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Tips for cycling in the hills and mountains - Make big rides easier

Video: 5 top tips for cycling in the hills and mountains - Make big rides easier

Find out how to turn a good day in the mountains into a great one. Expert advice from the mountain munchers at road.cc
by Liam Cahill
UPDATED Tue, Mar 01, 2022 14:11

First Published Sep 29, 2020

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While we were in the Dolomites filming the new Basso Diamante SV, we thought that it'd be a good idea to refresh our minds about the basics of tackling big days in hilly and mountainous terrain.

Watch: 2021 Basso Diamante SV first ride review

Really, it would have been rude not to use our time in these beautiful surroundings but you don't need to be riding massive climbs for this advice to be relevant. Most of us can use this advice in our local area and I'm sure that most of you have experienced the discomfort of being frozen on a descent because you forgot your jacket.

The advice here is basic stuff, but it can be incredibly important and even the most experienced rider should remind themselves of the simple stuff from time to time. It's a good way to check that your kit is up to scratch too. 

Thankfully, I think, the mountains provided us with some appropriately adverse conditions so that I could demonstrate what shivering at the top of a mountain looks like. 

The top tip regarding Jelly Babies can be edited to your preference of sweets. Biscuits are also great. If you've got any other tips for making riding in the mountains easier, then share them down in the comments.

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3 comments

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Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
1 like

If you're going to hire a bike, give it a really thorough check over before leaving the shop. Self, wife and a mate did the Col de Madone on my 50th birthday, we were so excited to get going that we only gave the bikes we hired a cursory glance before setting out, they (BMC Time Machines) were great going up, 200m into the descent was enough to show us just how badly the brakes were set up. Fortunately we had the tools and knowledge to rectify matters... since then I've always taken a bit more time to make a thorough check on hire bikes and have never assumed that the shop will have done so.

Best to take your own of course, but at the time we went it the cost of taking our own on the plane meant it was a saving of over £200 each to rent instead!

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jollygoodvelo | 3 years ago
0 likes

I'm missing where it says... "get an ebike". 4

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franta | 3 years ago
2 likes

The most obvious and yet contested point: GET LOWER GEARS!

Maintain you optimal cadence/power and climbs dont need to be hard. Grinding at low cadence is not efficient and tires you sooner regardless of slope. You are not grinding at  at 50rpm when riding on flatland. Why would you do it going uphill ?

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