This story originally appeared in the Mach/April 2024 issue of Adventure Cyclist magazine.
For a long time, I called myself “a sprinter, not a climber,” a common joke among cycling folks to excuse why they can’t climb steep grades or go long distances. From a young age, I was naturally strong and slightly bigger than my peers. I played a lot of competitive sports and was typically put in a strength role over a speed role. When I got into track racing, I had success in power-forward short sprints but just couldn’t find the legs for extended efforts.
About five years ago, I moved from a relatively flat place to a small valley town nestled at the foot of a mountain range. There was nowhere to go but up, and a month into my first season of local riding, I realized pretty quickly that something had to give. I had to make a mental and physical shift and either figure out how to get better at climbing or, at the very least, be able to enjoy myself during these lengthy ascents. It’s still a work in progress, but here’s what I’ve learned so far.
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Make a Goal
It’s hard to get better at something without a goal in mind. I started with “be better at climbing,” but what does that mean? My main goals now are around a mental shift — how to turn type two fun into type one fun in the moment — and measurable physical improvements that I can track on local, repeatable climbs, such as time spent, perceived exertion, and overall ride quality. Pick your favorite metrics and use them to keep track of your improvement or pick an event or ride accomplishment to work toward by a certain date. Not all goals have to be numbers-based! Goals based on attempts or how you feel at the end of an effort are great options that avoid getting too hung up on data.
Make A Plan
If your goal is to get better at climbing, trying to summit the biggest, baddest climb around on Day One is probably not the best idea. Not only can you end up demoralized, but you could also end up injured, which can set you even further back. I decided to focus my efforts on the local, smaller climbs that I have to frequent in order to get around or to get between trail networks that I ride regularly. I planned to shuttle up to the trailhead and ride in from there, and after every few rides, I would park lower and lower down the service road. By the end of the summer, I would be riding all the way up to the trail from home, which would be about three times the elevation gain than riding from the trailhead.
Check Your Gear
Having gear appropriate for climbing can certainly be helpful; we do love a mechanical advantage, after all. Make sure your drivetrain is clean and not worn out. Inspect your chainrings, cassette, and chain, looking for any visible grime or extra dirt. Use a plastic-bristled brush to gently scrub out any gunk with warm, soapy water. Rinse with clean water, let air dry for a few minutes, and then use a clean rag to dry completely. Once clean, you can inspect for any excess wear: cassette and chainring teeth should be even with no chips, missing teeth, or anything that resembles a curvy shark tooth. Check for chain wear: using a chain-checking tool will give the most accurate reading. If you don’t have one, you can do the pinch test for a general idea of wear: shift into your big chainring and rotate your crank so the driveside crank arm is pointing at nine o’clock. Then pinch the chain on the opposite side of the crank arm (at three o’clock) and try to pull it toward the front of the bike. If you see a gap between the chainring and the chain, it’s an indication that your chain is stretched and should be replaced.
Changing your gearing can have a huge impact on how hard or easy it is to spin your legs as the grades increase. If you find your current setup just too hard to power through as things get steep, try swapping out your front chainring for the next size down (for more information, check out Mechanical Advantage’s column on gear ratios, Adventure Cycling July/August 2023). This will translate to easier spinning and help keep you moving until you gain more strength and endurance.
Check The Technique
When you are settling in for a big climb, find the gearing in which you can maintain a consistent cadence — not too light that you are spinning without control, but not so heavy that you are straining to pedal, especially if you have more gears available. Focus on drawing smooth, round circles with your feet on the pedals. Having consistent input through the full pedal stroke will give you the most power output and return on your effort. The “push” section of a pedal stroke can be very quad- and glute-dominant, while the “pull” section of the pedal stroke tends to use calves, hamstrings, and hip flexors. Using all your muscle groups equally can help keep fatigue at bay longer.
Shift Your Focus
When I used to really struggle with climbing, I found I would be stuck thinking the whole time how hard it is. When I catch myself going there, I shift my focus and find a rhythm instead: breath, pedal strokes, a sound, a line on the road. Find a pattern in something that you can focus on through the tough parts. This can keep you present and help keep your mind from shifting to the negative.
Shift Your Perspective
Coming from an amateur race background, I often found myself stuck in a competitive mode — if I wasn’t winning, I was losing. Now, I focus on what I am accomplishing. Sometimes it’s as simple as just starting the ride. Sometimes it’s getting all the way up to the trail. Sometimes I did it just a little faster than before, or I stayed on the bike and didn’t put a foot down. All of these things are better than not doing it at all. Find joy in your current ability. Be your own cheerleader. Soak in the scenery. Marvel at how much you’ve done for yourself. It doesn’t matter what you haven’t done. Look at what you have. Incredible!
Keep Going
Remember that change, growth, and success are not linear. Physical and mental setbacks are normal. Challenging ourselves and getting better is a forever practice, but it’s also something that gets easier as we go.
The post How to Be a Climber appeared first on Adventure Cycling Association.
