FOCUS

As a young buck, I loved climbing. Show me a hill, and I would attack it like a rabid dog, foaming at the mouth as I crest the top.  Now that I'm an old guy, I remember the thousands of ascents up our local mountains with fondness.

Sustained HR, with little variation in effort.

Regardless of pace, weather or social company, climbing a mountain or a mole hill is never easy, regardless of how good you (think) you are.  It's always a challenge to commit to a razor's edge focus for a prolonged duration, delivering a controlled maximum power output from bottom to top.

 

Consistency and knowing where - and how hard - to push is the key to success.  Whether you target a racy Strava-inspired climb, or aspire to crack the hour on your local ski hill, you need to be ALL in, mind, body and soul.  If we consider rider/bike/equipment weight relative to a reasonably competitive time (in our case, Cypress Mountain, typically measured from the 2km marker to the powerlines), a rider needs to dial in a wattage in the area of +/-335w to meet his or her objective.  Before you get carried away with thoughts of holding a measly 335w, keep the blog title in mind - Tall 'Skinny' Old Guy -  skinny being the operative word.  For those intimately familiar with their local climbs, breaking a mountain up into sectors is helpful, taking note of goal times (or speeds) for each of these sectors will help you keep focus and pace.

Pace notes help keep you on the straight and narrow.

Remember, weight is your enemy during any ascent, keeping it to a minimum is essential. Bring only what you need and no more - that means ¾ (or less) of a bottle for the climb!  If you're going for a time, the assumption is that your 'go-to' race bike will be used.  Before you set out, make sure the chain is clean, the drivetrain freshly lubed, brakes aren't dragging and tires are up to snuff, at the manufacturer's  recommended psi.  Why lose out on a precious few seconds from mechanical friction, right?

How do you tackle each sector of the mountain?  I've provided a few pacing strategies below that are Cypress Mountain-specific, but could be adopted for just about any longer climb.

For cyclists outside of Metro Vancouver, Cypress Mountain is a very steady climb, with four switchbacks over its 10.5km length, taking on some 660m of elevation over the course of the distance.

OK, let's get rolling! I've broken Cypress into four sectors, each averaging between 5% and 6% in grade:

2km Marker to the 1st LookOut (LO) 

a.)    2km to the 1^st LO time needs to be +/-11 minutes, noting that a really fast opening time may push you too far into the red in other sectors.  Target time +/-10:15 – 11:30 or +/-18 to 20km/h.

b.)    Gas needs to be consistently open through each corner, targeting a velocity of +27km/h around each of the first two switchbacks. It’s easy to back off in the corners for recovery – try to limit load drop.  Keep the gas open, as they say.

1st LookOut to 2nd LookOut  

Spikes show increased speed through corners.

c.)     1^st to the 2^nd LO is tricky, focus is very narrow with the undulations in pitch.  Don’t be afraid to get out of the saddle to maintain effort if you bog down, particularly in the first 150m of the sector where the grade increases. Target time +/-8:30 – 9:30  or +/-18 to 20km/h.

d.)    Once you come through the 2^nd LO, focus snaps back to maintaining a high speed through the corner, aim for +28km/h for this long right hand corner. At this speed, aero comes into play –  you should be in the ‘power position’ (hands on hoods, stretched, flat back).  

2nd LookOut to HairPin 

e.)    2^nd LO to Hairpin is deceptive. The rider’s perspective shows a false flat, but the pitch is a constant 4 to 5 degrees. Settle into a rhythm, and try to pinch some speed exiting the 2^nd LO corner, before the incline becomes significant. Target time: 7:15 – 8:00 or +/-16 to 20km/h.

f.)     As with each switchback corner, you need to maintain a high speed through each corner.  You can back off the gas, but do so sparingly, knowing the finish is near. 

HairPin to Powerline 

g.)    Hairpin to Powerline is nasty.  Focus becomes even narrower. Due to the grades, a brief, out of the saddle effort will be required to maintain a high load.  Watch the clock, with 2 minutes to go (~3:30 lap), begin to increase pace, with another concerted, out of the saddle effort with 1 minute to go. With 30 seconds to go, get out of the saddle, digging as hard as you can across the powerlines to the finish.  You will need to moderate the speed, using 2min, 1min and 30s markers as benchmarks. Target time: 5:30 – 6:30 or +/-18 to 20km/h.

h.) Focus from bottom to top is narrow, becoming narrower as you reach the powerlines.  As you crest the mountain and fall over in a mass of exhaustion, don't forget to take a gasp of air and look out over the Bay.  The million dollar view is worth the climb!

Easy peasy.  Now you have the recipe to out-climb your buddies. Like any great chef, how you conquer your local hill will require subtle tweaks in the delivery and make up of the recipe, but keep the basic ingredients the same, and you will meet the climbing challenge head on, and ultimately emerge successful.

Now, get out there and enjoy the slow burn!