t do that.
The final 33% of the climb is when you want to start picking it up – that’s when a lot of athletes start
backing off. Most people will end up with a dead spot at the very top of the hill; it’s when they’re
trying to recover and they’ve lost momentum. That’s really not the time to recover. The time to
recover is when you’ve gone over the hill and start to go down the other side.
In order to be competitive you want to start picking it up so when you are about to crest the hill,
you’re really pushing it hard and using your momentum to go over the top, then pushing yourself down
the other side.
As you approach the top of the hill, start pushing to maintain momentum. You want to get over the top
quickly and maintain that momentum as you start going down. Then you can start recovering a little
from that hard effort of climbing.
Let’s say you’ve climbed the first 2/3 of the hill in the saddle, well the last 1/3 you’re going to come
out of your saddle. Gently rock the bike back and forth using your momentum and not so much muscle
strength to propel the bike up the hill.
* Don’t recover as soon as you’ve crested the hill
Once you’ve gained that momentum and crested the hill, then you can sit back down into the saddle.
Once you’re approaching the downhill, you do not yet want to move to a harder gear. It’s better to
increase your leg speed before you gear down. Do not shift your gear until your legs need to climb at
least eight to 10 RPM – you’re going down the hill to catch momentum of the next.
But don’t just get back in your saddle and start relaxing – you will lose your momentum and slow
down. As you get down to the other side and you start descending, get down on your aero bars (for
triathletes) or your drops (for cyclists) and get really low, use the aerodynamic advantage. That’s
when you can start recovering.

24. 3) HOW TO APPROACH ROLLING HILLS
How you approach a hill is really important.
When you’re on a rolling hilly course, one technique to use is to utilize your momentum to help carry
you up the hill as far as you can.
You attack the bottom of the hill and as you start climbing you continue to work hard utilizing that
momentum to propel yourself up the hill.
Then, once you find yourself starting to slow down and your cadence starts to drop, you either stand
up, shift to an easier gear or stay seated and continue to manage your energy appropriately up the hill.
As you approach the top, you work hard to plunge over the top and then you get back in your rhythm,
get back in your seat and start going down hard on the other side.

25. 4) HOW TO APPROACH STEEPER CLIMBS
For steeper climbs, pacing is key.
With riders all around you, it’s easy to let the adrenaline kick in and start these mountains too hard.
So at the bottom of the climb, throttle back and take a moment to remind yourself how long it’s going
to take. Track your heart rate monitor or a power meter to pace yourself. But do things right, you’ll be
passing a lot of riders as they fade toward the top.
* Rather than dropping gears as you climb, start in an easy gear and switch up to a harder one at the
end of the climb
Most riders begin a hill in a comfortable gear and shift to progressively easier gears as climbing
effort increases. But if you want to attack or simply hang on and need to dig in, one survival technique
goes against instinct: you shift to a harder gear when you start to slow down.
Here’s how to do it. As you start the climb, shift to an easier gear sooner than you normally would.
Spin away on the bottom two-thirds of the climb. Wait for the right time to make your up shift.
When your cadence begins to fade and you start moving forward in the group as your overgeared
companions slow and begin shifting to smaller gears, shift to a harder gear when the three cogs are
smaller and stand. You’ll have slower RPM but this allows a more powerful pedal stroke with the
same energy output.
Don’t accelerate; your tendency will be to stand on the gear too hard. This might feel great for a few
strokes but you’ll end up paying for it. When you sit, shift back to the easier gear. This works because
you save energy while others burn it and keep your heart rate down even when shifting to harder
gears.

26. SITTING AND STANDING CLIMBS
Some climbers sit, some stand. Ultimately, you will need to find the style that works best for you
based on your personal strengths and weaknesses as well as the bike setup you are using (see
especially Chainsets).

27. SITTING FOR CLIMBING
* Use sitting for most climbs, especially when in a group
Sitting is the most efficient way to climb and the most common climbing position. Sitting is good for
economy and endurance.
When you stand you use about 12% more oxygen and spike your heart rate by about 8% so it makes
sense to stay seated as often as you can.
The sitting position is not as good for attacking, accelerating or responding to surges in the group.
However, if you just need to grind to the top, you should start here. At a 45-degree angle, you’ll be
engaging your glutes, sitting more upright will engage your thighs.
Once you feel your muscles starting to fill up with that lactic acid, really starting to burn, that’s when
you need to sit back down and get back into that nice fluid seated cadence and pedaling style.
Your elbows should stay bent and relaxed, and your back should never hunch. Keep your diaphragm
open for easy breathing; it also keeps you from rocking on the bike and wasting energy.
Keep your hands on the break hoods or about a thumb's length from the stem on either side of the bar.
You will have more control, breathe easier, and stay loose.

28. HAND POSITION FOR SITTING
* Ride the tops when you’re not following a group
Generally, the tops (the bar between the brake hoods and the main front wheel stem) are for riding
uphill especially if you’re at the front of a group.
Riding the tops is often the most comfortable for long, drawn-out rides. You will naturally move back
in your seat (engaging your glutes) and open up your diaphragm in the process.
* Ride the hoods when you’re in a group climb
If you’re in a group of people riding up a hill, ride on the hoods (the heads of the brakes). This way
you can access your gears quickly and also your breaks, if necessary. Sitting with your hands on the
hoods will give you the ability to respond to the changes in speed more quickly when you’re riding in
a group while maintaining a relatively good economy.
Your ability to respond from this position is improved as you’ll be able to move to an effective
standing position more quickly and easily.
With your thumbs locking the hoods, you can either wrap your index finger or middle finger around
the break levers and allow your ring finger to trail below. Your little finger can be relaxed on the side
or it can go with a single finger, your index finger. As you come out of the saddle, you can use this
lever by just pulling lightly with your index finger and allowing a bit of elbow flexion. That will
allow you to load your pedal.
It’s not going to be possible to stay in a seated position all the time and likewise with your hands on
the tops of the handlebars. If you need a bit of extra leverage, you may need to shift your hands under
the hoods for slightly steeper section. Cadence will slow down as body weight pushes forward.
* Save riding the drops for training or for changing position to relieve muscle tension
Sitting with your hands on the drops is the least common position for climbing as it is less powerful
due to the closed hip and angles meaning a compromised mechanical advantage for the riding
muscles.
This position is most commonly used on flat terrain or descents as it is more aerodynamic.
However, on the climb where air resistance is less of an issue, it’s simply not efficient.
You may climb like this if you were specifically wanting to strengthen and train for riding in this
position and really enjoy suffering.

29. STANDING
Standing up or riding out of the saddle requires a lot more energy.
Standing when climbing will provide more power that has the energy payoff, especially if you’re a
heavier rider as you will be using energy to support your body weight rather than having the bike
support it.
Be aware that standing will use around 12% more oxygen and usually bring your heart rate up by
around 8%. You may swap to a standing position if you had a pinch in the climb, you need more
power or acceleration, or to bring emphasis to different muscles so as to avoid fatigue.
When you’re out of the saddle, change up to a harder gear because you’ll want a lower cadence.
Change back into an easier gear when you sit down. A steady cadence of about 90 RPM is considered
normal.
However, it is very much self-selective, so you shouldn’t try to ride a specific cadence just because
someone has told you that’s the best way to do it.
When should you stand?
Well, there aren't really any rules.
There are times while climbing when you might need to accelerate or the road will pitch up so steep
that you’ll need to get out of the saddle in order to use your body weight to accelerate or to get up that
steep incline or sometimes just to stretch your back.
* Save standing for between 10% and 25% of your climb
Generally, light riders stand more often than heavy riders. The right mix for most of us is about 10%
to 25% of our total climbing total. Stand when you're responding to attacks, when the pitch gets
severely steeper or if you start losing power in the saddle.
Standing also allows you to relieve pressure and stretch your back.
When moving from sitting to standing, change gear before getting out of the saddle. Change up one or
two gears (to a more difficult gear). Ensure you stand halfway through the downstroke. The greater
power will allow you to use a harder gear then you can change down once more when you return to
sitting.
* Always have your hands on the hoods for a standing climb
You’re always going to stand holding the hoods on a hill. This would give you leverage. If it’s steep,
you can pull under the hoods with the arm on the side that is engaged with the downstroke.

30. You should endeavor to keep your weight back while doing this and keep your pedal strokes smooth
and knees soft.
Standing with your hands in the drops is less common and you can feel unstable. If you practice this,
however, you can engage different muscles due to the greater rocking that results.
Finally, standing with hands on the tops of the bars is also less common due to being unstable, and
many cyclists find it awkward and uncomfortable. Try it. See how it feels. Generally due to the
position of the hands, it is more difficult to engage the arms to rock the bike beneath you.

31. TRANSITION SITTING TO STANDING
To make a smooth transition, as one pedal goes down, shift your weight on it and ride smoothly out of
the saddle.
* Shift to a bigger gear before you stand
Shift up one or three gears. You can handle harder gears when you stand.
Let your bodyweight move the pedals by dropping on to them. The idea of standing is not just to use
all of your most powerful muscles, but to let gravity do some of the pedaling for you.
To get maximum power from your butt muscles, they should feel like you're standing to get up out of
the chair not bending to sit in it. It's a very fine difference but an important one.
And when you're on really steep stuff, climbs with 10% to 20% grade, forget about pushing down on
the handle bar with your arms, you’ll climb better by pulling up on the bar in the same side as the
downstroke.

32. HOW TO RECOVER ON A CLIMB
The key is, instead of attacking the bottom of the hill, you start the hill at a controlled pace and get
into a rhythm.
Now most climbs you’ll find yourself hovering around your lactate threshold – that’s a given,
especially if you’re in a race situation. Obviously you need to be fit in order to do that but don’t get
yourself anaerobic at the very start of a climb or you’ll find yourself drifting back in the pack and
that’s counterproductive.
There are too many reasons why you may end up drifting back but the fundamental base is that your
engine isn’t able to output enough power to see you up the hill.
Now, unless you’re a beginner, this isn’t an issue with your engine per se, as you have the ability to
climb like the rest of them. The problem is that you’re not using your engine efficiently.
* If you get dropped, first assess why you’re fading and make the appropriate changes
To recover, you need to try to reset your engine.
You’ve built up all these toxins, the biggest culprit being lactic acid. We want to remove that to the
extent we can in the shortest time possible and the best way to do that, of course, is to ventilate. Most
people, when they get stuck into position, panic. They began to suck air in. What’s happening is
you’re not alleviating all the built-up toxins. This is why you get slower and slower.
So step one: big forceful breath out.
Release the air slowly from your diaphragm – this will help expel some of those built up toxins.
Step two: analyze where the break down is occurring.
Are you breaking from a muscular point of view? I.e., are you having difficulty breathing and find
yourself pedaling those squares?
At this point you are fatigued and need to focus on recovering energy. Shift down to an easier gear
and increase your cadence. This will release some of the weight on the muscles and allow you to
recruit energy.
If, however, you find yourself spinning as fast as you can and losing speed, you want to switch focus
to recruiting power from your big muscles. Switch to a harder gear and slow the cadence. This will
give your system a break.
Making these changes should provide relief within a matter of a minute. When you feel your body and
heart rate have returned to normal, you can switch back to your required cadence and gear.

34. DURING THE RACE
If you go ride with a club you'll notice how the young bucks attack every climb while the older riders
tend to hold back and let them go. In time, those young bucks tire and the old guys pull into the lead.
You see this time and time again in race situations. The younger, inexperienced athletes get
overexcited and power through the climbs. They will pay later on.
The key to form in an endurance race is maintain a steady power output. Without going into the
complexities of using power meters (that's another book entirely) it's safe to assume that the best
measure of your power output is how you feel the effort. If your heart is pumping out of your chest, if
you are unable to talk, if you feel sick – you're probably overdoing it.
What older riders lack in power and strength they make up for in experience. They know that a few
seconds gained by attacking a hill are easily lost again when the riders begin to tire. This is
especially true to triathletes who have to run off the bike later on.
My advice to the athletes I train remains consistent regardless of their strengths or weaknesses:
If you are not aiming for a podium finish then hold back on the climbs.
Let the other guys go. You are not racing them. You'll see them struggling later on in the race. Taking
it easy on the climb may lose you a minute or so but that time is multiplied as gains later on in the
race. Going anaerobic (the point at which you cannot talk) will cost you dearly in lactic acid build up
and energy inefficiencies.

35. FOUR WORKOUTS TO BOOST YOUR CLIMBING
1) Perfect Circle Pedal Technique
2) Hill Repeats for Strength and Economy
3) Hill Accelerations

36. WORKOUT 1: PERFECT CIRCLE PEDAL TECHNIQUE
With these pedal workouts, the emphasis is on one leg.
The way that you introduce this drill is to think of six perfect circles with your right leg and when
you’re thinking of perfect revolutions, apply the pressure with the ball of your foot.
If you look at how pros climb, they maintain a smooth pedal stroke all the way through. Amateurs and
beginners, on the other hand, tend to resort to “pedaling squares” or pushing down/stamping on the
pedal to force themselves up which, needless to say, is very inefficient.
Focus on keeping your hips and body still as you practice this pedal workout. A good indicator of
mashing is a lot of bike wobble from side to side which tends to indicate a lot of downward force.
This wobble is fine for high speed sprints down the Champs Elysees, but not when you’re trying to
minimize energy consumption on a long climb.
Don’t bring in your big toe or your toes at 3 o’clock – push as though the pedal stroke is more
elliptical, like it looks like a watermelon. Push forward at 5 o’clock, bring your big toe into the press
and that’s when your toe is slightly pointed and you really feel you calf being innervated.
Six perfect strokes with your right leg, six with your left. Five right, five left, four-four, three-three,
all the way down to one-one. And as you get better at doing this, you’ll be able to go one-one, two-
two, one-one, two-two.
Obviously, it’s very repetitive but you’ll find that as you repeat that pattern over again, you won’t feel
as though you’re mashing your pedal stroke.

37. WORKOUT 2: HILL REPEATS FOR STRENGTH AND
ECONOMY
Here we’re focusing on getting everything loosened up. Warm up first with 20 to 30 minutes zone two
aerobic pedaling, high cadence from 80 to 90 RPMs.
Then drop in a few hard 30-second reps where you build heart rate up towards that lactate threshold
heart rate or get your power zone up above your functional threshold power, then you’re ready for
your hill repeat workout.
For the hill, work with a gradient of between 6% and 10% that will take 2-5 minutes to climb.
Anything longer or harder will make it difficult to repeat the sets. Early in the season, work on 4-6
hill set reps then extend that out later in the season. Every two weeks, add in another rep until you
build up to 10 at peak in the season.
You won’t need many of these reps to make gains and feel stronger.
As for the workout itself:
Your effort/recovery ratio will be 1/1. So a three minute climb equates to a three-minute recovery.
This will be optimum for training your muscles to recruit and maximize the fading energy and oxygen
levels.
As with anything, it takes a while to improve and repetition is definitely the mother of success when it
comes to becoming a better climber.
You need to go out there, do hill repeats, do hill climbing specific work on your trainer, anything that
you can do in order to improve your pedaling style and improve your power output.
You can practice a hillset in one of two ways:
The first way is to mash the hill in a big gear and low cadence (50-60 RPM). This approach will
train strength into your muscles and develop power in your legs to break away or accelerate out of a
group.
The second way is to spin up in a lower gear with high cadence (80-90 RPM). Higher cadence will
build aerobic capacity and muscle coordination giving you the endurance to not be dropped and to be
more economic on your rides.

38. WORKOUT 3: HILL ACCELERATIONS
This workout is aimed at the critical last 33% of the climb.
You’ll benefit from the gains had in this last third manyfold.
Find a hill of about two minutes in length. Give yourself two minutes at a sustainable fast pace. You
can hold all the way to the top. When you get between 200 and 400 meters from the top, change to a
bigger gear, slowly start to accelerate and kick up your speed until the last bit.
You’re accelerating as fast as you can go all the way to the top of the summit to where you start
descending.
Give yourself five to eight minutes recovery between hill accelerations and you can repeat these
intervals four to six times in order to get the right amount of work in.

39. WORKOUT 4: 30 MINUTES OF STRENGTH TRAINING A
WEEK
This is a workout you can do without your bike.
Until recently, the endurance athlete community has neglected the benefits of strength training, fearing
unnecessary gains in muscle weights.
But experts have come to agree that strength training can be beneficial to endurance athletes both in
terms of immediate performance gains and long term injury prevention.
If you are training for a race, you should incorporate Squats into your weekly routine at least once a
week right up until your Taper kicks in.
Strength training is particularly important for the Age Grouper. The older the athlete, the more
important workout this becomes.
Before we get started, understand that you're not going to be lifting 3 men on a bar. You don't need to
indulge in that kind of strength training. Instead, focus on these strength workouts.
Air Squats: without any equipment, bend your legs as if you are trying to sit on a chair but hold
yourself in that position before your butt touches the chair. Whilst in position hold your arms out
above your head running in line with your back. Your torso should be angled forward not straight and
your butt sticking out.
Bar Squats: as the Air Squat but use a light barbell. I recommend 10-20kg (22-45 lbs) total weight
range depending on your own strength and weight. You are trying to build muscle dynamic strength
not explosive power.
Walking Lunges. take barbell up to 20-30kg (45-70lbs) and place across shoulder. Now slowly walk
across the mat lunging forward onto your leg each time. Do not lunge low, rather focus on the point at
which you first feel the muscle work in your butt.
Leg Press: the leg press can help you build explosive power which can help you up steep climbs,
help you maintain power to prevent you getting dropped or allow you to attack a hill, leaving the
group behind. Focus on short, heavy loads (up to your body weight)
30 minutes of Strength Training a week can yield immediate results, giving you a sense of power on
climbs you never had before.

40. F.A.Q
* How do I feed the climb?
The effort is high, your breathing rate and heart rate soar, and the concentration of actually getting up
the mountain can make you simply forget to take on calories and fluids.
Unless you are suffering or it’s a hot or long climb (over 30 minutes), save your nutritional needs for
the flats or when you’ve crested the hill.
* How can I prepare myself mentally?
Break longer climbs down into smaller chunks in your head ticking them off as you go. If it’s a famous
climb, do some research beforehand, identify the landmarks. Think about these as your next mark and
go with 60% mental attitude.
* How do I take hairpin bends?
The hardest part of most climbs is when you hit hairpin bends.
The inner part of the bend is generally the steepest.
If you’re looking at trying to recover a little bit then ride the outside of the bend, outside of the hairpin
which is flatter and slightly less gradient.
If you’re in form then get out of the saddle and find your way to the inside of the bend which is the
hardest section. Move yourself through that corner and you’ll be surprised how much of a gap you can
open up on those behind you simply by attacking the bend aggressively.
* Do I need a gear set for climbing?
You don’t need to have a special bike to be able to climb a mountain, but you do need to choose the
right gears. The compact front chain set with smaller than standard chain rings will be needed by most
amateur riders to get up European climbs. On some of the Italian climbs, which are painfully steep as
well as long, you may also need to get a bigger rear cassette to give you an even low and easiest gear.
* What about the bike?
If you do happen to have an unlimited budget, the lighter your bike is the easy it is to fight against
gravity. Pro-riders are governed by the UCI’s minimum weight rule of 6.8 kilograms, but these days
it’s feasible to build a perfectly safe bike which is well under that weight.

41. ABOUT BRETT LEE SCOTT
Brett Lee Scott lives with his wife and three children on Australia’s Gold Coast. He is a business
coach, ex-pro cyclist, ultra distance swimmer, triathlon coach of 15 years and multiple Iron distance
race finisher.
More Iron distance training tips for triathletes:
www.IronTrainingTips.com

42. COPYRIGHT
Copyright: Brett Lee Scott
Published: June 2014
Publisher: Iron Training Tips
The right of Brett Lee Scott to be identified as author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system,
copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission
from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.