WATTS UP? Power Climbing Techniques

THERE’S AN ALL TOO OFTEN indefinable line of threshold pain and suffering that lies between cracking a long climb and it cracking you, be that mentally, physically, or both.

There is no definitive line between a climb being considered a power climb or an endurance climb; even if many have a stab at the stat chart, anything over a minute in length enters the no-man's land of power balanced with endurance. Rack that up some, and then add some more and you start to reach climbs of 30 minutes upwards, which are the kind of separation steps that we see in the grand tours. These are what we usually consider as endurance climbs – yet many of these climbs are two to three hours long for regular riders, which in reality takes them to a whole new level of endurance, more akin to the old Japanese game show than sport.

There’s a huge difference in the demands and qualifications it takes