10 WAYS TO MASTER EVERY HILL ASCENT AND DESCENT

It doesn’t matter whether you’re racing a hilly tri or not, mastering the mounds will make you a stronger triathlete. How? Just follow these tips...

01 PACE LIKE A PRO

Strength and stamina matters, but both will unravel if you don’t pace your climb correctly. That’s where either a power meter or heart rate monitor proves their worth. Ascending by a pre-determined number – as an example, maybe lower than 8085% of your maximum heart rate – will ensure you don’t blow up. Arguably a power meter’s best here as the feedback is instant whereas there can often be a lag with heart rate, especially wristbased sensors.

02 GET INTO GEAR

Your gear ratio can make or break your climb, especially if you don’t have enough gears to shift through. This puts specific stress on your muscles, which fatigue more rapidly than your cardiovascular system, especially the fast-twitchers. On the flipside, if you always climb in your lowest gear and it’s a day packed with hills, your legs can also be blown by dimple number three. It’s why something like a 50/34 upfront and a rear-cassette split of 11/32 or 34 is a good option.

03 PICK YOUR POSITION

Should you sit or should you stand? Once again, that’s heavily down to the gradient. If it’s a steep, pitchy climb, you’ll naturally rise out of your saddle to leverage more force through your pedals. If it’s a long, shallow ascent, staying in your saddle’s proven to be more efficient. Then again, lighter, smaller riders might stray out of their perch more, while heavier, taller riders might look to remain steadfastly to their saddle. Find what works best for you.

04 FIND YOUR CLIMBING WEIGHT

It’s an obvious statement that losing weight – if you need to and done safely [see p74 for more on the dangers of crash-dieting] – will result in greater climbing speed. But how much faster? Well, it’s a highly individual answer as specifics require exact gradient, length of climb, your power profile, muscle-fibre composition… but the steeper the gradient, the greater the difference.

05 MAXIMISE THE REVOLUTION

When it comes to cadence, often choice should come down to your build. Aerobic, light triathletes might aim to hit around 90rpm on the climbs. Those who are more muscular and have big, heavy legs should avoid pedalling too fast because gravity’s opposing those heavy limbs on the recovery section of the pedal stroke, causing you to fatigue faster. Instead, bigger-legged triathletes may be more efficient using a lower cadence of around 70rpm. Ultimately, find what works for you.

06 RELAX INTO THE DESCENT

When riding downhill, a balanced position on the bike is vital. Essentially this simply means you feel comfortable and haven’t loaded your weight either front or rear. This should lead you into a sustainable position on your drops. Once you’re nestled into the drops, your elbows should tuck in neatly, which should bring your chin toward the bar. And remain relaxed.

07 LOOK AHEAD

Aim to look around 50 to 100m in front of you when descending. Not only will you spot any potholes before they spot you, but your body has a habit of following your eyes. Another streamlined option, though certainly not advised on open roads, is the advanced aero tuck. This sees your chin nestle a chamois-thickness away from the stem with chest almost leaning on the top-tube. But this is more for the professionals – and no traffic.

08 GO IN SLOW, EXIT FAST

Where descents crank up the heebie-jeebies is when they flow into corners. Suddenly you tense up, lose stability and experience speed wobble. But it needn’t be so. For starters, there’ll be pretty clear visual clues as to what lies ahead – signposts, chevrons and barriers. As before you should keep looking a fair distance in front of you. Also, don’t enter the apex until you can see the exit. The most common mistake is turning into the bend too early, you exit with too much speed and you’re forced to brake far too hard. It’s better to go in slow and exit fast.

09 STAY ALERT

If it’s raining, that adds another layer of danger to proceedings. So, it’s wise to stay a touch more upright and don’t lean forward as much. Always be ready to feather your brakes and see those white markings on the road? Avoid them at all costs as they can swiftly turn into ice!

10 TUCK IT IN

As for equipment advice, where once Alpine descents would see pros slip a newspaper beneath their tops, now we have gilets, lightweight jackets… to deflect bone-cutting windchills. And keep clothing tight as flapping jackets simply add more resistance. When it comes to wheels, an aerodynamic number will come into its own.