The easy (and lazy) way that people think about when it comes to improving your climbing is to lose weight and gain power. And while that’s not entirely incorrect, it doesn’t tell the full story. Here are a few ways to improve your climbing today without starving yourself or magically gaining 20 watts to your FTP.

This has probably been hammered into you already and will make your eyes roll in the back of your head. However, it's true. If you ride a low cadence your capillaries are forced to contract very heavily, almost to the point of closing off. If you can ride a higher cadence your capillaries never get fully contracted to the point to closing, which allows more blood flow, which allows more oxygen and nutrients to the muscles.

This pays off particularly on climbs when you don’t have the luxury of resting the muscles during the dead spot on the pedal stroke the same way you do on a flat road. This was always a tough thing for me in my career. High cadence didn’t come naturally to me. But if I could train it, that’s when my best results came.

There are a small percentage of people out there who are very efficient out of the saddle. I’m talking like 2-3%. But if you are like me (and the other 97%) then standing is something that will cost you. If you can keep you arms and upper body relaxed, that is less blood your heart will need to pump to your arms and chest, and more blood it can pump to your legs.

It will keep your heart rate down and keep you from going into the “red zone”. Now, standing is a tool that can be very useful, like attacking. However, it’s something that should be used strategically.

Trying to keep constant power on a climb will make you push really hard on the shallower gradients, and make you hold back on the steeper gradients. This is the exact opposite of what happens in a race, and is not how you generate speed.

Yes, it is possible to go faster up a climb having spent less power, as long as the power was deployed in the correct moments. If the gradient gives you the chance to recover, take it!!! And if it’s a steep pitch, that’s where you need to hit it hard. Don’t be a slave to your power-meter!!!

1. Spinning is winning. High cadences open up your capillaries and improve blood-flow, meaning you can better serve your muscles with oxygen.

2. Sit down and save energy. For most people, staying in the saddle is the most effective way to ride. Don't engage muscles in your arms and hands by swinging the bike about when dancing on the pedals unless it's a super steep section.

3. Read the road. When it's steeper, get on the gas. When it eases off, rest up and ride to tempo. Nobody wins a race at constant power.

4. Don't forget to fill your tank before you start revving your engine. Being light does matter, but there are no shortcuts, and saving grams by skipping meals isn't a smart move.