Tiffany Cromwell is a pro-rider for Specialized-Lululemon. Tiffany is an all-rounder on the road but is a particularly good climber. We were lucky enough to pick her brain and extract some top tips that will help you take your climbing to the next level.
Here are Tiffany’s top tips to improve your climbing:
1. Get out there:Getting out there and climbing is the single most important thing.
2. Don’t be afraid:Don’t be afraid by a big climb that’s going to take you all day. Take it on and simply start and stop if you have to.
3. Switch it up:Get out of your seat a little bit because sometimes if you are sitting there, you will have more pressure on your legs and that will make you tired. If you stand out of your saddle a little bit and then sit back down you will get a little bit of rest and it will also change the pace a little bit too.
Getting out of your seat also gives you the opportunity to stretch as climbing can be hard on your back otherwise.
4. Rhythm:Keep a good rhythm, it makes it makes your ride more comfortable.
5. It’s in the core:A strong core is very important. Climbing is very much centred on your core. You want to be very central and very straight to get the best power. A strong core is very important to support your back too. If you are doing very long climbs – 20km or 30km – that is when you get a very sore back and shoulders, but if your core is strong then that helps you. It’s all about sit-ups, planks and side planks.
5. Build Endurance:Climbing is all about endurance, it is very similar to time trial. They say good time trial training is good hill training as you are sat at a high threshold because you are working hard and you are having to hold the high heart rate for long periods of time.
Also worth a read:
Why taking time off the bike now will make you faster next year
