Being a Better Climber

Jess asks Sir Steve Jones another question:

Hey there Sir Steve,

It's time for more wisdom.  This time I want to pick your brain and experience on the subject of climbing.  Yeah, yeah, skinny and young.  Neither pf these apply to me.  With the ride season getting under way we will have many rides to choose from.  Some of these are going to involve climbing.  I know that I am planning on at least two multiday (week long) tours which will involve around 30,000 feet for the week.  So I am asking for your wisdom.

Give us the benefit of your wisdom and experience to hopefully become better climbers.

Jess

OK, the perennial question of how do I become Marco Pantani!!!

Here are my 5 cents on this the most challenging aspect of our sport

Climbing is one of those beautiful skills that we all aspire to but only a few are gifted enough to float up mountains with grace and seeming ease.  The old story of genetics playing a part is certainly a major contributor to any climbers success.  Look at Marco Pantani, to my mind one of the worlds greatest climbers.  Marco was a wiry individual, 100 pounds soaking wet, who had a phenomenal power to weight ratio that helped him ascend any gradient with the style of a true genius.  Again, going back a few years, Charly Gaul, the Angel of the Mountains, was a terrifically genetically gifted climber.  Nowadays, look at Alberto Contador or 'Chicken' Rasmussen to see the traits needed to perform some of these affronts to gravity.  However, in saying this not all the top climbers are matchsticks, 'Big Mig'; Miguel Indurain and 'Der Kaiser'; Jan Ullrich are not small guys, however they again had the genetic gift of large lungs and hearts which could pump massive amounts of blood through their system to extract every last grain of oxygen they could to feed their prodigious muscles.  The same relative power to weight thing.  These guys are heavy (a relative term I know) but their system was attuned to cope with that.

OK, so how do we climb?  Two schools of thought; the 'grinder' and the 'spinner'.  The grinder is that guy who has a steady but large gear and simply muscles their way up a climb.  Think of the visuals of Ullrich churning a huge gear.  The good thing here is that if you can turn a big gear you cover a lot of ground, the downside, it takes a hell of a toll on your energy levels (not to say joints) and you cannot respond to sudden accelerations.  Larry and I rode with a guy like this once on the The Alpine Challenge.  This guy was huge but just mashed these huge gears at the same steady rhythm just like a diesel engine.  He could climb well but it was an extremely measured effort.  OK, the 'Spinner'.  Armstrong pretty much re-invented this techniques and we can all see him now scooting up the Alps with his high cadence and legs spinning merrily.  Good thing - less torque on your knees and legs, less exertion, you can keep more energy in your system, and most importantly for racers these guys can accelerate and attack the opposition time and again.  How many attacks did Contador put into Rasmussen on last years Tour? Too many for me to even comprehend.  Bad thing - takes a real effort to make your body adapt to this type of demand.

Anyway, how does this all trickle downhill to us mere mortals? Well, some of us are grinders, some are spinners and some in-betweenies. So how can we make the best of our 'talents' and can we change? Spinning up a climb is a skill that many people want to acquire but find it hard to make their bodies adjust to suit the demands.  My advice is if this is going to be your style then you need to practice it at every chance.  When the going points uphill drop the gears and spin your legs up to 100rpm.  You may only be able to do this for a short while initially but stick with it gradually extending the period you can maintain this high cadence.  If you have a trainer then set it so it feels like you are climbing a hill and practice this technique.  Start off at 2mins and gradually increase it until it becomes a natural thing and a routine that you automatically fall into out on the road when gravity takes a hold.  The main thing about spinning is to remain seated unless you are really going to do some hard acceleration to blow the other guys away.  Grinding up a climb is what many people end up doing because they run out of gears.  You keep coming down and down the cassette until you have nothing left.  The effort is getting unbearable, your energy levels are dropping as the climb lengthens and your legs get slower.  Been there done that!! To maintain a big gear is not necessarily bad but will ultimately tire you more quickly than a low gear, try to pick somewhere in between that suits you and not the pace that someone else is setting.  Trying to follow someone up a climb at a pace that is already putting you into the red zone is a surefire recipe for blowing big time before the end of the event.  Climbing is generally all about you at our level.

Now for the most important aspect of climbing for us mere mortals, at least to my mind anyway.  How many times have you been on a long dragging climb and you look way up the road only to see another curve and there way above you over your shoulder you can see the road another 200feet higher than you are now.  My thoughts in this situation are often, "Oh dear me, I will be very happy to gain that altitude" or something a little less prosaic usually!  So, how do we overcome this?  The same as ' how do you eat an elephant - one bite at a time'.  When, on a long climb, don't keep looking up the road, stare at a point about 6 feet in front of your wheel, look to the side, sing a song, play your iPod, think of that Martini you will have when you get back home.  In other words don't let your brain think you are on a huge, long climb.  Distract yourself, turn your brain off or on to something else, Sure it's painful but nothing you can't bear especially if you can persuade yourself to think of something else.  I know, easier said than done but how do you think Tri-Tom or those other guys who do the massive climbing double centuries get through their day.  I would venture that they don't see the whole road laid out in front of them; they look at small sections that they can 'win' on.  If I can get to the next rest, over this hill, round the next curve, whatever.  Small goals add up to big wins and that comes in the form of eventually being able to enjoy going to GMR without the fear of what lies ahead.  Doing 'The Bear' and not panicking when you see the sign that says you still have 30 miles to go to Big Bear and you are only climbing at 10 miles an hour.

How do you make yourself a better climber; the same way that you make yourself a faster cyclist - don't be afraid and avoid the issue.  To be a better climber you have to practice climbing, duh! A pro-category friend of mine once told me that when out training to attack every hill you come across, this way you build up your tolerance and muscle memory for future encounters.  By going at these smaller climbs like a 'bull at a gate' when you get to longer ones you will be able to drop a gear and cruise up them.  Well, he might have been able to cruise but I still breathe pretty hard at the top of Vista Ridge.  It does help though because you become determined not to be intimidated and back off the effort.

So my message for anyone looking to improve their climbing ability - if you are not blessed with the physical and genetic attributes of Richard Virenque (pre-Festina affair!) then put yourself in situations where you have to improve, don't shy away from steep or relentless hills.  Decide on your style, and it may be some sort of middle ground between the high cadence spinner and the slower diesel engine, but make it your own and build your ability to suit.  Try changing things around and you may be surprised that things get easier.  There are certain things you can do to help.  Sit as far back on your saddle as you can using the power of your legs to push AND pull the pedals round; keep your hands on top of the bars to make the maximum use of your lower back and abdominal muscles; get out of the saddle occasionally to give your muscles a break from the never ending routine; most of all distract yourself from the task in hand unless you are racing when you will be so focused on the other guys or being off the front/back that you won't think of anything else anyway.

Most of all enjoy the scenery.  Climbing on a bicycle often takes place in stunning surroundings, make the most of your ability to get yourself into these environments with the knowledge that you can cope with anything the mountains throw at you and you will agree that this is one of the most rewarding aspects of our sport.  Good luck everyone, lets see you all out there on those hills.

All the best,
Sir Steve / OCRR

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