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| How to climb tough hills | |
Climbing
can be the most rewarding part of off-road riding. Conquer a steep pitch
you’ve never cleaned before and you’ll get an unbeatable sense of
accomplishment. But
if you stall out in the middle of the climb you’re more likely to turn
the air blue and vow you’ll never ride that stinkin’ trail again. Climbs
should be a challenge, not a crisis in your life. Here’s how to get up
steep climbs and long climbs without angst - or expletives. STEEP
CLIMBS Choose
the right gear Don’t
try to muscle up short, steep pitches in a large gear. If your front
wheel bumps into a small obstacle, say a rock or root, your momentum
will vanish. Then it’s nearly impossible to get that big gear rolling
again. With small gears, on the other hand, you can spin smoothly to
regain momentum and continue without putting a foot down. Pedal
smoothly Jerky,
jabbing pedal strokes power the rear wheel in a series of surges. On
loose surfaces, the rear tire will break traction on each power surge.
Instead, concentrate on making smooth stokes that apply power more
evenly all the way around each pedal circle. You’ll be less likely to
lose traction and momentum. Scootch
(lean) forward This
describes the motion to make when the trail gets steep. In these
conditions, gravity moves your weight to the rear of the bike,
lightening the front wheel so it wanders from side to side or even comes
off the ground. Counter this tendency by scootching to the very tip of
the saddle, thus shifting more weight to the front of the bike. Moving
your weight forward doesn’t solve all of your problems on steep
climbs. If you’re too far forward, the rear wheel won’t carry enough
of your weight and will spin out easily no matter how smoothly you
pedal. So when you transfer some weight to the front of the saddle,
simultaneously bend at the waist so you can shift your weight from front
to back. Concentrate on subtle weight shifts -enough on the front wheel
to keep it down, the rest on the rear wheel to help maintain traction.
It’s a balancing act. Practice will make it automatic. Find a
rhythm The
key to climbs that take longer than about five minutes is to find a pace
slightly less difficult than you think you can maintain to the top,
keeping something in reserve. This is especially true at high altitude
where it’s extremely difficult to recover from short bouts above your
comfort zone. Don’t
go anaerobic early in the climb Make
this mistake and you’ll have to slow markedly to recover. If you
encounter steep sections you might blow up and be forced to stop. Keep
your cadence up A
higher pedal rpm forces you to breathe harder but it’s relatively easy
on the legs. Conversely, a low cadence combined with a big gear is tough
on leg muscles. On long climbs, it’s better to pant in order to spare
your legs. Then you’ll have some reserve quad strength to help power
you past an unexpected steep or technical section. Parcel
your energy Good Luck! |
