One of the very first things I was taught as a young cyclist in the 1980s was to spin, not push. It's still true: pushing too big a gear is less efficient and more quickly tires the leg muscles. Back then, though, we were too full of machismo to ride anything lower than a 21-tooth sprocket on the back. Over the years, I have let my manliness be chipped away as my cassette's biggest sprocket has gained cogs, from 21 to 25 to 29. But never did I imagine I'd fit a 32 - until now, driven to extreme measures by the mountains of Austria.
My first encounter with Austrian climbs was in 2023 when, over an intense couple of days, I ticked off famous roads including the Kitzbüheler Horn and the giant Grossglockner. They were so unrelentingly steep they almost broke me. Whereas most Alpine climbs have average gradients of 6-8%, these Austrian roads rarely drop below 10%. My 34x29 simply wasn't low enough. I made a mental note: if ever you return, go lower.
