How To Cycle Up Hills Faster

If you watch any bike tournament, then you'll see professional riders gritting their teeth and grimacing in pain as they ascend a long uphill climb. Cycling uphill is one of the hardest things that you can do, but there are several tips that will make it easier.

Stay Calm and Conserve Power

Staying calm is very important when cycling uphill. If you're not a professional, then you probably notice your upper body is making small twists and contortions in pain as you keep cycling up the hill. This takes power away from your legs, which just makes the ride harder. You have to drop your heart rate, stay calm and focus solely on your legs.

You also have to learn how to conserve power during a race. Riding as fast as you can during the start of the race is going to make the climb almost impossible. Use a small to moderate amount of energy during the beginning of the race so that you have enough left to quickly climb the hill.

Stay Light

Gravity matters during the entire race, but you'll really feel its effects when riding uphill. You have to stay as light as possible to improve your speed. Not only should you be lean and thin, but your bike should also be light. Having a heavier bike, even if its just one pound heavier than everyone else's bike, will hurt your speed.

Switch to High Gear

Even the most inexperienced cyclists know that they have to switch to high gear to effectively make the climb, but only experienced cyclists know when to do it. Most cyclists will switch gears when they start the climb, but you should really do it just before the climb starts.

This allows you to use all of your momentum without wasting any energy. It's best to switch about one or two seconds before going uphill.

Change Position

You have to change your position to ensure that you use fresh muscles when making the climb. Most professionals will move towards the back of the seat while dropping their ankles. This allows you to use your hips and glutes more than your quadriceps and hamstrings. Not only that, but these muscles will give you the power that you need to quickly finish the climb.

You should also ensure that your upper body is properly positioned for the climb. For the majority of the climb, you'll want to stay upright so that you can get the most air without struggling. If you need extra speed, then bring your face towards the nose of the bike or consider standing while pedaling.

Train

Training is the best way to quickly finish the climb. You can properly move your body and conserve your energy, but the only way to become accustomed to this grueling portion of the race is to train. Most professional riders will constantly ride uphill so that they can finish this portion before the other cyclists.

Spend at least a few hours a week riding uphill. It's going to be very painful at first, but soon your body will become accustomed to the punishment. This ensures that you'll be ready while the other cyclists are doing their best to keep up.

Conclusion

Riding uphill is definitely the hardest part of cycling, but you can make it much easier by doing the right things. Stay as light as possible, position yourself properly, conserve your energy and ensure that you can easily get air when you need it. Aside from that, you just have to train for hours to get your body prepared for riding up any steep hills.