AI quick summary
- Hill climbs are pure watts per kilogram: FTP and MAP (maximum aerobic power) divided by body weight.
- Build threshold on long climbs at 90-95% FTP, then push the short-climb ceiling with 3-5 min MAP intervals at 105-115%.
- Body weight and equipment matter as much as power — a kilogram saved is meaningful time on any climb over 5 minutes.
- Pace steady or negative-split; most riders lose the most time by going too hard in the first two minutes.
/ 01
What makes a hill-climb TT different
A hill-climb time trial is a timed individual ascent — typically 3 to 20 minutes — with no drafting and no freewheeling. The UK hill-climb season in October is the classic format: riders set off one at a time, one minute apart, on a closed road. Some are short and explosive (the Rake, Bellerive — around 3 minutes); others are long and grueling (Long Hill, around 12 minutes; Bank House, 3 minutes at gradients over 20%).
The discipline is brutally simple: ride as hard as you can from bottom to top. No tactics, no wheels to follow, no recovery. The rider with the highest watts per kilogram on the day wins.
/ 02
Power-to-weight is the engine
On a climb steeper than about 5%, gravity dominates resistance and aerodynamic drag becomes a small factor. The work you do is roughly W = m times g times v times grade, so for a fixed gradient the rider with the highest watts per kilogram climbs fastest. Two numbers matter: your FTP expressed in W/kg, and the power you can hold for the climb's specific duration — your Maximum Aerobic Power, or MAP.
A competitive cat 2/3 hill climber typically sits around 4.5-5.0 W/kg FTP; elite amateurs 5.0-5.5; professionals 5.5-6.5 and above. For a 6-minute climb you will hold around 105-115% FTP; for a 12-minute climb, 95-100% FTP. The shorter and steeper the climb, the more the MAP ceiling matters relative to raw FTP.
/ 03
The 8-week plan
Eight-week hill-climb build — threshold first, MAP second, then specific climbing reps.
| Week | Focus | Key session 1 | Key session 2 | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Base / build | 4x8 min @ 90% FTP | 3x10 min Z2 climb | 8-10 h |
| 2 | Threshold | 4x8 min @ 95% (on climb) | 5x4 min @ 100% | 9-11 h |
| 3 | Threshold | 3x12 min @ 95% | 5x5 min @ 100% | 9-11 h |
| 4 | MAP build | 4x5 min @ 105% | 6x3 min @ 110% | 9-10 h |
| 5 | MAP build | 5x4 min @ 105% | 5x3 min @ 115% | 9-10 h |
| 6 | Specific | 6x4 min climbs @ 105% | 3x6 min @ 100% | 9-10 h |
| 7 | Specific | 3x8 min @ 100% climb | 4x4 min @ 110% standing | 9 h |
| 8 | Taper / event | 4x3 min @ 105% (Tue) | 2x5 min @ 100% (Thu) | 6-7 h |
/ 04
The climbing sessions that move the dial
Long threshold climbs (3 sets of 10-15 min at 90-95% FTP) build aerobic capacity in the position and at the cadence you will race in. Find a 5-8% climb; if you do not have one, use a big gear on a shallow drag or indoor erg mode. Cadence 75-85 rpm — low enough to be specific, high enough to keep the knee happy.
MAP intervals (5x4 min at 105% or 6x3 min at 110%) push up your short-climb ceiling. These are hard — each one ends with breathing at the limit. Take a full 3-4 min rest between efforts; the goal is quality, not density.
Standing-start and low-cadence work (4x30 seconds standing on a 10% grade, 2 min easy between) trains the neuromuscular demand of steep pinches where you momentarily have to produce well over 500 watts just to keep moving.
/ 05
Weight, equipment, and marginal gains
For a hill climb, body weight is the biggest lever. Losing 2 kg of fat (not muscle) at the same FTP is worth roughly 0.05 W/kg — typically 30-60 seconds on a 10-minute climb. Do not starve into the season; aim for a slow deficit of 200-300 kcal/day over the last 6-8 weeks, and prioritise protein to preserve muscle.
Equipment: deep wheels only help if the climb is shallow or fast; on a steep, slow climb, weight dominates. Light wheels, light bike, skinsuit, aero helmet (the helmet still matters — your head is the highest point into the wind). Remove bottle cages and bottles before the line if regulations allow. Every 100 g saved on a 10-minute climb is roughly 3-5 seconds.
/ 06
Pacing the climb
Go out controlled. The first two minutes should feel almost too easy; the middle third is where you apply power; the final third is survival. Most riders lose 15-30 seconds by going 10% too hard in the first minute and paying for it with accumulating lactate they never clear.
Use a power meter and pace to your target W/kg from the gun. If you can see the top with two minutes to go and you are still under target — then go. The classic winning pacing pattern is a slight negative split: first third 2-3% under target, middle third at target, final third over.
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