Good climbers often have a light frame and strong muscles that aren't bulky. They also have robust aerobic capacities, efficient form and high power-to-weight ratios.
See how you stack up to a database of riders of all levels on Strava.com, where you'll find premapped climbs in your area and times of others who've ridden them. Log your rides and use the site to track long-term improvements.
A power meter can help you figure out your power-to-weight ratio. Visit this power-to-weight chart that ranks power outputs from "untrained" to "world-class."
More: 11 Climbing Tips for Cyclists
A VO2 max test can reveal your body's ability to process oxygen—a higher number suggests a greater capacity for climbing. If you want to know how much dead weight (fat) you're hauling up the hills, get a body-composition test.
Do threshold intervals on a 3 to 8 percent grade. Threshold is the hardest effort you can sustain for about an hour; you should be breathing hard but not panting. Add two 5- to 10-minute intervals (recover five minutes after each) to a ride once every 7 to 10 days for a few weeks. Once that feels manageable, add another interval, building up to four.
Practice shifting on the climb, aiming to change gears before the terrain rises. Shifting too late will sap your energy—and slow you down.
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Riders who do well on this kind of terrain recover quickly from short bursts and punch it up small hills. But they don't tend to win sprints or be the first up a long climb.
Try to stay at the front of a group on an undulating ride and hold your pace as the terrain changes. If you're always fighting to catch up, this type of riding may not be your strength.
How fit are you? Try these DIY Fitness Tests to find out.
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A lactate-threshold test can determine how quickly you recover from hard efforts and how high an effort you can sustain without blowing up. The quicker your recovery and higher your lactate threshold, the better suited you are for rolling hills. You can also have your VO2 max checked. "A high value may be a better performance indicator than LT on terrain that requires intermittent efforts," says coach Dan Shelby.
Add 10- to 20-minute intervals at or near threshold on rolling terrain to one of your weekly rides. (If you can't maintain this intensity on downhills, that's okay.) Aim for 20 to 40 minutes at this effort in a single training session, resting 10 minutes between intervals.
Accelerate over the top of hills. "A lot of riders decrease their effort when they get to the top, but to maintain your speed, you want to push rather than coast," says Neal Henderson, of Boulder Center for Sports Medicine.
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You might be if you have a muscular body type and excel at short bursts of effort.
Next time you're out with friends, pick a few landmarks to sprint to. You won't find out how you'd stack up against Cavendish, but you'll know how you rate compared with your buddies, and that's what you really care about anyway.
A power-profile test can reveal your capacity to push the pedals. Pro sprinters might put out 23 watts over five seconds; above 12 watts is respectable for a recreational rider, says coach Frank Overton. If you want to get hardcore, find out your muscle-fiber composition with a muscle biopsy.
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"Sprinting comes down to power and technique; the best way to improve is by practicing in a group ride," says Shelby. Select landmarks and sprint to them again and again (up to 10 a ride). Most riders sprint far too long and mash too big a gear. Sprints shouldn't last more than 30 seconds—if you're not spent by then, you're probably not sprinting. Recover for several minutes between efforts.
Monitor your cadence. Learn to start your sprint at a minimum of 80 rpm, and try to spin it out to 100 to 120. Experiment with standing versus sitting, and practice going from standing to seated at speed.
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Endurance specialists can ride steady for extended periods, even though they may not be the quickest or the first to the top of the climbs.
Do you fatigue before your riding buddies, or are you the one pushing for an extra loop at the end of a ride? If you can easily add extra miles to your ride or you feel stronger the longer you ride, you probably have some endurance ability.
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Find out if you have a high aerobic capacity or a high lactate threshold, both of which indicate a talent for endurance. Get a VO2 max test, which measures your body's ability to process oxygen, or a lactate-threshold test, which will tell you the intensity you can sustain over a given distance.
Know the best way to ride long. "Start with a comfortable ride length, then add about 10 percent each week," says Shelby. Riding with a group will let you take advantage of a draft and conserve energy.
But watch your effort: The intensity of long rides should be comfortable enough that you can carry on a conversation without gasping for breath.
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Learn to ride comfortably in a group. Start by positioning yourself one-and-a-half to two feet behind the rider in front of you and focus your eyes just below the rider's hips, not on his back wheel, so you can judge your following distance and see upcoming road hazards. Never overlap your wheel with the rider in front of you or you risk going down.
More: Base-Building for Time-Crunched Cyclists
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