The Art of Hill Climbing on a Bike

Sorry guys…there are no secret way to climb a hill. It can be uncomfortable, or just plain hurts at times. Ironman Wisconsin is amongst the most challenging Ironman bike rides, along with IM Lake Placid and IM St-George. It is therefore important to be efficient at it.

I will later on dedicate an entire post for the IM WI bike leg altogether, with strategies on how to approach it. But now, I would like to solely concentrate on climbing a hill on two wheels!

I like to break down my hills into 3 parts: the base of the hill, the incline portion (or the actual hill), then the crest. It is easier for me to approach it in segments, rather then getting overwhelmed by it.

I always try to carry as much momentum and speed as I can at the base of the hill, and never shift down until I Need To. I see too many people down shifting right away; you can loose some major momentum and speed. Let you bike carry you, slow down your cadence and use your strength until you can no longer do so, then downshift. Use as much of momentum as you can.

To stand or not to stand. Good question. There is no consensus about it, as long as you stay efficient one way or the other. Because we are riding Time Trail bikes, the seat angle makes it difficult to be efficient climbing in the seatedposition. When you stand, you have to remember to “dance on the pedals”: stay smooth and loose, no jerky movements. And no upper body motion necessary. Keep the pedaling motion as round as you can and gently rock your bike from side to side. Get into a Rythm. Be Smooth.

The most important part is actually when you crest the hill. Here’s the mistake most triathlete do: they stop at the top, instead of carrying their momentum until the hill starts to decline. You can loose up to 30% of your power by doing that mistake (that’s right you guys, we’ll practice that!!!). Keep rolling until you feel your bike can roll forward on its on, or until you reach at least 12-15mph. No Earlier!

Then you enjoy the decent! We’ll keep the downhill techniques for another blog entry, but there is certainly some knowledge to be gained as well.

Oh…and practice makes PERFECT!!!