Cycle Basic for hill training on a TT bike.

When you come out of aero you can breath easier. On hills once my speed is under 12 to14 mph I will usually come out of aero, under that speed your not gaining much be in aero anyway. So that about 19-22 Km/h.

If you stand on a climb you tend to burn more matches, in a tri is better to spin up that hill if you can. If your more of a pure cyclist that prefers to climb out of saddle then by all means stand and climb.

I remember reading somewhere that around 25 km/h is the turning point at which aerodynamics start to make a real difference, so I tend to use that as my rule of thumb. Once my speed drops below 25 I'll come out of aero - as mentioned it's easier to breathe (and I find I can generate power a little better). I never stand up though - I find it's not worth the extra burn on my muscles.

It depends… some people are just very efficient sitting down climbing, others are climbing standing up. Personal preference, so not that simple of an answer.

I would recommend that you go out on your tri bike and try a few hills. If you loose speed sitting down, standup for a bit to regain speed, then sit down again. I wouldn't stay in aero unless it's a gradual climb (for me that's under 6% grade, anything more and I will stand up, but I'm a punchy rider, so that's just how I ride… probably comes from my youth as a sprinter…)

Thanks! I'm pretty new to cycling, and find my HR jacks when I stand, and I dont get much of a speed gain. My legs also tend to get tired and burn at a pretty low HR.

Fwiw, 75-80 rpm cadence is not considered 'high' by most. Generally accepted 'optimum' cadence is in the 80-95 range, 'higher' would be 95-110, and 'high' above 110. When someone says they are spinning up a climb, that's generally taken to mean 95+. There's no *right* cadence for anyone in particular, but the better cyclists are comfortable in many ranges, from 60 to 120, in different gearing up and down. It's all valid.

In the beginning stages of becoming a cyclist, do what is comfortable and fastest for you. If you feel like standing, do it. There isn't a set rule. There are some world class climbers that are out of the saddle for most of a climb (I'm thinking of Alberto Contador immediately, there are others) and there are some that almost never stand (Tejay Van Garderen comes to mind). When it comes to training, work on developing your strength and skill across the full spectrum of cadence and gearing. The more familiar and comfortable you are with the range of what your bike and you are capable of doing together, the better you will be.

As to aero position, it counts, period. You always have less drag in aero than you do when not in aero, regardless of the pitch. However...your ability to generate the power necessary to climb at your best might not yet be available to you in aero. That takes a good deal of training. Muskoka is less than a month away, you're not going to become a great climber in that short a time period. The best advice I can give you is to climb with the least amount of expended energy possible, whatever that is for you. If you burn too many matches on the bike in the hills, the run will be a death march.