Simon Warren has been cycling up hills on a bicycle for a long time at this point.
The English cyclist authored his first book on leg-shaking inclines - The 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs - back in 2010. Since that first road cyclist’s guide to the British hills, he’s since released a full 14 more guides in similar vein, covering everything from the best hill climbs in almost every region of Britain to the best hill climbs in Belgium, Spain, Italy, on the Tour de France and beyond.
Warren's journey on the bike started a long time before that first book, of course.
Once you realise you can beat your friends up the hills, you want to find more hills to beat your friends up...
“I always rode a bike growing up in the 70s,” Simon told me. “Then I saved up my £6 a week babysitting money and bought a racing bike. I didn’t have any ideas of actually racing it, but my uncle was a cyclist and he sort of bullied me into it! He said ‘you’ve got a racing bike, so we’re going racing’. He took me to a time trial on the A1 - it was a little safer back then in the late 80s, but you had articulated lorries and whatever going by - and I just fell head over heels for it.
“Later that year there was a club hill climb championship and I was the first junior and got a trophy. So whenever we went on cycling trips, I’d just make sure I was first up the hills - and that was when I found my calling. I started entering events and I wasn’t winning, but I was incredibly skinny, I had a good power to weight ratio, and I had enough athletic ability to keep me going.
“Plus, once you realise you can beat your friends up the hills, you want to find more hills to beat your friends up! I found a community of like-minded people who strip grams off their bikes there, and didn't mind pain, and I slid right in.”
Warren has since spent a whole lot of his life seeking out and cycling up steep hills. “It’s like Christmas Day for me whenever I discover a new hill,” he laughs.
We recently spoke to Simon about the best cycling climbs in Britain, and when we wanted some tips on how to cycle up hills properly, he seemed the natural person to ask. Here's some handy advice for the next time you have to cycle up a hill:
Manage Your Mindset
“A lot of it is psychological,” says Simon. “A lot of people get psyched out by a hill whether it’s really long or it's really steep - they think ‘I can't do that’.
“A climb will often end up hurting to a certain extent, especially if it's short and steep, but you can take it one pedal rep at a time. Sometimes, you know, it’s good not to look up. Obviously you need to know where you're going but break the climb down into sections, especially on longer climbs. Let’s say you’re faced with a longer climb - so let's say it's a 10km climb, if you’re out in the Alps, 20km or 30km - you have to not think of the whole but think of the now.”
Find Your Rhythm
It can be tempting to try and race up a steep gradient as soon as you get to it, but early gains shouldn’t come at the expense of decent pacing.
“Get comfortable and find a good rhythm and enjoy what you’re doing without getting freaked out about how long is still to go,” says Simon.
When the best cyclists reach the top of a climb, they’re producing the same power as at the bottom. Rather than going extra hard at the start of a climb, try to set a tempo you can maintain. Get your gearing right, and get going.
To Stand or Not to Stand?
“There’s a lot of debate over whether you should climb up a hill in the saddle or out of the saddle,” says Warren. “I think that’s purely down to personal preference. If you look at the pro peloton, riders like Alberto Contador would always ride out of the saddle. I tend to ride out of the saddle more, especially on steeper gradients. But Bradley Wiggins would always ride in the saddle. So I think it’s just whatever feels comfortable to you is the best way to do it.”
Don’t Over-Grip the Bars
“Relax on the bike, especially if you're in the saddle,” says Simon. “Don’t grip the bars. Just rest your hands on them.” This is really important advice, particularly if you’re new to cycling, because it’s something that you may not have thought of.
It’s easy - intuitive, even - to grip the bars of your bike super tight when you’re on a tough hill climb to try and get some respite from the pain of the hill, but it’s not going to help you get up the incline. Instead, it’s likely to tense up your arms, shoulders and upper body, messing up your weight distribution and wasting precious energy as well as reducing control on the bike. “Put all of your energy into the legs and into controlling your breathing moving forward,” says Simon.
Keep Fuelling
There’s a reason those cheeky team cars are always pulling up alongside riders on the Tour de France. “It’s important to keep eating and keep drinking,” Warren says. Extremely important.
When it comes to riding steep uphills, you need a whole lot of energy. You can get that from foods (often carbohydrates) which have a high glycemic index (GI).
Obviously, you're going to want to eat well before a big bike ride, but also while you're actually on the climb - especially if it's a long one. It's personal preference what you consume. Some opt for energy gels, drinks or bars, taken in appropriate portions. Others prefer dates or bananas. Or heck, munch a big potato or two as you ride the climb. Not quite as convenient, though, is it?
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