Better climbing for training or racing!

Many riders make the same mistake. They begin a hill in 42 x 17, then shift to the 18 part of the way up, then the 19 in the final stretch. Or 19, 21, 23 - whatever they are using. This is exactly the opposite of what should be done. Climbing is always a matter of increasing the gear size, never decreasing it. When you go to a lower gear you slow down, and then you get dropped! Instead , start the climb in the lowest gear that lets you keep up with those you are training or racing with. Closer to the top, shift to a higher gear and keep the same pedal r.p.m. The result: your speed increases. Shift up again when the crest is almost reached and go even faster. Sure it's harder to pedal the bigger gear, but the distance remaining is not great. If you train this way you will have the strength to race this way.

Generally, good climbers in competition change to a one-tooth higher gear and increase speed after the first half of the hill. They stay fresh early by using a gear that's lower than they actually need. On the other hand, those who use a relatively high gear early develop fatigue before the top. Not only can't they speed up to stay with the leaders, they usually slow down. The rule is always to go slower at the bottom than you know you can. By the top you will be able to climb at your maximum. When it's a long climb, say 10 - 15 km, good climbers will sometimes shift to a one-tooth bigger gear for a different reason: It allows them to stand for a while and not lose speed. The bigger gear is necessary since pedal r.p.m is slower when standing.

If you are doing hill intervals try and simulate race conditions. Ride the first half of the hill steadily. Next increase both the gear and effort. Then get out of the saddle and ride the last couple of hundred metres almost like a sprint.
Bicycle Road Racing: Edward Borysewicz. (Buy from the Ebragger Amazon shop...great read!)