One of the greatest challenges for many recreational riders is climbing hills. In addition to improving your strength and fitness, here are some tips that will have you climbing like a pro in no time!
- Place your hands on the tops of your bar. This will open up your chest and relax your posture, making it easier to breathe.
- Scoot your butt back on the saddle just a little and focus on really extending your leg (think of kicking your entire leg down). Keep your heel down (not your toes).
- Find a gear that's easy enough to maintain a cadence of 60-80rpms. Any slower than that will put stress on your muscles and your knees. Think of spinning instead of mashing.
- If you find that a hill is just too steep to continue, stop, get off the bike and rest for a minute. Not too long or your muscles will get cold. But a brief rest will allow you to catch your breath and give you a little more energy.
- If there are turns or curves on the hills, pick the easiest path (usually closer to the centerline of the road, not the shoulder).
- To gain a little momentum, shift to a more difficult gear and stand for a short time (10 seconds to start). This will utilize your body weight and make it easier to pedal. It will also increase your heart rate, so it's difficult for many riders to climb standing for too long.
- Another tip to gain momentum is to remain seated, but try to increase your cadence (even just a little) for 5-10 seconds. Once you've increased your cadence (and thus your speed), it's easier to maintain it.
- Try to concentrate on "pulling up" on the back side of your pedal stroke in addition to "pushing down" in the front. This will engage your hamstrings and glutes (your climbing muscles). If you alternate focus on pulling & pushing, you relieve the opposing muscle group, so you can alternate every minute or so.
