[John Rogers]

Back in the 70s and 80s when I was bike racing I found I could not climb hills worth a dam, I was a sprinter! We had several olympic class coaches in the club and they helped me quite a bit. I learned to make sure I sat up as straight as possible, to give my lungs and heart the most room to work in, grasp the bars lightly to reduce stress on my hands and arms and sit back towards the rear of the seat and push over the top of the pedal stroke a bit more while still pulling as much as possible all the way around. I was also taught to only stand up if there was a preem or prize at the finish line at the top as standing takes way more energy! Last of all I was told to "always save at least ONE more low gear", just in case you bonk or run out of energy! While I hated hills that advice did help and keep me with the packs on long road races.