When I started cycling I was getting very discouraged about not getting up steep hills while riding with more experienced riders. I would blow up and have to stop or walk. I then decided to try a different strategy, that is to see how slowly I could ride up the steep grade. I was able to make it without stopping. From there I was able to increase my speed.

I find getting out of the saddle from time to time on long climbs adds variety to the effort and keeps you limber. Before I decide to get up I usually go up two gears so when I'm out of the saddle I maintain an appropriate cadence to match the extra power. When I sit back down I go back down one or two gears to once again match cadence. By getting out of the saddle you can also work your upper body. When you sit back down, it can feel like you have reset your mind too.

Full respect to you, you inspired me, I started cycling again, I am 51 years old

Having done some huge climbs in the Himalayas I found some things worked for me. Breathing: synchronising your pedaling cadence with your breathing. When you are into a really huge climb (one I did had 43 switchbacks to 5,220m above sea level), I coordinated my cadence with my breathing and over time rode it smoothly. Mind: don't worry about how long or steep the climb is, just break it down into segments and look no more than 500 metres in front of you. Pulling on the handlebars is also helpful. Nice video - you never really conquer hills, they are still hard every time.

I just clicked on this vid. Great narration, and great advice from an "average guy". I have cycled all my life, never had a "weight" issue and cycling has helped in that regard. I cannot help but think that your series has to inspire folks who haven't been exercising regularly. So, I will watch more and tell you directly that you are inspiring me as well! Thanks!!

Great job. An inspiration for all of us that struggle up the hills☺️

Why in the world would anyone watch a video and take advice from an obviously overweight guy? BECAUSE HE MAKES SENSE!!! Plus, I can relate. Your style is easy to watch so keep up the good work and BTW you have a new subscriber.

Mate, I can't begin to tell you how much I'm enjoying watching your movies, and learning from them. I'm watching them as I gear up (pun unintended) towards buying my first ever road bike. Thanks and keep up the great work.

Thanks for an honest look at hill climbing. I ride for fun, and to stay in the best shape I can. I ride with two friends that are speed riders and I just bring up the rear.

Best approach to climbing I’ve seen in a year! Thank you!!

I have nothing to say but MANY THANKS & please continue this great job

I'm 55, I've got back on the bike after a couple of years and your videos are inspiring. I've always preferred climbing hills to flat riding and I'm lucky to live in on the edge of the Peak District. Buxton via Cat and Fiddle is a two hour round trip and Winnat's Pass is a nice three/four hour round trip at my pace , and that's my target. I've done it before and I'll do it again. Cheers.

It's all about the ride, my training consist of short rides but at 85 to 90 percent, I love doing hills but I learned a lot from this video,good job.

Thanks for the video, its for the rest of us who don't have the best BMI. Your train routine for the common man makes a lot of sense.

I find these vids really encouraging, as we all can’t be built like wihppets. Cycling is fun, even if we put ourselves through a bit of pain.🤪 I’m never going to be a racer, but personal achievement means more than winning a medal. Make life a ride👍🏻

So pleased to see so many positive comments. I’m around 100kg and some of my climbs are fearsome. Your video has helped no end. Thank you. S A L plus tapped the bell👍

i LOVE this channel

I am astounded this video doesn't have more views. Really, really well done.

Great videos. Love seeing average Joe's like us getting out there and suffering a bit.

Lovely video, and tremendous tips + inspiration!

My tips is be friend with the climb. Most people face climbing as their enemy, something to tackle or to conquer. Always see climb as a force of nature even though the road are man made but still nature has its own energy flow all you need is to get the same wave length breath along side with the nature.

Thanks, brother. I love your vids.

Again outstanding video presentation about something that is such a huge internal component of riding a bike that it requires a deeper thought process. Anybody can go down a hill with ease its called gravity but to go up needs a completely separate reason and that is to do something that you can say that you did that required a thought process that initially told you to not do it as its hard as you are going to fail.This mindset can and will be transferred to other parts of your life as when you conquer a hill then why not conquer something else that's difficult

Pure inspiration for someone like me...yesss Taking your advice and keep on spinning

After cycling alone for 25 years I went on my first group/club ride yesterday (92km) and discovered that I am not a fast hill climber. I never thought I was, but riding with others confirmed it. I have no problem getting up them eventually, but keeping up with others brings an additional element of stress (especially to the new club rider). So I wondered if you had a vid on this and of course you have. All your advice is excellent, as ever. But the piece that really stuck with me is "don't panic". Hill after hill I saw my group inexorably moving away, and I'd try and keep pace only to feel myself blowing out before I'd tackled the hill. I felt panicky. But I realised they have 2 choices: 1. recognise I'm new to club riding and wait for me at the top of each hill; 2. ask me to join another group. I have one choice: get up the hill without dying or injuring myself. Don't panic is great advice. It allows you to calm down and focus on the hill in hand, and deal with the rest later. It also allows you to clearly see the difference between where you are and where you would like to be. I now know I have to train a bit to improve my hill climbing. But succumb to panic and I'd probably think I shouldn't go out with the group again. I also learned I need mudguards if I'm not to hack off the rest in my group in the rain. Ordered. Thanks again.

Leonard thanks for this vid I always get motivated with your videos. Getting up and going for a ride now 👍

Thanks for your great videos, At 70 years old and 105Kg I am constanly pushing the power to weight ratio! You recognise when someone makes comments like yours they have been in the same place and have come to the same conclusions when cycling the big mountains and long endurance rides. The hardest thing for me is putting my riding shoes on! Once I am 2 minutes into it, the rest is easy.

A very nice and well narrated video! I agree with every point made about cadence, pacing, breath control and smoothness. Especially turning a long climb into several short climbs coincidentally placed back to back. If I really have to push the envelope of suffering, I sometimes cut the effort up into (quite many) down to 10 second intervals, where I can manage to keep the pace.

I must be one of the very few who watch your channel who is female but I find your videos to be very informative. I have just started to ride, about 4 months into it and I am going to be 50 next month. I live in a very hilly area and at first I could not even get up a slight hill. I have improved a lot and can get up most hills in my area now, apart from one. This particular hill gets me every time, to the point that I now get nervous attempting it. Anyway thank you for all your tips.

Thank you for your video. Its inspiring for another plus sized cyclist like my self.

You’re super funny 😆. I’m preparing for my first big climb and appreciate your tips. Thanks.

I started cycling after I had breast cancer at 55 . When I started on an old bike along a local trail. I could hardly do a few miles over the last 5 years I have improved the mileage and got a road bike, I still struggle with the hills. Can do long and steady but short and sharp I just can’t do !! Just got a turbo and and trying to improve my breathing . Thank you I will keep watching and hope to improve

I alternately push each legs when climbing so I can continuously pedalling without stopping. For example I will push my right leg pedalling for 6 rotation and change to left leg for another 6 rotation. So each side of leg can relax and save energy when one leg is pushing and the other leg just relax to take turn.

Terrific video, goes straight to the point. I live near the top of a mountain, and do at least half of my riding in very rolling terrain. And every time I ride back home it's back up the mountain, with grades between ten and twenty percent. As covered in your video, it is very important to have a good power to weight ratio, and also to work on your strength and fitness with plenty of climbing. But also it is important to have an appropriate drivetrain setup on your bike to suit the conditions you mostly ride under. For me it is rolling and mountainous terrain, so I have a compact crankset (50/34) and a cassette which goes up to 32 teeth on the largest sprocket. So for climbing up the mountain getting back home the 34 teeth on the smaller chainring and the 32 teeth on the cassette's largest sprocket really take the struggle out of the climb, particularly over the pinchy sections which reach twenty percent. My sixty-year-old legs are most appreciative! I cringe when I see other riders, particularly "more senior" ones, struggling up steep climbs with larger cranksets and smaller cassettes.

Great stuff for the “not-quite-elite”. Straightforward, enlightened common sense.

Here are my tips from cycling high grade hills. 1. Raise your seat height to the limits of the ball of your feet. Prevents cramps and gives more power output 2. Do weighted squats lifts near your max reps. Do not try to cycle yourself into strength gains unless you want it to be your full time job. 3. Upgrade your drive train to at least 36 cassette in the rear and either use a subcompact or compact front. Standard crank will require you to use an even bigger cassette. Done. That's how you climb up 20% hills.

favorite climb? lol no, I just started riding again after several years off. and am in a high up valley that every road around is almost and immediate 500ft climb, lol, so i found the one flat road and have been doing laps on it to get miles in and interval training. and just started doing some of the hills again last weekend. getting those miles in helped, 1 hill i had to stop 3 times first time out in may/june. and last weekend only had to stop once. then added a 4 mile quiet road in that the first .5 mile is a 12% grade (video coming soon, with tons of sunshine for you UK guys), then took the rest of the 3.5 miles to recover, lol, before turning round for mostly flat. was a nightmare. but feel a lot better about having gotten some miles in first before tackling it. and try it again in another month. and there are tons of new hills to tackle in the months to come. Great job on the video, nice quiet music, good narration, nice variety of camera angles for on the bike shots, good job, and thanks for the inspirational help. 53YO started riding this summer again after 6+ years with no riding at all, the first 2 months have been hardest.

Great tips. Loved the NZ cinematography. I live in Cambridgeshire so tricky to find climbs 🙁

Taiping 太平 is my ‘go to’ ride for hill training. It is in Meishan, Chiayi, Taiwan. 12 km （ start 180- end 1000 mts) with 6.5 avg gradient. 36 hairpins. Steepest at the start and finish. Usually 30 C degrees and high humidity. Very popular destination among locals on their Giant and Merida bikes. PB: 60 minutes.

Watched a few of your videos. Subscribed today.

I’ll be 50 in 9 months. I got a mountain bike a while back thinking I’ll hit some tracks but used more on the road when I hit the hills ( I live on hilly roads) man it’s a chore. So Im getting a road bike iv never been on a road bike hopefully it will give me more motivation. Although I’m an average build I still struggle as if Iv got more weight than I actually have. Great video.

Your voice is so calming!

Another great vid. 👍

That was a well done video - to the point, nice editing and great bg music and leveling - thanks! My favorite way to climb is to pick a feature in the road some 30-40 meters ahead and reel it in, then pick the next one etc. until there are none left. At 60, I am starting to struggle with my 53/39 crankset and 12-25 cassette (2006 Trek Madone 5.2). I ordered a new bike with a compact crankset and 11 to 28 cassette which should arrive around mid-July 2018. I hope the two easier ratios of this arrangement will help. Thanks again.

My Respect to you Sir, I enjoy your videos very much. 🚴

Great vid pal. I must admit since losing 2 stone hills have become a lot easier. The same hills I did 2 years ago with added weight I couldn't even ride a small gradient without stopping loads of times and looking like a beetroot.

atlast a real world one of us........ evcellent info to boot too......

You'd make a great professional commentator.

Great video, again!!

I got a road bike and tried climbs as a strength training when I'm not riding on trails. I realized how it can be physically harder but almost equally as fun.

Thanks a lot!

All really good advice.. I'd add a couple things..One is being in control of your mind / thoughts ( you did mention seeing yourself at the top which is good, but if you have an imbalanced ratio of negative self talk, it takes energy away).. rhythmic breath pedaling is huge, but having more fuel (oxygen) in the tank makes massive amount of difference. Highly suggest anyone in any sport learn Wim Hof's breathing techniques for oxygen saturation of blood. 3, CARBS ( not refined ) real from whole food sources?.. figs and dates are really good and easy to carry..averaging 2-3 of each per hour will keep atp production consistant. .. Training low cadence grinding to fall back on when you cant keep cadence up & weights/squats for same reason. Also, beatjuice and cordiceps..look into nutritionfacts vids on increased performance in athletes using them. :) Thx again for vid

I hate all climbs equally. I struggle to get over a speed bump. The only thing that sustains me up a climb is the thought that I can go downhill. I love going downhill. Nice work Leonard.

All good points. Having learned how to climb different kinds of hills, I find that breathing technique is very important for me. This weekend I'm going to climb Lee Canyon near Mt Charleston, Nevada for the first time. 27K of 6% avg gradient.

I live in Sonoma County California, which offers a huge selection of challenging and scenic climbs. The longer ones are generally 4 to 7 miles with about 5% to 14% gradients. The shorter ones are 1/4 to 1 mile and can include steep sections exceeding 20%. I've put together a few routes that get in 3000 to 4000 feet of elevation over relatively short distances of under 30 miles. For me these offer pretty intense workouts.

Nice vid...really helpful

I think I've still to find my favourite climb but I enjoy tackling the hills of Arron.. I'm looking forward to the climbs or majorca. Think that will be a challenge especially on a bike that I'm not used to.. Liked and shared as usual..

I live at flat lands by the sea, but mountains with magnificent climbs is what I love. Slow, sweaty and pain giving.. but rewarding like nothing else.. well, just to said, descent down is extra bonus after nice ascent. Main thing, like You said, is pacing and mentally loving going up. After that every other trick is a plus. Here is no uphills to train so got to get short ones many times and when at Alps, gear ratio 11-34 is useful. There is never gear too small... You asked favor ascent.. Mine is at Montafon, Austria. From Partenon to Bielerhöhe. Scenery is just amazing, lots of hair spins and tarmac is in great shape. :) You may see that climb at my channel also...

Good content sir. Subscribed to your channel. 👍👍👍

I’ve been tackling my local climb which I always struggled with recently. I’m now climbing it 4 times a week (luckily it’s 2km from my front door). I couldn’t understand why it was so hard because a simple calculation told me it’s only an average of 3% but after reviewing it in strava there are sections over 10% with most of it (4.6km) around 8%. There is no shortcut unfortunately BUT something that’s worth doing is worth doing properly so to anyone who is struggling to get up a climb just stick at it, don’t worry about what others may think and just know that one day you’ll be looking back at it wondering why you ever struggled.

Where I live there are not flats you are always climbing or descending. I just keep practicing every day and it gets slightly easier.

I never look at the climb, just focus in front of the bike. Attacking short climbs as hard as possible certainly improved my power. Longer climbs i settle into a rhythm and try to increase my cadence up to around 90rpm. If i can get to 100rpm i change up 1 gear. I think a turbo trainer is a must for keeping fitness also, when the weather is snowy and icey.

My favoured climbing technique is to choose a climb with multiple pub/ cafe stops and stop for coffee & a rest 2-3 times on the way up :p

You are a good commentator.

when I was in San Antonio Texas in the 90's there was a triple hill ascend we use to ride, that third ascent wasted a lot of people out there the first two were brutal and seen the third one just killed you...I believe Lance trained there while in Texas.

Hi I like what you talk about cause it make sense. I’ve got back into cycling about 2yrs and half and I commute to work and back all round trip about 53kms usually with in an hour or less than an hour iam 58yrs old now I’ve set my garman 520 on 90 cadence but I drop a bit up hill on the large ring do I drop to the small ring to maintain 90 cadence and maintain it .

Great video, thanks, I live on the fylde coast and its pan flat, hence whenever I go further afield I always struggle with any gradient. I can slim down to 11 stone and still struggle and usually end up walking, humiliated. I think there is a lot to be said for mental preparation, I just don't have it!!

Love the pointers! You must be putting some serious power down to maintain pace on the climbs.

There is a wealth of information here. If going uphill using a lower gear is imperative. It is easier for both the bike and the rider him or herself. Uphill in a lower gear also places a lot of stress on both the front and back sprockets. When this happens the gears will skip...This is when there is no resistance in the pedals. When this happens the rider can crash and may have to take the bike to a repair shop.

My tip had a 11-28 and really struggled up climbs. Changed to 11-32 and times I need the extra granny gear helped not that you always did but you had a plan B. I am now thinking this time to get a 11-34 as I am 3 years older and coming back from a RTA

I don’t know the slope gradients cuz it’s too complex to calculate, so I take it slow to complete it & go at it everyday till it gets easier & easier & I can get thru it faster. I ride during for about 40mins in my lunch hour, yep under the burning sun, helps me detox too. And it’s an Mtb cuz I just went through a spinal fusion in Feb. I am thinking of a road bike or maybe should I not.

bro, get a 40T rear cassette & lindarets road link, i also run a sub compact 46/30 at the front, fsa modular adventure crankset or absolute black rings on shimano cranks, trust me you will spin and fly up hill, you may also need a sugino adjustable front mount adaptor to lower the front derailleur

I tried my local hill which just seems to wind round. I had to stop a couple of times. I suffer from COPD but I don't like to use this as an excuse. I took a few breaks on the way up. It made me feel better when I finally got there and seeing other skinny riders walking their bikes past me. I'm quite heavy but I love cycling

I have a sickness that worry me and I do cycling I don't want to posh my self very hard I have a goiter and I am on levothyrox 50 mg is it OK to do hard training I am doing 30 km per day

Where is the opening shot? Beautiful. I want fly fishing that water!!!! After my ride of course.

as always...great video! May i ask what bike you are riding :-)? Carbon or Alu?

stunning intro shot

My lowest gear is 39 in the front and 28 in the back. It's kinda hard not to get intimidated by climbs. It's either suffering or going home.

I like to zigzag up steep grades if traffic allows it. It takes a lot longer to go up a steep grade this way but it makes it much much easier

I live on top of a steep though not extremely long hill ... it’s one of the reasons I have procrastinated with my cycling journey. It’s probably about 1/2 a mile not sure of the gradient but it is pretty steep. Any additional suggestions how to practice getting up it? Tnx as always ... keep inspiring!

I have heard that when you climb a hill instead of looking at it ,and instead of just going straight up try zig zag the climb so it doesn’t put you’re climb off and less intimidating.

My main problem is keeping the bike upright at 3 mph. I think a super lite bike might give me a psychological edge, but I don’t know how my flimsy lite 🚲 would deal with it. (If I could afford one, that is. Lol)

Where is the location in the beginning of the video? Beautiful roads on the cliffs! Thumbs up

one of my local beasts butser hill killed me yesterday 4mins behind my PB struggled winter bike and Christmas indulging lol

You should talk about hand position on the handlebars and it’s affect.

I find that gasping wheezing and sobbing helps on the steeper climbs.

Great video, very well explaned. You make a very good narator. My favourite climb would probably be this one: www.strava.com/segments/14988320 it is one of the steepest climbs in my region and it makes a nice challenge for the days when you don't have a lot of time. I love it because it is steepest at the beginning (28% ) and it is imposible to hold normal pace, than after 200m it levels out and you have a bit of rest and in some 100m the suffer begins again :D and when you beat the second steep part you won, then it is only 7-10% gradient :) . I absolutely love this hill! My PB for this hill at the moment, after 1 year of recreational cycling, is 7:15 which is not so good but for now I was able to cut the original time in half.

You said 90 Cadence? lol I'm typically around 50-60, Legs don't like rpm. For me breathing steady & even, Seems to be the hardest part.

My problem is I never know when to stand or stay seated when going up hill😂

Are you slim after cicling?

You should do an asmr on cycling ideologies . I'd be sleep!

the key according to me is .... love the pain... the more you start loving the pain.. the more effecient you become.. be A MAN

I enjoy your videos. To judge from the film you've missed the keto bus diet-wise. | switched to a low carb/high fat diet - weight just falls off!

The day before I go for a tough climb, I make sure that my bean intake reaches at least 88psi

Didnt realise W/kg included your bike aswell?

Love that: "normal people" 😂😂😂

I like to grab the saddle of the guy in front me while I climb, I find it makes climbs easier.

I know you say that you prefer a cadence of around 90 but in many of your videos you look as if you're bouncing along on the saddle suggesting your gear selection is too low and cadence too fast

Anorexic Whippet. Epic analogy!

At 8:32, what's wrong with this picture...Shouldn't you guys be in the left lane and the car on the right? Do some riding across the Channel?