Cycling uphill can be intimidating. Learn tips on cycling uphill from a pro in this cycling video.
Prepare gears before hill grade
Select proper gear
Manage effort not speed
Steer from tops or hoods
Kevin Livingston is a former professional cyclist who successfully rode and completed six Tour de France races as a teammate of Lance Armstrong. Kevin now focuses on Training and Coaching through his company, Pedal Hard Training Services in Austin,TX.
KEVIN LIVINGSTON: Hi, I'm Kevin Livingston. Now, we're going to talk about cycling uphill. Let's start with the approach. As you approach the hill, prepare your gears before you hit the steep grade of the hill. 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 let--for the chain to drop, continue pedaling but gently let off the pressure on the pedal so that the chain doesn't drop off onto the inside. So shift down, let off the power, continue pedaling and drop into your small ring then select your gear in the back. Depending on the grade of the hill, you'd want to come on the upper part of the cluster here. The other thing about riding uphill is you want to try to manage your effort not your speed. If you're approaching the hill at 20 miles per hour for example, it's not expected that you would hold 20 miles per hour up the hill, so manage it in effort and not in speed, and this will help you pace yourself up the hill. Also hand position can be important. Generally, the tops are for riding uphill especially if you're at the front of a group. But if you're in a group of people riding up the hill, I would suggest you ride on the hoods. This way you can access your gears quickly and also your brakes if it was necessary. Another thing is when you stand, you're always going to stand holding the hoods on a hill. This will give you leverage. If it's steep, you can pull under the hoods as you go back and forth naturally. The other is foot position when climbing. I would suggest that you keep your foot starting flat being on neutral position. You don't want to change much the flexion between your foot and your shin. Some people have the tendency to ride a little 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. And that are some tips that will help you become a better climber.
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