00:00Steep climbs are something cyclists come across on every single ride and it's something that every cyclist
00:05should look to improve on it may only be a few hundred meters long but whether it's your preparation
00:10your gearing or your bike handling is certainly some area that we can definitely improve
00:15so here's Cycling Weekly's guide to conquering those devilish little kickers
00:20you
00:25you
00:30one tip that you may well see in the pro races
00:35such as the Tour de France and especially on climbs such as Alpe d'Huez and its 21 hairpins
00:40is something you can replicate on the corners when you're on a steep climb yourself
00:45you see with this one the inside line is really really steep and even though on a flat road
00:50this may be the quickest option to get around the bend but on this road in particular it's definitely
00:55steepest gradient whereas if you can move slightly out without crossing the line into the oncoming traffic
01:00in the lane it's a slightly lessened gradient this means you can maintain your momentum and your speed
01:05and get to the top of that climb the hell of a lot faster
01:10when it comes
01:15to climb in, the gearing plays a crucial part in two ways. Firstly, ensuring
01:20you've chosen the right selection of gears for the ride ahead. If you know
01:23you're going to be taking on multiple short, steep
01:25a sense, then having the correct gear ratios will be really beneficial.
01:28There are three types of settings
01:30which typically come in the following chainring sizes. A standard setup which is a 53mm
01:35by 39 tooth chainring. A compact which is a 50 by 34.
01:40And a semi-compact which is a blend of the two at 52 by 36. The chances are
01:45that unless you are a pro level rider, a compact or semi-compact setup will most
01:50likely prove beneficial to you in the long run for the types of road riding you will be doing.
01:55All of this is based on personal preferences and ability. Making sure your bike is not
02:00only set for the terrain but also your ability itself is key. You may be able to ride up a
02:05steep climb once. If you know your ride consists of multiple ascents then it may not prove quite
02:10as useful. Remember there isn't a cyclist alive who complained about having an extra gear on their
02:15bike. So don't feel like you're wimping out if you go for a compact chain set or a large rear cassette.
02:20So don't feel like you're wimping out if you're wimping out if you're wimping out.
02:25It's all well and good having the gears on your bike but make sure you use them efficiently
02:30is another matter entirely. When you're coming up to a climb make sure you prepare for it
02:35by changing down the gears before you reach the climb itself. Otherwise you could be caught out when
02:40the road ramps up. If you can try and time this gear change so you get as much speed
02:45and momentum before hitting the climb itself as well. Changing gears on the climb itself
02:50is less efficient and also puts a huge strain on your bike components. You never want to crash
02:55through the gears on the climb itself as this puts a massive strain on your bike. This highly inefficient
03:00depends on your speed and your momentum.
03:05it's stay disple harmonic for you.
03:06It's my pleasureASHIT to hit you with a big jump this morning.
03:11We all have prefered style of Dieser We all have a preferred style of Isle.
03:10of climbing whether it would be in the saddle or out of it and one of the main issues this brings on steep
03:15climbs is how you distribute your weight when standing up in the pedals you can easily see your back
03:20or lose traction with the road and therefore speed especially if the road is wet
03:25whereas if you sit too far back you may cause the front wheel to lift doing a wheelie up a 20
03:30percent climb it's never ideal at the best of times therefore knowledge on what technique work
03:35is best for you and practicing this is vital it is more likely that riding the saddle wheel will
03:40avoid any mishaps but working on your weight distribution for whatever method works best for you is key
03:45you
03:50we've all been there and even though maybe a massive hit on your morale unclipping
03:55on a steep climb doesn't have to mean the end of your climb in the sense
04:00even though it could be the toughest thing you do that day but there are a few tips you can take on
04:05board to try and get started again so clip in and just
04:10face your bike slightly against the gradient make sure you're not going too far wide
04:15and just try and get a bit of momentum up and then bring your foot in down to clipping straight
04:20away just keep the momentum going keep going side to side less
04:25in the gradient eventually you'll clip in there you go and then away you go
04:30you
04:35you
04:40those are our top five tips for conquering steep climbs let us know in the comment section below what
04:45tips you use to conquer them yourself and if you enjoy this video give it a like and don't
04:50forget to subscribe to the cycling weekly youtube channel until next time we'll see you then
04:55you
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