It's perverse - but I love the challenge of a long, hard hill
climb (despair not - I'm seeking therapy). The techniques described
here are intended for the very steep but the same basic principles
apply when attacking more gentle gradients.
1.
Banana Smoothie Pedalling
When you hit a big hill, the "thinking thing" dials
up the engine room and asks for a bit more horse power. The natural
response is to stomp on the pedals resulting in spinning your
back wheel like a bogan at the traffic lights. Maintaining traction
demands the even application of power. So when you need a bit
more grunt, turn the power on progressively and pedal smoothly.
Focus on applying your power around the full circle (how Zen)
instead of stomping down on each pedal.
Picture your cranks rotating around a clock face (a stiff drink
and an encounter with David Lynch may help create the image).
The down-stroke (from 12 to 6 o'clock) is most powerful - especially
when the crank is around the horizontal position. The power produced
at the top and bottom of each cycle is little more than a "joke".
For the moment let's assume you're not getting any power from
your up-stroke either. The resultant power curve for therotation
of each pedal is vaguely parabolic.
The objective is to flatten the power curve so it looks more
like the dotted line. The downward power-stroke is instinctive,
so focus on the 12 and 6 o'clock positions. Try sliding your
foot forward at the top of the stroke while pulling backwards
with your other foot (a kind-of Michael Jackson style shuffle).
Also remember to pull up (against your toe clips or clipless
pedals ) on the up-stroke to develop additional power.
2.
Get Out of the Saddle
Steep hills demand you "get off your butt" so you
can crank more power from each stroke. But you've still got to
avoid power surges, which requires even greater dedication to
the above principles. Practise your out-of-the-saddle technique
on the flat. Tarseal is ideal as tyre noise from the road indicates
changes in torque. As always, a quiet upper body helps tie the
whole performance together. Avoid bobbing by concentrating on
keeping your hips in the same horizontal plane.
3.
Balance
 Hill
climbing is a balancing act - continually adjusting your body
position in response to changes in the terrain. Standing allows
you to move your centre of mass backwards or forwards quickly
and easily. The trick is to keep sufficient weight at the back
to maintain traction, but be far enough forward so you can still
steer the beast and not flip it over backwards. The correct spot
will see your hips a little forward of the usual sitting position.
When you're doing it correctly, the front wheel will feel quite
light.
On relatively smooth terrain, you can get away with staying
in your seat by edging forward onto the nose of the saddle (hardly
comfortable though). Roll your wrists and elbows downwards to
drag your weight further forward while keeping your upper body
nice and low.
4.
Timing is the secret of good comedy
You want to create a "power equilibrium" between your
arms and legs, pulling up on the handle bars as you apply the
power stroke. Your back wheel bites in as the bike rotates around
a virtual pivot at the bottom bracket. Don't wrench the bike
from side to side like a Tour de France champion - balance the "power
equilibrium" by pulling up on the right hand as you push with
your right leg and vice versa. The action is quite athletic -
your arms should ache as much as your legs after a hard climb.
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