How to Tackle the Toughest, Steepest Inclines
Pro cyclist and previous Red Bull Bay Climb winner, Hanna Muegge shares her climbing secrets.
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Picture this: You see an insane climb up ahead—a road that basically looks like a wall in front of your bike. You prepare to crush it, then work side to side to reduce the gradient. Soon, your legs feel more like you’re squatting weights than pushing pedals. Then, as you reach the top of the pedal stroke, you realize that you aren’t quite going to make it and have to unclip in ignominy.
That right there is one of the toughest parts of cycling—conquering crazy steep hills, which is why many of us plan routes to avoid them. However, with some practice and proper technique, you can make it up these climbs.
To give you an inside edge on tackling inclines, we caught up with Hanna Muegge, pro cyclist and former winner of Red Bull Bay Climb in San Francisco, a race in which racers conquer grades of up to 21 percent. Muegge got a lot of steep climbing practice in on her way to the win. Although she had a few tips that only apply to Bay Climb racers (like leaving her water bottles at the base of each hill) there is a lot we can all learn about steep climbing from one of the best.
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