7 tips for improving uphill biking

Posted by tan xiao yan on


Is uphill your difficult problem when biking? Have you been strenuous and tough during biking uphill? However, you still don't know how to figure out the hills. After reading this passage, you will find a right way to train your cycling uphill skills both at physical and mental aspects.

Physical tips

Shift gears
When biking uphill, you will find that low speed is easier for climbing cyclists to conquer the hills. The best way is keeping shifting gears as climbing up. But this will lower your speed and make you fall far behind your peers. Don't worry, you will catch up with them even overtake them in that you maintain strength to sprint to the top.



Practice makes perfect
Practice, practice, practice. Cycling uphill at least once or twice a week can make you a better climber. If you can train in the following two ways (practice one way each time), then you will improve biking uphill skills fast.

Rock cycling training

To stay in good condition in the up and down roads like rock and roll, you can make a sprint practice on a two-minute short slope. You should do warming-up exercise so that you climb hills at Lactic acid threshold heart rate. You had better ride 90 seconds first at Lactic acid threshold heart rate, and then finish the last 30s at your fastest speed. Practice the whole exercise four to six times.

Anaerobic peak interval training

It can strengthen your pedaling power using a small flywheel to climb. By means of raising the biggest pedaling power, you can avoid leg fatigue even if you are riding on the long slope using big flywheel. You can cycle on the long and slow slope to strengthen pedaling power. After one or two minutes, change into a small flywheel at 50 or 60 RPM. At that time you should maintain pedaling fluently and lower heart rate. One or two minutes later, switch back to the other flywheel, and still keep 5-to-10-minute riding. Repeat it till reach the top.



Changing positions
Do not fall into the novice snare of being seated high with straight arms, or a humpback and a pedal stroke led by the heels touching down. This does no good to stabilize center muscles. Furthermore, this plays havoc with the rhythm of your stroke. As a matter of fact, a flat back with bent elbows can lower down your center of gravity.

It is always a reasonable way being seated on the saddle when climbing. There are two means of sitting. One is sitting on the back of saddle while leaning forward 45 degrees. Gluteus maximus works at this time. Gluteus maximus is the biggest muscle of the body. It is efficient to climb by this means. The other is sitting on the front of the saddle while upper body upright. Thigh muscle works mainly, and relax gluteus maximus.

Route
Pay attention to your route. Try to go straight forward when you are riding. Riding at the Z-shaped line can save your strength when we were children, but this route isn't fit for cycling. First things first, it's very dangerous for the bikers behind. When you climb, it can cause to stall every time you turn and it can also burn your energy. The longer the time is, the more strength it consumes.

Mental tips

Climbing is nothing to me
Someone who declares "I'm not a climber" or even "I'm a sprinter." is actually a loser. The cyclist who regards himself /herself as non-climber will be impossible to be a great one,no matter how frequently he/she trains. He/she is defeated by his/her own at the beginning. These negative thoughts can be overcome.

If you have one of these thoughts, write it down and then change in into a positive idea. For example, if you think "I hate climbing and I'm weak at it," you may write, "I'm a good climber and I love it!" do remember that your statement is totally positive. And repeat it with conviction time and again during your climbing. If you get used to doing it, you will get the unexpected results.

Ready to take the pain
Be ready to take the pain. I do not mean the normal pain—I mean be ready for the point of suffering past. The whole ride or game usually depends on one moment on the slope. It is how you respond at that moment that will define you as a cyclist.

Don't watch your power meter or heart rate monitor frequently. In such a competitive condition, the heart rate and power are often even higher than training. Under many circumstances, if you feel easy on climbing, the day is over anyway, so what are you saving it for? If you are suffering, chances are so is everyone else.



Don't look up but smile
Concentrate on the pavement in front of you. Don't look up to see the top or else you will be not in a position to do so. Instead, distract your attention to the opposite direction. Look straight on your current pavement. It will occur to you that you are cycling on the flat road from this angle—why is there against it?

It happens to every rider that your face is distorted as if to show your pain to the world. Try smiling, buddy. The brain usually goes hand in hand with pleasure and happiness. Smiling while climbing can trick your brain into thinking that you are even much better.