"Getting Better at Climbing with Age (The Modern Training Approach of Vojtěch Hačecký)"

A Climber in Retirement

This topic was sparked by a quote from cycling veteran Annemiek van Vleuten, winner of the first edition of the revived women’s Tour de France. After yet another dominant performance on the climb to La Planche des Belles Filles, she said: “It’s something that comes with age.”

The idea that the body deteriorates with age? Not quite. And that’s good news for amateur cyclists too – because maybe now, with age, comes the time to become a better climber.

It’s important to remember that although van Vleuten is 39, she only started racing bikes at 24. She’s also experiencing the current boom in women’s cycling – from a time when women had to train between school or work, to now, when they deserve pro contracts and can train seriously. And their training has developed accordingly.

Women’s races are shorter than men’s, and so they are significantly more intense. Look at the intensity factor – for men in WorldTour races, it’s around 0.73–0.76. This value represents how close riders are to their limits, the ratio between normalized power and FTP. For women, it can reach 0.84 – a full tenth higher than the men’s average. That’s a major difference.Men don’t reach such high intensity partly because their races are better controlled – and the racing style is just different. But that’s changing too: men’s races are getting shorter and more intense. The trends are converging – women are racing longer distances, men shorter.

The numbers show van Vleuten had to train differently – more intensively. But now, as a pro, she can do 300 km rides without blinking. In her later years, she has trained her endurance to an exceptional level, improving aerobic capacity and movement economy. I can only speculate on the aerobic capacity – I don’t have her data – but it would make sense. What we do know is she can do insane rides and still smile about it.

In fact, she sometimes trains more than the men. And honestly – how many male pros do over 300 km rides each year? You might ask: Why would they?Well, because cycling is about hours on the bike. You can’t just say “I race 120 km, so I’ll train 120 km.” It’s about feeling good even at 120 km. So yes, cycling is about time and distance, and you can’t do pro-level cycling on 18 training hours a week.And by training like this, van Vleuten has improved her long climb performance – because long climbs are about being able to keep your internal balance over extended periods. That only comes with trained endurance, efficient movement, and ideally, more aerobic capacity. All of which help you sustain threshold efforts for longer.

She’s 39, and sure – people expect performance to decline with age. But that’s only partly true. For many, the head goes first – they just want to live a normal life. And it also depends how you’ve treated your body in the past. Push it too hard, and you’re more prone to injury, illness, bone and ligament wear. It really matters how well you’ve taken care of yourself – if you only start thinking about health at 38, it’s likely too late for pro sports.

Most endurance athletes peak somewhere between 30 and 40. Van Vleuten only started pushing seriously at 24 – which brings us back to the simple truth: performance = time and hours. In a way, she’s only now reaching the level others hit when they started riding at 14 or 15. That’s why she still has room to grow. Don’t write her off because of a number. Also – she’s a woman and doesn’t have kids yet…

The human body works similarly regardless of sex. So why don’t men perform as well at that age? It’s partly history. Men usually start young. Van Vleuten got her shot late, but just in time – when women’s cycling was still developing. She was given a chance, and even with no sporting background, climbed to the top.Which guy would start racing at 24? Maybe some rower on Zwift – and that would be an exception.

When van Vleuten spoke about age bringing climbing legs, she meant long climbs. If the Tour ended on something like the Mûr-de-Bretagne, younger riders would likely have an advantage. But long climbs – half an hour to an hour – are about endurance. She’s a diesel – she doesn’t respond to attacks. Pantani used to ride the same way: if dropped, he’d ride back at his own pace. It’s all about endurance, aerobic power, and the ability to push over threshold.

The secret lies in her training history. People marvel at her now, but remember what she did during the COVID lockdown? She spent the whole year on the bike. She built massive endurance blocks – and that’s paying off now. The body remembers – it’s the principle of adaptation.Extreme training isn’t always good – if you improve one aspect, you might lose another. You can do one big endurance block – but then you need to reintroduce intensity. The magic lies in the right mix of endurance and intervals.And most intervals? They’re done on climbs. Only TT riders or classics specialists train them on flats – the rest smash them on hills because it’s more natural and easier.

Her case is a great inspiration for hobby cyclists. My advice?“300 from the start!”If you’ve got your career and kids sorted, now’s the time to do what van Vleuten does.I keep saying it – hobby riders are always limited by time. If you want to get faster on the bike – not just in climbs – you simply need more time on the bike. That’s the basic magic of fitness – it’s about how much time you invest.

Improving in long climbs? It starts in the head. You need to train your mental toughness – the ability to cope with pain for a long stretch. Climbing is about pacing – and the hardest part is that hobby riders only do a few races a year, so they lack experience.Every race hurts – but you learn from it, and your brain adapts.

So if your goal is to climb better, I’d recommend adding a climb-focused ride once or twice a month – and make it count. Let personal pride drive you. Or even better – climb behind a car like Team Sky did for Wiggins. That was about setting a pace. Not the smartest thing physiologically, but it trains pain threshold. When you’re riding alone, you always subconsciously back off. Behind a car, you don’t – you see the bumper, and you hold it.And for hobby riders, a strong friend’s rear wheel works just as well.Also – don’t forget the “300”.

The perfect training climb depends on your location. Some have access to 5 km climbs, some don’t. Even short climbs can be repeated to simulate long ones – it’s limited, but it works.If you’re racing in the Alps, though, you’ll have to go there. Want to train your mental limits and learn the feel of long climbs? Then climb long. Or do repeats of that 5 km hill.

Life is always about compromise. I personally can’t imagine driving to the Dolomites every month just to train for one race.Some people will – the rest of us need to find something like Zlaté návrší. But even that climb doesn’t match Alpine gradients.Still – van Vleuten didn’t train on every mountain pass either. And in the early days of women’s cycling, she didn’t even race on them. Yet she still got up there.

Start by looking at your watts per kilo – and ask yourself what you can change naturally.No need to buy a €20,000 ultralight bike. Start by shedding some weight elsewhere. Only then worry about fine-tuning training for climbing at threshold.But the foundation comes first. If you skip it, you’re missing half the book.Focusing just on climbing speed, thinking it will magically make you great overall? That’s a mistake.Everything begins – and ends – in the head.And the head needs a body that’s properly prepared.You won’t get that by driving to Italy just to ride up one mountain.