How to improve your climbing, without leaving home: Our pick of the best mountain routes and workouts on ROUVY

Love cycling, but hate hills? We’ve all been there! Riding up hills can be hard work. But learn to love the climbs, and not only will you become a faster, stronger cyclist on the flats as well as the ascents. You’ll also unlock the bike fitness to be able to explore some of cycling’s most iconic routes which, unfortunately if you’re a fan of the flats, tend to feature more than their fair share of elevation.

So how can you get better at climbing on the bike? As ever: practice makes perfect. But that can be easier said than done, especially if you’re lacking any inspiring climbs on your doorstep. And while we love an excuse to pack up our bikes and head off on a cycling adventure overseas as much as the next velo-lover. That’s not always feasible!

The good news is, there are plenty of other ways to get stronger on the hills. From targeted work outs that will boost your leg strength and fitness. To virtual routes that will inspire you to climb. Whether you’ve got a cycling trip planned and you need to find your climbing legs. Or you just want to level up your riding. Get our recommendations of the best workouts and routes on ROUVY that will help you to improve your climbing, without leaving home.

Best ROUVY workouts to improve your climbing

Workouts on ROUVY are a great way to freshen up your training and introduce a new stimulus that will help to turbo charge your cycling fitness – making it easier to blast up the climbs. There’s a huge library of workouts on the platform, but we’ve picked four that will address the key training pillars for improving your climbing on the bike: endurance, threshold and lactate clearance.

Endurance: LISS Cruise | Marianne Vos’s Favourite

While the spicy parts of any climb will naturally mean you’re going to have to get out of the saddle and push some big watts to keep moving, climbing tends to be a longer sustained effort. Which means having a solid base of endurance is key. This endurance-focused workout on ROUVY is a great way to get those steady miles in, without getting bored. Instead of just pure steady state riding for 80 minutes, you’ve got a nice mixture of lower and higher Z2 power intervals to keep things interesting. This workout will help to improve your aerobic efficiency, and it’ll get your body better at using fat as a fuel source at lower intensities so you can save those glycogen stores for the higher intensity sections of a climb.

Threshold builder: FTP on the Move 3

Working on your Functional Threshold Power is useful in general – a higher FTP will in turn mean your steady endurance pace gets faster, and your top end capacity improves. But it’s particularly key for climbing because once you get onto the longer, steeper climbs you’re going to be spending a fair bit of time close to your threshold.

There are a range of threshold workouts on ROUVY, but what we like about this one is you’re ticking off the threshold work with shorter intervals so it feels manageable and shouldn’t take too much recovery time afterwards. Making it easy to work into your weekly schedule without putting too much fatigue into your legs.

Lactate tolerance: Over-Unders

This workout, as you might guess from the name, has you spending blocks of time just over and just under your FTP. You’ll tick off 2 x blocks of 14 minutes broken down into 7 reps of 2 minutes over, 2 minutes under. This will feel like a pretty tough workout, especially once you get to the second 14 minute block. But it’ll really help you to get used to riding just outside your comfort zone, which will help you mentally to keep pushing up the climbs even when it gets hard. And it’s also a good way to train your body to become more efficient at clearing lactate, which ultimately will enable you to ride harder for longer.

VO2 max: Intermitted 30/30’s

VO2 max refers to your maximum aerobic capacity – it’s a physiological measure which essentially tells you what the ‘ceiling’ on your fitness is. In the context of getting better at climbing, VO2 max is a good way to pull your threshold ‘up’ from above. You’ll be working at intensities significantly above your 1-hour threshold power. VO2 max sessions can be seriously tough, which is why we’ve chosen this 30/30s format on ROUVY. Keeping the high intensity efforts short, with 30s of Z1 between each one makes it that bit more manageable. But you’ll be amazed at just how long 30s can feel by the end of it!

Inspiring ROUVY routes to learn to love the hills

Once you’ve got some consistent training banked, it’s time to put that fitness to the test! ROUVY has a huge library of real life routes, complete with ultra-realistic scenery that will provide the necessary escapism to distract you from the effort. From the classics to a few new additions for your cycling bucket list. Here’s our top 10:

Classic climbs

First let’s start with the classics – the iconic climbs that every cyclist needs to ride before they die. And until you can get there in person, ROUVY gives you a chance to experience the next best thing!

Sa Calobra to Coll de Sa Batalla | Mallorca

Mallorca: the destination of choice for cyclists far and wide. And while there are several climbs you need to ride on the island (including Puig Major and the famous ‘lighthouse ride’), Sa Calobra is the absolute classic. There are a couple of different options for riding Sa Calobra on ROUVY, but we’d recommend the 20.9km Sa Calobra to Coll de Sa Batalla route if you want a challenge.

You’ll start with the Sa Calobra climb – just be prepared for the final kicker on this one because just as you think it’s over, with a nice little downhill, you’ve got one more kick up and away to get to the top. You’ll get a couple of kilometres to recover before it’s time to start climbing again. This time ascending the Coll de Sa Batalla with stunning rugged mountainous views.

L’Alpe d’Huez | France

Next stop: France! And of course it couldn’t be a round-up of iconic climbs without Alpe d’Huez. The route on ROUVY might only be 18km long, but with 1,307m of elevation gain over those infamous 21 hair pin bends – expect to be on the turbo for at least an hour. With an average gradient of 7%, this is a climb not to be underestimated. The first 6 of the bends tend to be the hardest, so make sure you don’t burn too many matches here if you want to get all the way to the top.

Mont Ventoux from Bedoin | France

Up next on your virtual tour around France is the legendary Mont Ventoux aka the Giant of Provence. Take on 21km of challenging ascent – with the gradient ramping up to 13% in some places this is a serious test for your climbing legs. Once you reach the summit, you’ve got a fun 10km descent which will act as an ideal cool down after your efforts.

Col du Tourmalet from Luz Saint Saveur | France

Col du Tourmalet: a beast of a climb, and one of the highest paved mountain passes in the Pyrenees at over 2000m altitude. This is a climb that’s featured 91 times in the Tour de France, and sits at the top of many-a cyclist’s ‘ride before I die’ bucket list. We’d recommend the ROUVY route which has you starting from Luz Saint Saveur, with 19.21km and 1,436m of climbing between you and the Tourmalet summit. With an average gradient of 7.71% and a max of 19.1% this is a true leg burner, so make sure you’re well-fuelled before you hop on the pedals and keep your pacing nice and steady at the start.

Prato to Passo Stelvio | Italy

Last but certainly not least in our pick of the best classic climbs on ROUVY is Passo Stelvio, one of the most famous mountain passes in Italy. Get those carbs on board and then get ready to pretend you’re a PRO rider competing in the Giro – you’ve got 48 hairpin bends, 1780m of ascent and an average gradient of 7.48% to contend with!

Alternative climbs to add to your bucket list

Been there, done those and got the virtual t-shirt? Or just looking for something a bit different to explore? We’ve got you covered!

Grossglockner from Döllach | Austria

Don’t let the stunning scenery and panoramic views fool you, this is a seriously tough climb that just keeps going. You can split the Grossglockner into three main uphill sections, starting with a steady ascent that ramps up, followed by two shorter kickers. And if the 2437m of elevation gain over 49.44km wasn’t challenging enough – it also finishes on the cobbles! Expect to be on the bike for at least a couple of hours here. This is a great route for practicing your pacing and fuelling strategies for longer climbs, and getting your body more efficient at clearing lactate.

Sani Pass Climb | South Africa

Take the road less ridden, with this rugged gravel climb in South Africa. With a max gradient of 21.81%, this is a challenging but spectacular climb. And the scenery as you make your way through this mountain pass in the West of KwaZulu-Natal will do plenty to distract you from the effort!

Strynefjellet | Norway

If exciting switchbacks and stunning Nordic scenery are your thing, you should definitely check out the Strynefjellet route on ROUVY. Exploring Western Norway, you’ll make your way along the historic Gamle Strynefjellsvegen road, covering 1,070m of elevation in just shy of 22km.

Alto de Letras | Colombia

The full Alto de Letras in Colombia has earned itself a reputation as ‘the longest climb in the world’ – an ~80km long climb that starts at 468m above sea level and finishes at a towering 3,679m altitude! The good news is, you can experience the best of the route – without having to ride the full 80km of ascent – on ROUVY. The virtual route is just shy of 20km, starting just outside Delgaditas and finishing at Letras. The virtual version of the famous Letras climb has an average gradient of 5.59%, kicking up to 14.77% in places so dig in and enjoy the ride.

Yangmingshan National Park | Taiwan

Yangmingshan is one of nine national parks in Taiwan, and with its volcanic geography, hot springs and the opportunity to see both cherry blossoms and buffalo in one visit – it sounds like somewhere to visit regardless of whether you’ve got your bike with you or not! But first, check it out on ROUVY with this 17.5km up hill ride from Jinshan, winding through the heart of the park and finishing near Houshanqi.