Here's some great advice on how to stay with a group when climbing and feel more comfortable; all based on your current levels of fitness.
Regardless of how long you've been cycling or what your standard is; unless you're one of a very small group of elite professional riders you too will hurt on the climbs.
When riding in a group, the difference in people's ability and/or levels of fitness are most obvious when the road goes up.
Those in better shape might be chatting away at the front of the group tapping out what is for them a nice tempo. While others will be grovelling down the back and much too focused on trying to breathe rather than yapping away to those around them.
If you're falling behind when the road goes up, it can really detract from you're enjoyment levels. Suffering and also forcing everyone else to wait up at the top of the climb are both a nuisance.
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We can't turn you into the next Philip Deignan, Dan Martin or Nicolas Roche, but what we can do is help you get the maximum out of what you've got.
Tackling a sportive event or race with plenty of climbing in it can bring massive satisfaction for any rider.
To that end, have a look at the video below for some tips on how to make climbing easier and to stay in a group on the climbs.
One of the tips is based on your positioning in the group when you reach a climb. And it applies to training, sportive or racing situations.
If you know you're coming up to an ascent, even if it's a short one, focus on starting it at the front of the group.
That way, you have sliding room; the ability to slide back from the head of the group to the back but still remaining with the others.
In a large group there may be a considerable distance between the front and back, especially when it gets stretched out on a climb. So the sliding room can be quite significant.
Become more confident in your climbing and before you know it you'll be heading abroad to tackle some of the major mountains the Grand Tours are famous for.
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If you start at the rear and begin to fall back, you'll find yourself losing contact immediately. At least if you start at the front, your time in the group will be longer.
And on a shorter climb the sliding room you give yourself may be the difference between getting over the climb in the group or off the back of it.
Starting at the front also gives you the added advantage of not getting stuck behind back markers if a split occurs in the group. If you're at the back, chances are you'll move backwards at the same rate as those just ahead of you.
But because the strong riders are usually at the front, if you start there you'll be on the right side of any split; at least for a little while.
Starting at the front, you can slip back through the group by riding the climb slower than those around you. And hopefully by the time you reach the back, you will have reached the top of the climb.
At the very least, sliding room will limit the distance between you and the back of the group when you get to the top.
You should also try to ride a climb, especially long ones, at your own pace. If you try as hard as you can to hang in as long as possible and then blow up, you really can get into a bad way and lose a lot of time.
Physically blowing may then cause you great difficultly for the rest of your ride. You should also try and spin a gear rather than trying to push a big one, and stay seated in the saddle.
Try breaking the climb up in your mind to parcel it into manageable chunks. You can do this by picking a spot on the roadside - a road marking or lamp post - and focusing on getting that far with the group rather than thinking of the daunting entire length of the climb.
When you reach the marker, then pick another in the distance and immediately switch your focus to it. This technique can help prevent you becoming mentally defeated by a long or steep climb.
There are also other tips in here well worth a look.
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