Breathing on climbs: optimize your accelerations and recover faster in hilly cycling events
- PAIRFS
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
The climbs are the ultimate test of all cyclosportive events. It's where gaps are created—or where you blow up. Yet, it's not just power or leg strength that dictates your ability to maintain a pace: it's your breathing .
Understanding and using your ventilatory thresholds (VT1 & VT2) in climbs radically changes the way you approach hills, restart, and — above all — recover between two difficulties.
In this article, discover how breathing becomes your best pacing tool , without a power meter and even when the climb suddenly gets tough.
Why breathing is the best indicator of effort on an uphill climb
When going uphill, your power output varies because of:
of the percentage of the slope,
the choice of gear ratios,
of gravity (impossible to compensate for),
micro-changes in the group's pace.
Breathing, however, remains directly linked to the actual physiological intensity .
VT1 = still able to speak, controlled ventilation → endurance zone.
VT2 = rapid ventilation, broken sentences → difficult zone, close to lactic drift.
Above VT2 = energy debt, huge cost, slow recovery.
➡️ On the climb, exceeding VT2 too early is the most frequent mistake: even 15–20 seconds above can tip the climb… and ruin the rest of the route.
How to identify your uphill intensity using your breathing
Even without a sensor, here's how you can determine your effort zone immediately:
1. Breathing through the nose (or almost)
→ You are under VT1
→ Ideal at the start of the climb or on a long ascent (10–30 min).
2. Speak in short sentences
→ You are between VT1 and VT2 , tempo zone
→ The pace of climbs that are sustainable but tiring if too long.
3. Unable to speak, panting.
→ You are above VT2
→ Use only for restarting, following an attack, or exiting a sharp turn.
Respiratory pacing strategy on an ascent
➡️ Start of the climb: stay below VT2 for as long as possible
Don't rely on others. Calm your breathing, keep your rhythm high, stabilize your ventilation.
Objective: to remain in an area where breathing remains fluid.
➡️ Steep sections: controlled micro-accelerations
When the slope increases:
Do not change your breathing rate abruptly.
Increase the flow rate slightly, not the pace.
Avoid going into “panic breathing”.
2–3 seconds of breath control prevents a lactic acid spike.
➡️ Peak recovery: stay below ventilatory breakdown
Many are accelerating too hard at the top
→ hyperventilation
→ 30 seconds later… explosion.
Restart based on your breathing sensation , not on power:
If you can regain breathing control in 5–8 seconds → good rhythm
If you remain out of breath → too strong a boost
The key: use breathing to speed up recovery after the climb
After the summit or between two bumps, the majority continue to breathe quickly.
Error: this delays the return under VT1.
Respiratory recovery protocol (10–20 sec)
➡️ Calm and deep inspirations
➡️ Long exhalations (twice as long as inhalation)
➡️ Light but smooth cadence
Result :
quick return to VT1,
improved reoxygenation,
reduction in cardiorespiratory stress,
Faster energy recovery.
Example of application in cyclosportive events
On a hilly cycling event:
6-minute climb → maintain under VT2
steep 30-second wall → agree to climb above VT2
summit / false flat → respiratory recovery
next bump → start fresh
Breathing serves as a real-time guide , even if the power varies.
Why a respiratory sensor changes the game
A system like PAIRFS allows you to:
To know precisely your VT1 and VT2 values based on your power output,
to know precisely your sensations when crossing thresholds
manage the follow-ups precisely,
avoid “suicidal climbs”.
On climbs, this is the tool that allows you to have the most precise pacing… because it’s physiological , not mechanical.
Key points to remember
When climbing, breathing is the most reliable indicator of effort.
The goal: to avoid exceeding VT2 too early.
Post-climb recovery is about breathing, not legs.
With a respiratory analysis system, pacing becomes ultra-precise.
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