Climb & Descend

Climbing & Descending Techniques

The hill isn’t your enemy. It’s your teacher. Cyclists talk about suffering on climbs and flying on descents — but both are just expressions of rhythm. Climbing rewards patience; descending rewards trust. Master both, and the landscape stops being a barrier and becomes a playground.

The Rhythm of Ascent

Climbing isn’t a contest against gravity — it’s a conversation with it.
Push too hard and the hill pushes back. Breathe with it and it carries you upward.

Cadence First, Power Second

Torque burns matches. Cadence preserves them.

Spin small gears
Aim for 80–90 rpm
Breathe steady, not strained

If you can speak in short sentences, you’re climbing well.
If you’re gasping or grinding, ease off — the hill isn’t leaving.

Posture & Balance

Efficiency > heroics.

Stay seated for most of the climb — it protects traction and saves energy
Keep core engaged, shoulders loose
Knees track forward, not outward
Slide slightly back on the saddle to recruit glutes and keep the rear wheel planted
Stand only to stretch, crest short steep sections, or launch an attack — then sit again

Climbing is quiet. When the upper body sways, energy leaks.

Gearing Strategy

Shifting early is control; shifting late is panic.

Downshift before steep sections
Keep cadence smooth across the whole climb
Avoid over-gearing — grinding may feel heroic, but it slows you down

Think of gears as volume control — not a weapon.

The Mental Shift

On long climbs, the mind tires before the legs do.

Don’t stare at the summit
Lock into breath + cadence
Count strokes or match music tempo
Treat each minute like its own goal

The climb is a mirror. It reflects your patience more than your strength.

The Art of Descent

Where climbing asks you to endure, descending asks you to trust — in your bike, your balance, and your awareness.

Confidence comes from technique, not bravery.

Control Through Vision

The bike goes where your eyes look.

Look through the turn, not at the road beneath you
Scan ahead for line, debris, and braking points
Peripheral vision handles the rest

The eyes lead; the bike follows.

Body Position — Low & Quiet

Stability is physics, not aggression.

Lower your center of gravity by bending elbows and dropping the torso
Heels down, pedals level through turns
Hips guide the lean, not the handlebars

Let the bike lean beneath you — your body stays balanced above it.

Braking Technique

Braking is an instrument, not an emergency switch.

Brake before the corner, release inside it
Feather, don’t squeeze — light repeated pressure prevents skids
Use front brake for power, rear for stability

Smooth braking = smooth confidence.

Flow State

A good descent feels like water — all instinct, no resistance.

Gravity provides the energy
You provide the guidance
Speed is not the goal — flow is

The descent teaches what the climb never can:
sometimes the right move is to stop fighting and start trusting.

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