Free cycling tools · your starting point
How will you tackle your climb?
Your effort
Your body
Your bike and route
- Example estimate · Estimated climb time
- 26.9min
Estimated climb time: 26.9 min.
- Target power
- 200W
- Estimated speed
- 11.2km/h
Target power follows climb length. Account for your fitness and fatigue.
Does your gearing suit the climb?
Compare your chainrings and cassette before setting off.
Check your gearingFree account
Make this advice more personal
Save your FTP and weight once; every climbing and gearing calculation uses them.
- Your details stay saved. No need to enter them again, even in other calculators.
- A narrower range. Your own weight and FTP make it easier to compare calculations.
- Your next step is ready. Take your details to the climb planner, gearing calculator or nutrition calculator.
These details go with you to your account
Nothing entered yet. Move a slider or choose an option; only what you enter goes with you.
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The short answer
Plan a climb using distance, average gradient, FTP, weight and bike type. The calculator provides target power and estimated climbing time. Use them as a starting point for pacing.
How we calculate
Climb distance selects a duration category. The model chooses an FTP factor for that category and converts target power into speed and time. Bike type supplies the default bike weight.
What this cannot tell you
An average gradient hides steep sections. Wind, surface, fatigue and an inaccurate FTP reduce the estimate’s reliability. The duration category is a model rule, not a measurement of your capacity.
Worked example
An example with fixed inputs. Use the calculator for your own details.
Input
- Rider weight
- 75 kg
- Bike weight
- 8.5 kg
- Bike
- Road bike, asphalt
- Climb distance
- 5 km
- Gradient
- 7 %
- FTP
- 200 W
Calculated result
- Power
- 200 W
- Speed
- 11.15 km/h
- Estimated climbing time
- 26.9 min
Common mistakes
- Using the whole route distance instead of the climb distance.
- Using an old FTP as if it described your current fitness.
- Treating target power as a compulsory minimum on a difficult day.
What this tool is for
A practical way to plan harder climbs
A climb is not just a gradient. Duration, effort, body mass, wind, and fueling all shape how the climb feels and how well you can execute it.
Build a pacing plan
Use gradient and duration to choose a more realistic opening effort and avoid overcommitting early.
Keep effort sustainable
A good climb plan protects the rest of the ride or event, not just the first ten minutes of the ascent.
Flag risk early
If the plan depends on aggressive pacing, poor fueling, or unrealistic expectations, the tool should make that obvious.
Common problems riders try to solve
Opening a climb too hard and paying for it later in the ride.
Guessing pacing from power alone without considering gradient or duration.
Underfueling a long climb because the effort was treated like a short effort.
What to check first
Check climb length, average gradient, and whether the effort is steady or variable.
Decide if the goal is finishing cleanly, racing the climb, or protecting the rest of the day.
Make sure fueling and hydration match the expected duration and heat.
What not to change blindly
Do not raise the target effort just because the climb looks short on paper.
Do not ignore longer recovery impact when a climb is one part of a bigger route.
Do not assume the same pacing choice works equally well for every rider profile.
FAQ
FAQ
Is this only useful for racing?
No. It is also useful for long training rides, gran fondos, and route planning when climbs change how the ride should be managed.
Should fueling be part of climb planning?
Yes. On longer climbs or harder days, pacing and fueling work together rather than separately.
Explore more
Related guides
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